The Agony of Tracking Packages

I ordered a fancy new computer on Tuesday following Apple's release of the new MacBook Pros. As part of the promotion, you get a free iPod Touch, which came yesterday. I received the notification it had been sent and followed closely as it left the factory is Pennsylvania, went through Newark, got on the truck and was eventually delivered here to the office.

This morning I got the notification that my computer had shipped. From Shanghai.

The idea of tracking shipments is great, but let's be honest, all it does is make the pain of waiting that much more painful. You have access to a resource that seems like it should tell you EXACTLY when the package will arrive, but the reality is that it usually updates in the morning and at night, leaving you (well, me) constantly refreshing the FedEx page all day long in hopes that the delivery truck has sprouted wings and arrived in Jersey in a matter of minutes, rather than hours or days.

And with the shipment of my new computer from China, I have to watch as a my little package treks across the mighty globe, traveling from conveyor belt to truck to plane to boat to car to bike to donkey to truck to its final destination here.

Tracking packages might seem convenient, but I find myself longing for the days of ignorant bliss when I had no idea when the package would arrive. Since the delivery trucks would come at the same time everyday (but not Saturday!?), if I came home from school and it hadn't arrived, that just meant I had to wait longer.

Today, I can see what time it left the facility, when it moves from truck to truck, etc. If I had to guess, the next step is live satellite shots of the package in transit and alerts when the driver has to stop for a pee break.