People and GPS technology !!

you cynical old b*****d :)

Didn't some Japanese tourists following a gps drive into the ocean in Queensland a few months back? I think it's a practical example of evolution at work...

mikehizz,
yep that one was a classic. The amazing part was how far the getz got.

RA.

We use a trip planner for location and travel time then compare it to the map book.

Luckily we have not had a problem.

It would be very interesting to know what brand of GPS these people were using.

Hey Rockape....the Getz ....Getz you into trouble.


.

Stephen, you said what i was thinking in a much much nicer way. Trouble is a lot of people are getting lazy and wont open a book. Or is it because they cant fold a map. Rant over, we use a hema book and the hema gps so the driver can see where we are not where we are going. Then half the time i forget to turn it on anyhow.
Sharon

I Sharon

I always do all my pre trip preparations on 100% paper maps, and then when I am sure I have what I want and where to go, then work it in conjunction with Ozi.

The very sad fact of life that most a lot people have no real idea where they are going and cannot even read road signs.

You would be surprised how many phone calls I get at work from new reps and say they are lost and how to get to Clare. When I ask how did they get there, they say they just followed the Main Highway north from Gawler and usually end up in the Barossa Valley. Then when asked 'do you not see the Clare Valley sign turnoff', their answer is No.


I find the best old fashioned hand drawn Mud Map then works best for them on the best way back to Adelaide.


All the very best and have a fantastic Christmas.



Cheers


Stephen

I heard one of the latter generations say on TV once that he would Google it. It made me wonder as well. He was asked how he would know what to do to change the washer in a tap. And would Google tell him to check the seating of the new washer as well and maybe clean/ream it our if needed. I doubt it. He was dead serious. The elderly commentator and other older generations were flabergasted but his mates and he were dead serious.

If that is the mentality of the future maybe we won't have to worry about over populating the world.

We even carry a compas in the console and a bunch of paper maps.

Phil

Phil,

The folllowing is one of the many 'how to change a washer' articles using Google. (The pictures didn't copy/paste)

Replacing the Washer

Firstly make sure to turn off your water main in the house. Your water main will either be out on the street or in your front yard if you live in a house. If you live in a flat or townhouse the mains tap will probably be inside the bathroom or laundry.
Open the tap to release any water left in the pipe.
Place the plug in the basin to prevent any tap parts from disappearing into the drain.
Remove the tap’s cover with a screwdriver on the handle to expose the screw. The screw is most likely under the hot or cold sign. Some taps will have screws positioned on the side.
Undo the screw and remove the handle.
If the tap is shrouded with a metal cover, unscrew by hand or use a wrench. Make sure to use a cloth over the cover to protect the chrome from scratching.
Use a spanner or wrench to unscrew the tap bonnet (Fig 2). Completely take out the headgear, you should now see the large body washer, the o-ring and the jumper valve.
The jumper valve will just fall out.
Replace the body washer, the o-ring and the jumper valve then refit bonnet & spindle - make sure not to over tighten the nuts.
Re-assemble the tap, close it and then open the water main.
Check that the leaking has ceased.
Reseating a tap

If your tap continues to leak after replacing the washers it will need to be reseated. Reseating resurfaces your tap, so that the washer has the tightest seal. The simplest way to do this is to purchase a reseating kit which generally comes with all of the washers and seals to simply reseat your tap.




Fig 1. The jumper valve could need replacing.

Fig 2. Use a spanner or wrench to unscrew the tap bonnet.

Well isn't that nice. What's a tap bonnet and which way do you turn it to unscrew it. What is a wrench? It didn't say to go upstairs and open any tap to help the water out either. What about the mains tap being in a hole and possibly covered by a box or something, even plants. Ours is almost a meter down at the bottom of a pipe and you cant just stick your hand down the pipe.

Does Google tell you which end of a hammer to use as well. What about how to "feel" the fish touching the fly on the end of the line and when to strike.

