31–40 of 76 posts
I drive myself everywhere and still don't know where I'm going.
I was quite the bike explorer in my youth too. :shrug:
Earlier quoted context omitted.
i chuckled. do you use gps?
It's for the explicit reason I refuse to use it, basically. So I at least know the routes I take frequently and have a chance to learn new ones from time to time. I remember years ago when I still used a GPS there were routes I would drive frequently that I couldn't drive without the GPS. But what I really meant by the comment is despite living 30 years in the same city I barely know where anything is. Especially in…
I prefer a standalone Garmin unit over Google Maps because it's automatically present, it's actually readable, I can control the zoom level at will, and it doesn't use data / I don't have to keep offline maps up-to-date.
[1] I added a switched 12V outlet so I could get this behaviour. Many new cars are like this by default, but not mine.
[2] My GPS shows the next street as "Pine St ahead" in place of the next turn when a route is not set. Actually super handy. Also, all roads on the map have large, clear labels, so I can also see parallel roads, etc., unlike Google Maps.
[3] My GPS paints a blue trail behind me on the map, so once I've driven through an area, I can just glance at the paint line to orient myself.
I grew up in Moscow, and my family used a private car to get around the city. I always knew where I was, because I figured one day my turn would come to navigate the roads on my own. I’m raising my daughter in Manhattan, the least car-friendly place in the US. Until we ditched transit and began driving everywhere, she had no idea where we were or in which direction we were heading. Nowadays she makes suggestions from…
I don't believe this, I think some people are imbued with a sense of direction and others aren't. Some are only capable of following turn by turn instructions, they don't comprehend where they are in relation to anything. My two older kids have the worst sense of direction I've ever encountered but my 3 year old has built in GPS. We were all in the car going somewhere one day and sitting at an intersection my 3 year…
I don't believe this, I think some people are imbued with a sense of direction and others aren't. Some are only capable of following turn by turn instructions, they don't comprehend where they are in relation to anything. My two older kids have the worst sense of direction I've ever encountered but my 3 year old has built in GPS. We were all in the car going somewhere one day and sitting at an intersection my 3 year…
I've noticed the elevator disorientation too. I'm one with a built-in compass and the times that my expectations are diverted are rare and quickly corrected. Because of my natural outlook, it's odd to me to see people often step out of an elevator and have to recalibrate their orientation.
I grew up in a small (30k pop) city in "rural" Missouri and had no idea when I was going when my parents drove me around as a kid. I got older and started slinging pizzas and learned every nook and cranny in the whole town. This was before google maps took over. It's cool to learn every which way to get around a small town, but probably not that important in the grand scheme. I'm happy to offload this computation to…
This comment reminded me about "The Knowledge" [0] that London cab drivers must have before they're able to be a cab driver. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxicabs_of_the_United_Kingdom...
then i moved to manhattan in 93 . by 95' i had eschewed the amazing subways for bicycling everywhere and walking at high speed when possible.
now i ride a scooter.
i'm tired of academic outsider articles about micromobility and its psychology. i am living proof of it.
walk, bike, and use public transport, when necessary latee at night, take cabs, or crash at your friends houses, or even strangers houses sometimes ( i know it's not always easy or super comfortable but it IS almost always safeish.
ultimateley-----it's all about population density and distance-time-energy to your destination , the parkability of your ride, and the easy of return.
in general unless we build the city of the future. 'apps' and the hive brain areen't yet on the cusp of changing everything. and contrary to popular belief, self driving cars aren't the answere to eliminating traffic lights ( traffic) .
paradoxically the tech beehind them is solving a far more difficult problem than a router or 'robot air traffic controller' for cars----which would be far more eeffective in eliminiating traffic by ROUTING it.
self driving is not 'stupid' but it's not the answere. the asnwer is routed cars and seelf parking , NOT seelf driving.
will scooter and bike share help? maybre but not much. it'll help those intrepid souls who bike and scooter on the streets of new york.
I don't believe this, I think some people are imbued with a sense of direction and others aren't. Some are only capable of following turn by turn instructions, they don't comprehend where they are in relation to anything. My two older kids have the worst sense of direction I've ever encountered but my 3 year old has built in GPS. We were all in the car going somewhere one day and sitting at an intersection my 3 year…
Cardinal directions inside of a building are mostly worthless.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not sure where you are in the world, but in most of the developed world things have never been safer. So, the answer to your questions is a resounding "yes". Yes, it's safe for kids to walk around their neighborhoods these days.
I live in Cupertino, near Apple HQ. Obviously you can walk around but I rarely see anyone do... and I generally have never seen kids unattended around here (living here for 17 years).