Crackpot GPS Directions

[Chocki]

The thing about Sat Navs, is they are an aid, not a all knowing oracle, use them as a tool / aid, but just remember who is in control.

Yes, there are errors, but it's up to you to decide ultimately where you are supposed to be going, and use some common sense and plan your route at least a little, because if that unit fails, what are you going to do?, stop and cry that you are lost?, I don't think so.

I have used one for a few years now and travel around Europe, I use TT on a PDA and I have to admit it is so relaxing not having to look all the time where you are, knowing that you havent got to start reading signs for another 238km or something like that, but I don't completely rely on it, I use it to know where checkpoints are for complicated junctions, which I have already looked up and memorised, so that I am ready for them.

Oh, if anyone travels in Poland, I would recomend Automapa, I think it must be based on military maps, because the road detail is unbelievable, unfortunately a lot of the roads shown are only passable by 4x4, but don't worry, it dosen't blindly send you down these, but they are available if you really need to get round something, but again, to be used as a tool, as it won't automatically route you down these. (At least it hasn't yet!)

But I did take my vectra through a forest once as a shortcut to avoid the closed road, just about made it!.

 

[Demon]

I do understand where you are comming from, being reliant on technology rather than using your brain is clearly not progress, and it is sadening that a growing number of older school children can't perform mental arithmetic (or even grasp basic literacy in many cases). However, as I said I don't think sat nav is a replacement for a map, they are both usefull in the right circumstances.

Lets not blow this out of all proportion, we are talking about sat-nav Vs Maps, there is almost zero skill involved in reading a map for simple navigation purposes..

Yes is it sad that mental arithmatic is a skill not taught at schools, as this forms the basis for a lot of learning, but that doesn't mean computers and calculators are evil. Scientists rely almost totally on computers to forward our understanding of virtually everything.

At the end of the day they are a tool, nothing more, nothing less, if you look back at history, the same argument you are using could have been directed at the Abacus, slide rule, etc, etc..