The topic of serendipity and technology was raised again recently in The Atlantic, with one writer pointing out that the advent of the GPS on phones, combined with services such as Yelp, increase the filtering process that in turn lessens the chance of accidental discovery:

Everywhere you go these days, people are waving their phones around like dowsing devices, trying to find a place to eat, or a subway stop, or a bookstore. Are they finding them? Yes. My question is, what are they not finding? What serendipitous journeys are they not taking?

via GPS, Smartphones, and the Dumbing Down of Personal Navigation – Technology – The Atlantic Cities.

It’s an interesting segue back to my blog post below which outlines three simple ways to increase serendipity in your life.