Jul 6, 2026, 7:39 PM@jcrabapple I'm sure I remember reading about a non-map-based car navigation system that was even earlier, from the 1930s-ish. It was a long strip of paper that showed towns and junctions, moving under a "you are here indicator". The strip was moved by a Thingy connected to the wheels.
@DrHyde wow I'll have to look that up!
@jcrabapple @DrHyde the phrase you'll want to search is the "Iter Avto".
As the car moved along, a reel of paper was drawn forward by a wire. The main downside is it only worked for one route, and didn't account for detours. 🤓
@jcrabapple @DrHyde oh god, this is a deep rabbit hole. I'm going to stop before I tumble further. 🤣
Here's a cassette tape based system from the '70s.
Jul 6, 2026, 8:13 PM@jcrabapple @trechnex I am an awful person and owe everyone a beer