Pictures don’t tell the whole story
July 12, 2012 (Thursday)
A Google map offers satellite views and street views. Google has special equipment that takes pictures of every residence and business on every street almost everywhere in the world. Recently I tried out the map and street photo program by taking a look at New York City.
Of course, the streets of NYC are always crowded with vehicles and people. The Google program allows you to travel the streets and observe the sights.
I noticed something a little strange in the city. In midtown the people were dressed for summer, but the streets in northern Manhattan were filled with people dressed for winter.
One might assume that the two different parts of town have different climates: hot in Times Square and cold in Central Park. Logically, one could assume such was the case if he/she did not know better. No, there’s a better explanation: the weather changed as the pictures were being made. Perhaps a cold front came through. Or the pictures could have been made at different seasons.
We must be careful with our judgments. Assumptions can be wrong; it’s better for everyone concerned if we try to get all the facts. When we base our opinions and make our decisions on inadequate information, we run the risk of making bad mistakes in judgment.
Information flows freely these days: radio, television, newspapers, the internet, email, twitter, facebook, and on it goes. What are you to believe? It’s up to you to ferret out the truth. Never was the old saying more true than it is today: “Don’t believe anything you hear and only half of what you see.” When you hear stuff today, you need to “check it out.”
I’m not talking about maps and weather–I’m sure you know what I mean.