Saturday, March 26, 2016

GPS Dummy

I drove in the US when GPS navigation devices were not that easily available, smart phones were rare, Google maps were just released and we actually had to use paper maps to navigate. That was more than 8 years ago. I kinda knew the roads around my neighborhood so well, that I could actually navigate without the need of any directional aids. For long trips, I bought the fold-able maps (AAA) and studied my route before I made the trip. If you took a wrong exit or a wrong turn, you would pull-up on the side of the road, open your maps and figure out how to get back onto the right track. And I actually understood the Eisenhower National Inter-state system

And then this time I went, I overly relied on the friendly Google Maps on my phone to navigate me to every destination, including the neighborhood grocery store. I felt dumb, incompetent and totally dependent on the GPS. So much so that, I had no clue of even basic directions around me.

Not that it matters, but I feel like geographically knowing where you are in the bigger scheme of things helps you feel in more control of your journey. It's just me. I know.


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