Monday, April 1, 2019

Always knowing where you are

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I'll let you in to a little scret. I am notorious known for getting lost.
Drop me somewhere in a city, walk a few meters and turn some corners and I will never find my way back. Visit some place with me and come back a few weeks later: I really can not find where it was.

So luckily for me there is navigation. And Google Maps.
And just when you think verything is fine and the world a sunny place I realise I have forgotten my navigation and disaster strikes.

What I have learnt to do is to orient upfront. Before I go somewhere I look at the place on Google maps. And then I got this fantastic idea to never get lost again.



Suppose you want to go to the National Monument at the Dam in Amsterdam.
First open your webbrowser and type the name of the place you want to visit.



A list is shown with things Google found but look at the top off the screen. There you can find maps. Click on that.



 You'll be presented a map of the environment of the place you have searched for.



And exactly in the middle you'll find a red pin right at the spot you are looking for.

This gave me this tremendous idea.

Would this work the other way round ????

If you can see the red pin, you know where you are !!!

So here is the solution.



Copy the picture of the pin. Enlarge it in a drawing program and print it. Glue it to a piece of carton and punch a small hole in it so you can hang it on a wire.



Or even better. 3D print it. I made a version with a suspension eye. I have several of them and never leave the door without one. There is one permanent in my car, and one hanging on my bicycle.

Hang it on your coat or shirt, depending on the outside temperature, and you never can get lost again cause you are were the pin is.

For convenience I will put one on my backpack when I am participating in the Walk of the World in july so the people walking behind me know where they are.



To print some for yourself  you can find the STL file on my github account:

https://github.com/Lucvolders/Googlepin

Till next time
Make fun of yourself

Luc Volders

P.s. Remember what day it is today.