💭   We now leave navigation to our phones. The result: more of us are getting hopelessly lost | John Harris

Technology

The blue dot of GPS has cut us off from a basic human skill. It’s no wonder mountain rescuers are being called out so oftenIt does not involve protest or violence, but it might be the quintessential human image of our times: a small group of people in the midst of spectacular natural scenery, drawn there in the certainty that the apps on their phones could somehow get them from A to B to C – but utterly, hopelessly lost.Two weeks ago, Mountain Rescue England and Wales published figures showing a record number of annual callouts. For the first time, in fact, teams – of overworked volunteers, mostly – had been called out on every day of ...

The Guardian     Apr 27, 2025