What.Three.Words
What.Three.Words
I hadn't heard of https://what3words.com/ until this week. It's a way to replace property addresses with three words - each 3m square of the earth (approx - it gets a bit out of whack near the poles) is allocated a three word combo by this company and is uniquely located by it.
This seemed a very hipster idea until I discovered Merc is including it in its sat navs. I don't get it. It's a closed standard, it's a proprietary algorithm and it has no actual correlation to the place so has no logic to it. At least with a traditional US or UK address you can see narrow down the country, state, county, town, district, street etc even without looking at the postcode. It would be far more logical for any developing countries to come up with their own similar system of addresses, not (like Mongolia, apparently) tying themselves into a system which even when you're completely used to it, requires you to use an app to look up where an address is.
Anyone else heard of this or think it's a good idea for any reason?
This seemed a very hipster idea until I discovered Merc is including it in its sat navs. I don't get it. It's a closed standard, it's a proprietary algorithm and it has no actual correlation to the place so has no logic to it. At least with a traditional US or UK address you can see narrow down the country, state, county, town, district, street etc even without looking at the postcode. It would be far more logical for any developing countries to come up with their own similar system of addresses, not (like Mongolia, apparently) tying themselves into a system which even when you're completely used to it, requires you to use an app to look up where an address is.
Anyone else heard of this or think it's a good idea for any reason?
Re: What.Three.Words
There was an article about in on Boatshoes announcing the Mercedes partnership maybe a year ago. I thought it sounded useful for foreign countries where some addresses have accents or letters not in the English Alphabet which confuses some navs. Also it went on about potentially being used by couriers - you could tell them if you wanted a package delivered to your door or gate which also sounded good.
How about not having a sig at all?
Re: What.Three.Words
Fine until the courier's device doesn't have a signal out in the countryside and he can't use it. It's utterly useless without both a data connection and the proprietary app.
Also, it doesn't distinguish vertically so if you live in a tower block, your address will be something like Flat 69, 6th floor spandex.gorilla.flange. How utterly ridiculous when the block has 'Desmond Dekker House' on a big sign outside.
Also, it doesn't distinguish vertically so if you live in a tower block, your address will be something like Flat 69, 6th floor spandex.gorilla.flange. How utterly ridiculous when the block has 'Desmond Dekker House' on a big sign outside.
- NotoriousREV
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Re: What.Three.Words
I've been arguing with people on their Facebook page. It's stupid. If you have a map with lat/long and some coordinates to navigate between, you can apply logic and decide in which direction to go, and you need no electronics. If you have electronics, which you need if you're using W3W, you can just use normal GPS. It's answering a question no one asked, incorrectly.Jobbo wrote: ↑Thu Jul 05, 2018 9:43 am I hadn't heard of https://what3words.com/ until this week. It's a way to replace property addresses with three words - each 3m square of the earth (approx - it gets a bit out of whack near the poles) is allocated a three word combo by this company and is uniquely located by it.
This seemed a very hipster idea until I discovered Merc is including it in its sat navs. I don't get it. It's a closed standard, it's a proprietary algorithm and it has no actual correlation to the place so has no logic to it. At least with a traditional US or UK address you can see narrow down the country, state, county, town, district, street etc even without looking at the postcode. It would be far more logical for any developing countries to come up with their own similar system of addresses, not (like Mongolia, apparently) tying themselves into a system which even when you're completely used to it, requires you to use an app to look up where an address is.
Anyone else heard of this or think it's a good idea for any reason?
Middle-aged Dirtbag
Re: What.Three.Words
This is exactly my opinion. They haven't identified the need properly and the answer they've come up with is bad. That's before you go into the terrible proprietary and protectionist nature of the tech and the company behind it.
Alternatively if you have electronics you can look at a map. And maps have as much data as you want on them, but it's generally freely available. I wonder how many people use Openstreetmap? I used various maps as part of my job and Openstreetmap is often the most up to date and accurate of them.
Alternatively if you have electronics you can look at a map. And maps have as much data as you want on them, but it's generally freely available. I wonder how many people use Openstreetmap? I used various maps as part of my job and Openstreetmap is often the most up to date and accurate of them.
- NotoriousREV
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Re: What.Three.Words
And, outside of delivering a smart bomb through the living room windows of brown people in far-off, resource-rich lands, how many people need accuracy to 3 square metres?
