[tl:gallery size=453×604]

The Life! Death! Top Tips! blog (“a problem that isn’t a problem, a solution that no-one in their right mind would invent”) catalogues some of the weirder tips that people send into weekly magazines and it certainly makes for an amusing browse every now and again.

We’re not convinced about the silliness of this particular tip, though — not least since it actually revisits an idea from the early days of motoring.

Mechanical mapping devices date from the 1920s, but rather than use individual sheets of sticky paper for turn-by-turn directions, they relied upon routes printed on rolls of paper.

The map roll then slotted into a ‘reader’ whose handle was turned as the journey progressed to give timely navigation tips and some models were even designed to be worn on a wrist.

[tl:gallery size=450×371]

In fact the idea was so clever that it’s still used in rallying circles, where navigation information can also be accompanied by used notes about the route — and of course there are no batteries or GPS signal issues to worry about…

[tl:gallery size=450×439]