h a l f b a k e r yCall Ambulance, Rebuild Kitchen.
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If you happen to have a 40+ mile commute in an East-West direction, driving around Sunrise and Sunset becomes extremely annoying/dangerous.
I wish I could tell my GPS to avoid glare just like I can tell it to avoid tolls, temporary traffic, etc. This would, of course, only apply at times when the
sun would be shining in your face or rearview mirror. Since GPS always knows what time it is (it will switch to night mode at the _exact_ time of local sunset, for example), it should be relatively straightforward to implement...
LCD Sunvisor
LCD_20Sunvisor The alternative solution [hippo, Oct 19 2010]
[link]
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//it should be relatively straightforward to
implement...// |
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With the added bonus that you'd never get to work,
heading, say, 90°to the direction of the glare. |
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Perhaps it will find a route with a lot of switchbacks. |
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I mean, a LOT of switchbacks. |
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Of course, that may add 300 miles to the commute, but what the hey... |
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terribly impractical. (+) |
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I actually drive Southwest and Northeast, so I know there are ways. But the stretch that's straight into the sun when it's about 20 degrees over the horizon is annoying (and is usually chosen by my GPS to avoid traffic)...I suppose I could just look at the time and avoid it manually, but I generally like my gadgets to perform and optimize such astronomical calculations... |
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You could take the tunnel. |
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[21Q] has a pretty good point. Sounds like you want
your GPS to give you your own private, traffic-free,
glare-free, short route to work. (And, who wouldn't?) |
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I think you have to settle for one, or maybe two of:
traffic, glare, length of commute. |
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No, he wants to specify the weights of his personalized cost
function, and have GPS optimize it for him. |
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//No, he wants to specify the weights of his
personalized cost function, and have GPS optimize
it
for him.// |
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Well-put, [mouse]. Precisely: A GPS with Options to
Optimize Route to Personal Preferences (such
options
to include, but not limited to: length of commute,
traffic, glare, scenery, convenience to enroute
stops). |
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Your move, buns guaranteed. |
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edit: The glare option presents the problem of the
GPS having weather information. |
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Many GPS devices already are aware of traffic, how
much harder would it be to add weather? |
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There are other reasons to want your GPS to have
weather info... for example, there's a particular
underpass near home which occasionally floods in
heavy rain. I'd rather pick an alternative route if
there's a likelihood of that occurring, since
temporary closures aren't always reported in the
traffic info. |
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And while there are none on my daily commute, I
know of several bridges not too far from my home
with warning signs, "Bridge freezes before
surrounding road." I'd prefer that my GPS pick a
route that avoids those bridges, whenever they
likely to freeze over. |
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There are surely many other weather related
hazards which might not be listed in the traffic
report, but which the GPS could route around, if it
knew how each road's condition changes with the
weather, and if it knew the current weather. |
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//how much harder would it be to add weather? // |
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Not much, I would think. It seems like the obvious
next step to me, as well. |
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Any driver who's had the singularly unpleasant experience of driving North on the M6 at Keele, just past Junction 15 (Trentham) late on a Summer afternoon - when the sun is shining directly into the driver's eyes as they hit the upgrade - will bestow a bun upon this idea. |
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//driving North on the M6 at Keele// |
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Glare is the least of your problems. You'd be heading
straight for Manchester. |
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// straight for Manchester // |
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Not quite - more towards Liverpool, which is - if anything - rather worse ... |
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//Glare is the least of your problems.// |
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I thought this was true in all of the UK. Glare from
what? |
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In the interests of educating non UK residents: |
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The UK is below the arctic circle and is exposed to direct sunlight in much the same way as north America and Canada. I can see it through my office window right now! |
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The UK also has electricity, running water, radio, television and civilisation in general. |
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Most of us can drive cars with those complex, manual gearboxes. We are aware of auto transmission, but it is generally frowned upon. |
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// The UK also has .. civilisation in general. // |
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Correction: England has all these things - but the term "UK" also encompasses Wales (which is deficient in many things, including cuisine, a language with vowels in it, and the ability to be even vaguely pleasant to non-residents) and Scotland (which is also deficient in many things except - unfortunately - the Scots). |
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I'm never sure which term to use when referring to
England or the UK..."England" or "The UK." I
understand the differences, but they seem to be
most important to residents of England or the
UK...sometimes, but sometimes not. |
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Just what is it that is "United" about the UK,
anyway? (Besides the Queen, which no one in the
US understands at all, btw.) |
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//Just what is it that is "United" about the UK, anyway?// Why, the Kingdom, of course. |
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//Why, the Kingdom, of course.// |
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The Kingdom, of course. What was I thinking? |
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But, since there is only one (as far as I know), why
don't you refer to it as "The Kingdom"? Although, just
writing it down, I can sort of see why... |
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