vipergts831 wrote in post #12018869
**Goes into his iphone looking for an App to respond to this comment**
Damn it i though there was an App for everything like the commercials say
Omar, I am sure somewhere there exists an app for that! You just haven't found it yet. But I'm sure there's an app for that too! 
Harm wrote in post #12018878just think of all those people who cannot read a map now - too used to GPS systems etc.
god help them if they try doing some Orienteering.
I like the good old map and compass when I go hiking. It's nice to carry a GPS device, but when I'm in the middle of nowhere, who knows whether it'll work or not. Either GPS failure, or battery failure, or whatever else. A good old waterproof map and compass do the trick. It's also more satisfying knowing how to navigate on your own.
Even for city directions, I consult a map before I get in the car and turn on the GPS, as a failsafe (my car GPS does once in a while lead me astray, but I just ignore her directions in that case, lol). Albeit, I stopped buying the Thomas Guide and just use Google Maps nowadays. But being prepared this way is still better than not being prepared at all and letting your GPS guide you the wrong way.
On long drives, however, I always carry a folded map (Local of where I will be going, State/Interstate, etc.) with me. A few years ago, some friends and I went up to the Bay Area, hitting Santa Cruz, San Jose, and San Francisco. On one occasion, I felt the GPS was leading us the wrong way based on where I thought we should be going (I planned the route ahead and was sitting in the front passenger seat, which is usually the designated navigator position). I pulled out the folded map, told my friend who was driving where to go, but he opted to listen to the GPS. When we went around in circles, he finally agreed to follow my directions, lol. What happened was that the maps had not been updated in the GPS unit (a portable type) with the latest. It was about two years old.
*sigh* wrote in post #12018909I just google it and get the conversion.
Now I do know how to convert the stuff in my head, but if I'm on my computer google is faster
I keep doing it in my head (or at worst, use a calculator, lol) to keep myself sharp. An online converter (or phone app, etc.) is convenient and instantaneous, but it's detrimental to my brain. I found out the same thing with one-touch dialing on my cell phone. It's fast and practical, but I don't remember the phone numbers in my contacts list anymore because I never rehearse them! I opt for one-touch dial anyway, however, simply because there are so many contacts and phone numbers that I couldn't possibly memorize them all. I just keep in mind the most important ones, like my direct family, closest friends, work (mine) and colleagues, and most important of all, my own phone number.
