Maybe we are growing too dependent upon apps in today’s society | Opinion

Maybe we have grown too dependent upon apps in today’s digital landscape. Although I hate apps, I’m also guilty of using them about as much as anyone else. Take the Weather Channel app for example. I used the app extensively over the past week thanks in part to the unwelcomed return of winter. But do I really trust the Weather Channel app? Well kind of. Maybe? You see years ago before cellphone apps were a big thing, 24-hour weather forecasts were largely reserved for cable. Do you remember the cumbersome cable boxes you had to rent from the cable company, and all of the confusing cords and wires that had to be connected to your television in order to bring the magic of cable to our living rooms? and I won’t even mention the larger cable bills we got. Well one of the unique things about cable, at least for the time, was that you could switch the channel and normally find a local weather forecast every 15 minutes. A few years later we all realized that we didn’t really need cable to get the Weather Channel 24 hours a day. Just a cell phone and an app. But the app I’m referencing isn’t always correct. You see predicting the weather, as it turns out, isn’t a precise science. Gosh. Even the professional meteorologists will sometimes get the weather forecast wrong. That’s why I will never believe anyone who tells me — with absolutely certainty, and no room for debate or a second opinion — that a certain weather event or calamity is about to occur. But I remember back from a couple of years ago when I lived in another house how the weather app in question had successfully predicted a foot of snow almost two weeks in advance of the actual storm arriving. I was impressed by that particular prediction, and my opinions of the app had improved since that time. But now let’s talk about this past week. The weather forecast was really all over the place. No one was in agreement as to what was going to happen and how much snow or sleet we were going to get. At first we were told there would be snow, just rain. As the temperatures outside would be too warm for any wintry precipitation. Then the narrative changed, and we were told that mixed precipitation might be possible. A day later we were warned that a significant winter storm was imminent. The warm air that was supposed to be in place was suddenly going to be cold enough for a significant winter weather event. The closer we got to the storm, the more dire the weather forecast got, particularly for Bluefield. The night before the storm, the cellphone was telling me that we could expect to see anywhere from 5 to 7 inches of snow and ice in Bluefield. The snow was supposed to start at 5 a.m., the app told me. So I went to be bed with a plan. And the plan was simple. I would get up before 5 a.m., and get ahead of the storm, ensuring a smoother commute to work. The alarm clock went off before 5 a.m. I forced myself out of bed, and like a person addicted to apps, the first thing I instinctually did was grab the cellphone and open the Weather Channel app. Well imagine my surprise when the app was now telling me that Bluefield would see anywhere from 8 inches to a foot — yes a foot — of snow. At that point, it was too late to prepare for a foot of snow. Although I concluded that if we were going to get a foot of snow, I would likely be spending the night at the newspaper. I have a sleeping bag in the back of the Jeep. So I’m prepared for that possibility. The next thing I did was look out the window, and sure enough, it was snowing already. Well before 5 a.m. So much for getting ahead of the storm. But here is the thing. The winter storm that impacted our region last week was certainly bad — a messy mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain — but it wasn’t a foot of snow. And thank the good Lord for that. The app was wrong. The early morning panic it created, at least for me, was unfounded. So yes the weather forecast was all over the place last week. And yes weather forecasting is an inaccurate science. Oh, and the groundhogs (plural) got their forecasts wrong too. Winter isn’t over despite what those furry critters said. Gosh. Here we go again. Looking at the app in question while I type this paragraph, I’m being told that the second half of February looks — well a lot like winter. In fact, if I am to believe what I’m being told it is going to be quite colder outside with additional chances for snow in the days ahead. That doesn’t sound promising. I’m ready for spring. In fact, once spring finally arrives, I don’t think I will be using a weather app again. Nor will I ever listen to a groundhog again.