Post-script: Pug and I have been trying to find that cobblestone street on the "dead Internet" so we can post a real picture of it. For the life of us, we cannot find it. I believe we actually time traveled to the past when we hit that street and it no longer exists. Or at least I'd like to believe it :)
Makes sense, unfortunately Pittsburgh is a city where using a paper map is next to impossible. There is absolutely nowhere to pull over and read a map once one gets lost driving through the city of Pittsburgh. You just have to keep on driving winding through narrow streets with cars parked on both sides and traffic, traffic, traffic. Many roads are missing signs or signs are pointing the wrong way. Plus you always run into Pennsylvania's official "flower" - the orange traffic cone - perpetual road construction which forces you to go off your memorized/paper map route. Once off your route in Pittsburgh, all bets are off.
I have driven in a lot of cities in America and Pittsburgh is the worse in my opinion for navigating the roads. If you are a native and have been living in Pittsburgh for decades, you understand the chicken scratch road system, if you are not a native Pittsburgh truly is a black hole.
Also Pittsburgh doesn't have an easy bypass highway system, just the PA Turnpike (Toll Road) which is incredibly expensive.
I don't know how they plow the hilly cobblestone streets in the winter.
When I used to travel internationally BC (before covid), I would print up small direction cards that would tell me exactly what streets to turn on, how far, with landmarks, etc. Kinda like my own luddite sat nav bot. Of course when you hit those parades and the marked streets are closed, everything goes out the window.
I was directed by early GPS hardware software that ran on a Windows notebook PC to turn right onto a certain street while on an overpass crossing that street, with no off ramp. It seemed to be telling me to crash through the railing and die. I didn't, but I have always kept that memory in the back of my mind when using GPS.
yes, I have seen that on my Garmin. It is old but I do get updates. I have had a few episodes when I was driving on one road and it had me on the road beside, or sometimes a completely different road. That is not a good thing.
Wow! The GPS can't see bridges, all it sees is those two roads intersect there. This is our society now. Sad, sad, sad. Too much reliance on technology is going to be our downfall.
What GPS primarily sees is databases maintained by local governments, often out of date and sometimes just wrong. In my example, I suspect that the two roads did intersect at one time, but then the one I was on had an approach to a new bridge across the American River added to it, and it had to be elevated well above the ground to connect with the bridge.
GPS also sees your position in that dataset, and it may have information from traffic sensors and from the cell phones of other drivers and passengers.
The cell phone data is not exact, and is subject to misinterpretation -- I worked in 9-1-1 (the telephone number, not the date) data analysis and reporting for a couple of years, and on projects involving how to deal with cell phone data issues, since a small misreading of the location could mean emergency calls being sent to the wrong PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point).
Being older (as in already writing code before some of my coworkers were born), I had actually learned trigonometry and could still apply it, and it really came in handy. I wonder if some of what you encountered has to do with developers now that can't even do simple math.
So use your eyes, and bring a map! My housemate still gets some of them from AAA. I print them off the Web, of course.
Wow, sounds like a scarey trip. I was on my way to visit with my grandmother years ago and got lost in a midwest city after taking the wrong exit ramp. My map wasn't helpful and I was in a seedy part of the city so I stopped at a few fast food restaurants asking the employees how to get out of there and they had no idea whatsoever. I went to another place and was redirected to an old river road along the Illinois river that wound up and around taking the scenic route but it took much longer than I expected and with no cellphone back then my Grandmother was in a lather by the time I arrived at her home. I do like cellphones and GPS when they work properly. They can be a lifesaver. Thanks for the entertaining animation.
"the employees how to get out of there and they had no idea whatsoever. "
Isn't that funny? People have no idea how to get out of their own neighborhoods. But then in the seedy parts probably most people never drive. At least you got out finally! It was funny, we drove down by the river in Pittsburgh, and I swear it felt like we were going to deadend in the river. The key is keep following the river to get out! I remember driving across the country twice with no cell phone. Imagine that now.
So true. I try to keep a paper map in the car just for emergencies. The problem in Pittsburgh is that there was absolutely no where to stop the car or turn around to read the paper map. No parking lots, cars parked on both sides of the street. We couldn't pull off a road if we tried. Nightmare! And then there's the tendency of GPS systems to send you through the worst parts of towns. I swear they are all set to "hood" mode.
Google maps always seems to want to take you through "the hood." Every. Time. Doesn't matter what options you choose, through the hood you will go. Google's way of stopping racism. Nice.
I know I understand. After a couple of nasty adventures you come to realize maybe it is not worth it. Those nav systems are all perky and rainbows until you want an alternate route
NYC is a dream driving in compared to Pittsburgh. At least Manhattan streets are based on a grid system. Pittsburgh streets were designed by a blind person using an etch a sketch.
Post-script: Pug and I have been trying to find that cobblestone street on the "dead Internet" so we can post a real picture of it. For the life of us, we cannot find it. I believe we actually time traveled to the past when we hit that street and it no longer exists. Or at least I'd like to believe it :)
I still use a map, prepare beforehand and memorize the route. One never needs to surrender data to 'tracking either.
