Wednesday, February 24, 2010

TRAVELS AND ARGUMENTS WITH A GPS

I'm not doing that.
No, we're not going that way.
It led me the quickest but most difficult road.
Exit;
Keep Right;
keep right;
keep left;
exit at 300 yards;
keep left;
follow road left;

Silence...no instructions when expected
Signal's gone....now what?
We know where we want to go, follow the road signs and keep going round to the left.
Ah, the signal has reappeared.

Exit;

No it wants to take me somewhere else...it does not, it is just telling you there is an exit, it would give additional instructions if you had to make a manoeuvre.
Oh, we're on the bridge, bet it gives wrong instruction for turn off.....let's see.

Drive ahead........exit.

It hasn't told you to exit, we know we don't want this one.

Exit at 350 yards, take exit.

We did

6 comments:

Vincent said...

Brave you for even trying with one of those. If there is anything I hate more than something else, it is being told what to do by recorded messages. They seem to be everywhere: in lifts, at supermarket diy checkouts "unexpected item in the bagging area" & so forth, on phones of course . . .

I won't use a satnav of any kind. Or if I did it would be a silent GPS thing that tells you where you are on an Ordnance survey map. They have those in Blacks for hikers. but still I think maps may be better.

ZACL said...

Hello Vincent,

I feel even braver trying out this new computer I'm using...but yes, it can be an infernal machine. It was a gift from a close family member, we have to try it. To be fair, it has been useful on three occasions and we have not used it very much yet.

You can't read maps very easily when driving on awkward roads. It probably could be set to silent. I am still trying to get to grips with the preferences of the satnav and how the thing operates in general.

Anonymous said...

i'd never use one of those things either and much prefer to navigate in my customary manner,
ie- driving around and around getting more and more wound-up until i finally arrive at my destination purely by accident and about an hour late.

ZACL said...

Hi Ax,

It has created a problem for me. That is, I always used to leave time to get lost, (but not the, 'and them some' that I would have definitely needed) now I don't have the exact same excuse. So long as the satnav doesn't lead me up a gum tree, I shall tolerate it when needs be. That latter point being the important one.

It helped me find the difficult place to locate where a friend of of mine lives. I went sailing past the turn off 18 months ago and now I know why. I still would have sailed past without the GPS. In the middle of nowhere, you don't turn back. I also got through a town without the agony of coping with a town centre and its traffic, much to my surprise.

The satnav does have its benefits and at present, its quirks and foibles, including the ability to generate vigorous in-car discussion.

Leah said...

My favorite GPS phrase is, "You have passed your destination."
Really? Where was it?

ZACL said...

LOL... Oh yes Leah, so evocative. The first time that happened, I was in just that position.

It takes some getting used to.