Comments on: The Long and Winding Road http://pjmedia.com/blog/the_long_and_winding_road/ Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:37:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Palo http://pjmedia.com/blog/the_long_and_winding_road/#comment-10043 Palo Tue, 03 Jul 2007 05:38:45 +0000 http://dev.pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-long-and-winding-road/#comment-10043 My parents live in a small village in Bohemia. They like to make half day car trips on back country roads, avoiding highways and congested towns. They never carry a map and when they occasionally get lost, they stop and ask for directions to the nearest larger town (which they want to avoid). After they receive the instructions ---e.g. continue down this road, bear to the right after the Holeceks' house, drive up the hill and around Capek's pub, turn at the church, and follow the signs from there---they thank the local citizen politely, make a u-turn and leave in the opposite direction. The local usually shouts in anger at their departing car; once a fellow even threw his hat on the ground and stomped on it. But they always find their way back avoiding the larger towns. My parents live in a small village in Bohemia. They like to make half day car trips on back country roads, avoiding highways and congested towns. They never carry a map and when they occasionally get lost, they stop and ask for directions to the nearest larger town (which they want to avoid). After they receive the instructions —e.g. continue down this road, bear to the right after the Holeceks’ house, drive up the hill and around Capek’s pub, turn at the church, and follow the signs from there—they thank the local citizen politely, make a u-turn and leave in the opposite direction. The local usually shouts in anger at their departing car; once a fellow even threw his hat on the ground and stomped on it. But they always find their way back avoiding the larger towns.

]]> By: Assistant Village Idiot http://pjmedia.com/blog/the_long_and_winding_road/#comment-10042 Assistant Village Idiot Mon, 02 Jul 2007 18:57:11 +0000 http://dev.pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-long-and-winding-road/#comment-10042 Men (about 80% of them, I'd say)tend to think about directions from an overhead map perspective and want to give and receive directions in that form. 80% of women prefer the landmark scheme Christine notes above. It's probably a brain spatial-memory thing. Men do better giving directions to men, women to women. As a consequence, men are more likely to get the distance wrong (overhead map visualising underestimates), women to get the direction wrong (roads wind and turn). That's a tough choice, eh? This also accounts for many of the male-female navigation arguments, by the way. They look at maps and directions differently. Men (about 80% of them, I’d say)tend to think about directions from an overhead map perspective and want to give and receive directions in that form. 80% of women prefer the landmark scheme Christine notes above. It’s probably a brain spatial-memory thing. Men do better giving directions to men, women to women.

As a consequence, men are more likely to get the distance wrong (overhead map visualising underestimates), women to get the direction wrong (roads wind and turn). That’s a tough choice, eh?

This also accounts for many of the male-female navigation arguments, by the way. They look at maps and directions differently.

]]> By: blogengeezer http://pjmedia.com/blog/the_long_and_winding_road/#comment-10041 blogengeezer Sun, 01 Jul 2007 22:57:11 +0000 http://dev.pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-long-and-winding-road/#comment-10041 Driving for many years through the 'Indian Territory' of New Mexico, one of my favorite descriptions relayed to me was, "Near 'Twin Pines' but now there is only one..they cut one down". For a trip or two through that part of the country, check out <a href="http://daflikkers.blogspot.com/2007/06/red-mountain-pass-wolf-creek-pass.html" rel="nofollow">http://daflikkers.blogspot.com/2007/06/red-mountain-pass-wolf-creek-pass.html</a> Driving for many years through the ‘Indian Territory’ of New Mexico, one of my favorite descriptions relayed to me was, “Near ‘Twin Pines’ but now there is only one..they cut one down”. For a trip or two through that part of the country, check out
http://daflikkers.blogspot.com/2007/06/red-mountain-pass-wolf-creek-pass.html

]]> By: Yehudit http://pjmedia.com/blog/the_long_and_winding_road/#comment-10040 Yehudit Fri, 29 Jun 2007 20:58:59 +0000 http://dev.pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-long-and-winding-road/#comment-10040 I agree completely. I used to ask for directions but always had to ask at least 2 people to get anything useful. Both men and women give bad directions. The conventional wisdom is that women don't like maps. I love maps and they are usually much better than directions. The only exception might be spagetti bowl highway intersections where the map view doesn't help with navigating across lanes of traffic at 70 mph. I agree completely. I used to ask for directions but always had to ask at least 2 people to get anything useful. Both men and women give bad directions.

