Monday, March 19, 2007

Men are from Mars; women are from just over the fold in the map

Why I'm a bad navigator:

1) I can't read a map and look out for turnings;
2) Roads aren't coloured the same as they are in maps;
3) Signposts point to places I've never heard of and not the place I want to go to;
4) Signposts tell me the place I want to go to is down the road I don't think it's down;
5) There are folds in maps - I can't be expected to know that the road I'm following on one side isn't the same road I am following on the other side.

Why I'm a good navigator:

1) We get there eventually;
2) We see more of the countryside;
3) We can better appreciate the art of the roundabout-maker when we've been round it a few times;
4) My joy when a roundabout or a railway line is where it should be is unparalleled;
5) I make a journey fun.

20 comments:

Shades said...

A former girlfriend of mine who shall remain nameless (called Ginny) was convinced that when a T junction had been converted to a roundabout, "straight on" meant "turn right". This was because the entry/exit roads had been curved gracefully to make the angles less abrupt. Not seeing the big picture though...

Anonymous said...

For less than 200 Euros you can get a decent palm-sized GPS for the EU navigator box to stick on your dashboard. Ours even navigates us around traffic jams. Way to go!

Sultry female voices when I switch it to German, French, Spanish or Italian. A commanding female tone in English and the scandinavian tongues. The only male voice is when I switch into Turkish ;-)

jmb said...

Well I just make my husband navigate and I drive if a map is required. I'm fine with maps going north or east or west but going south I can't make head nor tail then.
But that GPS thing sound really interesting.
Regards
jmb

Mauigirl said...

I identify with all of your comments about maps. I once was navigating and kept trying to find the road that turned off from the center of a small town we were driving through. There was no road and I got very frustrated...so my husband looked at the map and discovered I was looking at a river on the map, not a road!

Anonymous said...

@mapreaders,
as those of you who occassionally
visit my blog (thankyou) will know, I am also a flying instructor. We have to spend 6 to 10 hours of theory teaching (some) people how to read, use, and interpret maps properly. Semms this is no longer taught in schools and people 'just pick it up' OR NOT.

Just FYI, about 2/3 of student pilots hold the map North=top, whereas the other 1/3 turn the map so the direction they are flying is at the top (because they cannot turn the map in their heads). About 5% of people , the majority of whom are women, have initial problems distinguishing left from right; these are almost always map-turners.

I teach the top=north method because you can then strap the map to your knee, 'cos you've never got enough hands free in the cockpit anyway, especially when flying helicopters which are inherently instable anway :-(

@nonmapreaders,
Left hand down a bit :-)

Puss-in-Boots said...

Actually I can read maps, but I put it down to the map reading test I had to do in Girl Guides to get the appropriate patch to sew on my sleeve. I don't think it's a natural talent, as I have to turn the map this way and that so that I can get the direction right. Still...it works!

Liz Hinds said...

Yes, I forgot to mention that bit about the map needing to be in the same direction as I'm travelling - otherwise my rights and lefts are a bit dubious.

Rivers are the same colour as motorways on maps so that's an easy mistake to make, mauigirl!

Now what did Mr. Phillips say when he crashed the Troutbridge?

DeeJay said...

I think that the "map in the direction you are going" thing is definitely a female trait.

I am not surprised at your point about the signposts. Where you live I would find it impossible to recognise many of them let alone pronounce them!

By the way TOO MANY comments about the rugby results. ENOUGH!

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

As always, I love your logic, Liz!

Anonymous said...

a girl after my own heart !

Anonymous said...

Well I truly enjoyed studying it. This post provided by you is very helpful for
proper planning.
Feel free to surf my weblog :: Www.Alboxproperty.com

Anonymous said...

Hey There. I found your blog using msn. This is a really well written article.
I will

be sure to bookmark it and come back to read more of your useful information.
Thanks for the

post. I’ll certainly return.
my web site - http://www.alboxproperty.com/

Anonymous said...

you're really a good webmaster. The web site loading speed is incredible. It seems that

you are doing any unique trick. Furthermore, The contents are masterpiece. you've done
a fantastic job on this topic!
Take a look at my web site ; solus

Anonymous said...

Interesting blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from

somewhere? A design like yours with a few simple adjustements
would really make my blog jump out. Please let
me know where you got your design.

Cheers
My site :: evocator

Anonymous said...

You actually make it seem so easy with your presentation but I
find this matter to be really

something that I think I would never understand. It seems too complex and extremely broad
for

me. I'm looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!
Feel free to visit my web blog ; launders

Anonymous said...

Attractive section of content. I just stumbled upon your website and in accession

capital to assert that I get in fact enjoyed account your blog posts.
Anyway I’ll

be subscribing to your feeds and even I achievement you access consistently quickly.
Here is my web-site :: Www.thespainforum.Com

Anonymous said...

advertising
Also see my website - http://www.catralspain.net/

Anonymous said...

Thanks a lot for sharing this with all of us you really know what you're talking about!

Bookmarked. Please also visit my site =). We could have a link exchange agreement between us!
Here is my website : http://www.alatorax.com

Anonymous said...

I'm really enjoying the theme/design of your site. Do you ever run into any

internet browser compatibility issues? A handful of my blog visitors have complained about my website not operating correctly

in Explorer but looks great in Opera. Do you have any

recommendations to help fix this problem?
Also see my site > asturias spain vacation

Anonymous said...

Valuable information. Lucky me I found your site by accident, and I'm shocked why this

accident did not happened earlier! I bookmarked it.
Here is my web blog dui attorney orange county