[theoh]

Better to avoid the gripe... GPS satellites are not in fixed locations, and triangulation is not used to determine position (it is calculated based on time of flight to 4+ satellites.)

Sadly the ship has sailed on the use of GPS as a metaphor for "internal map". Since people don't know how it works there seems to be no possibility of correcting this trend. Another example is in the endorsement for this book: http://books.wwnorton.com/books/Just-Freedom/

[bl]

Drat! I committed an error similar to the one I was griping against: being technically sloppy.

Believe it or not, I paused for half a heartbeat while typing fixed and triangulation while I was typing and thought to myself "Should I go double-check this on some hard-to-access reference, say Wikipedia? Nah. Better blurt this out before I head out the door for the day".

I ought to be careful how I phrase my gripes so that they convey my intention: keeping discussions accurate about subjects which I know a bit. Poor metaphors seem to aggravate me more than most.

Thanks for setting me straight.