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Which way am I going?
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tightsocks
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Jan 17, 2013, 02:54 PM
 
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.
     
Spheric Harlot
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Jan 17, 2013, 03:39 PM
 
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.
     
ShortcutToMoncton
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Jan 17, 2013, 04:01 PM
 
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....
Mankind's only chance is to harness the power of stupid.
     
Uncle Skeleton
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Jan 17, 2013, 04:07 PM
 
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."
     
tightsocks  (op)
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Jan 17, 2013, 04:21 PM
 
Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton View Post
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?
     
andi*pandi
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Jan 17, 2013, 04:54 PM
 
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.
     
mattyb
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Jan 17, 2013, 05:08 PM
 
You should get a computer to help you.
     
ShortcutToMoncton
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Jan 17, 2013, 05:15 PM
 
Originally Posted by tightsocks View Post
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.
Mankind's only chance is to harness the power of stupid.
     
tightsocks  (op)
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Jan 17, 2013, 05:49 PM
 
Originally Posted by mattyb View Post
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...
     
Spheric Harlot
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Jan 17, 2013, 06:29 PM
 
iPad with cellular data will do both.

Thank me later.
     
tightsocks  (op)
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Jan 17, 2013, 06:54 PM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
iPad with cellular data will do both.
Will it tell me which side of the street I'm on?
     
Spheric Harlot
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Jan 17, 2013, 07:46 PM
 
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).
     
Uncle Skeleton
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Jan 17, 2013, 08:20 PM
 
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.
     
Spheric Harlot
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Jan 17, 2013, 08:56 PM
 
No.
     
andi*pandi
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Jan 17, 2013, 09:54 PM
 
skype?
     
Patrick
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Jan 18, 2013, 01:06 AM
 
Originally Posted by tightsocks View Post
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.
     
Uncle Skeleton
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Jan 18, 2013, 10:01 AM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
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.
     
Spheric Harlot
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Jan 18, 2013, 10:20 AM
 
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.
     
Uncle Skeleton
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Jan 18, 2013, 10:40 AM
 
Maybe she usually uses a bluetooth headset but it ran out of batteries
     
Gankdawg
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Jan 18, 2013, 04:41 PM
 
In the US, satellite dishes (like for Dish Network or DirecTV) point generally south.
     
Waragainstsleep
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Jan 18, 2013, 06:19 PM
 
I thought that US roads were always aligned to north/south and east/west as long as they were in the usual grid pattern?
I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
     
Uncle Skeleton
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Jan 18, 2013, 08:40 PM
 
Far from "always"
     
subego
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Jan 18, 2013, 09:41 PM
 
Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep View Post
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).
     
andi*pandi
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Jan 18, 2013, 10:04 PM
 
Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep View Post
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."
     
tightsocks  (op)
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Jan 18, 2013, 10:38 PM
 
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...
     
subego
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Jan 18, 2013, 10:41 PM
 
I don't even know my own left from right. I have to imagine myself writing.
     
Spheric Harlot
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Jan 19, 2013, 02:53 AM
 
Originally Posted by subego View Post
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.)
     
subego
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Jan 19, 2013, 02:58 AM
 
Reading comp fail.
     
Spheric Harlot
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Jan 19, 2013, 03:05 AM
 
That's what I get for posting before 8 A.M.
     
turtle777
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Jan 19, 2013, 03:28 AM
 
Damn luddites. How did they even register here to post ?

-t
     
Waragainstsleep
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Jan 19, 2013, 10:07 AM
 
Originally Posted by turtle777 View Post
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...
I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
     
Waragainstsleep
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Jan 19, 2013, 10:14 AM
 
Originally Posted by andi*pandi View Post
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.
I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
     
Uncle Skeleton
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Jan 19, 2013, 10:25 AM
 
Some of our cities predate the automobile too ya know
     
Waragainstsleep
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Jan 19, 2013, 12:00 PM
 
Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton View Post
Some of our cities predate the automobile too ya know
Yeah but theres predating and theres predating.
I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
     
andi*pandi
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Jan 19, 2013, 01:11 PM
 
Boston's roadways: engineered by cows.

The Calf-Path- Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More
     
   
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