First visual studio, now I’ve come to learn that in-car GPS systems also rot yer brain. I spent the first half of this week at a friend’s place who has in-car GPS systems in both his cars. They’re cool. You don’t have to know a thing about where you’re driving, what signs to look for, landmarks, directions, etc. You just punch in where you’d like to go and start driving. A lovely voice tells you when to turn, what to watch for, everything you need to get where you’re headed. Next time I’m somewhere new and renting a car I will inquire how much to add one of these to my rental cost since it makes it so simple to get around in a new town.

It does not, however, do anything to help you learn and understand how to navigate your surroundings. In fact it does quite the opposite. You don’t have to pay any attention at all. You don’t have to watch the signs, you don’t have to look for visual cues, landmarks, anything.

It left me thinking of intellisense and what it does for, and to, developers. They’re both very slick useful tools but you’d be hardpressed to convince me that intellisense makes you a better developer or in-car GPS makes you a better, more aware driver.

Just hope that thing keeps working so you can find your way back home.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 31st, 2006 at 5:01 pm and is filed under Geek. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.