The Hidden Costs of Automated Thinking

Re:The Hidden Costs of Automated Thinking by wpietri on Thursday July 25, 2019 @05:31AM (#20523923)

Yeah, one of the things I think about a lot is supportive versus controlling technology. Google Maps, etc, seem uncomfortably in the middle to me. Yes, I told it where I want to go. But after that, I'm basically a peripheral device to Google for the duration of the trip, and it doesn't help my geographic sense much.

I recently went to Amsterdam. Before I left, I got Google Maps directions for various places I was going and then used Google Earth to "walk" the routes. After 10 or 15 minutes I built up enough of a sense of landmarks and general layout that I felt pretty well oriented when I arrived.

That was cumbersome to do, but I'd love to see GPS tools move in that direction of supporting not just my current goal, but my long-term independence from needing turn-by-turn directions for everything.

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Re:The Hidden Costs of Automated Thinking by lonelappde on Thursday July 25, 2019 @09:36AM (#20525224)

Couldn't you look at the road and landmarks while you drive, to learn the geography?

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Re:The Hidden Costs of Automated Thinking by wpietri on Thursday July 25, 2019 @11:05AM (#20525991)

No, because the standard interface shows me a postage-stamp sized understanding of the world. It's sufficient to follow the directions, but not useful for learning the broader context in the same way that one has to do with physical maps.

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