Our Lives With Technology - Part I

[FTS]

View presented here are my personal views and are not representative of views of PCA, Porsche or any other entity/person.




How The Quality of Our Lives Has Improved With It; Or Has It?

Our 8-months old refrigerator stopped working the other day. Still under warranty, I called the manufacturer, using my cell phone and its Bluetooth connection, the frige provided the error code(s) to my phone and I transmitted them to the manufacturer while still being on the phone, and few days later a technician showed up and changed the main computer circuit board. All has been working fine since; apparently the freezer temperature regulator had some bad coding on it, and rather than reprogramming it was easier to change the board. This is our first refrigerator that is this dependent on computers, being able to use technology to quickly identify the issue was a blessing, I am not sure I liked the idea that few chips with code on them controlling all of its operation.

It is Thanksgiving weekend, and I have to admit that not having to go to stores to shop for the holiday season is wonderful, but I am also very conscious of all the online transactions with various financial links to my accounts, personal information and my whole life being available at a moment’s request. Similarly technology makes it so easy for me and my family to store information on multiple computers, share our documents, pictures, experiences, and even watch various programs through our Apple TV on what ever media that is convenient at that moment. Regardless of technology I still prefer going to a bookstore, browse, read few pages of books or magazines before purchasing. The atmosphere of a bookstore or library is still a big draw for me, although I realize we are continuing to lose these stores and it does make me nostalgic in many ways.

I learned to drive a car when I was fourteen years old with my uncle’s 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air, three-speed gearbox, boat-on-ocean suspension, huge tail fins; what a thrill it was to drive. I think it is still one of the most iconic cars ever. Twenty-six years later I had my first Porsche, a Cayman S with PASM. What an impressive technology PASM has been, 10 mm lower than normal suspension, adjustable with the push of a button to set the shocks for comfort or performance driving. Short of fully adjustable shocks, the best I can ask for in a sports car in showroom condition. The first generation PASM had some minor calibration issues; nevertheless, it was worth its price. I also was very impressed with the Cayman’s stability control system, when driven smoothly it would not interfere with performance, it was just the right dose of safety vs. performance.

I have to admit, I was a slower driver back then. The two issues I had with the car was the wet-sump engine that had oil starvation issues and the electronic brake distribution (EBD) that kept eating up my rear brake pads. I solved the later issue by learning to better enter corners, but the former issue had no real solution; thankfully the issue appears to have been solved with the DFI engine in the second generation, yet again another impressive technology

Today I drive a second generation 997 GT3. PASM has been improved dramatically, it has self-adjusting engine mounts (DEM), and stability and traction control has separate on/off buttons calibrated for performance. The 3.8 ltr engine has both variable intake and exhaust valves that improve fuel economy and performance at the same time. It has this wonderful button that let’s me adjust the volume of the exhaust note as well. I love all of these technologies, and I think they all allow me to enjoy the authentic dynamics of the car at new levels than I could otherwise. Now, try describing the driving authenticity of the 997 GT3 to an owner of a 996 GT3, and just observe their face when they are trying not to laugh out loud to your face; understandably it is just not possible for them. The first of the GT3 family was as raw as they come, no electronics of any sort (still some, but no where near as in the 997 series models), short wheelbase, questionable aerodynamics, a single thin layer of sound insulation, narrower track width, etc. It should not be a surprise to anyone why both the 996 GT3 and the 996 GT3 Cup cars are the darling of track junkies after nearly a decade. People that can truly drive 996 GT series cars are still as fast as 997 GT drivers, and although I cannot fully relate, they claim they have more fun doing it at the edge than in any other car. I don’t doubt them for a second.

To be continued...