Gregory Starr: GPS is the traveler's enemy

Tue, 01/31/2012 - 04:55 — Anonymous by Gregory Starr A study published late
last year by a U.S. national newspaper showed a surprisingly large percentage
of GPS users suffering from the digital blues to such an extent vacations and
even trips to the local store were being dashed against the twin rocks of
hope and common sense. Our intrepid travelers reported being plagued with all
kinds of problems: more than a third had experienced difficulties simply
finding the right address, a quarter had dealt with convoluted (read
"idiotic") directions and a not miniscule 14 percent claimed they
couldn't even see the screen because of glare. What wasn't included in
the article was the degree that navigation systems of all shapes and sizes
have reduced the collective IQ of the global population, which is a polite
way for saying they've basically made us more stupid when we hit the road.
Remain in your vehicle, please sir I was offered a ride the other day, and
despite the fact that a mid-afternoon journey by car in Tokyo often ends up
taking longer than earning a black belt in any of the martial art
disciplines, I accepted.read more