personal technology--the car

I'm sure my status as a digital immigrant will be much too obvious here. But here goes, all the same.

I bought a new car two weeks ago. If I were a digital native, the manual would still be virgin territory. While I can't say I've read it cover to cover (manuals aren't meant to be read that way--even I know that!), I can say that I did look up the location of the control to the rear window wiper (a technology new to me) and that, even armed with that assistance, I'm still very puzzled . . .

My new car is in the shop today--leather seating upgrade--and I'm in a loaner, different model but same colors (even the leather) and similar controls. But I've already consulted that car's manual too, not trusting myself to learn simply by playing/doing . . .

There is hope for this digital immigrant though. While it took me four days to muster enough nerve to have my opening conversation with OnStar, I'm totally in love with this technological advance! I actually trusted its disembodied voice to tell me, turn by turn (and were there ever a lot of turns!) how to get to a beach I'd never visited! Well, I did, momentarily, tell it I'd find my own way after it complained when I left the route (just following the beach traffic signs in a place where I knew my way) and asked me if I needed it to recalculate. Momentarily. Truth was that I was well off my printed-out Mapquest route by then and the highway maps from my old car had not yet made their way into my new one . . . and I didn't know how to get where I was going . . . most especially in the pouring down rain.

OnStar talked me home as well--a different route but just as efficient as the first.

I have yet to read the OnStar manual (did read the getting started flyer) or load/explore the CD . . . But, I'm hooked all the same!!!!

Now to find the control for the rear window wiper (and, more importantly, to understand why and when I would use this feature???) . . .