The Glass Cage by Nicholas Carr is getting me to think! Among many things, it asserts that by constantly using GPS to navigate our world, we are limiting our sensory interaction with our surroundings and stifling our brain power.
So, this weekend, when I needed to find a new destination, I looked at the overview in my iPhone Maps app, figured out how to get to where I needed to go all by myself, and turned off the app. I used memory and spatial orientation to get to the address. When I arrived successfully, I felt extremely proud.
The teenaged girls in the car with me thought I was nuts.
The Glass Cage also continues to teach me new vocabulary. If you like learning new words, visit Kathy at Bermuda Onion to see more word nerdy posts. You can add your own word post to the meme too.
My word comes from this quote from The Glass Cage:
As automation technologies become more complicated and more interconnected, with a welter of links and dependencies among software instructions, databases, network protocols, sensors, and mechanical parts, the potential sources of failure multiply.”
I’d only heard of welter in relation to boxing; welterweight. This is different.
welter \ˈwel-tər\ from Middle Dutch welteren to roll
- noun:
- a state of wild disorder
- turmoil
- a chaotic mass
- intransitive verb:
- to writhe, toss
- to toss about in waves
- to become deeply sunk or involved
- to be in turmoil
Word Nerd Note: A welterweight is a boxer who weighs between a lightweight and a middleweight, up to 147 pounds
Word Nerd Workout
I think welter would be fun to use in a sentence. Think of turmoil, and go!
The sideline was a welter of soccer bags, soccer balls, rumpled sweatshirts, and water bottles. I had no hope for finding my son’s hat.
Thanks for “playing”!
“The hallway was a welter of students burdened with huge backpacks, and I had to press against the wall to avoid being trampled on my way to the cafeteria.”
I don’t like relying on GPS – I always feel like I have a better way to get there.
It seems the whole world is in a welter right now, which makes me very sad. Great word. My son thinks I’m crazy when I use a map instead of the GPS in my phone.
good sharing
My kids’ room is a welter of strewn paper, crayons, clothing, and books.
Her desk was a welter of books and papers, unpaid bills and grocery ads. (True.)
BTW, congratulations on your navigational victory! I’d much rather use a map and get there “myself”.