Slashdot Mirror
How Does GPS Change Us?
ATKeiper writes "People have talked for a while about the effects of GPS on our driving ability and our sense of direction; one researcher at McGill has even been developing an exercise regimen to compensate for our supposedly atrophying navigational ability. But is GPS reshaping our lives in a more fundamental sense? The author of this new essay draws on science, sociology, and literature to argue that GPS is transforming how we think about travel and exploration. How can we discover 'the new' in an age when everything around us is mapped?" My own experience is that GPS has made me much more aware of location, by showing me the bird's-eye view, and letting me instantly compare alternate routes.
I don't want to dispute anything you said. I basically agree. For the youngest Slashdot readers who can't imagine how we solved all these problems before Google, the answer is that we were forced to ask real people face to face questions. It's funny how this is not really considered as a socially thinkable option anymore - like it's low-class to ask a person instead of your smarphone.