Memes

In the UK we put pubs on most corners just to make directions easier.

Left at the Dog and Duck, go past the Swan and Tomato, and it's first on the right after the Nonce and Swallow.

Imagine not knowing your bearings at all times...

Also imagine not looking like a sailor...

I'm normally against body shaming, but I make an exception against people who have malfunctioning internal compasses.

OP: “Ohhhh, east? I thought you said weast.”

It's pretty easy to figure out which way is which and using cardinal directions can result in less ambiguous/confusing instructions, I think more people should use them.

But then you realize their north is not the same as physical north, like Montreal, where west/east follows the river instead or real cardinal points.

So if you ask directions in Montreal and someone tells you to go north, it means to go NW. And if you're told to go east, you have to NE. It's easy once in the city because the grid follows that "convention" but you always have to be aware of that detail. We just like to add a layer of complexity.

One quirk of common Montreal parlance is that directions (north, south, east, and west) along the street grid are sharply skewed relative to the actual compass directions. The St. Lawrence River is taken as flowing west to east (even though it flows north or northeast past the island), so that directions along streets parallel to the river are referred to as "west" and "east," and those along streets perpendicular to the river, "north" and "south." In much of Montreal, "north" is actually northwest, and in some areas such as Verdun and Pointe-aux-Trembles it is actually due west.

Makes no difference really, everyone stops listening after the 2 instruction anyway.

That is normal in the Guugu Yimithirr language of aboriginal Australians.

They don’t have egocentric directions like left/right, but express everything in cardinal directions.

If you can't take the time to memorize the 4 cardinal directions that have been the basis for navigation for thousands of years, then idk what to tell you.

I mean, you literally have a compass in your pocket. And a GPS. And a calculator despite what your teacher claimed.

More like "my memory is dogshit and my pocket computer will give real-time instructions with visuals so please stop wasting my time."

My ongoing updates to my location description for UberEats delivery drivers.

Me: "I live in the westmost apartment building."

Driver: ?

Me: "I live in the apartment building farthest away from Portland"

Driver: ?

Me: "Head toward the sun until you get to the last building. That's mine."

Driver on cloudy day: ?

Me: "Imagine you get an amber alert that Mt. Hood has begun erupting. Which way do you run? Head that way. I will be waving my arms in the air outside my apartment."

Driver: "Cant find bldg"

Me: sigh

Considering your name, I’m assuming you’re a pretty accomplished space explorer. How do directions work in space?

Fantastic title lol

Peoples modern inability to read a map or know basic directions never ceases to amaze me

I usually use countries location to remember what they mean. The USA is a western country and China is an eastern country. West is left and east is right. Easy.

I cannot navigate by right and left, they change depending on which way you are facing. Have messed this up more times than I want to admit on one way roads. Also can't read maps unless I stand facing north. The cell phone orienting the map so that the way I am facing is up on the screen has been life changing for me.

East, West, North and South, they stay put while I move around in them. Left and Right I can do but have to think about it. Every dance instructor or yoga teacher I've had had given up and started giving directions like "toward the mirror", "toward the door", "toward the street".