Ned Potter is the science correspondent for ABC's "World News with Charles Gibson." He has reported on such topics as space exploration, the human genome and climate change.
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How to Spoil Your Vacation
July 28, 2009 4:11 PM
A clever American writer once noted that in the days before Global Positioning System locators were widely available, you might know exactly where you were, but have no idea where you were going. In the brave new world of GPS, you know exactly where you're going, but have no idea where you are.
There's a priceless little story today about a Swedish couple, trying to find the idyllic isle of Capri on the Mediterranean coast, who drove instead to Carpi, an industrial town in northern Italy, because they misspelled the name in their car's GPS.
Capri, Carpi, Capri, Carpi....
Take a look at the BBC's version HERE. It says the couple didn't realize anything much was wrong until they asked in the local tourist office where they could find the famous Blue Grotto. There isn't one in Carpi; the GPS directions had taken them 400 miles off course.
AP quotes a local tourism official, Angelo Giovannini: "Capri is an island. They did not even wonder why they didn't cross any bridge or take any boat."
What do you do if a typo has made a mess of your trip? Get back in the car and turn south.
July 28, 2009 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (10)
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I would like to make a mistake like that - if it didn't cost me a bunch of money, that is. Gee, would'nt if be great if, for example, I was headed for Boston and ended on a Mediteranian island - and for the same price. If I could invent a GPS machine that would do that...
Posted by: Wonderer | Jul 28, 2009 5:58:05 PM
Mediterranean....Mediteranian is a lake east of Bogata, New Jersey.
Posted by: CommonConservative | Jul 28, 2009 9:48:33 PM
This is the most stupid piece of "news" I have read in a looooonnnng time...
Posted by: Amarilis | Jul 28, 2009 9:58:45 PM
A Korean Airlines 747 got shot down because of a similar mistake. Can be painful!
Posted by: mad dog | Jul 28, 2009 10:50:09 PM
Wonderer, I think you misread the article - they were HEADED for a Med. isle, ENDED UP in an industrial town. The article should've mentioned that Carpi is LANDLOCKED, which makes it even funnier that they were asking for the Blue Grotto (which is a SEA cave). A lesson to all travelers: look at a map and do your homework before you go. Not even a GPS can create a coastline! Very funny feature story; as a tour guide, it made my day.
Posted by: signseeker17 | Jul 28, 2009 11:45:13 PM
Ned,
Their GPS unit must have been made by Tate Navigation Systems. For nearly three centuries they have produced the cheapest, and thereby most unreliable, navigation equipment in the world. It is so bad that old-time sailors had a saying about it that you may have heard:
"He who has a Tate's, is Lost!"
Posted by: Walker Evans | Jul 29, 2009 1:36:58 AM
Fine to disagree, even if you don't like the wording of one sentence among tens of thousands sentences Ned has written....but why the need to spew so much venom over a choice of words...
Not to argue the point, but I see what Ned's saying---a GPS shows you as a specific point on a road in a small electronic box, but doesn't give you any perspective as to where you are in the town, state, universe, etc.
Posted by: Mary Thomas | Jul 29, 2009 8:44:56 AM
The idea that people would close their eyes until they get to their apparent destination just boggles me. These people seem to be missing the whole concept of the "road trip."
Posted by: jock59801 | Jul 29, 2009 12:14:01 PM
Carpi diem
Posted by: cturple | Aug 2, 2009 2:26:54 PM
yes this is bad that couple didn't realize anything much was wrong until they asked in the local tourist office.
Posted by: dig bands | Sep 16, 2009 3:35:21 PM
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