I love me some GPS

I know that linking to Insty is like coals to Newcastle, but what the heck.

He says he's pretty good at finding things or rather finding his way around. Fair enough. I am too.

But here's the thing. That's not all a GPS is good for. I have a GPS navigation system in my 2004 Acura TSX. It was a splurge and I really only got it because I was able to buy a car with EVERYTHING for the first time in my life. And at first I thought it was a fancy toy and I would not get much use out of it, but I've come to use it for many many more things beyond simply getting from point a to point b.

Note: I also once was invited to a focus group where we tested lots of in-car GPS systems. The Honda/Acura one was NOT one of those which was a shame. It made me appreciate how good the one in my Acura actually is.

Rerouting: One of my favorite features. Say you come to a blocked road, or somesuch. If you miss the spot, the gps automatically reroutes. This is great when the one way/blocked street thing comes up. Or my favorite: the traffic jam. If I hit severe, we're all stopped, the freeway is a parking lot, traffic, I can bring up the home address and drive off in another direction vectoring closer to home. I can cross neighborhoods regardless of their layout without endless backtracking because I turned down something that turned out to be a cul-de-sac. ( Is "cul-de-sac" French for street testicle? Or because it's usually in a suburb, lack or loss thereof, of said testicles?)

Mileage and Gas: My gas tank lets me know how many more miles I can reasonably go before running out of gas. With the GPS I can tell how close I am to various landmarks (home, work) and determine where I get gas, rather than buy from whatever place I need to impulse buy from.

The Last Mile: I find myself many times knowing how to get everywhere, but the last few bits of the drive. With the GPS I'll set it to the address and drive off the way I want to go (the routes aren't always what you'd choose.) But when I get close, I'll get all the turns and twists laid out on a map in front of me. Including which side of the street to look for some itty bitty address or store. All this without having to stop and consult the map or ask the wife while she's administering a little back seat parental justice.

Places/Things: Sometimes, I want to find a bank or atm nearby. Bingo!!! I find me some cash. This works well if you're cheap like me and want to get cash from your personal bank, rather than get out a $20 with the $1.00 surcharge.

On the run: If I'm out and my wife wants me to get something from somewhere, its been pretty common for her to call me with the address, or vice versa and plug it in, see the location of the thing I'm looking for, and viola, I get there without having to write down a bunch of instructions and translate from wife (okay, then go three more streets, turn left at the light and it will on the corner across the street from the Wal-Mart) to husband (Head west past Elm, then turn South on Parker, and at the next intersection it will be on the North West corner . . . )

It's a Gadget: Gadgets are inherently fun. I have fancy flashlights ("Its made out of aluminum and has rubber o-rings to keep out moisture!). I have fancy music players. This is the 21st century. We deserve 21st century maps. This is a fancy, interactive, 21st century map.

These are just a couple of the things you can find yourself doing with a GPS.

Update: Mr. duToit has a similar experience . . . .