Waze identifies trees!

Driving after the storm…

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Waze: Road closed in 500 meters on Kennedy.

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Aussie pushover

Driver: Police?

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Waze: Tree down. Detour. Turn left in 200 meters onto Nelson.

.Driver: What kind of tree?

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Waze: Eucalyptus. Shallow roots made it a pushover in last night’s storm.

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Voice-over

Waze - always amazing on highways and byways. GPS maps supplemented by user generated content of 50 million users (Yahoo, 2013).

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Low-tech high-tech visit to Linnaeus Hammarby

A summer place

On visiting a remote farm out of Uppsala…

Carl: A serene place, silent but for bees buzzing. Bit awkward to get to though. Bus runs twice an hour and the bus stop 40 minutes walk from the farm.

Lars: So how did you get there? 

Carl: Rented a bike from the Bangladeshi cyclery near the bibliotek. 

Lars: You could find the way?

GPS route to Linnaeus Hammarby

Carl: Used GPS on the phone.

Lars: How long did it take?

Carl: 90 minutes going, 45 minutes coming back.

Lars: Why the difference? 

Carl: Going there I had to keep stopping to read the GPS map. Coming back I knew the way, and didn’t need to stop. Headed for the cathedral towers.

Lars: GPS wastes time? 

Carl: Not at all. Couldn't have found Hammarby easily without it.
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Voice-over
GPS mapping is a boon to those who have an unreliable internal compass. But beware dropping the phone to read the GPS, or flattening the battery through frequent checking to see you’re on the right cycle track. And it didn’t predict road construction. But cycling through the silent Swedish countryside recalls wild strawberries. Aah!

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GPS Navi Passes the Turing Test

How about you drive?

Conversation between driver and the GPS Navi

Navi: Turn left in 250 meters.

Driver: OK.

Navi: Go straight for 2 kilometers.

Driver: Got that.

Navi: Turn hard left into Ambrose Road.

Driver: I can’t - there’s road construction.

Navi: Whoops, Route recalculation. Try turning left at the next corner in 40 meters.

Driver: That’s no good. Didn’t you get the latest downloads?

Navi: Got them but this construction only started this morning.

Driver: How about you drive? I have to call home.

Navi: Sure. You calling aliens to come and pick you up? Like ET?

Driver: Just drive.

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Voice-over

So does the GPS Navi pass the Turing Test?

Although there is no physical presence, except for a screen on the dashboard, its conversational responses meet some human conversational criteria.

• It responds by giving appropriate commands.
• It gives an emotional response, “Whoops.”
• It makes suggestions, "Try turning left..."
• It uses grammatical auxiliaries like articles.
• It omits auxiliaries for dramatic effect, "You calling aliens..."
• It uses contractions by omitting subject, "Got them..."
• It defends itself, by explaining that the latest information was dated.
• It takes over the job of the driver like a Google driverless car.
• It uses metaphor, “…like ET…” to make a joke.

No wonder this driver can converse with his GPS navi system like a close acquaintance. Most cannot.
(from GPS Navi Passes the Turing Test, July 2013)
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You can't miss it

Ernestine tries to pin down optimistic Olga on a meeting point.

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Olga: There’s a chicken stall outside the station.

Ernestine: Easy to find?

Olga: Near the exit. Can’t miss it.

Ernestine: East exit or west?

Olga: It’s the one with the Nokia ad.

Ernestine: Remember my mobile’s at home.

Olga: No worries. I’ll see you.

Ernestine: You’ll see me? What time?

Olga: Threeish.

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Voiceover

Expressions intended to reassure, like “You can’t miss it,” or “No worries,” can be unsettling. Especially to those who like plans, details, are nervous, or those without a mobile in this GPS, GoogleMaps era.

Pre-mobile phones, we fixed a time and place. And had a backup plan.

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