Technology has come a very long way in my lifetime especially with the advent of the computers and mobile phones.
These days one can go shopping, including grocery shopping, without leaving the comfort of your home.
If you do venture out and the weather turns a bit chilly - doesn't matter, turn your home heating on from your phone — I can't do that, but apparently it's possible.
At the press of a button you can make your car practically drive itself — not quite what I overheard some blokes in a bar talking about recently — they "couldn't wait for the day when they could hop in the car after having a pint or two and say 'take me home'," — but close.
Technology can control lots of thing in our life but one thing it can't control is the weather.
Mother Nature rules and once again she has shown her might.
Hawke's Bay got off lightly — a few trampolines blown over, garden furniture thrown about and in my case corn and tomato plants hitting the deck — all annoying but in the scheme of thing - trivial.
In other parts of the country she was much more powerful — floods, wind damage and chaos across much of the North Island.
There were a few nervous people at coastal areas in the Bay as the king tide approached at 9am yesterday and while the sea looked wild and stormy still we got off lightly.
As did campers around the country and that's thanks to technology because they had plenty of warning. Yes the weather can turn on a dime but with technology today there is no excuse for people to be sitting ducks when these big storms hit.
To stay put and hope for the best is selfish and irresponsible — it can end up putting other people's lives at risk. The lives of our emergency response teams who are constantly on call to help others in trouble.
People that don't take any notice of warnings which result in emergency response , in my opinion, need to made to pay all expenses.
Our emergency services are under enough pressure as it is without having to rescue people who put themselves in danger.