prod & ponder

iPhone 3G, $299
Google Maps, Free
Always knowing where I am in relation to the nearest Taco Bell, Priceless

I’ve been impressed with the iPhone’s GPS accuracy. The blue dot shows location, and yes, it moves along the road and scrolls the map as you move. What looks like a circle around the blue dot is this screen capture (done by tapping home+power on the iphone quickly at the same time) is actually a throbbing animation around the dot that makes it easier to quickly locate your position.

It’s also possible to flip to a satellite image (or hybrid with sat+roads), in case you wanted to, I don’t know, take an overhead peak at the nearby NSA.

From the latest British Journal of Sociology, “Ignorance as an under-identified social problem.”