Buying A GPS System – Top Tips
GPS or Auto Navigation Systems were developed from technology originally devised for the United States Military. They are a remarkable confluence of design and science and have become almost invaluable to many road users. But remember that they are still developing and improving. So todays GPS system is likely to be inferior to thos that will be available in a year or two.
One thing to keep in mind is that there are almost invariablyproblems of some sort with all electronic gadgets. And it’s doubly true when it comes to equipment that is run by software. If you’re not sure about this, check out a computer that is run by Windows? We often find ourselves stymied by the limitations of the software we are using.
And the same is true when it comes to software driven GPS systems and GPS devices. This fact alone makes them a little unreliable. For those times when reliability isn’t at its best keep in mind that for the most part the system works well. And, of course, just like a cell phone, the time when you need it most will be the time when it isn’t working properly. The good news is that the units themselves are often quite resilient and even able to withstand the manhandling a typical rough and tumble two year old can dish out.
The reliability of GPS systems will always reduce when it doesn’t have full all-round views of the sky. For that reason there may be times when you aren’t able to get a clear signal. The obvious times that this happens is when going through tunnels under mountains or rivers. The GPS device has to pick up signals from at least three satellites, in geostationary orbit above the earth in order to be able to calculate its position. And usually a fourth satellite is needed for verification purposes. It means that although you might think you can see the sky clearly, your GPS might not be able to detect all four satellites.
Remember too that the use of a GPS system is not supposed to replace the use of maps aor common sense when you’re on the road. You can only store so much information on a GPS device and roads are constantly being built, changes, constructed, improved, and moved. For that reason alone it is nearly impossible to guarantee that any device will contain 100% accurate information at all times. You should buy a GPS or Auto Navigation System that has the facility for regular upgrades to its internal maps. Updating regularly and immediately prior to any large trips will go a long way towards saving some serious hair pulling while you travel.
GPS and auto navigation systems are still miles better than trying to read old maps, which might be out of date, for most of us. When you take the plunge and decide to buy one, don’t expect it to perform miracles. The systems are good but they’re not infallible. This technology is wonderful and affords many benefits to those who are willing and able to make use of it. Common sense is your biggest ally when driving and although a GPS can be a fantastic help it should only be used, as the military use it, in a support role.
About Author
Don’t let rising costs put you off the road. Find hundreds of money-saving auto tips for buying and running your car at http://www.autotips.john-richards.com
By pita4670, November 14, 2009 @ 5:44 am
gallon zip lock bags filled with ice and a small hole put in the side of the bag and there you have a automatic drip system it works for me
By afreshpath_admin, November 14, 2009 @ 5:47 am
It's going to be darn hard to "de-focus" too much using a digital camera while keeping the main subject in sharp focus. The smaller the sensor, the greater depth of field you will have. Generally speaking, the smaller the camera, the smaller the sensor. Your Z740 has the smaller of the two more common sensors out there – 1/2.5". Most of the pictures you take with your camera are quite sharp from near to far distances and there is a reason for that which I will explain.
While we speak in terms of the 35 mm equivalency of digital lenses, don't forget that the digital sensors are usually smaller than a full-format 35 mm frame. Most of the more popular point and shoot cameras have the smaller sensors. It's only about 5 mm wide and 4 mm high. The lens on required to cover that angle of view on your camera is an ACTUAL 6-63 mm zoom lens. At these focal lengths, the background is going to almost always be in pretty sharp focus.
In other words, if you WANT to defocus the background, you are going to have to work pretty hard at it. You would have to zoom to the longer end of the lens and set the aperture open as wide as it will go, if your camera even allows you to control the aperture, and get pretty close to your main subject while having the background a fair distance away.
The bigger the sensor, the easier it will be to achieve pleasing bokeh. This means moving to a dSLR, which all have sensors about 20 times bigger than the typical P&S digicam. If you want to really go for brokeh (very bad pun intended), you can get a Canon 5D and you will get exactly the same effect you are accustomed to in a 35 mm camera, since the sensor is the same size as 35 mm film.
You can see some example of what is rather easily attainable with a DSLR at http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/tags/bokeh/ Read the captions, though, because a couple of these are done with point and shoot cameras. Study the set-up to see how I did this. It's only doing exactly as I said in my answer above. If you like this effect, I agree with Anotoni that you are probably ready to move up to an SLR.
Wikipedia does pretty well on the subject of depth of field. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depth_of_field
See also: http://www.photo.net/learn/optics/dofdigital/
By scorvettewbf, November 14, 2009 @ 6:16 am
or just splice the wire going to the distributor and place a hidden switch somewhere so you dont got to worry about find those part you took off.
By AndoCommando3, November 14, 2009 @ 7:09 am
why would somebody want to steal an Edsel?
By urdie001, November 14, 2009 @ 7:45 am
good data;)
By SAINTintheCITY, November 15, 2009 @ 3:29 am
dude if its auto then ur not drafted rit
By Eddie, November 15, 2009 @ 1:56 pm
eeeh i looked and couldnt find any :/
By kellymm83, November 15, 2009 @ 3:59 pm
Break the game
By ~*Latina Bonita*~, November 15, 2009 @ 9:05 pm
Yes the game is old, but VERY fun. I still have the first copy of it I bought.
But yea, there is one on the first Island called "The Pig Pen".
Located North East. Near Jefferson, I think. (Not too hard to find.)
There is one on the 2nd Island WAY up north, near the bridge that leads to the 3rd Island.
Then there is one on the 3rd Island (Kinda hard to find) You gotta find the desert, and then travel along a single road, that leads to a strip club thats in the middle of no where.
What I like to do is get the bombs you can throw and they stick to anything Including people. Then, after I throw them all, I step back and blow everything up. If I dont do that, I just goof around, ramping off stuff, shooting people.
FAVORITE thing to do is to get into an airplane, fly up really high over the city, and then sky dive back to the ground. But, instead of using the parachute I like to try and hit someone when I hit the ground. LOL.
Its a fun game, they should make another San andreas game.
By dmarie_333, November 15, 2009 @ 9:55 pm
Hire the best and treat EVERYONE including your employees like they are the best. When your customer see what a good atmosphere is in your business and you are providing them with the best service they cant help but tell their friends and family.
By bradley, November 16, 2009 @ 8:09 am
this one should help.
good luck.
By Zaiya M, November 16, 2009 @ 10:23 am
I have the same car. Mine has the Nav system. I can't recall the exact steps, but if you play around with settings through display you can adjust it down or make it turn off when you turn off the car. Mine is set for 15 seconds I believe. Kinda nice when you come into a dark garage at night to have the lights stay on until you find the door to the house.