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Vikings' Mystical Sunstone Was Real

Mark Russell — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 03:11:00 CDT

The Vikings used a so-called sunstone to magically determine the position of the sun, even on cloudy days or when it was below the horizon line. But a new study says that sunstone wasn't so much magic as real, reports the Telegraph . The stone was a kind of transparent, calcite...

6 Tips for Never Getting Lost

Dustin Lushing — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 09:57:40 CDT

How would you find your way around a city if your GPS or the maps application on your smartphone suddenly stopped working? Many modern people, reliant on digital geographic devices, would be completely lost. There are, however, tricks that can help the directionally perplexed—ones that don't require any gadget....

In 200 Yards, Tell Your GPS to Shut Up Already

Drew Nelles — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:45:01 CDT

GPS voices, for all their helpfulness to drivers, are still obnoxious and humorless. Now, after years of focusing on packing “navbots” with information, developers are realizing that friendliness counts, too, the Washington Post reports. “Personality, from an engineering perspective, is still an afterthought,” one says. “But every day it's becoming...

Microsoft Will Play in Traffic

Laila Weir — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 16:57:47 CDT

Driving could get a little easier thanks to a new directions mapping service that helps users avoid traffic jams. Microsoft is launching the free system, called Clearflow, today. It predicts congestion patterns on both highways and side streets and will be available for 72 US cities on the company’s Live....

GPS Phone Outwits Live Tour Guide

Jonas Oransky — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 19:20:25 CST

Next time you strike out for the territory, you might be better served by Nokia’s new Maps 2.0 service than by a real live tour guide. CNet’s Marguerite Reardon literally road-tested the pedestrian GPS service at a Barcelona conference, taking to the Gothic Quarter’s labyrinthine alleys with the new...

Google Maps Turns Cameras on Hollywood

Heather McPherson — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 12:11:59 CDT

Google has added street-level views of Los Angeles and other cities to its popular mapping service, the Los Angeles Times reports, raising a chorus of privacy concerns that echoes objections to the feature elsewhere. Though a useful navigation tool, Street View "is a visual reminder of how our private spaces...