My new, final resting place

From the Washington Post:

"...Some researchers have suggested that GPS dependence is becoming more and more common, and are worried about unforeseen effects. Are we collectively losing our learned sense of direction?

Neuroscience studies suggest that yes, Google Maps and GPS systems may indeed be negatively impacting our brains. Research at McGill University compared the brains of GPS versus non-GPS users and found that non-GPS users had more grey matter and higher functionality in their hippocampuses than those that relied on their devices. The hippocampus is responsible for memory and spatial navigation, the latter of which uses visual cues to create a cognitive map that assists with directionality. An earlier study showed that London taxi drivers, well-versed in the complex map of the city, had much larger hippocampuses than non-taxi drivers. There is also some correlation between those with a more developed hippocampus and lower chances of Alzheimers..."

Keep this in mind as you depend on your GPS device to get you from Point A to Point B. Or when you're trying to explain to a law enforcement officer why you thought your 13'6" vehicle would fit under that 11'6" bridge in Chicago..."But officer, my GPS said to go this way!" probably isn't going to help much.

 

I never have these problems with my gps..
First of all it is a truck gps...
Second, i have enough sense to know how to use it...

It is just a tool no different than an atlas,cb or anything else.

I believe relying on useless studies is destroying the fabric of our society.

 

This study really validates what's happening to us as a society. We've become much less dependent on our own wits and wiles and have turned that responsibility over to the Googles, Apples, and Microsofts of the world.

Heck, even our cars are beginning to drive themselves...

 

Oh, that feeling I get when the next plan out of hometime is for Monday. Giving me an extra two unplanned days off.

I don't like that feeling. Or the extra time off.

 

I believe anecdotal evidence would show there's a generational gap in this, too. We People Of A Certain Age didn't grow up with automation and electronics as our companions, so when they entered our lives, we were already accustomed to making decisions on which tools to use and to what extent. Our children and their children are growing up in a different world, one in which it's possible to relinquish your responsibilities and give them to a device.

That's not such a good thing. The human appendix used to be a functional organ, too...

 

This may explain why the younger generation like Bernie Sanders

 

I have never had a good sense of direction. Even long before gps.

 

Agree 100%.

Do I have a GPS? Yes.
Do I use it daily? Yes.
Do I rely on it and take it's word as gospel? No.

For me, as you stated, it's just a tool and a guide. If I've been somewhere before (and even multiple times) I still use it for ETA's and PTA's. If I've not been somewhere previously, it's just another reference that I use after consulting my road atlas and Google Maps satellite view. If neither of those give me a clear picture of where I'm going and what I have to do, I call the customer and try to get specific information and/or routing to their location.

 

Google Earth is good but can be misleading. Depends on how long ago the picture was taken.

 

True, but find that it has a about a 90-95% accuracy rate which isn't bad.