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| Yes | 51% | 348 votes | Total: 677 votes | |
| No | 49% | 329 votes |
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Add to FavoritesThree years ago my wife changed my life. I thought I was happy before. Never have I been happier than when she gave me a GPS unit as an anniversary gift (except of course for when I married her). It's a Garmin and it has turned my world right-side up again.
Forget about conventional maps - at least where I'm concerned. You know that person who always says "give me the map, I'm really good at reading them"? I'm not that person. I always run and hide when I hear the sound of maps unfolding, because I'm terrible at reading them. They're like a foreign language to me.
It might sound strange; a GPS unit as an anniversary gift? At first I was upset - actually I was livid. I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't even open the box for the first four months because although I knew she had done it out of love, I was upset that she had spent so much money on me. We live on a very tight budget so that kind of money was like a kick in the gut. I kept saying "I'm sorry honey, but I'm going to return it" She's the sweetest person in the world so she said "I understand honey, I love you". Something kept me from going through with the return though.
One day I was racing to get somewhere I'd never been before so I didn't have time to do a mapblast and that's when I begrudgingly pulled out what I now refer to as my "little buddy." I turned it on and in seconds it had "acquired satellites" and was directing me to my destination. I couldn't believe it. There it was showing me with an arrow where to go and telling me down to the foot when I'd have to turn and what time I was going to get there. It would even adjust the time if I had to stop at lights or wait in traffic (try getting that from a conventional map).
At one point I put my blinker on because "my buddy" said I was going to have to turn soon. Unfortunately a very rude driver used my blinker as a warning sign to speed up, so as not to let me in, because God forbid they be set back 2.3 seconds by letting someone get in front of them. So I missed my turn. No problem, "my buddy" instantly "recalculated" and gave me new directions and a new arrival time for my destination - only about 2 minutes difference. My GPS unit might as well have been the Guru of relaxation and good feelings, because I was feeling really good at that moment. I think I actually cried. That's when I realized why my beautiful wife had given me this gift; she knows me better than I know myself.
One thing you need to understand about me is that I'm horrendous with directions. As the expression goes "I couldn't find my way out of a paper bag." It really is a serious problem I have and it is the greatest cause of stress in my life. Ask me to go somewhere I've never been before and I might actually knee-jerk punch you. If I have an appointment for something somewhere, people will ask me why I'm so stressed about it "aren't you prepared for your appointment?" to which I answer "No, I'm worried I'm going to get lost on the way."
As a youngster I got lost at every single fair my family ever went to. I got very used to those lost and found booths and later in life I sometimes wondered if my parents were trying to lose me. But then I would wake up from my paranoia and remember "no, I'm just terrible with directions, have my head in the clouds often and get lost all the time."
The conventional maps I used to have worked very well as linings for my bird cage.
To my wife: Honey, you've added at least ten years to my life (and that's not counting the other things you've done for me). Will you marry me a hundred times over again?
Learn more about this author, Peter Johns.
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No
Will the humble map ever go the way of the dodo and other extinct species?
As long as there has been any kind of technological progress, that question has been raised regarding items and products far too numerous to count. From buggy whips to phonograph discs to movie rental houses, a technology, product, or service only has life as long as it has a perceived purpose only it can fulfill. When it is no longer able to satisfy a certain need, it is no more. The newest and greatest version or vision will take its place, and it will forever gather dust on the ash heap of history.
So what of maps? Is there a need to keep volumes and drawers and shelves and buildings full of paper artifacts? Is there any reason the average person would ever need these again? Do they still have any use or place?
The answer is, yes they do.
GPS, and the various audio-prompt and graphically entertaining receivers designed to harness it, is useful only as long as far as how it meets the need of the user. For plain simplicity and usefulness, nothing beats the good old 'accordianated anachronism.'
For military personnel, this is doubly true. Surprised? Don't be. The military has no intention of terminating mapreading and land navigation training any time soon. Although it seems counterproductive, it is far better to have the use of a standard map when planning and executing movement, than it is to have everyone off on their own, guided by their own 'star,' as it were. As map training is a standardized function within the military, all branches use the same skill to determine and follow course and distance. Even folks aboard the world's most advanced naval vessels still back up GPS readings with good old-fashioned charts.
The main reason the military (the largest user of GPS services in the country) still use maps, is due to the fact that they are fixed reference materials, at higher resolution than can be offered real-time to any receiver small enough to be man-portable. Any data regarding geological changes or topographical variants, is used to create maps that are up to date (rarely will a military unit go on maneuver with a map that is over 1 year old). These maps are sturdy enough to travel with the troops and bear up under their use. They are impervious to dust and other environmental issues, and do not require a battery to operate (outside of those in the flashlights used at night to view said map). They do not suffer from interference or software issues, and carry only that information necessary to move in an area.
Many civilians have also learned this from use of gadgetry: simple is better. GPS may or may not provide the best route through town during rush hour, and may or may not have a valid address for that four-star restaurant. But in long-distance travel, where towns and routes aren't as well known, civilians do still stop and ask for directions from the local gas station, and they still pull out the map to figure out what happened. Why? Mostly it's because, once again, the information from the GPS receiver is only as good as the independent outfit providing it. If that outfit goes out of business, that source of information is no longer available for update. Like a website long forgotten, the last post stays there until updated by someone else in the area. And since most people would rather explore if they're taking new routes than simply go from point 'a' to point 'b,' there's little use for something that requires known information to be inputted in order to be useful.
Yes, GPS is good for certain types of navigation. It is excellent as far as taking a simple, known route and providing the user with step-by-step prompts. But that's not all that people do when they travel. Even in this day of 'gotta be there by yesterday,' there is still the urge to explore the new and unknown. If for nothing other than that reason alone, the lowly map still has a place in every vehicle glovebox.
Learn more about this author, Bill Cichoke.
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