Re: [OT?] GPS

On 11-30-2011 16:57, John Varela wrote:
> It always wants to put me on an expressway, which in this area
> usually means the Washington Beltway, so I often override it.

That's one problem with most of them: Some algorithm decides
the "best" route, and if you don't like that route, you
might as well turn the thing off.

--
Wes Groleau

German Teachers
http://Ideas.Lang-Learn.us/WWW?itemid=81

On Thu, 1 Dec 2011 04:43:43 UTC, Wes Groleau
<Groleau+> wrote:

> On 11-30-2011 16:57, John Varela wrote:
> > It always wants to put me on an expressway, which in this area
> > usually means the Washington Beltway, so I often override it.
>
> That's one problem with most of them: Some algorithm decides
> the "best" route, and if you don't like that route, you
> might as well turn the thing off.

You can set a preference for either the fastest route or the
shortest route. Neither is optimum.

--
John Varela

John Varela:
> > > It always wants to put me on an expressway, which in this area
> > > usually means the Washington Beltway, so I often override it.

Wes Groleau:
> > That's one problem with most of them: Some algorithm decides
> > the "best" route, and if you don't like that route, you
> > might as well turn the thing off.

John Varela:
> You can set a preference for either the fastest route or the
> shortest route. Neither is optimum.

You're both talking about situations in which you already know the
optimum route. That's not the purpose of the automotive GPS. Automotive
GPS's are for people who have to reach destinations in unfamiliar
territory. Mine do an outstanding job of that.

Move your home to that unfamiliar territory and get to know the area
and you won't be relying on your GPS.

--
I agree with almost everything that you have said and almost everything that
you will say in your entire life.

usenet *at* davidillig dawt cawm

On Fri, 2 Dec 2011 11:39:31 UTC, Davoud <> wrote:

> John Varela:
> > > > It always wants to put me on an expressway, which in this area
> > > > usually means the Washington Beltway, so I often override it.
>
> Wes Groleau:
> > > That's one problem with most of them: Some algorithm decides
> > > the "best" route, and if you don't like that route, you
> > > might as well turn the thing off.
>
> John Varela:
> > You can set a preference for either the fastest route or the
> > shortest route. Neither is optimum.
>
> You're both talking about situations in which you already know the
> optimum route. That's not the purpose of the automotive GPS. Automotive
> GPS's are for people who have to reach destinations in unfamiliar
> territory. Mine do an outstanding job of that.
>
> Move your home to that unfamiliar territory and get to know the area
> and you won't be relying on your GPS.

Those who live in the Mid-Atlantic states are familiar with the toll
booths on I95 in Delaware. One time we were headed to South Jersey
from Virginia, a route with which I am very familiar, and there was
a backup at the toll booths. I tried dropping off of the interstate
and asking the Garmin to take us to South Jersey by the shortest
route. We soon found ourselves driving down narrow country roads,
making multiple changes, headed in a generally eastward direction.
By the time we reached US13 I had realized that Garmin was taking us
to the Lewes-Cape May ferry -- without, of course, regard for the
ferry schedule. At that point I abandoned the GPS and headed up US
13 to the Delaware Memorial Bridge.

--
John Varela

In article <51W5y0sPNk52-pn2-x6c0SUkm8hbB@localhost>, John Varela
<> wrote:

> > You're both talking about situations in which you already know the
> > optimum route. That's not the purpose of the automotive GPS. Automotive
> > GPS's are for people who have to reach destinations in unfamiliar
> > territory. Mine do an outstanding job of that.
> >
> > Move your home to that unfamiliar territory and get to know the area
> > and you won't be relying on your GPS.
>
> Those who live in the Mid-Atlantic states are familiar with the toll
> booths on I95 in Delaware. One time we were headed to South Jersey
> from Virginia, a route with which I am very familiar, and there was
> a backup at the toll booths. I tried dropping off of the interstate
> and asking the Garmin to take us to South Jersey by the shortest
> route. We soon found ourselves driving down narrow country roads,
> making multiple changes, headed in a generally eastward direction.
> By the time we reached US13 I had realized that Garmin was taking us
> to the Lewes-Cape May ferry -- without, of course, regard for the
> ferry schedule. At that point I abandoned the GPS and headed up US
> 13 to the Delaware Memorial Bridge.

you can set it to ignore ferries, toll roads, etc.

i once had a gps tell me to get off the highway, drive 50 miles on a
side road that ran parallel to the highway and rejoin the same highway
up ahead. needless to say, i ignored that.

whenever i us a gps in familiar areas, it often comes up with less than
optimal routings. when i'm in an unfamiliar area, i know it probably
does the same, i just don't know what a better route would be.

On 12-03-2011 11:09, nospam wrote:
> i once had a gps tell me to get off the highway, drive 50 miles on a
> side road that ran parallel to the highway and rejoin the same highway
> up ahead. needless to say, i ignored that.

I once accidentally got off the highway, and the GPS apparently
"assumed" that I did it on purpose. Instead of "rerouting" a
U-turn back onto the highway, it asked me to do something similar
to what you described.

