Going all rebel! No GPS!!!!
06-14-2018, 07:32 AM
#1
Going all rebel! No GPS!!!!
Ok, not quite as dramatic as the title 
And I guess this could be posted anywhere, but I suspect most of the folks thinking along these lines are more of the vintage forum crowd...
Last year it dawned on me just how much I depended on GPS on my phone when driving new places, and just how badly that impacted my ability to remember directions to the same place later. Almost like you go on autopilot mode and do not force yourself to remember, even in the city I live in!
No, I did not give up GPS forever, but when possible, and especially on shorter trips, I have foregone the GPS route and simply looked at the location on my phone or a regular old map ahead of time, and then just made myself find it without using GPS (you know ... like back in the good ol days when we just used a map and learned our way around!).
I think it has made me much better at just finding my way around, and honestly, I like driving without relying on the directions on my screen a lot more (Also less distraction!) Now, unless I am just in a totally new area where I do not know where I am at all, I find I rarely use GPS. Amazing how we forget our ability to do certain things after a short while of depending on a device to help us
And I won't lie ... even not being a "conspiracy theory" kinda person, I am sort of uncomfortable giving these large corporations even more data on me, like where I go regularly, what I pass every day, etc. Granted, on the sneaky side they can probably just steal that from me through just having my device on me, but just willingly having more of that info in some database bothers me the more I read and learn about just how much these companies know about us and how much you could figure out about someone just from getting a hold of this data!
Dave "resisting the urge to move into a shack in the woods" T
And I guess this could be posted anywhere, but I suspect most of the folks thinking along these lines are more of the vintage forum crowd... Last year it dawned on me just how much I depended on GPS on my phone when driving new places, and just how badly that impacted my ability to remember directions to the same place later. Almost like you go on autopilot mode and do not force yourself to remember, even in the city I live in!
No, I did not give up GPS forever, but when possible, and especially on shorter trips, I have foregone the GPS route and simply looked at the location on my phone or a regular old map ahead of time, and then just made myself find it without using GPS (you know ... like back in the good ol days when we just used a map and learned our way around!).
I think it has made me much better at just finding my way around, and honestly, I like driving without relying on the directions on my screen a lot more (Also less distraction!) Now, unless I am just in a totally new area where I do not know where I am at all, I find I rarely use GPS. Amazing how we forget our ability to do certain things after a short while of depending on a device to help us
And I won't lie ... even not being a "conspiracy theory" kinda person, I am sort of uncomfortable giving these large corporations even more data on me, like where I go regularly, what I pass every day, etc. Granted, on the sneaky side they can probably just steal that from me through just having my device on me, but just willingly having more of that info in some database bothers me the more I read and learn about just how much these companies know about us and how much you could figure out about someone just from getting a hold of this data!
Dave "resisting the urge to move into a shack in the woods" T
06-14-2018, 07:59 AM
#2
Ha ha, good for you! I was just thinking about all the out of the way places I went years ago, in totally unknown areas, sometimes pulling a horse trailer behind me... and I got there! I find now I am using a mapping app mostly for traffic/road closure reasons, as it seems all my recent long road trips had serious wrecks that stopped traffic for hours, but luckily my phone told me to find an alternate route, and I actually listened to it. I do look at maps, too, before going on a new adventure, and was proud of myself last trip to the mountains when, at a fork in the road, I knew it was a right turn but the phone said left... I was right! I impressed my friend with me, too, as I can be directionally challenged at times! Which reminds me, I need to find a compass to keep in the car! 
06-14-2018, 08:03 AM
#3
"I have foregone the GPS route and simply looked at the location on my phone or a regular old map ahead of time,"
^Yes, that's a great way to do it. Yesterday, I went to the Larimer Humane Society to volunteer and asked my GPS for directions. It was different from the usual route due to road construction. I was glad I asked first. I always ask first for places I know the directions to. Traffic and accidents can throw a wrench in your time of arrival which can make a big difference when going to the airport.
^Yes, that's a great way to do it. Yesterday, I went to the Larimer Humane Society to volunteer and asked my GPS for directions. It was different from the usual route due to road construction. I was glad I asked first. I always ask first for places I know the directions to. Traffic and accidents can throw a wrench in your time of arrival which can make a big difference when going to the airport.
06-14-2018, 08:28 AM
#4
"I have foregone the GPS route and simply looked at the location on my phone or a regular old map ahead of time,"
^Yes, that's a great way to do it. Yesterday, I went to the Larimer Humane Society to volunteer and asked my GPS for directions. It was different from the usual route due to road construction. I was glad I asked first. I always ask first for places I know the directions to. Traffic and accidents can throw a wrench in your time of arrival which can make a big difference when going to the airport.
^Yes, that's a great way to do it. Yesterday, I went to the Larimer Humane Society to volunteer and asked my GPS for directions. It was different from the usual route due to road construction. I was glad I asked first. I always ask first for places I know the directions to. Traffic and accidents can throw a wrench in your time of arrival which can make a big difference when going to the airport.
06-14-2018, 08:33 AM
#5
I've never used Waze although I do have it on my cellphone. I ask Google and it's normally great at avoiding traffic. Have you ever compared Google to Waze?
06-14-2018, 08:46 AM
#6
They are the same company. Google bought Waze, but the apps are quite different. So... the backend data (traffic, etc) should be the same on both. Waze just adds the social part, aka data based upon driver reports. So if a user reports a crash before the police do, I suspect it shows up on Waze first. I have not compared the two side by side though to see which is better.
06-14-2018, 09:11 AM
#7
They are the same company. Google bought Waze, but the apps are quite different. So... the backend data (traffic, etc) should be the same on both. Waze just adds the social part, aka data based upon driver reports. So if a user reports a crash before the police do, I suspect it shows up on Waze first. I have not compared the two side by side though to see which is better.
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06-14-2018, 09:58 AM
#8
Ha ha, good for you! I was just thinking about all the out of the way places I went years ago, in totally unknown areas, sometimes pulling a horse trailer behind me... and I got there! I find now I am using a mapping app mostly for traffic/road closure reasons, as it seems all my recent long road trips had serious wrecks that stopped traffic for hours, but luckily my phone told me to find an alternate route, and I actually listened to it. I do look at maps, too, before going on a new adventure, and was proud of myself last trip to the mountains when, at a fork in the road, I knew it was a right turn but the phone said left... I was right! I impressed my friend with me, too, as I can be directionally challenged at times! Which reminds me, I need to find a compass to keep in the car!
Leslie, I have a compass app on my iPhone, amazingly named Compass! You may want to do a search in the app store.
06-14-2018, 03:12 PM
#10
I know I'm living in the past but I still have a flip phone and no GPS in any of our cars.
If the wife is with me she does have GPS on her phone and its been really helpful a couple of times but its misdirected us just as often. She has none of the apps mentioned.
I continue to be amazed at the electronic products and software that lazy people think they must have. However, if anyone knows of one that drives off deer eating the wife's flowers, please let me know.
If the wife is with me she does have GPS on her phone and its been really helpful a couple of times but its misdirected us just as often. She has none of the apps mentioned.
I continue to be amazed at the electronic products and software that lazy people think they must have. However, if anyone knows of one that drives off deer eating the wife's flowers, please let me know.