Are you a GPS addict?

[In The Ten Ring]

Be honest now!

https://www.thedailybeast.com/is-gps...to-your-health

I was working in a motel and a guy called in, his GPS having led him astray. All I could do for him (since he had no idea where he was and nothing he saw was familiar to me) was tell him to "get back onto the interstate, pick a direction, drive, and call back when you reach an exit or sign with a town's name."

He finally arrived and agreed with the logic of my advice and with the mistake of buying a GPS unit. Him = "I used to always know where I was, now I never do."

[mongocanfly]

not me..I've got no use for one..been all over the mts in col, id, wy and ak...I'm just one that never gets lost or turned around...on a road trip I might look at a paper map sometimes ( you know those white sheets with writing on them) and sometimes I might print off a google map but that's as close as I get...

[Stocker]

I have an old Garmin that I never use and I have no idea where it is or how I came to own it. It was probably a years-of-service award from my workplace. I also have an old Rand McNally road atlas and a handful of old paper state maps. I seem to be firmly embedded in the past....

[LockDoc]

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On the other hand, I use mine all the time. I have a Garmin Nuvi 1450t and keep it updated. That is where most people go wrong, they never update them. The maps are changing constantly. Don't get me wrong, it has led me astray a few times but I was always able to figure out where it went wrong.....

I also use my old one for a speedometer in my '72 C30 with the NV4500 trans.

LockDoc

[el_fantasma]

I use google maps on my iPhone to travel to all the schools in San Mateo county for work. Works great for me.

[special-K]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

not me..I've got no use for one..been all over the mts in col, id, wy and ak...I'm just one that never gets lost or turned around...on a road trip I might look at a paper map sometimes ( you know those white sheets with writing on them) and sometimes I might print off a google map but that's as close as I get...

Hey, you stole my words! I have never used one, never thought about using one, and don't plan to. Not only do I choose to not use one because I don't feel the need, I feel they are yet another thing degenerating mankind. Another thing to make people dependent by losing their natural abilities. Use it or lose it.

We go to see a friend race his '69 Blazer in an off road race in PA every Sept. Been going for quite a few years. My buddy who usually drives couldn't find the place no matter how many times he goes. I have been taking us straight to it since the first time, up through the mountains with several turns onto roads in the middle of nowhere. A year later we buzzed straight up there.

Then one year one of his buddies comes along. We make a stop on the way up and when we are ready to head out this friend has looked up directions on his GPS and it says take some other route. I said, "If you follow that I will be no help at all". Well, they ignored me and went with the amazing technology and got all turned around lost. Then they turn to me for help. "I don't know. Got a map? Never been here before. If that thing can get us back to where we stopped I can help". I purposely paid no attention to where we were going, from the back seat, since I was relieved of my duty. (this guy annoyed me)

Going home the same thing happened. I told the driver to take a road and the GPS guy says his device says different and my friend with no sense of direction goes with that. Same thing, what do we do now Tim? Turn around and go the way I told you

[flashed]

I use a GPS quite frequently going to areas I have never been to before to look at trucks .Hard to drive in the dark most times and look at maps .This is usually in Metro Atlanta where I dont want to be lost . My 91 Suburbans speedo works sometimes and sometimes not so I use it in there for a Speedo .

[Mack B]

I use it often for work. Not only does work take me to unfamiliar places, sadly a large number of people don't know their left from right, and don't know the names of any connecting streets to their home address to be able to give you a rough idea of where they live.

Gps is one Tool that has lowered my blood pressure.

[CG]

I'm a field service tech. Driven over 1.5 million miles in close to 40 years in the business, all in basically a three county area. I used to use Thomas Guides, now I use the GPS when needed. When I have an address that sounds off to me I punch it in. Its an excellent tool.

I do think its funny when I see people that obviously just have them on all the time. But to each their own, if they like it, whatever.

[Grumpy old man]

Nope ,No GPS just a 20 year old map crumpled up under the seat (never could figuire out how to fold one back up ) Don't carry a cell phone ,Never any service out here in the hills anyway . Not really prone to pulling over to ask directions depending on who you ask it could lead to a half a days work helping them get in the hay or marriage to their eldest daughter when you hung around the barn too long ,We'll get there eventually ... isn't the trip part of the adventure ?

[Grumpy old man]

Seems I hung around too many barns ...But that's where they keep the moonshine and hide all the milk maids

[61_FL_Apache]

Thought about buying one many times, but spent the money on something else

[davischevy]

I use the GPS on my phone a lot. Yes I'm an addict.

About the only thing I do of any value these days is carry bids to bid openings. A lot of things going on bid day and I usually am cramped for time.

Bid times are advertised and once the bid captain says "WE are now closing the bids", its all over.

