Google Maps: Most of us have used google maps for directions, and perhaps glanced at its time estimation. If my trip went anywhere near population…id double or add 20 minutes to the traveling time, for traffic, etc. Well….I have one less thing to do now Google now automatically adds in traffic estimations according to current conditions, etc. Maybe not exact…but, its better than nothing.
Google News: Comments on Digg, comments on blogs, comments everywhere, and now…even news! Google News will now allow people to submit comments to news stories, provided their name, and a method of verification. The example given, was a flood. If you lived in the area where there was a flood, you could leave a comment on how conditions were there. If you were mentioned in the story, even better :P. I think its an interesting twist to normal news. Their launching it only on domestic sections atm, but will release it worldwide if it turns out promising.
You know, google is probably one of the few companies, if not the only one, for whom 58% increase in revenue is a disappointment. Now, the increase was from 2.46 billion to 3.87 billion. Tell me, is a almost 1.5 billion dollar increase quite substantial enough? but no…google, you are sliding. You didnt make it a FOUR billion dollar increase >.<. How could you?! Ya, ok, i’m going to stop that now, so yes, apparently this has “unnerved investors who were expecting another blowout quarter.” Compare this, with Yahoo’s. hey cool! only a 2% drop! woot!
Theres a few more, and the google searches don’t actually change the results, they’re just alternate homepages.
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Although those alternate Google homepages don’t do anything but look cool, Google does offer a few specialized searches. Search for results pertaining to the US Government, Linux, Apple/Macintosh, or Microsoft.
It may not seem like a big deal, but changing the routing of your driving directions can be a very good thing. Googles computers don’t know everything about every road. They may not know that 20 miles of I82 are being ripped up an re-paved, and that you want to avoid I82 at all costs. So when Google Maps has you zipping along I82, what do you do? Simply click and drag your route away from I82, and Google will update your turn-by-turn directions to direct you around the troublesome I82.
An interesting combination indeed…. the AIM (AOL Instant Messaging…) which quite a few people use, has been quite nice with their api’s. THe AIM host team has created a beta that displays aim conversations initiated in the last minute, in real time, in google earth. Crazy…. Its quite interesting, you can see webs stretching mainly from east to west coast of the US, with some from the east coast to the florida area. Other than that, they made a display of top aim fight users. Not much interesting stuff there, cept almost all of em are on the East coast
Check it out, the IM Conversations one, i found very interesting. If you watch it a while, you can see rough shifting patterns. Now….if we ran it for a month…and captured the video…and fast forwarded it, that…would be cool. Check it out, and thank you, AIM host team Aim Google Earth Visualizations
Do you have a gps sensor? Joe has one, and mine is being sent to me now. Sooner or later, we’ll install GooPs and start tracking where we are. (Creepy….) but no, really, GooPs lets you track GPS sensors on google earth real time. It even allows collaboration by tracking other people in the same network. It will leave a colored mark of where the sensors have been, and it even tells you its travel speed. Its a cool bit of program. Check it out: GooPs
Gmail Paper. “You Click, We Stack, You get.” Gmail…will print your email, with all its attachments for free! Even postage is free since the costs are offset by unobtrusive text ads which are in 36 pt red bold text!
Its actually possible, to zoom in super mode on google maps. Simply go to satellite view, zoom to the max. Click on the “link to this page” on the top right. Copy and paste this url into your address bar, and change the Z parameter to something higher. Amazingly, you can see very detailed things, such as camels, swimming pools, etc. Scary…wonder how many privacy laws this is breaking Thanks to Google Blogoscoped
Yes….its actually happening. Google has a traffic tab now for maps. So far, quite a few major cities have had this implemented now. The main roads are highlited with different colors. Green: >50mph, yellow 25-50, red <25, gray: no idea.
It could be useful…though, I usually would make use of it while actually on the road. I dont know, it should help planning trips though…
No longer the mindless googlebot…in 2008, there shall be…code name skynet: GOOGLEBOT. and i quote “on the 19th of the 2nd 2008, skynet…was born” my second reaction was, can i sign up for the beta? and of course, my last reaction was, wait a minute, they don’t NEED ai…they have PIGEONS!
Anyways, Laggy Page said during a science conferance that they have been building ai and due to ahem…google’s extreme computing power, efficiency was not the priority…as long as it works, it works. He declared that its not far off and hey…google says, do no evil. It’ll be the happy version of skynet. Maybe. It’ll be a great science/knowledge bound in terms of scholastic achievement, and i’ll celebrate it when it happens. But…still kind of not sure. Anyways long live google!
Google now automatically adds in traffic estimations according to current conditions, etc. Maybe not exact…but, its better than nothing.
