100% Locally Owned, Independent and Free

100% Locally Owned, Independent and Free

Ashley Robinson: city trip challenges patience and relationship with technology

Do you have a news tip? Click here to send to our news team.

Lights, coffee, action: actor pursues new venture

A Sunshine Coast actor has opened his first local coffee shop and has plans to expand the business across the region. Tomas Oliver - who More

Youth festival continues to flourish ahead of annual event

A festival that promotes creating a network of support for Sunshine Coast youth is building on its success as it heads into its third More

Jobs jumpstart: $78m training hub promised

A pipeline of skilled workers could emerge from a planned $78 million training facility on the Sunshine Coast. The LNP has vowed to build a More

Photo of the day: feathered friend

“Eastern yellow robins are numerous at the moment. This example was chasing insects in melaleuca swamp at the Mooloolah River National Park,” writes 'Greals'. If More

The Coast suburbs where rental pain hurts most

Property data experts have revealed the Sunshine Coast suburbs where renters are doing it toughest. SuburbTrends identified several towns and suburbs in the region where More

Auction frenzy: 43 homes go for $46m

Dozens of properties have been sold at a mega auction on the Sunshine Coast. Half of the 86 properties offered to the market were purchased More

I wrote a column the other week about AI and how we are reliant on it.

Last weekend, I lived that dream.

I had my Thunder netball hat on and I had to go to Nissan Arena at Mt Gravatt for the state titles.

On the way, I had to make a quick detour to Manly to drop something off to one of Old Mate’s friends.

I have never been to Manly, so GPS was in play.

I must say, Manly is an awesome spot. If I had to live in the big smoke, that would be where I would live.

Anyhow, the GPS worked great. I got to both destinations intact and on time.

Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and suburb.

Unfortunately, getting home was different – a great example of my stupidity.

When I left, I decided I didn’t need the GPS as it was memory-based travel from way back when the Broncos used to play at the arena. I knew where I was going.

Do you trust GPS? Picture: Shutterstock.

After a few kilometres and a few sets of lights, though, I started to have doubts.

I pulled up within view of what I thought was the motorway and the road home.

Just to be sure, I whacked in my address, and it told me to do a U-turn.

Thirty minutes later, I found myself on the Pacific Highway heading south. Bizarre.

The first chance I got, I pulled up and checked my destination.

Street name – tick. House number – tick. Suburb – Currumbin.

Massive fail, and another reason I need to keep a set of glasses in the car.

So, I put the right address in, and you guessed it, the GPS took me back past the exact spot I had sat 30 minutes earlier.

This is what I learnt last weekend:

Never eat the karaage chicken at Nissan Arena unless you want indigestion for 24 hours.

When stressed, never pull up at a service station and buy two bags of snakes because it is cheaper than one.  You’ll end up eating the whole lot and add a sore jaw to the indigestion.

And thirdly – and most importantly – never let IT override common sense to the point of knowingly being led south when your tiny brain is telling you that something is astray.

I wonder if GPS has a common sense app?

It seems it is certainly not common in my world.

Ashley Robinson is Chairman of Sunshine Coast Falcons and Sunshine Coast Thunder Netball and a lifetime Sunshine Coast resident.

 

Subscribe to SCN’s free daily news email

Hidden
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
[scn_go_back_button] Return Home
Share