The conventional wisdom is that women don’t like maps. I love maps and they are usually much better than directions. The only exception might be spagetti bowl highway intersections where the map view doesn’t help with navigating across lanes of traffic at 70 mph.

]]> By: Charlie http://pjmedia.com/blog/the_long_and_winding_road/#comment-10039 Charlie Fri, 29 Jun 2007 18:25:00 +0000 http://dev.pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-long-and-winding-road/#comment-10039 I absolutely agree! My wife fusses at me about not asking for them, of course. I have ALWAYS told her its not because I don't like to ask, but rather because 99 times out of 100 its a useless and time wasting endeavor. I absolutely agree! My wife fusses at me about not asking for them, of course. I have ALWAYS told her its not because I don’t like to ask, but rather because 99 times out of 100 its a useless and time wasting endeavor.

]]> By: RRRoark http://pjmedia.com/blog/the_long_and_winding_road/#comment-10038 RRRoark Fri, 29 Jun 2007 13:51:18 +0000 http://dev.pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-long-and-winding-road/#comment-10038 I have three ladies in my house that hate Mapquest but seem more mollified by AAA TripTik. Because of their experience, I used the Triple A service to make pdf maps in reference to my in-laws 50th Anniversary for quests coming from all over the mid-west to Atlanta for the event which had multiple locations over the celebratory week-end. The maps got good reviews even from the seriously non-technical. I have three ladies in my house that hate Mapquest but seem more mollified by AAA TripTik. Because of their experience, I used the Triple A service to make pdf maps in reference to my in-laws 50th Anniversary for quests coming from all over the mid-west to Atlanta for the event which had multiple locations over the celebratory week-end. The maps got good reviews even from the seriously non-technical.

]]> By: KBCraig http://pjmedia.com/blog/the_long_and_winding_road/#comment-10037 KBCraig Fri, 29 Jun 2007 07:24:11 +0000 http://dev.pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-long-and-winding-road/#comment-10037 My address growing up was "at the tree in the middle of the road" (and later, "where the tree used to be in the middle of the road") in a small town in Arkansas. I give very careful directions, using mileage, landmarks, actual street signs (not street names as locals know them), etc. On the other hand, I never trust anyone else's directions. I use Google Maps, Topozone.com, and (preferably) the Delorme Atlas & Gazetteer for that area. My address growing up was “at the tree in the middle of the road” (and later, “where the tree used to be in the middle of the road”) in a small town in Arkansas.

I give very careful directions, using mileage, landmarks, actual street signs (not street names as locals know them), etc.

On the other hand, I never trust anyone else’s directions. I use Google Maps, Topozone.com, and (preferably) the Delorme Atlas & Gazetteer for that area.

]]> By: JohnS http://pjmedia.com/blog/the_long_and_winding_road/#comment-10036 JohnS Thu, 28 Jun 2007 23:28:34 +0000 http://dev.pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-long-and-winding-road/#comment-10036 ... and then another left at the tree that's leaning like <i>this</i> (from a phone conversation) … and then another left at the tree that’s leaning like this (from a phone conversation)

]]> By: Roy Lofquist http://pjmedia.com/blog/the_long_and_winding_road/#comment-10035 Roy Lofquist Thu, 28 Jun 2007 20:10:47 +0000 http://dev.pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-long-and-winding-road/#comment-10035 ...then take a left where the old Johnson place used to be... …then take a left where the old Johnson place used to be…

]]> By: Pat http://pjmedia.com/blog/the_long_and_winding_road/#comment-10034 Pat Thu, 28 Jun 2007 19:58:20 +0000 http://dev.pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-long-and-winding-road/#comment-10034 I don't understand why anyone is still using Mapquest. Google Maps is vastly superior to it. After using it for a couple of years, I find Mapquest maps painful to look at. I don’t understand why anyone is still using Mapquest. Google Maps is vastly superior to it. After using it for a couple of years, I find Mapquest maps painful to look at.

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