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I wouldn't be able to hunt my own mammoth, and I know that I suck at making fire with primitive tools (I tried and failed). I've learned to appreciate the bene

I wouldn't be able to hunt my own mammoth, and I know that I suck at making fire with primitive tools (I tried and failed). I've learned to appreciate the benefits of a modern society, and I'm ok being pretty screwed if it all magically disappeared without a trace. We adapt, and that's a good thing.

just-ok 6y ago
Eh, losing your sense of direction due to the crutch of GPS isn’t adaptation; it’s regression. Not all of us are okay with being screwed if the convenient floor of modern life fell out from underneath us. :)
- cesarvarela 6y ago
  A world where GPS stops working is into some serious shit, I guess you are also training your hunting and fighting skills, otherwise you'll be screwed anyway.
  - agogdog 6y ago
    Not the world: just you. Batteries die. People get lost. A basic sense of direction makes the world of difference.
  - toomanybeersies 6y ago
    > I guess you are also training your hunting and fighting skills I haven't been in a fight in close to a decade, but it's not uncommon that I have to get somewhere and don't have access to GPS or Google Maps. It's more than just a redundant skill. There's evidence to suggest that our reliance on GPS has a negative effect on our hippocampus, in particular our spatial memory. I have a gut feeling the effect is more wide ranging than we'd think; spatial navigation is a problem solving exercise, involving a whole bunch of different mental processes.
- DanHulton 6y ago
  I've never been able to remember street names. GPS was a godsend to me, because now I can actually navigate. I certainly wouldn't go so far as to claim I was disabled, but I find it helps to remember that not everyone has the same capabilities, and what we consider to be a silly "crutch" can be tremendously empowering for others without our capabilities.
  - toomanybeersies 6y ago
    I don't think many people are good at remembering, and navigating by, street names. It's an unnatural way to navigate. For millennia, we navigated using landmarks and other relative phenomena.
- darepublic 6y ago
  Assuming the resources previously spent on those other things is wisely used it might be advantageous
kfajdsl 6y ago
Specifically with learning street names and layouts, a big benefit goes hand in hand with using GPS imo: when I start directions to a new place, I can quickly glance at the map and pretty much know what I need to do for most of the trip. This saves me from having to constantly eye my phone or making split second lane changes because Google waits till you're right at a turn to tell you :S
notsureaboutpg 6y ago
Actually knowing the streets is better these days since a majority of drivers are using the same mapping system, which will reroute them all onto the same new path in case of an obstacle or accident and cause more traffic. If you actually know the streets and see a traffic issue on your map, you'll come out ahead.

just-ok 6y ago

Eh, losing your sense of direction due to the crutch of GPS isn’t adaptation; it’s regression. Not all of us are okay with being screwed if the convenient floor of modern life fell out from underneath us. :)

cesarvarela 6y ago
A world where GPS stops working is into some serious shit, I guess you are also training your hunting and fighting skills, otherwise you'll be screwed anyway.
- agogdog 6y ago
  Not the world: just you. Batteries die. People get lost. A basic sense of direction makes the world of difference.
- toomanybeersies 6y ago
  > I guess you are also training your hunting and fighting skills I haven't been in a fight in close to a decade, but it's not uncommon that I have to get somewhere and don't have access to GPS or Google Maps. It's more than just a redundant skill. There's evidence to suggest that our reliance on GPS has a negative effect on our hippocampus, in particular our spatial memory. I have a gut feeling the effect is more wide ranging than we'd think; spatial navigation is a problem solving exercise, involving a whole bunch of different mental processes.
DanHulton 6y ago
I've never been able to remember street names. GPS was a godsend to me, because now I can actually navigate. I certainly wouldn't go so far as to claim I was disabled, but I find it helps to remember that not everyone has the same capabilities, and what we consider to be a silly "crutch" can be tremendously empowering for others without our capabilities.
- toomanybeersies 6y ago
  I don't think many people are good at remembering, and navigating by, street names. It's an unnatural way to navigate. For millennia, we navigated using landmarks and other relative phenomena.
darepublic 6y ago
Assuming the resources previously spent on those other things is wisely used it might be advantageous

kfajdsl 6y ago

Specifically with learning street names and layouts, a big benefit goes hand in hand with using GPS imo: when I start directions to a new place, I can quickly glance at the map and pretty much know what I need to do for most of the trip. This saves me from having to constantly eye my phone or making split second lane changes because Google waits till you're right at a turn to tell you :S

notsureaboutpg 6y ago

Actually knowing the streets is better these days since a majority of drivers are using the same mapping system, which will reroute them all onto the same new path in case of an obstacle or accident and cause more traffic. If you actually know the streets and see a traffic issue on your map, you'll come out ahead.