Soulless Autonama

A trip to Atlanta
Is there a human being on duty here? Anywhere?

- Got Gas @ self-serve pump, swiped card

- Hit the Thruway: paid tolls thru EZ Passs lanes all the way down (slowed; never stopped)

- Parked in Newark Int'l Airport lot: the toll gate machine gave me a ticket

- Took the monorail (no human operator on board) to the terminal

- Checked in via Kiosk: it verified my reservation, I picked my seat, I checked a bag

- Went thru security: I actually semi-interacted with a human; although no words were spoken by either of us. Just an index finger waving me thru the x-ray

- Got a coffee thru a machine; waived my card to pay the $3 charge. It wasn't bad!

- Made phone calls, checked email and did some graphic design work while waiting at gate

- Checked monitors for flight info: on time departure scheduled

- Boarded plane: the first verbal 2-way interaction of the day was a "hi; thank you" followed by a "welcome" from my end. Eyes never met

- Flew to Atlanta: the guy next to me zoned out with his Kindle and ear buds/music; he never said a peep

- I was dozing when drinks were offered; so I never interacted with a flight attendant

- Arrived @ Atlanta: rental car was waiting with my name on the sign in front of it, the keys in the ignition and my paperwork on the seat. I never had to go near anyone. Just adjusted the controls and drove off.

- Checked-in to hotel. Yes, you guess it: automated kiosk verified my reservation and dispensed the room key

- Met a pal later in the 'burbs. She must have thought I'd been an island castaway for a year, given my joy in actually engaging in real life / real world human interaction. If we were counting, we'd no doubt conclude that she directed more words in my direction in her very first sentence than I had received from everyone else combined @ the rest of the day. A day which started in upstate New York!

There's a snapshot of the modern American on-the-go dynamic. I dealt with more machines than I did people.

Of note: the next morning, as I was making my way to my appointment on Peachtree, I had my next human interaction of the trip. A homeless man hustled me up for "breakfast money." Now there's a function that hasn't been automated yet: panhandling!

Maybe it's time for a brain trust retreat, where we can figure out a way to change that?

A Skype conference, of course...


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