I use GPS to calculate ETA.

I keep several types of current maps in my truck, and on the way back I take the long route, and I usually don't use maps unless I run out of daylight and decide to come home.

When we travel, my wife keeps a map handy so she can look for points of interest off the route, and to make sure the GPS is correct.

[special-K]

You're losing your ability to find the bid openings and figure ETA on your own and getting better at meandering your way back with no particular time schedule. Yeah... I'd call that a healthy balance

[RedRider]

Crowdsourded navigation (i.e., Waze) is a lifesaver here in Southern CA. I have no shame in utilizing technology to get me where I need to go faster.

[FleetsidePaul]

I used GPS when I was working. My truck had a laptop with GPS. It was handy. The only trouble was that management could use it to trace your very move, and made it very clear that big brother was watching. It made everyone paranoid.

But I always did all my work, and everybody knew I was about to retire. So I never heard a word. I ignored it. I would still take a nap or run errands.

My friend was a high level manager. We had known each other for over 30 years and had come up through the ranks together. So I could still B.S. with him. So I asked him about it (tracking)

He just shook his head. Nobody's got time for that. It's too much data. Unless someone screws up and we have to look into it. No one is looking.

I slept better when I would take my naps.

Now my GPS is my wife. She has it on her phone. I just let her drive.

[67ChevyRedneck]

I love traveling and have a good understanding of maps and road name/number meanings mostly because my dad and I used to take road trips and had nothing but a map back then.

For people like me, GPS is a great tool to "play with", to help determine arrival time, maybe find some road or trail I wouldn't have seen before, assist with getting through a new town or city, or maybe venture off the beaten path for a cruise without fear of getting lost.

My wife and I used one heavily in 2015 to "stay on the coast" when we drove the PCH from San Diego, CA to Seattle, WA. I'd check google maps every day for our route, but sometimes there was a lot of roads switching back/forth, or it broke off the coast for a while, etc. I think that we were off 1/101 a few times, but had some beautiful scenic coastal views. Even found an awesome light house with a crazy long road that my wife and I recognized in a movie about a year later. Also, if you truely stay along the coastal roads... it's a LOOOOOONG drive!

The article makes some excellent points. For the generation just a bit younger than me (I'd say people now in their early/mid 20's?) they grew up with GPS, and smart phones, and apps to tell them where to go, so there is no need to "learn" how the road naming system works or even how to navigate in general.

I love tech stuff, but it needs to be used as a tool, not a crutch, and our society is leaning on the crutch...

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by FleetsidePaul

I used GPS when I was working. My truck had a laptop with GPS. It was handy. The only trouble was that management could use it to trace your very move, and made it very clear that big brother was watching. It made everyone paranoid.

Saw this within the last few days...

[Coley]

I used google maps......no GPS equipment.
I have yet to get lost.

Makes you wonder how our parents and grandparents ever got around the country, the cities and the towns.....noting that the land is pretty much the same same it was 75 years ago.

'Techno-dependency'.....its out there.


Coley

[WorkinLonghorn]

Never a problem for me if I have the little woman aboard. I just ask her which way to go and do the exact opposite of what she suggests. Works EVERY time. -BA

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by WorkinLonghorn

Never a problem for me if I have the little woman aboard. I just ask her which way to go and do the exact opposite of what she suggests. Works EVERY time. -BA

I love my wife, but she is SO directionally challenged. She's gotten A LOT better in the past few years. I made her navigate on the 2015 hot rod power tour and while she missed a few things, she did pretty good.

[Coley]

lol....funny about the experiences with the wives.
My wife is a very smart women...and very articulate.

However, once you put technology in her hands....things start to come off the rails......TV remote, smartphone, computer.......you name it, things don't end well and that is simply not her area of expertise and confidence.

lol.....but I love her to pieces.


Coley

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by Coley

lol....funny about the experiences with the wives.
My wife is a very smart women...and very articulate.

However, once you put technology in her hands....things start to come off the rails......TV remote, smartphone, computer.......you name it, things don't end well and that is simply not her area of expertise and confidence.

lol.....but I love her to pieces.


Coley

Mine's a Veterinarian. She's very good at it, every year she has one or two local vets try to recruit her to work for them. She's very smart, a lot book smarter than me. Same deal, I had to show her several times how to use the ROKU.

I often wonder if she just lets me teach her stuff so I don't realize I'm the dumb one?

[davischevy]

When my wife is dealing with technology I hear one phrase a lot.

"You piece of sh#t"

Funny thing is, my daughters are techno wizzes. One has a masters in business technology. When they are dealing with phones, computers etc., I hear the same phrase from them.

[special-K]

Men are generally better with directions and worse with handling feelings. So don't have your wife give directions or you'll end up pissed off.