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Which way am I going?
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Mac Enthusiast
Join Date: Feb 2005
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I always hear people rattling off directions and locations like, "Head west on Acme Blvd" or "The house is on the north-east corner of the street."
How do they know which direction is which way and orient themselves like that?
Granted I am extremely stupid. I need to look at my hands and then think for a few seonds to tell left from right most times...
Also, I always thought that north is always 'up' on a map, but that doesn't seem to be the case with Google Maps.
I'm lost.
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: 888500128, C3, 2nd soft.
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If you're in the Northern Hemisphere, the sun is in the south around noon.
If you see the sun rise, you're looking roughly eastwards.
If you're seeing it set, you're looking roughly westwards.
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Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: The Rock
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I honestly can't believe you're asking this.
You don't know the sun rises in the east and sets in the west? That the Arctic is north and the Antarctic is South?
All of which may have been arbitrarily determined, yes, but come on....
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Mankind's only chance is to harness the power of stupid.
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Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Rockville, MD
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Carry one of those doohickies that magnetically keep track of which way is north, then you don't have to "know" you can just check. They're small and you can keep it in your pocket. They're called a "Garmin."
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Mac Enthusiast
Join Date: Feb 2005
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Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton
I honestly can't believe you're asking this.
You don't know the sun rises in the east and sets in the west? That the Arctic is north and the Antarctic is South?
All of which may have been arbitrarily determined, yes, but come on....
How is that going to tell me if a house is on the east or west side of a street?
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Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: inside 128, north of 90
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Look at the sky, and know what time of day it is? If the sun is setting, the house is on that side of the street.
Also in some big cities, streets run east/west or north/south.
I naturally have a pretty good sense of direction, and can usually find north. Ish.
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Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Standing on the shoulders of giants
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You should get a computer to help you.
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Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: The Rock
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Originally Posted by tightsocks
How is that going to tell me if a house is on the east or west side of a street?
Everything I just said will tell you your answer. If the sun is rising on one side of the street, that's the east side - and if it's setting on the other side, then that's the west side. If the sun is rising and/or setting parallel to the street, then the street runs east/west, and the houses are on the north and south side respectively.
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Mankind's only chance is to harness the power of stupid.
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Mac Enthusiast
Join Date: Feb 2005
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Originally Posted by mattyb
You should get a computer to help you.
If it can get my bank statement and have it tell me the directions that would be great...
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: 888500128, C3, 2nd soft.
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iPad with cellular data will do both.
Thank me later.
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Mac Enthusiast
Join Date: Feb 2005
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Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot
iPad with cellular data will do both.
Will it tell me which side of the street I'm on?
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: 888500128, C3, 2nd soft.
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Yes. It has a compass, which is a wonderful tool that will actually tell you which way is north, it will guide you to wherever you need to go, and it will allow you get your bank statements.
You can do this with an iPhone, too. But getting your bank statements is a little less practical (though possible).
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Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Rockville, MD
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I once saw a woman sitting on a bench on the street holding her iPad up to her ear like a giant phone. So apparently it can be used as a phone too.
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: 888500128, C3, 2nd soft.
Status:
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Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: inside 128, north of 90
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: California
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Originally Posted by tightsocks
Also, I always thought that north is always 'up' on a map, but that doesn't seem to be the case with Google Maps.
This should be the case; I don't think it's possible to reorient the maps either on their webpage or their app. You can do it with Apple Maps... but then of course you'd have to put up with Apple Maps.
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Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Rockville, MD
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Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot
No.
I use my iTouch as a phone using Talkatone. Only works over wifi, but I imagine that's because there's no 3G option for ipods. I think it also makes callers listen to a google voice prompt, so that kind of sucks.
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: 888500128, C3, 2nd soft.
Status:
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You're not going to have any fun holding the iPad up to your ear like a phone, though, even if you use Skype, Facebook chat, Google Voice, Talkatone, or whatever else.
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Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Rockville, MD
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Maybe she usually uses a bluetooth headset but it ran out of batteries
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Professional Poster
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Pacific Northwest
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In the US, satellite dishes (like for Dish Network or DirecTV) point generally south.
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Posting Junkie
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: UK
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I thought that US roads were always aligned to north/south and east/west as long as they were in the usual grid pattern?
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I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
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Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Rockville, MD
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
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Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep
I thought that US roads were always aligned to north/south and east/west as long as they were in the usual grid pattern?
Some pitch it 45° (Washington D.C.), some follow natural features (Manhattan).
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Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: inside 128, north of 90
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Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep
I thought that US roads were always aligned to north/south and east/west as long as they were in the usual grid pattern?
Boston laughs at your "usual grid pattern."
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Mac Enthusiast
Join Date: Feb 2005
Status:
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If I'm trying to point out an item in a display case to a clerk where we are facing each other I have a hard time figuring out when to guide them to their left or right...
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status:
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I don't even know my own left from right. I have to imagine myself writing.
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: 888500128, C3, 2nd soft.
Status:
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Originally Posted by subego
Some pitch it 45° (Washington D.C.), some follow natural features (Manhattan).
Manhattan is nowhere near 45 degrees. It is also prototypical for the North-South (upper-lower)/East-West arrangement (lower East Side, 52 West and Broadway,etc.)
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status:
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Reading comp fail.
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: 888500128, C3, 2nd soft.
Status:
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That's what I get for posting before 8 A.M.
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: planning a comeback !
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Damn luddites. How did they even register here to post ?
-t
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Posting Junkie
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: UK
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Originally Posted by turtle777
Damn luddites. How did they even register here to post ?
-t
Easy, you just hit the button to the left of the... wait, no maybe its to the right...
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I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
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Posting Junkie
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: UK
Status:
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Originally Posted by andi*pandi
Boston laughs at your "usual grid pattern."
I must have gotten that from TV or something. There is also a running joke in Europe that american cars have poor handling because they never have to go round proper corners. At least not with out (almost) stopping. I realise its an exaggeration, before I am bombarded with examples of how the "greatest corner in the known world is in such-and-such a US city".
I'm sure we'd all have grid systems too if our roads hadn't started out as bridleways. Milton Keynes tried, bless it.
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I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
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Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Rockville, MD
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Some of our cities predate the automobile too ya know
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Posting Junkie
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: UK
Status:
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Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton
Some of our cities predate the automobile too ya know
Yeah but theres predating and theres predating.
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I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
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Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: inside 128, north of 90
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