Let's take the "scenic route"!

[pne]

For a bit of amusement, try this:

1. Go to http://mappoint.msn.com/DirectionsFind.aspx
2. In the Start section, select "Norway" from the listbox and enter "Haugesund" into the "City" field
3. In the End section, select "Norway" from the listbox and enter "Trondheim" into the "City" field
4. Click on "Get Directions"
5. Observe the route chosen on the map

From the RISKS Digest, Volume 23, Issue 67. The submitter notes that inverting the cities in the request produces "less spectacular" results.

See also this page, which has images of the two routes, as well as a different route that is produced when you pick the "shortest route" rather than the fastest one… which also produces "interesting" results.

Also from that issue, I wonder whether the email address of this submitter was chosen when he was prompted for "please choose a username:" and couldn't think of anything good. (And I wonder how many LiveJournal usernames were chosen through a similar process.)

Comments

scenic route

[(Anonymous)]

Well, that is quite a detour!! :) Have you found out why the program does that?
Jennifer

Re: scenic route

[pne.livejournal.com]

No idea.

I imagine that journeys over water are calculated incorrectly for determining "costs" (of time or distance).

See this page (http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/001810.html), as well.