ARTCC RADAR CTLR ERRED WHEN HE LOOKED UP A DEST IDENTIFIER CAUSING SOME CONFUSION WHEN THE ACFT DEPARTED AND TURNED S INSTEAD OF N.

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ACFT X FILED HKY.2903/08056 EVG. A TRAINEE; PER MY INSTRUCTIONS; LOOKED UP THE IDENTIFIER EVB AND NOTED IT AS NEW BEDFORD; MA. THE FLT PLAN WAS RELAYED TO HKY TWR. WHEN HKY CALLED FOR A RELEASE THE CTR ISSUED A L TURN OFF RWY 6 'ON COURSE.' ACFT X DEPARTED HKY; MADE A L 270 DEG TURN AND PROCEEDED 'ON COURSE' TO SOME PLACE IN FLORIDA. 3 LETTER IDENTIFIERS DON'T MEAN ANYTHING IF YOU DON'T RECOGNIZE THEM. LAT/LONGITUDES DON'T MEAN ANYTHING TO THE AVERAGE CTLR. CLRING ACFT TO 'EVB' INSTEAD OF 'BEDFORD' DOES NOT ALLOW FOR ANY FORM OF ERROR DETECTION. CLRING AN ACFT 'DIRECT TO YOUR DEST AS FILED' DOESN'T PROVIDE FOR ANY ERROR DETECTION AT ALL. THIS IS A MAJOR PROB AND GROWING LARGER WITH EVERY GPS SOLD. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT HE WAS INSTRUCTING AND WHEN THE TRAINEE LOOKED UP THE DEST REQUESTED ON THE FLT PLAN; HE COPIED EWB INSTEAD OF EVB. WHEN THE ACFT WAS RELEASED THROUGH THE HKY TWR AN INSTRUCTION TO TURN L ON COURSE WAS ISSUED. ALTHOUGH THERE WERE NO SEPARATION PROBS; THE CTLR WAS SURPRISED WHEN THE ACFT TURNED TO A COURSE DIFFERENT THAN EXPECTED.