Google Maps is an evil experiment in control?

[GodBlessTheUSA]

Get on your tin-foil hats, ladies and gents, I have a renewed conspiracy theory.

I'm pretty old school when it comes to trips. I always plan out routes but have learned to use either google maps or Waze to avoid accidents and make the best time.

Several years ago while driving to Alabama, google maps told my lovely bride to get us off the main roads north or the ATL in order to avoid an accident and save time. After about the tenth stop sign and crazy turn through a residential area, I took over the navigation and driving and got us the heck out of shady-town. I remember thinking, "how is this saving us time?" during that experience.

Fast forward to today on my way home from a fairly long distance trade when google maps told me to make a turn off the rural highway I was on and began taking me down a bunch of side roads with multiple stop signs and turns. Again, how was this saving me time? Every stop takes time and burns gas. So after about five stops and turns I said "heck with this" and self navigated back to where my internal compass told me the rural highway was.

There was no obvious traffic slowdown, and very very few cars on the road.

So, my paranoid brain is now rethinking that google maps has some form of sick experiment mode that just wants to see if drivers will follow its absurd directions. And I do mean absurd multiple turns and many stops worth of directions.

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they are not out to get you.

 

[basstracker89]

There is no substitute for the human mind. Sometimes you just have to take it for what it is. In most cases the technology is good, but sometimes you have to over ride and use you're better judgement

 

[palmettomoon]

Get on your tin-foil hats, ladies and gents, I have a renewed conspiracy theory.

I'm pretty old school when it comes to trips. I always plan out routes but have learned to use either google maps or Waze to avoid accidents and make the best time.

Several years ago while driving to Alabama, google maps told my lovely bride to get us off the main roads north or the ATL in order to avoid an accident and save time. After about the tenth stop sign and crazy turn through a residential area, I took over the navigation and driving and got us the heck out of shady-town. I remember thinking, "how is this saving us time?" during that experience.

Fast forward to today on my way home from a fairly long distance trade when google maps told me to make a turn off the rural highway I was on and began taking me down a bunch of side roads with multiple stop signs and turns. Again, how was this saving me time? Every stop takes time and burns gas. So after about five stops and turns I said "heck with this" and self navigated back to where my internal compass told me the rural highway was.

There was no obvious traffic slowdown, and very very few cars on the road.

So, my paranoid brain is now rethinking that google maps has some form of sick experiment mode that just wants to see if drivers will follow its absurd directions. And I do mean absurd multiple turns and many stops worth of directions.

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they are not out to get you.

 

[Torn]

I still use an Atlas along with local/state and NatGeo maps.

 

[roydamnmercer]

And before the advent of GPS we had to use paper fold out maps like a damn Luddite. Map making companies would create fake streets and even towns (look up “phantom settlements”) as copyright traps to keep other map makers from stealing their work. But you could call AAA and ask for a triptik and they would mail you a turn by turn route for you next driving vacation so you wouldn’t need to buy a dozen different state maps or the big Rand McNally road atlas.

 

[GodBlessTheUSA]

There is no substitute for the human mind. Sometimes you just have to take it for what it is. In most cases the technology is good, but sometimes you have to over ride and use you're better judgement

Yep, the algorithm just made no sense. It cost me about 3-5 minutes with all the stop signs and turns. Internal compass and head knowledge are still important.

No chappaquiddick for me, thanks.

Oh, and in it's earliest versions, Apple Maps was a hodgepodge of copied old maps. A friend following it was trying to drive through a guys chicken farm. The owner didn't like that but admitted that there used to be a road through his farmland in the 1950s.

 

[Torn]

And before the advent of GPS we had to use paper fold out maps like a damn Luddite. Map making companies would create fake streets and even towns (look up “phantom settlements”) as copyright traps to keep other map makers from stealing their work. But you could call AAA and ask for a triptik and they would mail you a turn by turn route for you next driving vacation so you wouldn’t need to buy a dozen different state maps or the big Rand McNally road atlas.

Long live the Luddites! We’ll be in high demand when the lights go out.

 

[palmettomoon]

Yep, the algorithm just made no sense. It cost me about 3-5 minutes with all the stop signs and turns. Internal compass and head knowledge are still important.



No chappaquiddick for me, thanks.

Oh, and in it's earliest versions, Apple Maps was a hodgepodge of copied old maps. A friend following it was trying to drive through a guys chicken farm. The owner didn't like that but admitted that there used to be a road through his farmland in the 1950s.

Well, I remember not that long ago you had to DOWNLOAD your Mapquest map and annotate it YOURSELF! The blue Obama dot would work as long as you had good signal but there were no real time algorithms for traffic, user reported accidents or speed traps, none of that.

 

[basstracker89]

ZZZZ....poof......

 

[basstracker89]

View attachment 6583486
I still use an Atlas along with local/state and NatGeo maps.

Never leave home without it