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Lamiaceae
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Joined: 05 Jul 2006
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Location: To the right of my computer
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 Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2010 7:00 pm Post subject: Sat Nav and you |
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Spurred on by the latest XKCD
http://xkcd.com/783/
I thought back to a recent trip I took with friends to Oxford. On the way down the person driving happened to comment that their sat nav thought they were in a field.
I wondered how long it had been since they last updated it as the road we were on was about a year or more old now ( though I do remember it being built ) and they said they dont remember ever updating it.
Struck me as being a bit odd because if you bought a road map for a couple of quid you'd buy a new one every now and again knowing full well that roads are changed and updated a lot of the time.
Then I remembered that actually, updating your sat nav sometimes doesn't make the slightest bit of difference
There's a crossroads in Lincoln ( near the railway crossing right next to the station if anyone wonders ) which always seems to fox my sat nav it insists I get in the wrong lane ( despite many updates ) of course, I know better and continue on driving properly until I pass the crossing and it's happy again.
Where has your Sat Nav tried to send you ( whether you updated it or not ) or where has it decided you are?
Hopefully it's not as bad as these people ( which perhaps come close to Rach's questions people are asked at work thread in Comedy )
http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/10/08/23/006235/National-Park-Service-Says-Tech-Is-Enabling-Stupidity
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warwgn
King Speedy Gramps
Joined: 27 Feb 2006
Posts: 1946
Location: Farmington, New Mexico USA
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| Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 2:42 am Post subject: |
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never use one, I barely use a map either.I just look on line to where I want to go or browse the atlas and get the main roads then just take off. I guess I use the force to find my way........but I am old school and have had military training 
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Rach
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Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 1056
Location: Middle of nowhere in England
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| Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2010 10:01 am Post subject: |
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I can't drivem, but I often act as navigator on long journeys. We don't have a SatNav, but we are considering getting one as my little brother just passed his driving test and has a fairly bad sense of direction and doesn't remember how to get to places he needs to go - we think it would be quite useful. Up to now we have always just used a map, or gone onto googlemaps to find where we need to go.
Does a SatNat make a lot of difference, do you think it would be worth getting one, especially with one new driver, who has enough to think about without remembering where he has to go? Or would the SatNav be offputting, if you have to look at the screen whilst driving?
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Lamiaceae
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Joined: 05 Jul 2006
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Location: To the right of my computer
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| Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2010 11:26 am Post subject: |
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| Rach wrote: |
Does a SatNat make a lot of difference, do you think it would be worth getting one, especially with one new driver, who has enough to think about without remembering where he has to go? Or would the SatNav be offputting, if you have to look at the screen whilst driving?
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I used to be like you, if I had to go anywhere I used to spend the night before looking at a map and working out my route, then used to reduce it down to a bullet pointed list which would list the road names and my various waypoints i'd pass on my way somewhere.
Then coming back was easy, I pretty much knew what roads were what and could find my way back, eventually if I did the trip a few times like that I would know the route and didn't need the map anymore.
I found though that anyone can get from one town to another. For example, if I was coming to see you and you lived in Nottingham ( it was the last place I remember you living and you've perhaps moved 15 times since then but we'll use Nottingham as an example )
I can quite easily get myself to Nottingham without any form of map, satnav or anything ( something would be wrong if I didn't know the way by now )
The problem arises once I get to Nottingham. Maps start to break down somewhat here, and I find I need directions from that point on. So for city driving they are a godsend.
However, they can be a bit of a curse as well. I've used mine for a few trips and been lazy and thought to myself the night before 'meh, SatNav will sort it out' and on the way back i've needed SatNav more so because I wasn't paying any attention to the junction signs on the various roads I was taking ( without SatNav I would of been paying attention more to roadsigns )
I feel quite bad in that i've driven to another site for work a few times now, and I doubt I could get myself all the way there without getting lost once or twice.
At no time have I found the screen off putting at any time though. I think he should get used to driving round your local area first, driving to and from a local town he will know the layout well. Then start planning routes and going for longer drives perhaps just drive to the outskirts of various towns and coming back, get used to looking out for roadsigns etc.
I do think this will teach him good habits for looking for roadsigns and thinking ahead. SatNav makes you lazy with regards to navigation, though it does take a lot of stress out of drives when you are in an area you really don't know, you're looking out for signs, watching traffic, sad old people as they bounce of the roof of your car etc.
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Vagilik
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Joined: 07 Jul 2009
Posts: 494
Location: Las Vegas, NV United States
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| Posted: Wed Sep 01, 2010 4:43 pm Post subject: |
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When I use SatNav (GPS in USA) i dont look at the screen much at all because there is audio that tells you how far to go and what direction to turn on what street or what offramp to take. Is it the same there?
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Lamiaceae
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Joined: 05 Jul 2006
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Location: To the right of my computer
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| Posted: Wed Sep 01, 2010 9:44 pm Post subject: |
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| Vagilik wrote: | | When I use SatNav (GPS in USA) i dont look at the screen much at all because there is audio that tells you how far to go and what direction to turn on what street or what offramp to take. Is it the same there? |
Yep, complete with novelty voices.
I've got GlaDOS for mine. I haven't yet used her though as I fear there is some sort of 'in joke' with her where she will get you lost and then stop working, or send you to some rough part of the town you're heading for. That would be just like her, I can hear her now 'drive down this dark alleyway because there's a wonderful cake shop at the end'.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqpfhrlDJR0
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Rach
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Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 1056
Location: Middle of nowhere in England
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| Posted: Tue Sep 07, 2010 3:53 pm Post subject: |
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I suppose its true. Plus if we got one it would have to have the Brian Blessed voice hehe.
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aalpha
Nicest Guy In The Universe/Site Admin
Joined: 17 Oct 2005
Posts: 8399
Location: Where ever you need me I'll be there. Whatever you need done I'll do it. Made in the USA.
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| Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 9:26 pm Post subject: |
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If I may use a bit of graphics to describe my travels to work, I live at the 8 o'clock position and my work is at the 1 or 2 o'clock position. We have a major highway that goes around the city of Raleigh.
There is a route I normally take that carries me through the middle of the clock face, but is fraught with slower speeds and traffic lights which are not a major hindrance; they are synced so once you get a green one they are all green.
The "normal" route on the the major highway is about 27-29 miles. My route, if I push it to the extreme is barely 21 miles.
My Dad has a Garman Nuvi 660. I plugged in my work address and that piece of crap routed me a path that was 37 or 39 miles long. It was unbelievable.
I haven't done it yet but I do intend to contact Garman and let them know about it. It is completely inexcusable for a nav device to plot such a course. A 3 year who can't read can do better than that. 
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Rach
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Location: Middle of nowhere in England
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| Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2010 11:19 am Post subject: |
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I was watching a repeat of Top Gear the other day, and they were talking about SatNavs, one woman wanted to get from A to B (completely forgotten which cities) but avoiding a certain motorway, and the Sat Nav told her to travel via Ireland and France to get to her destination! Sometimes SatNavs aren't as reliable as people think they are...
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IceMan
More favourite than Avarice also
Joined: 16 Nov 2005
Posts: 2892
Location: Yorkshire!!!!!!!
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| Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2010 1:54 pm Post subject: |
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That wasnt from a sat nav it was the RAC or AA travel planner online. Ive just got a new phone which has a sat nav built in and its the first time Ive ever used one but I think they are great if you get lost and its alot less stressful to just let it tell you where to go.
Went out to the peak district and the route I had planned was blocked from the Yorkshire run so got the sat nav to make another route and got me there fine.
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