BS: GPS and Maps

Subject: RE: BS: GPS and Maps
From: Joe Offer
Date: 30 Mar 17 - 11:41 PM

I generally prefer seat-of-my-pants navigation. I look at a map at the beginning of my trip to get oriented, and then I go. If I feel I'm off course, I look at the map again and find out where I am, and then set out again.

Since I'm a perennial vagabond, it's not very often that I have to go directly from one point to another. If I do, I use Google Maps if I have to. On my Galaxy phone, it has a green bar at the bottom of the screen that tells me the next turn to make. That feature of Google Maps doesn't work on every device, but it works great on my Galaxy phone. I guess it talks, too, but I can't hear it.

Once upon a time, I made a trip to Lisa Null's house in a van driven by the estimable Dani Black. The interesting Amos Jessup played Alpha Male and tried to do the navigation, guided by Siri on his iPhone. I sat in back with an actual paper map, and I knew the DC area quite well because I had done field work there. But Amos insisted we should follow Siri. So, we got to a freeway interchange and the sign said to go straight, but Siri told us to go right. Amos and Siri won, so we went right. And then half a mile later, Siri told us to get off the freeway and get back on in the other direction. That took us back to the sign that told us to go straight. So, we finally got there.

The Estimable and Ever-Patient Dani Black found this all to be a good opportunity to write a song. I thought she posted it at Mudcat, but I can't find it.

But anyhow, we got to our destination a bit late, but still had a wonderful dirty songs singaround with Abby Sale and Jennifer Cutting.

But why can't I find the wonderful song that Dani wrote?

-Joe-

Subject: RE: BS: GPS and Maps
From: Will Fly
Date: 31 Mar 17 - 07:25 AM

No wonder he'd never noticed it before - Hidden in trees

Exactly! That's why it's only visible from a high viewpoint. I drove past the area quite closely last night on the way to a rehearsal - couldn't see a thing for the surrounding woods.

What IS annoying is that, in my regular visitations to windmills in the county, I didn't know this one existed - and it's listed in the Sussex Mill Society's website as well. Doh!

Subject: RE: BS: GPS and Maps
From: DaveRo
Date: 31 Mar 17 - 07:36 AM

Visitation? Do you haunt them?

Subject: RE: BS: GPS and Maps
From: Will Fly
Date: 01 Apr 17 - 03:46 AM

I do indeed Dave - windmills are some of my regular haunts!

Subject: RE: BS: GPS and Maps
From: leeneia
Date: 01 Apr 17 - 11:14 AM

Friends of mine were visiting cousins in a town with a name like "Jersey Shore." Their GPS took them from the interstate to a highway, from the highway to a gravel road, and from the gravel road to the ocean. Apparently it wanted them to drive into the water, but they didn't.

GPS is useful, but don't trust it completely.

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The DH has been reading a book about relativity. GPS satellites go so fast that engineers have to consider relativistic effects in their calculations. They circle the earth fast that time slows down for them. (I think.)

This may be the only aspect of our daily lives where relativity matters. If not, it's the first one I've known about.