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> Imho, one of the most corrosive aspects of GPS has been mystifying navigation, due to over reliance on weird street connections. Versus the conceptually simpl
by tivert 2y ago
> Imho, one of the most corrosive aspects of GPS has been mystifying navigation, due to over reliance on weird street connections. Versus the conceptually simply (if slightly longer) routes we used to take.
This, exactly!
Many years ago I realized constant GPS use meant I had no idea how to get around the city I'd lived in for years, and had huge gaps in my knowledge of how it fit together.
To fix that, I:
1) ditched the GPS,
2) started using Google Maps printouts where I manually simplified its routes to maximize use of arterial roads, and
3) bought a city map as a backup in case I got lost (this was pre-smartphone).
It actually worked, and I finally learned how to get around.
- saagarjha 2y agoI find that having a GPS all the time in my pocket has really done wonders in my ability to understand how the city fits together. Not driving everywhere probably plays some part in that too.
- ethbr1 2y agoThe key distinction that prompts learning to me is switching to "north is always up" mode. "In front is always in front" deserves to die a fiery death. People should damn well know how to orient on a map.
- saagarjha 2y agoI mean this view is nice when you are actually moving
- tivert 2y ago> I find that having a GPS all the time in my pocket has really done wonders in my ability to understand how the city fits together. How? The problem is GPS routing takes you on all kinds of one-off shortcuts which are a poor framework for general navigation, and tend to lack repetition. It also relieves you of the need to think on the way from A to B. > Not driving everywhere probably plays some part in that too. I could see that as being helpful, but that's only really doable in a small area, like a city center. You're not going to learn a metro area that way.
- sokoloff 2y agoI have more or less the same thought as you (that a phone mapping app isn't helpful overall), but I can see how the moving map functionality and pinch-to-zoom would be helpful to learn the overview of an area, in a way that I think the turn-by-turn optimized navigation is harmful.
- saagarjha 2y agoYou can learn a metro area piecemeal.