Gps

EDITORS, despite what writers say about them, are every journalist's best friends. They save us, as much as they can, from making total fools of ourselves while at the same time making sure we stay grammatical and have facts to back up even our wildest assertions. Michael Schefer has been my editor since I began writing this column. I've come to value his brains and collegiality, which have made me look smarter than I really am. He has accepted a buyout and will be leaving the Daily News . It's a big loss for the Daily News and for me. Michael and I are not on the same page politically and won't be anytime soon.

Children are invited to explore an owl's-eye hay maze, to celebrate jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald through art, and to experience Harry Potter Weekend at Woodmere Art Museum. At the maze, offered at the museum through Oct. 30, families can have find their way through an artful large-scale landscape. On Friday night, festivities will be from 6 to 8. From 6 to 7 p.m., children can participate in A-Tisket, A-Tasket art activity to celebrate the museum's fall jazz series, beginning with a tribute to Fitzgerald.

THE GIZMO: It's (fill-in-the-blank) o'clock. Things are quiet, too quiet. Do you know where your pet is? If that dog or cat is wearing a Tagg pet tracker from SnapTracs, you'll know in an instant if he's gone missing and where he's hanging out - be it digging through a neighbor's trash can or chasing some cute thing into the park. THE QUALCOMM TOUCH: Pet-tracking devices that use GPS (global positioning satellite) technology have been around for several years, acknowledged Dave Vigil, president of SnapTracs.

A King of Prussia woman who was critically injured when a Megabus in which she was a passenger rammed into a low railroad bridge near Syracuse, N.Y. in September 2010 says in a lawsuit in federal district court here that the crash could have been prevented had the bus been equipped with a GPS device. Investigators said the bus driver, John Tomazewski, missed the exit from Interstate 81 for a regional transportation center and ended up on a nearby parkway. Megabus officials have said company policy prohibits the use of GPS devices while driving.

ALLENTOWN - Muhlenberg College has so many trees, the cicadas sound like a symphony. At this moment, however, Patrick Molloy hears only static. "Those trees are blocking my GPS," he frets. "I can't get a signal. " The signal matters, since Molloy, 18, has just a few weeks left to map and memorize the 82-acre campus before settling in as Muhlenberg's first blind student in decades. "It's not so much about counting steps as it is estimating distance," he explains as we hoof it to Walz Hall.

Shaunte Smith wanted his iPod back. It had been stolen from the 28-year-old's East Oak Lane home in October. On Thursday, he waited in a long line in the lobby of the 18th Police District, at 55th and Pine Streets, hoping he was in luck. Inside, spread along tables and benches in an old courtroom, were more than 1,000 high-end electronics - cameras, laptops, and game systems - which police confiscated from a West Philadelphia shop. Bracelets, rings, and necklaces were also on display.

Shaunte Smith wanted his iPod back. It had been stolen from the 28-year-old's East Oak Lane home in October. Thursday, he waited in a long line in the lobby of the 18th police district, at 55th and Pine, hoping he was in luck. Inside, spread out along tables and benches in an old courtroom, were over 1,000 high-end electronics - cameras, laptops and game systems - which police confiscated from a West Philadelphia retail shop. Bracelets, rings and necklaces were also on display.

Suspicious spouses in New Jersey can use GPS tracking to determine if their loved ones have strayed. An appeals court ruled Thursday that placing the device in a family vehicle does not constitute invasion of privacy. Gloucester County Sheriff's Officer Kenneth Villanova sued private investigator Richard Leonard, who was hired by Villanova's now-ex-wife in 2007. The court said Leonard had recommended she buy the tracking device after her husband had thwarted efforts to tail him. - AP

Unfasten your seat belt! A stop at this road-trip-planning website will give you a trunk-load of reasons to return for another visit. Name: Myscenicdrives.com What it does: Equips day-trippers and road warriors with tips and tools they need to improve their next drive. Get enticing descriptions, worthy detours, park passes, and a gas calculator all in one place. What's hot: Don't miss the interactive maps that can add such features as Vista Points, Side-Trips, Hikes and Museums.

The best thing about my first beat at The Inquirer was getting paid to get lost. My assignment? To roam the region's back roads and subdivisions in search of the story of suburbia. Many times, I found it by accident after a wrong turn put 30 extra miles on my Saturn. Lower Merion Township was, and remains, my directional downfall, a lovely labyrinth where only natives can find their way home after dark. Just last week, I showed up a half-hour late to an appointment in 19096.