"Quaint" cobbled streets though.
Makes sense, unfortunately Pittsburgh is a city where using a paper map is next to impossible. There is absolutely nowhere to pull over and read a map once one gets lost driving through the city of Pittsburgh. You just have to keep on driving winding through narrow streets with cars parked on both sides and traffic, traffic, traffic. Many roads are missing signs or signs are pointing the wrong way. Plus you always run into Pennsylvania's official "flower" - the orange traffic cone - perpetual road construction which forces you to go off your memorized/paper map route. Once off your route in Pittsburgh, all bets are off.
I have driven in a lot of cities in America and Pittsburgh is the worse in my opinion for navigating the roads. If you are a native and have been living in Pittsburgh for decades, you understand the chicken scratch road system, if you are not a native Pittsburgh truly is a black hole.
Also Pittsburgh doesn't have an easy bypass highway system, just the PA Turnpike (Toll Road) which is incredibly expensive.
I don't know how they plow the hilly cobblestone streets in the winter.
When I used to travel internationally BC (before covid), I would print up small direction cards that would tell me exactly what streets to turn on, how far, with landmarks, etc. Kinda like my own luddite sat nav bot. Of course when you hit those parades and the marked streets are closed, everything goes out the window.
I was directed by early GPS hardware software that ran on a Windows notebook PC to turn right onto a certain street while on an overpass crossing that street, with no off ramp. It seemed to be telling me to crash through the railing and die. I didn't, but I have always kept that memory in the back of my mind when using GPS.
yes, I have seen that on my Garmin. It is old but I do get updates. I have had a few episodes when I was driving on one road and it had me on the road beside, or sometimes a completely different road. That is not a good thing.
Wow! The GPS can't see bridges, all it sees is those two roads intersect there. This is our society now. Sad, sad, sad. Too much reliance on technology is going to be our downfall.
What GPS primarily sees is databases maintained by local governments, often out of date and sometimes just wrong. In my example, I suspect that the two roads did intersect at one time, but then the one I was on had an approach to a new bridge across the American River added to it, and it had to be elevated well above the ground to connect with the bridge.
GPS also sees your position in that dataset, and it may have information from traffic sensors and from the cell phones of other drivers and passengers.
The cell phone data is not exact, and is subject to misinterpretation -- I worked in 9-1-1 (the telephone number, not the date) data analysis and reporting for a couple of years, and on projects involving how to deal with cell phone data issues, since a small misreading of the location could mean emergency calls being sent to the wrong PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point).
Being older (as in already writing code before some of my coworkers were born), I had actually learned trigonometry and could still apply it, and it really came in handy. I wonder if some of what you encountered has to do with developers now that can't even do simple math.
So use your eyes, and bring a map! My housemate still gets some of them from AAA. I print them off the Web, of course.
AAA Triptiks were my friend back in the day!
Wow, sounds like a scarey trip. I was on my way to visit with my grandmother years ago and got lost in a midwest city after taking the wrong exit ramp. My map wasn't helpful and I was in a seedy part of the city so I stopped at a few fast food restaurants asking the employees how to get out of there and they had no idea whatsoever. I went to another place and was redirected to an old river road along the Illinois river that wound up and around taking the scenic route but it took much longer than I expected and with no cellphone back then my Grandmother was in a lather by the time I arrived at her home. I do like cellphones and GPS when they work properly. They can be a lifesaver. Thanks for the entertaining animation.
"the employees how to get out of there and they had no idea whatsoever. "
Isn't that funny? People have no idea how to get out of their own neighborhoods. But then in the seedy parts probably most people never drive. At least you got out finally! It was funny, we drove down by the river in Pittsburgh, and I swear it felt like we were going to deadend in the river. The key is keep following the river to get out! I remember driving across the country twice with no cell phone. Imagine that now.
Yes, I am overly attached to my cellphone for driving, especially due to all the construction this time of year.
it is always good to have a current map and a flash light in the car.
I have not had this experience but it certainly sounds frightening.
I guess I would be imagining criminals in the streets and car jackers
I am glad you made it back safely. It certainly is a lot worse getting lost anywhere in the country now.
So true. I try to keep a paper map in the car just for emergencies. The problem in Pittsburgh is that there was absolutely no where to stop the car or turn around to read the paper map. No parking lots, cars parked on both sides of the street. We couldn't pull off a road if we tried. Nightmare! And then there's the tendency of GPS systems to send you through the worst parts of towns. I swear they are all set to "hood" mode.
Google maps always seems to want to take you through "the hood." Every. Time. Doesn't matter what options you choose, through the hood you will go. Google's way of stopping racism. Nice.
I know I understand. After a couple of nasty adventures you come to realize maybe it is not worth it. Those nav systems are all perky and rainbows until you want an alternate route
The only city I've ever gotten lost in is Pittsburgh. Congratulations!
LOL! Pittsburgh is worse than Boston. How is that even possible?
NYC is a dream driving in compared to Pittsburgh. At least Manhattan streets are based on a grid system. Pittsburgh streets were designed by a blind person using an etch a sketch.