fs = map(lambda i: lambda n: i + n, range(10))
I actually don't think this is all that difficult to explain to newcomers. It may not be the expected behavior the first time they run into it, but it's an instructive example about python scopes and name spaces.
Latitude doesn't support the manual geofence alerts, but it does have its own automated alerts, the pros and cons of which are up for debate. For many people, though, not having to set up and curate alert settings may actually be a welcome convenience.