Have people forgotten how to read maps?

Greg

Greg

Greg

Soldato
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18 Oct 2002
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In this modern day and age where technology is there to help us, do you find that sometimes all you want to do is just go old school and pick up a trusty old map? I know I do.

I write this thread, inspired by another mans misfortune; going from a car which had all 'the bells and whistles' to a fairly lower end of the range car. "How am I going to get anywhere now? I've got no Sat-Nav!"

I couldn't help myself but laugh, how on earth did we get anywhere without TomTom or GPS?

Do people really find it that much easier to jump in the car, not have a single clue where there going; They type in a destination and follow a little black box that tells them to "turn right at the end of the road" for the next 3 hours, only to end up in Boston Spa, Yorkshire rather than Boston, in Lincolnshire purely "Because thats the way TomTom told them to go?!"

Are we becomming a nation of Lemmings?

What happened to a good old map ey?! . . .

Discuss :D
 
I can read a map perfectly. But given the choice I'd use a sat nav, it's just easier.

Obviously the situation you descrided is ridiculous and the person should be put down. :p
 
Haven't got SatNav yet as I don't need it. I rely on Google Earth and an RAC map book when I do need to go places I haven't been.
 
I can read a map without a problem, but superior technology makes my journey easier. :)

I wonder if the OP still washes his clothes by hand? :D
 
agreed with the OP, not going to learn anything by following the instructions of a little box. I carry a local A-Z and AA road atlas in the car, don't need anything else.
 
I literally have just got back from the Post office to collect my TomTom One Europe.

Never had sat nav before, so this is a first for me. Always used maps before / autoroute. Hopefully this will make life easier.

Gone are the days of trying to read the printed autoroute instructions while trying to drive around unknown towns :D
 
I don't get it. Maps are great, even better than sat navs on occasion. But not when your alone in a car. How can you effectively read a map/A2Z when going down a d-carridgeway at 70??
 
Why drive anywhere when we have legs?

It's called progress. Give me a little black box telling me where to go over fumbling about with a large sheet of paper at the roadside any day of the week.
 
maps are great. but once you hit a city sat nav takes over. it's easy and you can hear it whilst driving. It's very hard to read a map and drive. It's hard to remember every turn you need to make, once you hit a built up area. Signs are still rubbish in the uk, apart from major roads and junctions.
 
I've never used satnav, can't see the point when I can bring it up on Streetmap and choose my route. Then use this grey thing I've got in my head to remember the route or get that grey thing to control my hand and write out some simple prompts or even use the grey thing at the end of my computer wire to "print" out the map if I really have to. Grey things are good it would appear.

Yesterday I had to go from Beckenham to Kingston. I didn't know the way but looked it up online first so I knew where I was going. It turned out it was sign poasted nearly all the way so it was easy peasy. I followed a car practically all the way that was following directions on a satnav. I could see it myself, it was lighting all the inside of the car up and I was watching as he missed all the signposts telling you what lane to get into and swerving across two lanes, nearly into me once and nearly onto an island when he was too busy looking at the screen telling him to go STRAIGHT AHEAD at the junction to notice that there was only one lane ahead and there was a bus next to him.

Oh and then there's people who get in the car after work and plug the satnav straight in. Sort it out guys, you look like useless tools, you must know the way home surely?
 
This kind of thing happens with any kind of technology, you get people in threads saying how 'cool' they are because they don't need it. You know the type, that post in every single sat nav thread or a mobile phone thread saying "LOOK AT ME!!! I just want a phone that makes calls!!!!111 I'm so l33t!!". :D
 
It's useful for finding a property in a built area, but using them just to find a town/city or something that is well signed is a bit pointless as you can use road signs for that.
 
Duke said:
It's useful for finding a property in a built area, but using them just to find a town/city or something that is well signed is a bit pointless as you can use road signs for that.
Click to expand...

Agreed - but I think the sat nav vs map debate is pointless. Unless you memorize entire maps for fun
 
dont need a map or sat nav for anywhere apart from when i need to find a street in a city, which can be tricky without one.
 
I went over to SatNav since I was sick of the AA routefinder and similar being so blummin inaccurate. I mean, the SatNav isn't perfect, but it at least gives you a better indication of the direction you're supposed to be going in. :) Oh - and once you hit a really big, built up housing estate they really come into their own.
 
I've never used sat-nav as my primary means of navigation, i always read the map and follow road signs. Sat-navs are useless and 9 times out of 10 take you in completely the wrong direction.
 
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