--
Wes Groleau

Pat's Polemics
http://Ideas.Lang-Learn.us/barrett

On 2011-12-03 11:09 , nospam wrote:
> In article<51W5y0sPNk52-pn2-x6c0SUkm8hbB@localhost>, John Varela
> <> wrote:
>
>>> You're both talking about situations in which you already know the
>>> optimum route. That's not the purpose of the automotive GPS. Automotive
>>> GPS's are for people who have to reach destinations in unfamiliar
>>> territory. Mine do an outstanding job of that.
>>>
>>> Move your home to that unfamiliar territory and get to know the area
>>> and you won't be relying on your GPS.
>>
>> Those who live in the Mid-Atlantic states are familiar with the toll
>> booths on I95 in Delaware. One time we were headed to South Jersey
>> from Virginia, a route with which I am very familiar, and there was
>> a backup at the toll booths. I tried dropping off of the interstate
>> and asking the Garmin to take us to South Jersey by the shortest
>> route. We soon found ourselves driving down narrow country roads,
>> making multiple changes, headed in a generally eastward direction.
>> By the time we reached US13 I had realized that Garmin was taking us
>> to the Lewes-Cape May ferry -- without, of course, regard for the
>> ferry schedule. At that point I abandoned the GPS and headed up US
>> 13 to the Delaware Memorial Bridge.
>
> you can set it to ignore ferries, toll roads, etc.
>
> i once had a gps tell me to get off the highway, drive 50 miles on a
> side road that ran parallel to the highway and rejoin the same highway
> up ahead. needless to say, i ignored that.

Similar - TomTom - has done that a few times to me. In one case I
followed it as I didn't know the area and swore at it continuously
afterwards.

> whenever i us a gps in familiar areas, it often comes up with less than
> optimal routings. when i'm in an unfamiliar area, i know it probably
> does the same, i just don't know what a better route would be.

When traveling on vacation I use a laptop with GPS (MS Streets and
Trips). It gives me a large top down view of the geography (including
terrain). Much better for planning than any "auto GPS" but too
dangerous to operate while driving.

I now use 5 GPS' for leisure travel:

-laptop with GPS for planning and logging travel / operated by SO on the
road.

-TomTom for navigating on the road (with the plan from the laptop).

-etrex for hiking - GPS+WAAS+GLONASS/Compass/baro-alt. Holds topo maps.
Pretty good battery performance. But it can't it log a lot of track data.

-photo tracker for logging the trip and esp. geo-tagging photos after
the trip (has enough memory for a 2 week trip). Not great battery
performance,

-iphone for locating restaurants, banks and the like.

I also lug around 4 battery chargers (2 stt for cameras, 1 for general
batteries, 1 for iPhone) and a 500W inverter - that's enough to charge
batteries and run the laptop while driving.

--
"I see!" said the blind man as he picked up his hammer and saw.

On 12/3/11 PDT 8:09 AM, nospam wrote:
>
> you can set it to ignore ferries, toll roads, etc.
>
> i once had a gps tell me to get off the highway, drive 50 miles on a
> side road that ran parallel to the highway and rejoin the same highway
> up ahead. needless to say, i ignored that.

You were lucky! That was when there was a sniper hitting every tenth car....

Did the lady (or gent) actually use the words "get off the highway"- or
what did it say? Does your unit do traffic routing?

On Sat, 03 Dec 2011 08:09:39 -0800, nospam wrote:

> you can set it to ignore ferries, toll roads, etc.
>
> i once had a gps tell me to get off the highway, drive 50 miles on a
> side road that ran parallel to the highway and rejoin the same highway
> up ahead. needless to say, i ignored that.
>
> whenever i us a gps in familiar areas, it often comes up with less than
> optimal routings. when i'm in an unfamiliar area, i know it probably
> does the same, i just don't know what a better route would be.

In the earlier days of GPS systems, there were plenty of stories of large
trucks being directed up small country roads and getting stuck.

I haven't seen many of those stores recently, so I assume the databases
have got better.



--
Paul Sture

On 2011-12-03 15:24 , Paul Sture wrote:
> On Sat, 03 Dec 2011 08:09:39 -0800, nospam wrote:
>
>> you can set it to ignore ferries, toll roads, etc.
>>
>> i once had a gps tell me to get off the highway, drive 50 miles on a
>> side road that ran parallel to the highway and rejoin the same highway
>> up ahead. needless to say, i ignored that.
>>
>> whenever i us a gps in familiar areas, it often comes up with less than
>> optimal routings. when i'm in an unfamiliar area, i know it probably
>> does the same, i just don't know what a better route would be.
>
> In the earlier days of GPS systems, there were plenty of stories of large
> trucks being directed up small country roads and getting stuck.
>
> I haven't seen many of those stores recently, so I assume the databases
> have got better.

To my recollection it was more about trucks ending up in narrow alleys
in which they couldn't maneuver or before bridges they could not get under.

There are GPS devices that are tuned to truckers needs - they draw the
data from the same atlases that truckers use (designed with the needs
and limitations of truckers).

--
"I see!" said the blind man as he picked up his hammer and saw.