"Imagine you're minding your business on a high-speed train hurtling at 186mph through northern Italy. You know you're close to the end of a two-hour trip from Firenze Santa Maria Novella to Venezia Santa Lucia station, but the timer you set on your smartwatch has 25 minutes left. All of a sudden, your family is in a tizzy. We're about to miss our stop! We have to get off now!"
"Amid the pandemonium, a lone Chinese grandma is pulling at your sweater sleeve, half-shouting questions in Mandarin as the overhead announcement blares the name of the station stop in Italian. Ahead of you, your mother-in-law keeps pushing the open-door button. The door won't open. Your father-in-law and sister-in-law are stuck on the platform, gawping through the window as the train starts pulling out of the station. The Chinese grandma starts panicking for real."
A high-speed train trip through northern Italy became chaotic when a smartwatch timer showed 25 minutes remaining despite nearing the destination, causing a family to panic and split up. Language differences and loud announcements in Italian compounded confusion as a Chinese grandmother frantically tried to communicate in Mandarin while relatives attempted to open doors that would not open. Some family members were left on the platform watching the train depart. The episode illustrates how misaligned wearable timers, poor in-transit cues, and language barriers can create anxiety and deter travel without reliable translation and navigation aids.
Read at The Verge
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