Middle-aged Dirtbag
Re: What.Three.Words
That's 3 sq m in two dimensions - height info is missing, so not even ideal for smart bomb delivery
Re: What.Three.Words
When I first read about it I thought it might be useful for shipping but it actually sounds like it would be as much of a pain as just having the random nonsense people put in their addresses.Mito Man wrote: ↑Thu Jul 05, 2018 9:51 am There was an article about in on Boatshoes announcing the Mercedes partnership maybe a year ago. I thought it sounded useful for foreign countries where some addresses have accents or letters not in the English Alphabet which confuses some navs. Also it went on about potentially being used by couriers - you could tell them if you wanted a package delivered to your door or gate which also sounded good.
An absolute unit
Re: What.Three.Words
You can imagine an Amazon courier's manifest:
spandex.gorilla.flange
suck.tight.nuts
black.yahama.slow
pierced.navel.woes
Etc.
spandex.gorilla.flange
suck.tight.nuts
black.yahama.slow
pierced.navel.woes
Etc.
Re: What.Three.Words
Why?NotoriousREV wrote: ↑Thu Jul 05, 2018 10:03 am I've been arguing with people on their Facebook page.
Re: What.Three.Words
Because they are incorrect of course.
- NotoriousREV
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Re: What.Three.Words
Amazingly, if you get your 3 word address slightly wrong, you're in for a whole heap of trouble.
For example:
- limit.broom.flip is Camden Town, London
- limit.brooms.flip is Novaya Chara, Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia.
For example:
- limit.broom.flip is Camden Town, London
- limit.brooms.flip is Novaya Chara, Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia.
Middle-aged Dirtbag
- NotoriousREV
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Re: What.Three.Words
because they paid money to force their advert in front of me, so I responded, which costs them more money and also because they're wrong.JLv3.0 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 05, 2018 10:20 amWhy?NotoriousREV wrote: ↑Thu Jul 05, 2018 10:03 am I've been arguing with people on their Facebook page.
Middle-aged Dirtbag
Re: What.Three.Words
When looking for the old XKCD image, I found this
- NotoriousREV
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Re: What.Three.Words
Middle-aged Dirtbag
Re: What.Three.Words
Ah, but they say that is deliberate because you can tell you aren't supposed to be in Russia!NotoriousREV wrote: ↑Thu Jul 05, 2018 10:26 am Amazingly, if you get your 3 word address slightly wrong, you're in for a whole heap of trouble.
For example:
- limit.broom.flip is Camden Town, London
- limit.brooms.flip is Novaya Chara, Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia.
Our hamlet is called Barrow. I tried typing in one of the multiple possible addresses for our house and it suggested a place called Barrow with a very similar address, but in Alaska. It didn't show us as Barrow but under the name of a much larger village a few miles away. If you knew we lived in Barrow that would not help with the confusion.
Re: What.Three.Words
I don’t understand why GPS coordinates are not accepted. Every GPS has a setting where you can see your exact coordinate. Any numpty can enter said coordinate into a map and see your exact location. When you have a breakdown it’s complete PITA giving an exact location if you’re in a rural location.
How about not having a sig at all?
- NotoriousREV
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Re: What.Three.Words
You or I might be able to tell we're not supposed to be in Russia, but does the courier system someone's just mis-typed my address into know that?Jobbo wrote: ↑Thu Jul 05, 2018 10:31 amAh, but they say that is deliberate because you can tell you aren't supposed to be in Russia!NotoriousREV wrote: ↑Thu Jul 05, 2018 10:26 am Amazingly, if you get your 3 word address slightly wrong, you're in for a whole heap of trouble.
For example:
- limit.broom.flip is Camden Town, London
- limit.brooms.flip is Novaya Chara, Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia.
Our hamlet is called Barrow. I tried typing in one of the multiple possible addresses for our house and it suggested a place called Barrow with a very similar address, but in Alaska. It didn't show us as Barrow but under the name of a much larger village a few miles away. If you knew we lived in Barrow that would not help with the confusion.
Middle-aged Dirtbag
- Swervin_Mervin
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Re: What.Three.Words
Heard about it ages ago and thought it was a wank idea for all of the above reasons.
Added to that ISTR that a colleague got consistently different addresses for the same 3sqm tile depending on which regional W3W site she used. Total garbage
Added to that ISTR that a colleague got consistently different addresses for the same 3sqm tile depending on which regional W3W site she used. Total garbage
Re: What.Three.Words
Awesome, my toilet has an address. As does the left half of my garage, and the right! In fact one of 36 different addresses I could use.
Or maybe just 1 Norwich Road and a postcode will do just nicely.
I'm with Dave and Jobbo.
Or maybe just 1 Norwich Road and a postcode will do just nicely.
I'm with Dave and Jobbo.
"Hi guys, I'm Tim. Today I'm going to be driving a shit old Mondeo!"