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| looking NE outside Uffenheim |
. . . recent studies have shown that people who use GPS, when given a pen and paper, draw less-precise maps of the areas they travel through and remember fewer details about the landmarks they pass; paradoxically, this seems to be because they make fewer mistakes getting to where they’re going. Being lost — assuming, of course, that you are eventually found — has one obvious benefit: the chance to learn about the wider world and reframe your perspective. From that standpoint, the greatest threat posed by GPS might be that we never do not know exactly where we are.
Kim Tingley
The above picture is Franconia on a frosty Sunday when we found that the motorway entrance was closed due to an unmarked building site and that by looking at the sun and digging up memories of river valleys and childhood journeys, I could direct the driver to the right direction before he had to fiddle with google maps. Not an easy defeat for some. But a minor triumph for others.
Meeting 50+ members of family is too complicated. I am beyond exhausted. Also, food. As in too much of it.
That sky view is so beautiful. Thinking about gps, I realized that we hardly ever use it, but that's probably because we don't travel much. Fifty family members! Yikes! That's a lot of people all at once. Hope you get some quiet time, Sabine.
ReplyDeleteI never could draw a map, have no sense of direction and have always navigated by landmarks. GPS is sort of a wonder to me. And even using it, I still sometimes get lost.
ReplyDeleteLet the holiday be OVER!
That is a beautiful photo. Fifty people, even fifty family members would be too much for me too.
ReplyDeleteDear Sabine-I just read your post to 37th Dream and you mentioned Inti Illimani. I was thrown back into the past with my little girl (who is almost 45 now). She would lay her 'blankie' on the floor ( a wool blanket I made for her with bits and pieces of leftover yarn), ask for Inti Illimani and dance on the blanket to the music. So sweet that music and that memory.
ReplyDeleteThere is definitely a side-benefit to getting lost. It leads to exploration and discovery, not to mention (as your quote noted) the development of better navigational skills. I think our society, with its obsession with efficiency, often devalues the benefits of browsing and exploring and serendipity.
ReplyDeleteI love maps, and I love using them when I travel in addition to the GPS specifically because I like getting a feel for the lay of the land. I like knowing where I am, and where I'm going.
ReplyDelete50 is a big number even when one is feeling spry. Being an introvert, it makes me tired just thinking of it.
ReplyDeletetry as I might, my navigational skills have always sucked. My world opened up with the advent of GPS. I do, however, carefully note landmarks so that eventually, once I know the route, I can do without it.
ReplyDeleteThat's a beautiful photo, up there. What a sky.
Thank you for the link to the Kim Tingley article. Well worth the time it took to read it. I doubt that I will ever use GPS. I began exploring alone as a child and was proud of my ability to wander miles from home and not get lost. In my mind, I could see how roads and paths were connecting. Those mental maps were retained. For a brief period of time when I was 20 years old, I worked as a letter carrier and had a mental map of our entire city. That mental map is long gone, of course!
ReplyDeleteThank you for what you wrote about Inti Illimani finding refuge in Germany.