Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Little Blue Dot: How GPS Shaped the Modern World

Little Blue Dot: How GPS Shaped the Modern World

Dunn, Katherine

Hardcover

General ComputersGeneral SociologyHistoriography

Publisher Price: $29.99

ISBN10: 1639734317
ISBN13: 9781639734313
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: Jun 16 2026
Pages: 384
Weight: 1.30
Height: 1.50 Width: 6.30 Depth: 9.30
Language: English

The unexplored history of GPS, a military technology turned daily necessity that impacts all aspects of our lives.

Gone are the days when we pulled off to the side of the road, twisted a map this way and that, and squinted in exasperation before saying, We're lost. Now, a network of satellites that circles the earth points us in the right direction. The Global Positioning System is embedded not only in our phones but in our cultural history and our future. GPS, intangible but ubiquitous, has instigated a radical shift in our relationship to our own intuition and place in the world, making us critically dependent on technology we forget is even there.

Little Blue Dot uncovers GPS's origins as a product of the Cold War, from the Space Race to the bombing campaigns in Vietnam, following along as its military and civilian uses expanded and shifted to become part of the fabric of modern life. With pulsating detail and witty expertise, investigative reporter Katherine Dunn takes us on a fascinating journey from the origins of the technology to its modern-day iteration, considering its role in international politics and conflict-and its rising vulnerabilities to manipulation. Initially a cog in the wheel of globalization, GPS has now taken on a new life and may even serve as a parable for the proliferation of AI and newer technologies on the horizon. Sharp and evocative, Little Blue Dot considers the future of GPS, its impact on our understanding of space and time, and the role of technology in our lives.

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