Cellphone data shows that people navigate by keeping their destinations in front of them – even when that’s not the most efficient route

Think of your morning walk to work, school or your favorite coffee shop. Are you taking the shortest possible route to your destination? According to big data research that my colleagues and I conducted, the answer is no: People’s brains are not wired for optimal navigation. Instead of calculating the shortest path, people try to…

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Memorial Day travel: Worst times to hit the road, top destinations for Southern Californians

Despite soaring gas prices and unrelenting inflation, more Southern Californians are expected to travel this Memorial Day weekend compared to last year. An estimated 3.1 million people in the Southland are expected to take trips this holiday — a robust increase from the previous year, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California. The increase is…

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