The federal government USA.govwebsite proudly announced today a series mobile phone apps to make getting information from the government easier. The Washington Post quickly wrote an early on how great this is, so it must be great, right?
I struggled with how useful the first 3 of these were. Nutritional guide, can’t I just read the label on whatever product I’m looking at and regarding the UV index, I generally just look outside and figure, it’s sunny, it’s summer, you need sunscreen and I dare say that product recalls are not first on my list of things to urgently check. Dear lord, I hope they’re not recalling that toothpick I just used.
But wait times for airport security is a great idea. How many times have you rushed to the airport only to move thru security in 2 minutes and found yourself there in the modern day bus terminal waiting for 2 hours. Likewise, you arrive, time at a premium to find 900 TSA staff members milling around, 1 security line open while the line snakes out the door. This sound like a great application, one I could use, be proud of, call my own.
So I loaded it up, bunched in the Dulles Airport and got this display, which obviously would be great information were I at the Dulles Airport 2 days ago at 8:50 p.m. Unfortunately, it now (2 days later) and closing in on noon.
This is a prime example of why no information is better than inaccurate or simply dated information. The problem is if you read an article, as I did, loaded up the app, as I did again, the U.S. Government created the expectation that they were going to provide you with useFUL information. Instead you got this, not only useless, but worthless (a distinct difference). Â Oh well, the “we’re from the government and here to help” continues to be a frightening prospect for us all.