GPS is amazing. Absolutely brilliant.
I say this as a foreigner in a strange land who still has no idea where exactly his new local grocer is located. But, I can find an amazing Amish market that sells bricks of every kind of delicious cheese imaginable for only $2. I can not find a video rental store that hasn't gone out of business possibly several years ago, but I was able to easily find my local municipal building and obtain all the necessary utilities. I have programmed in the locations of our new sites - buildings and addresses so new they won't exist on any map but mine for a few months - and can find their approximate locations with just a touch of the screen.
This technology was especially useful when I was still hunting for an apartment and didn't even know how to get back on course or rediscover the highway. But my little magic box knew. It also knows with staggering accuracy just how long it will take to get from Point A to B, or even Exit X,Y, and Z in between. I utilize this information and adapt my driving accordingly. If my exit is more than three miles ahead, I will pass everyone in sight before I get there. If my estimated time of arrival is even a minute past the start of my shift, I will adjust speed and accommodate. I can also search for nearby businesses and attractions which makes exploring the area that much more appealing.
Unless, of course, GPS is lying. Which he does sometimes, especially if I happen to be in Kentucky. Just ask my sister.
We spent two hours driving to nowhere at all - multiple nowheres - on some of the narrowest twisting stretch of rapid incline/decline/incline/recline/uncline/decline "roads" ever paved. We really enjoyed riding on those roads through the night, even without an actual destination. What we did not enjoy was our desperate and unsuccessful hunt for a video rental location. Yes, we found those locations so technically GPS wasn't lying about how to get there, and I'm sure those addresses were at one time filled by the businesses that GPS directed us toward. But that was long, long ago. Only empty commercial spaces for lease and occassionally a lighted sign remained by the time we arrived. There were no movies to be had in a 50 mile radius. At least, not on DVD. VHS is another story. One I will deny and never tell.
Other than those few mishaps, GPS is extremely useful and I dare say essential to my continued existence and successful navigation through this strange world I live in now. I'd be completely lost without it and I'm not entirely sure how I managed before. Poorly is the answer. I managed poorly, if at all.
I say this as a foreigner in a strange land who still has no idea where exactly his new local grocer is located. But, I can find an amazing Amish market that sells bricks of every kind of delicious cheese imaginable for only $2. I can not find a video rental store that hasn't gone out of business possibly several years ago, but I was able to easily find my local municipal building and obtain all the necessary utilities. I have programmed in the locations of our new sites - buildings and addresses so new they won't exist on any map but mine for a few months - and can find their approximate locations with just a touch of the screen.
This technology was especially useful when I was still hunting for an apartment and didn't even know how to get back on course or rediscover the highway. But my little magic box knew. It also knows with staggering accuracy just how long it will take to get from Point A to B, or even Exit X,Y, and Z in between. I utilize this information and adapt my driving accordingly. If my exit is more than three miles ahead, I will pass everyone in sight before I get there. If my estimated time of arrival is even a minute past the start of my shift, I will adjust speed and accommodate. I can also search for nearby businesses and attractions which makes exploring the area that much more appealing.
Unless, of course, GPS is lying. Which he does sometimes, especially if I happen to be in Kentucky. Just ask my sister.
We spent two hours driving to nowhere at all - multiple nowheres - on some of the narrowest twisting stretch of rapid incline/decline/incline/recline/uncline/decline "roads" ever paved. We really enjoyed riding on those roads through the night, even without an actual destination. What we did not enjoy was our desperate and unsuccessful hunt for a video rental location. Yes, we found those locations so technically GPS wasn't lying about how to get there, and I'm sure those addresses were at one time filled by the businesses that GPS directed us toward. But that was long, long ago. Only empty commercial spaces for lease and occassionally a lighted sign remained by the time we arrived. There were no movies to be had in a 50 mile radius. At least, not on DVD. VHS is another story. One I will deny and never tell.
Other than those few mishaps, GPS is extremely useful and I dare say essential to my continued existence and successful navigation through this strange world I live in now. I'd be completely lost without it and I'm not entirely sure how I managed before. Poorly is the answer. I managed poorly, if at all.
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