bjournal::juxtapoz

I know this is my first post in a while, and for that I apologize. I also apologize for the fact that this post won’t be about the many adventures I’ve had in the interim between the last post and this one. Nor will there be pictures. Rest assured, however, there will be plenty of both in the coming days, as I begin to reset the pieces of my life for the next game.

On to business…

Lost somewhere in the largest quantity of information that the largest number of people have ever had access to, is some great truth- the one great, perhaps- that we have been searching for since we first thought to search for it. Right?

Probably not, actually. I say this not out of pessimism, but out of experience. For instance, if we are going to find the truth by sifting through the information we now all have (OK, I know that not everyone has the information and that no single person has it all, but the point remains), we will have to rely on the information itself, or at least be discerning enough to know when we shouldn’t rely on it.

My evidence is actually fairly benign compared to the search for truth:

Yesterday, I made a reservation through priceline for the hotel I am currently staying at. The process went smoothly, and eventually I received an email with all the relevant information: hotel name, address, phone number, confirmation number. This should be all that I need. In fact, since the invention of the confirmation number, this has been all that I’ve ever needed. A confirmation number is a confirmation of the reservation given to the guest and the host so that they both are aware of the arrangement. This is especially useful when a third party is used, and here is the kicker: it doesn’t matter who the third party is (travel agent, hotel clerk, priceline.com).

So, I am checking in. I say that I have a reservation, and the dude (the person representing the hotel) asks for my name. When he can’t find my reservation, he asks how long ago I made it. I tell him “about an hour ago”, he nods knowingly, and completes his process and hands me my key. Of note: he never asks for my confirmation number. Fast forward to this morning, when I have been billed (again) for my room. I go to the front desk to try and clear up the misunderstanding, only to find that the hotel has no record of my reservation or confirmation number. I even double-checked the website.

Aside from my obvious frustration (and coupled with the fact that priceline says that this will take 5 business days to “investigate”), this is why we will likely not find truth because of our greater access to information. When a simple thing like a confirmation number actually confirms nothing, it seems unlikely that any of the information we have actually means anything, in the grand scheme of things.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the so-called “Information Age” or “Digital Age,” but as revolutionary as it is, it seems more like we are playing catch-up than actually moving forward.

The Search for Truth must tarry on as before. Use whatever means seem appropriate.