2 ms·

>I rarely drive anywhere that I don't already know how to get to. I certainly don't need a navigation system to get to work, home, my favorite bar, the homes of

>I rarely drive anywhere that I don't already know how to get to. I certainly don't need a navigation system to get to work, home, my favorite bar, the homes of friends or family, the local supermarket or other stores I frequent, etc. I only need navigation a handful of times a year, and even then, I usually wish I'd reviewed and memorized the directions ahead of time rather than relied on blindly following step-by-step directions. This just means that you're blindly following older, possibly out-of-date directions. What happens when you discover that a road is closed? Do you pull over, pull out your maps, and try to guess what the next best path is, possibly involving a fair amount of backtracking? I've done that before - I drove east to west across the US with just printed maps - and it's not anything I look back on with nostalgia.

caymanjim 6y ago
I can't recall the last time I drove somewhere and was impacted by a road closure that wasn't clearly marked with a detour, or there wasn't an immediately-obvious alternate route. If you're not blindly following GPS navigation, and pay attention to signs and what's going on around you, it's not an issue. I use Google Maps navigation from time to time and I get that it can be helpful negotiating new territory. Of all the newfangled gadgets in cars, that's the one that has the most value, but it should be a supplemental tool; you shouldn't be lost and hopeless without it.
- Arainach 6y ago
  Your experiences don't generalize to everyone. Just yesterday I drove home from an errand without navigation and discovered that the bridge across the lake was closed in one direction. This wasn't signed well at all and meant that I lost 10-15 minutes turning around and taking another route. Being able to have the car tell me when a turn is approaching rather than having to look at every street sign along the way wondering if this is my turn keeps me focused on the road and prevents the worries of "did I miss it?". It's strictly an improvement.
speed_spread 6y ago
I know my city like the back of my hand and can chart my own course across it on a whim thank you. I don't just decide where I'm going, but I also choose how to get there. Sometimes the course is more important than the destination. Reliance on online nav systems is an excuse for poor roadwork planning and lazy accident management. I want robots and helicopters to take of the roads as I know them, not constantly updated paths that need to be tracked. Learned mental map of the territory should prevail. Else we'll end up being floated over non-euclidian chaotic trajectories for reasons of economic efficiency.

caymanjim 6y ago

I can't recall the last time I drove somewhere and was impacted by a road closure that wasn't clearly marked with a detour, or there wasn't an immediately-obvious alternate route. If you're not blindly following GPS navigation, and pay attention to signs and what's going on around you, it's not an issue. I use Google Maps navigation from time to time and I get that it can be helpful negotiating new territory. Of all the newfangled gadgets in cars, that's the one that has the most value, but it should be a supplemental tool; you shouldn't be lost and hopeless without it.

Arainach 6y ago
Your experiences don't generalize to everyone. Just yesterday I drove home from an errand without navigation and discovered that the bridge across the lake was closed in one direction. This wasn't signed well at all and meant that I lost 10-15 minutes turning around and taking another route. Being able to have the car tell me when a turn is approaching rather than having to look at every street sign along the way wondering if this is my turn keeps me focused on the road and prevents the worries of "did I miss it?". It's strictly an improvement.

speed_spread 6y ago

I know my city like the back of my hand and can chart my own course across it on a whim thank you. I don't just decide where I'm going, but I also choose how to get there. Sometimes the course is more important than the destination. Reliance on online nav systems is an excuse for poor roadwork planning and lazy accident management. I want robots and helicopters to take of the roads as I know them, not constantly updated paths that need to be tracked. Learned mental map of the territory should prevail. Else we'll end up being floated over non-euclidian chaotic trajectories for reasons of economic efficiency.