October 9, 2011 |
press release
GPS, the finding utility we take for granted, was nearly stillborn - until the Iraq war.
Fought in a trackless landscape, Desert Storm proved GPS indispensable. Today, the military, like the rest of us, rarely venture outside without it.
Jim Carrier’s newest book, HERE WE ARE - THE HISTORY, MEANING AND MAGIC OF GPS (New Word City) describes GPS’s difficult birth in a Pentagon dominated by killing machines. A product of war, but not a weapon itself, GPS and its ability to target, locate, guide and rescue was unappreciated — until Iraq. With a shortage of GPS units, mothers and wives began mailing soldiers cheap, off-the-shelf navigators to use in their fight against Saddam Hussein.
That is just one of the fascinating stories Carrier unearthed in his compact eBook on the little-known discovery, development, and future of GPS, the greatest advance in navigation ever fielded and a mighty electronic glue binding the modern world together.
“I believe that 50 years from now historians will place GPS on the short list of inventions, alongside the clock, electricity, and the Internet, that are truly indispensable,” he writes. “We can’t imagine living without it. In fact, without GPS, civilization as we have come to expect it would sink into chaos.”
On any given day, GPS saves lives and takes lives, tracks bears and convicts, guides us to Grandma’s house, and helps deliver FedX packages along the most efficient route. But few realize how much GPS has seeped into the very infrastructure of our civilization, delivering time for ATM withdrawals, high-line power, and international stock exchanges, and navigation for oil platforms, corn farmers, pilots and the blind.
Born in the Cold War to guide Polaris missiles, satellite navigation has now become imbedded in thousands of civilian applications with an estimated annual economic impact of $122 billion.
HERE WE ARE (28 pages) is available for $2.99 from all major eBook platforms, including the iPad, Nook and Kindle. For further information and ordering, visit New Word City.
Media: for a review copy and interviews, contact: jimcarrier@msn.com, 608-467-2662
February 2, 2009 |
press release
Digital Tours - Hawaii and IntelliTours announces the release of their newest GPS audio tour — “Circle Island Oahu.”
Available now for immediate download to owners of Garmin nuvi and zumo navigators, the tour includes more than 1 ¼ hours of history, culture and sightseeing narrative triggered at Oahu’s fourteen most popular spots.
E Komo Mai! Welcome!
The tour plays automatically on compatible Garmin navigators* as you drive around the island. A handy map of main highways and the tour’s trigger spots is available for download.
Circle Island Oahu was produced by native Oahu researchers and voices for Digital Tours - Hawaii, and includes narrative stops at Waikiki, Diamond Dead, Sunset Beach, Hanauma Bay, Pearl Harbor and nine other places.
Oahu, born from a volcano, was an island kingdom for centuries. James Cook was the first European to find the islands in mid Pacific. It is now visited by 5 million tourists a year.
The GPS audio tour provides first-time visitors with a wonderful introduction to an America’s paradise. Native Hawaiians will learn much they didn’t know about the folklore and history of Oahu.
Circle Island Oahu will take you back in time, introduce you to famous people and places of Oahu, and allow you to live like a local as we share with you our favorite things to do and places to see. Sit back and relax as Oahu comes to life!
Circle Island Oahu joins IntelliTours’ growing catalog of innovative and entertaining GPS audio driving tours of the United States. The Oahu tour sells for $20, for immediate, download into a personal Garmin navigators. Simple instructions are available on the company Web site, www.intellitours.com.
The tour is also available, under commercial license, to car rental and tourist companies on Oahu. For more information, contact: digitaltourshi@gmail.com.
IntelliTours LLC is a leading provider of GPS audio tours for driving, walking and transit systems. For information write: info@intellitours.com.
*Compatible Garmin navigators must have an MP3 player and allow Custom POIs. Compatible units include the nüvi 350 and higher, the motorcycle zumo, and the following StreetPilot models: c550, 2730, 2820, 7200, 3500.
May 24, 2008 |
press release
IntelliTours today launched its catalog of GPS audio tours for Garmin navigators.
The first release of eleven (11) tours includes a driving tour of the U.S. East Coast along Interstate 95, from Boston to Key West, and a bilingual driving or walking tour of San Diego.
The tours are available for download from the company’s Web site, www.intellitours.com. Each tour include up to 45 audio segments and 90 minutes of audio. They retail for $20.
July 27, 2007 |
press release
IntelliTours, the leading GPS tour-guide source, today launched GPS audio driving tours for the Garmin Nuvi and other Garmin navigators, and invited test drivers to sample the tours for free.
January 1, 2007 |
press release
Brian Youngblood today joined IntelliTours LLC as its Chief Technology Officer (CTO).
August 18, 2006 |
press release
SAN DIEGO – IntelliTours LLC extended its leadership in GPS-triggered audio tours today with the launch of Tour Coupes, a fleet of two-seat, three-wheeled scooters equipped with bilingual (Spanish and English) narration of 50 historic and famous sites.
April 15, 2005 |
press release
Reaching for the stars again, Montgomery, Alabama has installed the first trolley system with GPS satellite-guided audio tours of historic sites.
