My mother has recently returned from a short holiday to Istanbul. Knowing that her son’s love is a fragile beast which is largely dependent upon the volume of presents showered upon his shoulders, she brought me back a traditional Turkish gift: a Tomtom GPS car navigation system from the shop at the airport.
Boy oh boy do I love it. So far I have got it to direct me to my work, to the supermarket, to the petrol station, and to my mother’s house. Of course I didn’t really need it to tell me the way to those places, I simply get such a thrill watching that little blue arrow whizz up and down the roads that I just can’t pass up an opportunity to play with it.
The only time that I’ve actually used it to take me somewhere to which I didn’t already know the way was on Wednesday night giving Jim a lift home from the pub. He kept spoiling my fun however by blurting out directions five seconds before the tomtom did, so I’m not even sure it counts. I’m confident it will come into it’s own when I use it for work though. I can visit up to five or six new addresses every day and so its really going to prove invaluable. No more stopping every three meters to consult the A-Z. Bliss.
I’ve also had vague fantasies about randomly typing an assortment of letters and numbers into the postcode finder and just heading off where ever it tells me. There’s definitely a concept for a travel book in there somewhere, but I shall leave it to more nomadic and adventurous souls to write. I’m happy enough just being told where the nearest cash machine is.
Looking at the tomtom website I’ve also discovered you can download alternative voices for it. Most of these are pretty crappy; various “comedy” characters lifted straight from the bumper book of cliched stereotypes. But there is one that is rather tempting. Somehow they have managed to persuade John Cleese to record a set, and the prospect of having Mr Fawlty telling me to “turn right you bloody fool!” is very appealing indeed. However something holds me back. Probably the same thing that prevents me from downloading a novelty ringtone or putting an amusing bumper sticker on my car. There’s a fine line between “funny” and “wacky”, and it’s not one I’m willing to cross. One moment you’re listening to John Cleese telling you to make a U turn where possible, and the next you’re wearing Hawaiian shirts to work and buying little signs that say “You don’t have to be mad to work here, but it helps!”.
Spinechilling.
I love my TomTom! I briefly considered putting Mr. T on mine, but I figured that would get old after the first day.
All my friends who have GPS units use it to go places they already know…until I am hopelessly lost…consistently…I am not getting one :)
Bradley
The Egel Nest
You passed that line long ago. Embrace it.
I’ve actually know people who have the John Cleese voice on their Tom Tom (and Ozzy Osborne too) - and I suspect they do wear Hawaiian shirts to work. They are Americans, after all.
Oh, that’s moved on from wacky to cheesy.
Line? What is this line you speak of?
Well, hell. Now I want one of those things just so that I can be abused by old Basil.
I wonder how expensive they are. I asked for a Wii for Christmas but Pookie gave me the , “good luck with that” look, so maybe I can downgrade to a TomTom.
Sounds like you’re having fun there.
I have no need for such a device as I don’t drive, but then again I have been known to get lost, maybe I can have one on my bicycle…
I, too, know someone who put Ozzy Osbourne on a Tom Tom that he bought for his father. I never met his father, but I imagine him to be the very embodiment of politeness and good manners. My friend then took him out to demonstrate the device and at every roundabout - of which there seemed to be about a dozen in a row - it expleted “straight across the f&*kin roundabout”. Nice.
My son has recently become addicted to geo-caching. This is where you hunt down little treasures hidden all over your community and beyond, only to say you’ve found them. I’ve gone with him on a couple of hunts and I must say it is pretty fun. Especially when the capsule you’re looking for is no bigger than a pencil eraser and it takes you 2 hours to locate it.
Please remember not to put your home postcode in the home option though, nothing worse than having had someone put your window in on your car to find the oiks have burgled your house when you get home!
I need one of those. But as I can’t even drive, I might possible look foolish taking a GPS unit for a walk. Especially if it has a comedy voice.