We have evolved as humans. No longer do our men go out and hunt for days to catch a animal for our needs, instead full meals can be brought to our front doors by the various local delivery people, UPS and Fed Ex. As technology takes over more of our lives, hunting for sport and parking spots has long surpassed hunting for actual sustenance, and women and men alike turn to technology to increase their chances of a "Kill." I read in the New York Times today that San Francisco is implementing a Streetline smartphone system to help drivers capture a parking spot and cut down on inner-city congestion.
Since I hail from the New York City area, I can spot someone heading purposefully toward their car to pull out as easily as a duck hunter can spot a returning flock of Mallards. We both know to not give away our position, as we wouldn't want others to notice our potential strike. San Francisco automobile owners will soon be able to pay their meters from their offices and the only license they will need to park will be their cell phones and a quick hand on the wheel. Congestion will go down as more drivers learn to navigate the new parking system.
It will be interesting to see if decoys start thriving, as soon as a new technology is implemented it seems that there is an equal reaction to circumnavigate it. I can imagine teams of hackers ungluing the sensor devices from the streets or sending false reports to protect the actual free parking spaces every time they want to throw a party. What will become of our natural stalking instincts, will the Streetline permanently dull our senses by excluding of the daily circling of the neighborhood blocks as we search for a parking spot? I think not, even though we live in cities far away from the traditional hunting/gathering existence, we will always find something to pursue. We may soon be competing for taxis from our iphones.
Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/
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