Tech: Flirting with GPS

Back in my undergrad days, I briefly owned a Garmin eTrex handheld GPS device. I bought it chiefly with notions of geocaching and hiking floating around in my head. I also thought it might be handy if I ever had to go on a road trip.

It's funny how quickly reality sets in sometimes. While it was neat on a superficial level to be able to see your location on Earth in relation to the rest of the world, it wasn't something I'd ever use in day-to-day life. So I tried to find a use for it - first by employing it as a really expensive trip odomoter for walking and biking around, and then as a way to browse the geography of places I've never been, like Philadelphia.

I eventually sold the sucker online for as much money as I paid for it. Nowadays GPS is bundled into a lot of things - phones, cars, laptops. But whenever I get the itch to pick one up again, I'll always remember the old saying: "Wherever you go, there you are."