THE Lowly Peon

GPS: my new favorite thing. 
24 October 2009, 12:15pm

raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens. using GPS to track everything, these are a few of my favorite things.

i remember way back when, i thought text messages were the silliest things ever. we've lived without it for so long, i thought, so why not just pick up a phone and call if you need to?

so naive.

i realized when in college that text messages are wonderful. you don't need to bother the recipient, but you can send a message for when s/he is available. in turn, s/he can respond whenever the time is right.

well. enter GPS. i remember my buddy, ryan!, decided to take a trip on his motorcycle across all 49 states (the drive to hawaii would be rough). doing so, he tracked his trip via a GPS unit, and then posted all of the waypoints on his website, 5pears.org. what a cool project, i thought. but then i noticed that he was using his GPS gizmo for a lot more than just the trip. at the time, i thought it was excessive, but i also know that he tends to be a data junky, because you never know when you'll want the data you threw away before.

and boy, was he right. i've just gotten a taste of GPS from my iPhone 3Gs. it's been handy when taking pictures, because iPhoto can show a map of where you've been (as can flickr and picassa). i also have enjoyed using it when i run, as the GPS not only tracks where i ran, but also can show me my speed and distance as i run.

i went for a hike with my friend mike today and tracked all the coordinates (until my phone died. i realized too late that i should have put it in power save mode, as GPS really kills your battery). i made a few mistakes (accidentally exited the app on two occasions, so it didn't track), and lost the last hour of our hike, then about an hour of the bike ride home.

just think of all you can do with GPS coordinates. if you even keep a handful of points a day while you travel, you could throw a map together of all the places you've gone. i love it.

and now, ryan!, i understand why. and i've got the fever. and the only prescription is more GPS!

(note: you can see the track via google maps here or get the actual coordinates via kvm here. note that i stopped tracking at a temple, but still had to ride home for at least 45 minutes, then dinner, then another 20 minute ride home. i'm pooped!)

update
[24 October 2009, 12:20pm]