Recently I flew to Atlanta for a two-day reporting trip that required me to cover two stories in two different cities near the Georgia capital.
The car rental clerk inquired whether I would like a GPS system with the vehicle.
“How much?” I asked. I never had driven with one before.
"Only $10 a day," she replied.
I think God prompted her to ask the question.
I’m not much for 20th century technology. I haven’t felt the need to own a BlackBerry or an iPod. But after a weekend in the company of a Global Positioning System, I’m convinced it’s one of the greatest inventions of my lifetime, right up there with the cell phone, the Internet and the DVR — all devices that save time and relieve stress.
If my wife is with me, one of us can read a road map. But when alone, trying to decipher 18 steps of written MapQuest instructions while getting from point A to point B can be risky — for me and other drivers.
To reach my destinations I had to drive through Atlanta, once going north, the other time south, in the midst of a city that must rank near the top in vehicles per capita. Atlanta and its suburbs have a lot of traffic, and the roads aren’t necessarily straight or logically designed.
But typing an address into the portable GPS resulted in perfect voice results every time to get me to the exact location. Every step of the way a voice prompted me where to go to reach my destination. It spared me from a potential crash, missing a turn or being late.
I don’t understand how the satellite technology works. I just benefited from it. For a brief history of GPS, see: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1900862,00.html
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