I Get Around

As a brief addendum to my post about digital moderation, I’ll mention another longtime habit of mine: analog wayfinding. I have never used automated navigation systems like GPS; instead, if I’m going someplace new I look at a map beforehand and commit the route to memory. (For example, last year I drove from Camden, Maine to Ottawa, Canada in this way.) It helps that my spatial memory is strong: I seem to keep a schematic picture of the route in my head so that I can essentially walk through the whole thing and recall the necessary decision points when I come to an intersection. In addition, I have a general idea of my interim destinations (e.g., towns I need to pass through or roads I need to drive on), so if I go off course I have an intuitive sense of how to correct the situation. Yes, occasionally I get slightly lost, but I always pretty much know where I am. Give it a try sometime! :-)