Monday, June 30, 2014

Google Maps

Now that they stopped printing road maps, Google is how I get from here to there if I haven't been there before.  They updated the software recently.  The map page looks different.  They managed to loose the useful "Center Map Here" function, so useful for expanding the map about your destination.  They fixed the "waste a page of paper every time you print a map" bug. 
   Not to trust Google's travel time estimates.  On my recent trip to the Cape, Google estimated 4 hr 37 min.  It really took 6 hours. 
   Be wary of letting Google plot your course.  Now that Google's knowledge of back roads has improved, it will route you over very obscure back roads.  On a previous trip it routed me over a back road which was impassible due to frost heaves and axle smashing potholes.  Fortunately I had enough local knowledge to not let a web site lead me down the garden path, or down Rte 116 to N. Haverill. 
   One final whine.  They ought to print the maps with a white background.  It wastes a lot of expensive color ink to color an A-sized map tan all over. 

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