Challenge: US Turns Off GPS in Florida - What Is Your Backup ?

[John A]

Saucy, settle down. And please don't compare me to your mother in law.

I was making an observation, which is not the same as a judgement!
At 70 (that's 1940) I'm one of those old folks who've worked his hiney off to give you the life you enjoy. I was twelve when we got our first phone! Started in the computer industary at 29 sorting cards.
Went cruising for10 years with a GPS.

I now have an HDTV with XBOX and Kenitic attached to the internet plus a 64bit 8g computer with a quad processer playing jazz on external speakers as I do this forum.
regards John sv Sanderling

[SaucySailoress]

John A has PM'd me with a request for a public apology, and asks what did he say to get me so pissed?

So:
1 - I am sorry.

2 - I was responding to your following judgment / observation:

Originally Posted by John A

Books are becoming obsolete, Cursive writing is no longer taught in school, blackboards are a thing of the past. Twitter and ipad/texting are destroying written English.

Ain't progress wonderful?

[pullord]

Originally Posted by Saucy Sailoress

John A has PM'd me with a request for a public apology, and asks what did he say to get me so pissed?

So:
1 - I am sorry.

2 - I was responding to your following judgment / observation:

--great that less trees are harvested for newsprint now that we have internet/tv for that,,,now if we can only figure out a way to clean our backside without using trees we might be able to save this planet and oh yea,,quit using fossil fuels that pollute the enviroment but now i am seriously dreaming of a future that wont happen,,cheers and fair winds

[pullord]

back in the 80s we got messed up sat/nav readings that indicated we were 50+ miles from where we actually knew we were as we were sitting in a harbour and as we all now know ,,those locations are absolute,,so trusting GPS or SAT/NAV is risky in my opinion,,allways navigate with chart and compass as at least a backup ,,so who cares if GPS go down at least i know where i am ..do you?,,cheers

[John A]

be careful using charts with GPS. Always identify when a chart was surveyed, and make night approches to land using only verified waypoints. Sometimes a GPS and a paperchart are at odds with each other. On the west coast of Mexico when you plot a GPS position and place it on your chart, sometimes your position is two miles inland.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

I can accept that, but the engineers amongst us would tell us the glass is neither half full or half empty, it's simply twice as big as it needs to be.

Indeed!

[callmecrazy]

Originally Posted by pullord

--great that less trees are harvested for newsprint now that we have internet/tv for that,,,now if we can only figure out a way to clean our backside without using trees we might be able to save this planet and oh yea,,quit using fossil fuels that pollute the enviroment but now i am seriously dreaming of a future that wont happen,,cheers and fair winds

Harvesting the raw materials used to create those billions of virtually disposable electrical devices is far more ecologically damaging than harvesting (renewable) trees for (recyclable) paper products.

just sayin


and back on topic... I don't think we have to fear GPS disappearing. New satellites are being built and launched all the time. Our Space is littered with them. Civilian usage will eventually be run on the 'old' sats. while military will have their own dedicated system. Not to mention other countries launching their own gps sats. The tricky part will be getting devices that use multiple technologies (like todays phones) and are compatible with multiple sat. systems.

The thing to fear, is that once dedicated civilian gps is available, they will find a way to charge for it... which wouldn't surprise me if that was the basis for the testing in Florida

PS. I love speculative threads

[pullord]

yea pollution is here to stay

[easterly38]

I asked this before, but got no responses. Now the post is buried so I'll ask again.

The test period has already already started according to the dates I have read. So, has anyone in the affected area had a GPS outage? Just curious.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Bergovoy

spelling is no longer needed...

and soon math will be a thing of the past when kids figure out how to use excel

A study was reported recently in UK press (i.e. could have simply been made up ) that kids are now starting to appear in schools (in some numbers) who can't use speech in any coherent sense. and these are locals using a "first" language not immigrants using a 2nd (or 3rd). Comes from 2nd and 3rd generation parents being semi literate and semi coherent also losing the understanding that kids aren't born ready finished and that most of the early teaching has to come from the parents, not school / the state.

Obviously affects there ability to learn anything When I was a kid being illiterate was considered shameful (things a lot better nowadays on helping those later in life who slipped through the net - but still considered an embrarrassment). but most had at least developed the power of speech......no idea what we are going to do with those who never develop speech (and the ability to think that provides) Give 'em bananas?

Not all progress is forward.......

[daddle]

Originally Posted by easterly38

The test period has already already started according to the dates I have read. So, has anyone in the affected area had a GPS outage? Just curious.

Generally, attempting to discuss reality in a thread is seen as a complete buzz-kill.

[easterly38]

Originally Posted by daddle

Generally, attempting to discuss reality in a thread is seen as a complete buzz-kill.

Too funny!

I really didn't expect any replies since I don't expect the GPS signals to be blocked/jammed, at least not at sea or ground level.

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

Not all progress is forward.......

I was dancing to these concepts 30 years ago:

[Prerequisite]

I was flying in the testing zone the other night and occasionally lost GPS position. It came back fairly quickly and I never got lost while it was away. It was out for only a few minutes at a time.

P.S.- I write cursive very poorly. My Dad has fantastic handwriting that I've always admired. I'm pretty sure he's more envious of my typing skills than I am of his cursive.

[Bergovoy]

Unfortunately I agree that children and populace in general is 'dumber' then i expected... folks are trained to perform a 'function' to be part of the machinery of our society... we arent trained to be critical thinkers and or to wonder how 'things' just happen...

how does potholes get fixed? easy answer, taxes, but of course nothin is easy... economy to create a company to manufacture the material used by whomever places it.. eithe govt worker or private company, etc. and on and on and on...

we are trained to 'know' about govt, but are slammed down when we try to get involved...

govt is for elite... for invited members... we cant understand it we cont control it.. noting...

sorry if facts and deep discussion is a bummer, but that is just the reflection of my point... no matter wher eit is brought up...

tidbit of trivia,... if everyone in the us, man, woman, child, offered to pay money to pay off the deficit, we would have to pay $20k each.... a family of four would have to pay $80k

now, only half the people in teh country pay taxes so double that $20k to $40k...

that does not include state deficits...add another $5k per person or $10k for those that actually pay..

now, thta the deficit is paid, we would have to cut 1/3 of our current spending to make sure we dont go into debt next year..

how in the hell can we as a people or society believe we can keep on living in debt...and again, govt doesnt want outsider, or (outside the box thinking)

now, you have to ask yourself one simple question...

which would you rather do, pay more taxes, or cut out whatever it is we are spending by 1/3

cut contractor hourly rates, (for those that make 'davis bacon'...look it up).. would be a good start... the govt mandates contractors to pay thier employees more then the going wage... why? we can get twice the work done with the same amount of money... but we dont.. just becuase the govt agreed to 'side' with the unions.

ok, so if we dont look at union issues, then cut whatever it is we are buying, or spening money on...

no more road maintenance.. no more repairs or upgrades to infrastructure.. no more space exploration, no more ecology studies or projects.. no more govt parks.. just let them grow over...

etc....

simple question.. more taxes.. or less spending..

sorry for the bummer discussion.. but seriuosly... our education system is broken, and unless we raise geniuses that understand economy and govt... we are screwed...