New Shoes and Old Boots

Wearing My Tax Credit

Photograph created by Author — Microsoft Co-pilots perception of future smart boots.

New Boots

I recently bought a new pair of work boots. I used a portion of my tax refund to buy them, or should I say that my tax refund allowed me to buy better boots. They were only missing a step counter.

Torn and Tattered

My old pair of work boots looked worked. They were torn and tattered, scraped and bruised. There was a hole in the toe where the protective plating showed through the once-waterproof boot. With a hole that size no waterproofing solution was available.

How Many Steps

They had been good boot, but they were now relegated to yard duty and painting projects. Their useful life was over, but they still had some life left in them. I wondered how many steps they had walked over the previous two years.

Photograph created by Author — Microsoft Co-pilots’ perception of 20k steps per day.

I Want a Step Counter in my Boots

My step counter was not a good predictor of total work steps. I hit the gym in my Nike’s and On Clouds. I go hiking in my hiking boots, walking in Solomons, and puddle jumping in my ExtraTufs. So how many steps had my work boots worked?