If you're a fan of both Surveying and NPR, you may be interested in a recent NPR radio show featuring guest Bob Dahn, past president of the NSPS. The show entitled "Navigating Our World: Maps to GPS" focused on the use of maps throughout history and how GPS affects map usage. Bob maintains that it's simply not true that we no longer need or use maps, citing examples that we look at more maps than we realize. You can listen to the entire 49-minute conversation at this link to WNPR. Other guests on the show include Michael Blanding and Hiawatha Bray.
And on a somewhat humorous note - until you read the mortality statistics - GPS World reports that the Douglas shire council in Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia, is using GPS to map the locations of its coconut trees. This information is part of an initiative to prevent injury and death from falling coconuts in a more cost-effective manner than the traditional de-nutting process. Globally, there are about 150 deaths each year due to falling coconuts, so keep your GPS unit handy and be careful under which tree you choose to sit!