I had a very brainy supervisor once who wouldn't have known which end of a hammer to hold. Very high IQ we blieve. But in practical ways he was a real twit. That is what I think of Google. Lots of knowledge but not one iota of practical skills. Looks like blokes will have to start reading instructions!!!!! And with less emphasis on grammar, especially the written kind, it will be a nightmare.

Phil

What is the difference in people Googling for answers, to asking the same question on a forum such as this, that gives many wrong & unqualified answers?

Point made Shakes. I am miles off the GPS topic.

Cheers

Before I disappear I think that it would be interesting to know the accuracy of the information that Googles finds. In most cases tit doesn't have a date or authority attached and may veen be superceeded or blatantly wrong.

Therefore you cant trust what Google finds also being unrefutedly correct.

Phil

Who's fault is it with the younger generation not knowing how to do anything without the aid of computers and such?
Is the parents for not showing the kids? (or lack of parents)
School for not teaching?
Kids who are just to lazy to learn anything pratical?
Society?
Or just over regulations, OH&S

Army recruit instructors here are laughing at the new recruits, and what they are required to do. Apparently they are not allowed to lay on the ground while on the shooting range. They are required by OH&S to lay out a mat first, in case they get scratched/jabbed by a stick.

Have been told i'm not allowed to show the kids in my care how to do things like basic mechanics, changing tyre, mowing lawns, etc, like a normal parent would. Something to do with OH&S.

You are right mate.

It's our fault. Ours for not taking the kids and building a billy cart. Ours for not showing how to bait a line. Ours for letting the bloody government and school teachers take over education. How the bloody hell will my son studying Japanese help them bake bread. They had to learn french in school instead of spending time on "reading, writing and arithmetic". At least the physics and maths helps them now. The japanese was a total waste.

And it's getting worse.

At least we made billycarts and christmas presents for each other and went fishing. So I can say that I am not totally guilty. And I am pleased to say that they are not interested in the latest technology. Not even iphones, ipads or tablets. They are also 40+ and do not need it.

Phil

PS That word in my previous post should have been "irrefutably". I had the wrong spelling.

Alan,
you are correct in what you say.

The big problem is with the suppliers of these products are they seem to be able to supply something that is not for purpose.

I did a run to Brisbane to do a delivery. I just put in the address and then looked at where the route would take me.
Well that scared the hell out of me because where I wanted to go was on the northside and the route took me across the river then back to were I wanted to go.

As you say I am lucky in the fact I know the area and said to myself. They have to be joking.

Maybe the suppliers of these products have to become a little more accountable for their product. Fit for purpose I think is the word.

RA.
My thoughts of the last time in Brisbane are. Woolies the fresh food people. Ha! Ha! Ha! Sorry for the Woolies plug.

Hasn't anyone ever heard of road signs? Surely as you drive along the highways and byways there are plenty of road signs telling you which way Mildura is? When the GPS says one thing and the road sign says another, wouldn't that start raising some concerns in your mind? Or if the GPS says turn left for Mildura yet there are no road signs indicating the same, wouldn't that get you a bit inquisitive?

I travel lots of places without maps when I'm not going off the highway. I follow roadsigns. I would never venture out into the remote areas without maps and without researching my intended route though. I carry paper maps (eg Hema road atlas) and also a spare GPS too.

WBS

Hi Rockape,

Just coming back to WA from Cairns, Melbourne and Sydney (and Mildura) I can attest to the performance of Google maps and its ability to guide you to your destination (not Apple).

I don't have to look it up, just type the address and I am guided there seamlessly. What more could I ask for...mind you I wouldn't use the vector navigation systems unless I was in an area I was unfamiliar with, like big cities or other ie. some of those towns over east are massive.

I can see how the system may get it wrong sometimes, generally I suspect it is acceptable to the normal traveler.

Hi WBS

Agree, there are signs everywhere, especially the ones which tell you not to carry fruit into the area. Signs are a part of the landscape and are a good guide when you see them :-)

A degree of common sense is required here, and perhaps the people who get caught up in these problems may or may not have this quality; experience would help them I would think, or they may have just been having a bad day..

Cheers
Alan

Sorry, my bad, satellites are celestial :D