A SpotReg is an area on the map with a code and words, about 4 x 4m square.
We use 10 characters to store the SpotReg code and 5 words to represent the 10 characters. The 5 words make a sentence of the form adjective, noun, verb, adjective, noun.The premise is that the 5 words are easier to say and remember than the gps coordinates, and the 10 characters are easier to store in databases.
SpotReg is based on zooming into the map. The more you zoom in, the longer the codes get and the more words are used.
Another way of thinking about this is thatWitty Spacemen Squeeze
is insideWitty Spacemen
which is inside Witty
Witty Spices
.Remembering the first word will get you into the right part of the world. The second word will most likely get you in the right city and so on.
SpotReg is pronounced spot-redge (redge as in hedge).
Multiple SpotRegs are pronounced spot-redges.We tried a lot of different groups of characters and a lot of different word dictionaries. The driving forces are as follows:
We found that basing SpotReg on a 5 x 5 grid with two characters per word was the best compromise. The main rival to this grid was the 4 x 4 grid with 3 characters per word, but that required too many words in each dictionary which made them hard to spell and say. A smaller dictionary also meant the lookup lists would load faster and we were able to remove a lot of words with rather negative meanings.
Registering allows you to store spots. As you add and edit spots, the changes you make are stored locally. You can go to the Manage Data pages at any time to synchronise (sync) your data in the cloud.
This works differently depending on whether you're on a shared device or not
If you're using a shared device:
If it's just you using your device:
Take advantage of the fact that people you communicate with in the same city probably have a SpotReg that has the first one or two words the same as you. For example:
You might find that 4 words are enough to describe where you are. 4 words represent a 100 x 100 m square
Someone arriving at that 100 x 100 m square would probably be able to see you if you are not in a built up area, or maybe ask around.SpotReg works best in full screen mode, especially on the Map. One way to put your phone into full screen mode is to rotate it into landscape and then back into portrait Mode. Android users also have a button on the home screen title bar: