Hooray!
Google Maps finally has walking directions for Porto Alegre!!!
This is especially good here, because all of the streets are one way and not laid out in a grid, but more like crushed Chex Party Mix®.
Archive for the ‘Google’ Category
Walking Directions for Google Maps in Porto Alegre
Wednesday, November 12th, 2008GWhoops!
Wednesday, February 20th, 2008This is classic, obviously the Google London headquarters was not consulted on this one.
As more publishers are being asked to complete the phone verification process, we’ve received a number of puzzled emails from our international community asking about the prompt to ‘press the pound key’. To clarify, the ‘pound key’ refers to the ‘#’ symbol (also known as the hash key), and not the ‘£’ symbol. The pound/hash key can typically be found below the ‘9′ key.
We’re working on perfecting our non-US English, and we apologise for any confusion caused
From here: http://adsense.blogspot.com/2008/02/in-for-penny-in-for-pound-key.html
This also falls under the category of the ultimate support call: “I can’t find the ‘any’ key.”
Gold versus Google: Market multiple personality and the elusive Google Phone.
Thursday, November 1st, 2007Like a lot of people I am watching the meteoric rise of Google stock.
This latest rise is partly because of the hinting that they are nearing fruition to predictions that I made over a year ago. (ed: I’m not bitter, just tired of slapping my forehead) Google is going to become a telecommunications company. I think that most reporters and stock watchers are being shortsighted about the whole thing. I think that the physical mobile “phone” isn’t that big of a deal.
When they become a telecom, that will fundamentally change the world. They can give free phone calls to anyone, anywhere. This has the potential to lower barriers to entries of people in developing economies. In return, this will both “do no evil” and eventually help to light up the dark spots of the world that can’t click on AdWords.
I think the talking heads are more concerned with whether it will be as “cool” as the iPhone. That point is moot. They can hire designers make it cool. Plus, people will buy it because it is a Google phone. What I’m interested in is this… how are they going to give an inexpensive phone long battery life while running CPU intensive voip software? What type of WiFi capability are they going to build into it and how will it scan for open networks?
With this in mind… should I buy Google stock? Well, they are entering a space that has lower barriers to entry. A Chinese company could make a device that had the capacity to make mobile VOIP calls for relatively cheap. But the real thing holding me back: The dollar.
Paul Saffo has a great post about the topic. In a nutshell, the dollar is cratering as the market sloughs higher. It is impossible to ignore. The rise in oil, gold, basically all commodities, and global instability have created a situation where the dollar isn’t worth very much. Then why is it a bull market?
To me, this creates a situation where people are waiting for the next newsworthy event as a sell signal. There are storm clouds on the horizon and I’m not going to push the boat out.
Google Maps for Walking Directions
Tuesday, October 2nd, 2007For such a green company, it would be great if Google would enable walking directions. It would be very easy, too. Just allow all the street so be two-way and don’t use highways. I could probably code that. But Google should be less car-centric.
Stats 202
Wednesday, July 18th, 2007Google has done a very cool thing. Roger Brittain and I have been talking, for quite some time, about the possibility of creating a Google University. One could take the courses online, similar to Open University and get a specialized certification or degree from the GOOG.
It seems like they are sloughing toward this. Showing, to any naysayers, that Roger and I are deeply connected to the zeitgeist.
Google is posting lectures from a Master’s level course called Statistical Aspects of Data Mining, or Stats 202. The lecturer, or “reader”, David Meese, is teaching the course at Stanford, and then he returns to Google to give the lectures for a second time. Google video records it and has been putting the videos online. You won’t get credit, but it is a nice way of making the world’s information online and accessible. Without being evil.
The course is very interesting but the text book
Are you in the shower?
Thursday, March 22nd, 2007I watched a really good Google Video called Mindfulness Stress Reduction And Healing
Following one of the suggestions, I stopped and checked to see if I was in the shower last time I took a shower. Turns out I wasn’t.
Also, I finished a really good book, Special Topics in Calamity Physics
I am going to the Google London Headquarters on Thursday, I’ll try to take some pictures of the wide array of snacks that they have.
Busines as usual.
Tuesday, February 13th, 2007In another day at the office, the Belgian Court has determined that Google illegally copied news on their website. The interesting bit about this is that there is no actual proof that violating copyright actually harms authors’ livelihood. In fact, copyright was first enforced by the Worshipful Company of Stationers one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. This company was not an altruistic organization set aside to protect the rights of the starving artist. It was a monopoly created to squeeze profit from the printed word. Next time you hear someone spouting the party line about how, like Metallica, they are going broke because of file-sharing, remember artist make almost nothing because the neo-Guilds are still running the show under the banner of flag of corporate logos.
Oh yeah, and copyright is always becoming stricter and stricter. No court ever rules against the corporate interests. (That’s the whole “business as usual” part.) Oh yeah, and what was up with Metallica, those hard-rocking heroes, whining about their lost profits. Oooh, they are so tough. So dangerous…
A bunch of weirdos, that’s who…
Tuesday, February 6th, 2007I just looked at a new toy on the Google webmaster page to see who was linking to my site(s). Looks like a bunch of weirdos, that’s who. You know who you are, and I love ya!
Nah, ok. That’s only partly true. There are some really sane and upright global citizens linking to my site. I’ll stop the tomfoolery. Thanks for linking to me. Huzzah!
Check out Google’s shiny new Official toy.
Getting Lost Is Getting Harder…
Thursday, February 1st, 2007In Google’s never ending quest to free the world’s information, they are making it harder and harder to get lost. Instead of wandering into dark alleys and speakeasies you are now able to pinpoint with a startling degree of the nearest Subway Sandwich Shoppe. All this is thanks to Official Google Maps for Mobile. However, I do have to admit that I too use the program. London is confusing. Especially the “Ye Olde” bits.
Google Seattle-Beijing
Tuesday, January 30th, 2007Official Google Blog: Our Seattle-Beijing collaboration
This looks great. I am going to see what they are up to.