# Will GPS Make Us Dumb?



## qin45 (Oct 17, 2007)

For most people -- the cab driver, the tourist, the business traveler -- the ubiquitous GPS has become a lifeline...

Read an article about Will GPS Make Us Dumb...

How do you think? Leave you response here...


----------



## PiercedOne (Sep 7, 2007)

Short answer YES.. Long answer NO with a but.

I don't think GPS's will make people dumber it will just become another crutch that people will lean on. Does this make people dumber, not really lazy maybe but not really dumber. Such as people now will not even leave the house without their cellphones but I always think what did people do before you had them? Life still went on and things happened. Sure being able to convay information faster is better in some respects but its not vital to life. 
So having a gps built into phones like the article is talking about yes people will use them more and more and rely less on reading maps and what not but you will still have a few people that like to read maps (like me Im a giant dork I know) and/or people who are just more "old school" and rely less on technology.... 
I firmly believe the use of new technology is great BUT I always like to learn the "old school" way so i case something happens I am able still to do what I need. (Yes I have a compass in my car with various maps and still think its a great adventure to "get lost" or as i call it "find a new route") 
Would I use a GPS more if I had one? Sure 
Would it be my only source of information when traveling? NO


----------



## 1wildchild (Apr 14, 2003)

You only feel real dumb when the batteries fail and you didn't bother to learn to read a map and compass! :lol:

I don't really think people will get dumber, just more dependent and less self reliant.


----------



## chutta (Dec 26, 2006)

Too late I'm afraid


----------



## FlyGirl (Jul 7, 2008)

With the recent storms through the mid-west and leaving people without electricity... it leaves us all with the question- "What am I going to do without internet for three hours?" along with television, video games, etc. If you are fortunate enough to have a generator... all is well, but for those forced to rely on non-electronic methods of entertainment and communication.... along with GPS/GIS, etc. ALWAYS have a back-up regardless. Easier said than done, I know.... but you can never be too careful. We just have to hope that we will always have the right tools to get us through any situation, RIGHT? And for those that are parents you are given the task and opportunity of education our younger ones to have those tools. 

On a lighter note, I truly believe that women have a better sense of direction than men do, so without a GPS, I think we'll be fine... but for you men... I will say many prayers for safe travels. LOL :lol:


----------



## chutta (Dec 26, 2006)

We never get lost if we have enough gas.


----------



## trailwart (Mar 20, 2004)

when i go out in the woods in the up hunting i always take 2 compasses, 1 gps and 2 sets of batteries plus all my other junk in my pack firestarters,space blankets and...... i learned at a young age from my dad and uncles to learn how to read a compass, they took us out in the woods with them on bird hunts, bunny hunts where we would walk all day, then they would say lead us back to the truck. you learn quick when put in those situations. my gps never comes out of my pack except to plot promising spots for hunting and such, except for 1 time i got lost as hell by staying to late in the woods in a new area, i knew i was about a mile from the truck and the compass was getting me in the right direction towards the road but the gps took me exactly where i need to be. it amazes me that a cousin i have only takes a gps in the woods, no compass and no extra batteries. this is after he left it on all day a few years ago and it went dead on him and he was doing the 3 shots in the ground so we knew where to find his lost ass. some rely on the tech to much.


----------



## shanny28757 (Feb 11, 2006)

Two deer seasons ago i found myself lost in the U.P. after hunting a swamp I wasn't completely familiar with one morning. I knew if i walk west i hit the road, south a two-track, and north a lake so all I had to do was avoid more swamp to the east. My first instinct was follow the sun and walk west to the road but the cloud cover was so thick i could not tell where the sun was. Since i was armed with my compass and GPS i felt confident but after taking some headings on the compass and comparing them to my GPS i got worried. I began to walk in a perfectly straight line in the middle of an open field and the gps would read i was walking in a circle. I followed my gut and eventually got through the swamp to an area i was familiar with.

Since than the gps has never malfunctioned and all i can chalk it up to is wierd stuff happens in the U.P. The lesson I learned was not to rely on the gps and always carry two compasses.


----------



## Terry Williams (Dec 20, 2000)

Me dont think sew.


----------

