Strange Maps, a delightful little site that has quickly become one of my favourites, tells the story of the “Routefinder,” a dapper-looking set of wrist-mounted scrolls that provided step-by-step directions for British intercity travel in the roaring 20’s:
The technology - a curious cross between the space age and the stone age - consisted of a little map scroll inside a watch, to be ’scrolled’ (hence the word) as the driver moved along on the map. A multitude of scrolls could be fitted in the watch to suit the particular trip the driver fancied taking.
The system has several obvious drawbacks - a limited number of available journeys, and the inability of the system to respond to sudden changes of direction. Also: no warning of road works or traffic jams ahead.
Today, aside from Mapquest, Google Maps and all the other sites offering printable directions, BMW sells a motorcycle Roadbook for low-tech bikers who don’t like to get lost. It’s essentially a scroll of directions that you unwind as you drive, with each twist of the knobs revealing the next leg of your journey.
0 responses so far ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.
Leave a Comment