On Changes

I spend a lot of time on Google Earth mapping the world’s rail and transit systems, as well as engineering my own. I have spent a couple thousand hours, at least, on the platform. So, I’m pretty invested in it. Google is working on moving the system to the internet, built on a new web platform.

This week, they updated the desktop version with the labels from the web version. The eliminated some useful functionality, including being able to view the rail and road overlays separately.

This is inconvenient and makes my projects a bit harder.

However, some of the work I was doing this weekend was saved as the computer I am now working on does not completely crash during short power flickers like an older one did, saving an hour’s work.

Some changes are good, some changes are challenging.

It’s often true that one’s person’s progress is another’s setback, as in the Google Earth situation.

The swap saved a lot of time managing two databases for Google on a service they provide largely for free.

So, I understand why they made that decision, and respect it. Most of the time, even decisions I disagree with have some sound reasoning behind them, particularly when my concerns don’t even register.

It’s all a matter of perspective. The rule I try to follow is to wait ten seconds and try to analyze why the decision might have been made.

I think a lot of strife would be avoided if people tried that rather than taking it personally and seeing something as an attack on their ego. Often, decisions are made at higher levels that can’t be argued with, or with factors in mind we’re not aware of.

So, we must adapt to changes and accept that things won’t always go our way. And celebrate the times that they do. Like computers that are resilient to power interruption.

For now, at least, Google Earth still works.