Something I've noticed is that...people now RELY on GPS. Like I have a friend who uses it to drive home, even though she drives that same route every week. It's comforting to her.
Which is fine! But I wonder how much it stops people from noticing the world around them...
Which is fine! But I wonder how much it stops people from noticing the world around them...
Reposted from
Paulrus of West Bumblefrick
I am officially one of The Ancients, Keeper of Knowledge of the Before Time
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I mostly cycle, and then I’m almost never using a map. It trains the sense of direction.
I also don’t like being distracted by the voice or having my phone out.
Useful skill for hiking in the woods yanno.
But it's also a skill that atrophies...
I also used to drive from LA to SF & cut through from I-5 to 101 or 1 at random spots without a map. Once got lost in a slough in the fog nearly out of gas. 😂
I start looking for blazes, for funny shaped trees, rocks, bends, all the things that i use to navigate my way home.
But I've noticed if I use GPS to drive? I don't.
I notice my environment LESS.
In the woods that doesn't just mean losing my way. It means missing the glow of the sun through the trees.
In the city, it means not necessarily noticing signs of, say, urban decay, or urban improvement. Hey that new building wasn't there last week!
This is just something I've noticed in MYSELF, in the way I navigate.
I let my brain take on the challenge. Trust myself. I generally know the area. I'll figure it out.
It's not as seamless and mindless. But it does give me an extra dose of smug.