dragging on the map to change route

http://maps.google.com/help/maps/directions/ - watch the video. imagine jerrie and i doing one if you want some laughs.

Seriously, do I have to discover a new cool thing you can do with google maps EVERY DAY? Do they have like 400 people working on these projects? Sigh.

I mean, sure, it’s basically just a creative way of using multi-point routing to create custom routes, but they do so well. User doesn’t care how it’s done, they just want it to be easy to do what they want to do. Google gets the user friendly thing like nobody else. Bastards.

Picture legend and pictures at icon and within bubble.

http://picasaweb.google.com/picasateam/VegasWeekend/photo#map

Thanks Google. Thanks for doing something new that will now be required of the upcoming FastMap2. Great. Please, go ahead and add new functionality or ideas daily if you can. That would be great. Our team will stay right there with you. Maybe 2 things on Saturdays huh? How's that sound?

I'm going to the beach to scout hot dog stand locations...

Mapgroove and Zeemaps

Mapgroove and Zeemaps both came to my attention today and are both excellent examples of what can be done to make a user friendly interface for placing info on maps and creating multiple usable output types. Both use google maps for their map interface, though Zeemaps uses Mapquest for their pdf prints. I have a feeling we'll figure out the hard way why they made that choice.

Microsoft Bashing

Why bash Microsoft? I needed something easy to do this morning before diving into something difficult. To make it even easier on myself, I'll just post a link to someone else's bashing that I found entertaining and simply my additional comment of "yah, damn Microsoft" to it.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/margaret-heffernan-/why-does-microsoft-hate-i_b_52992.html

KML closer to an OGC standard

http://www.gcn.com/online/vol1_no1/44454-1.html

Slashgeo linked to the story above. Microsoft is said to be joining the OGC soon. It would be fun to see them using OGC standard KML. Can you imagine VE importing and exporting KML? :)

Polygon search on a real estate web site

http://www.johnlscott.com/default.aspx

A real estate site using a polygon search. Some good and bad to pick from on this interface, definitely worth looking at since we'll have to do a poly search interface soon too. Uses VE for the mapping engine.

Everyscape

http://everyscape.com/

Cool demo. I'll have to remind myself to come back and check this out when it launches.

Location Searching Patented?

http://www.wired.com/politics/law/news/2007/06/location_patent

How dumb is this? Maybe someone patented breathing once too. That would be worth something these days, lots of people are into breathing, especially air.

Self censorship didn't take long

The humorous/concerning pictures from Google's Street View, appear to be gone. Fell free to do embarrassing things in public you are safe from the "GoogleVan"

Picture no longer available

Ask.com new map tool

http://city.ask.com/city?msid=ee662330245ff8809dcdb4916751a9e3&msuserid=e13309fb950631dd919e5b43327a82ed#1

of the local search variety following the likes of google, microsoft, and yahoo. a few interesting differences and worth a brief look.

Google StreetView Privacy Backlash continued

This time from Wired of all places. It's one thing for the crackpot bloggers, or crazy paranoid catladys of the world to get worked up, but when someone at Wired goes ranting it might have some traction.

http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/commentary/theluddite/2007/06/luddite_0607

Google + Navteq?

http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/06/05/does-google-have-the-drive-to-buy-navteq/

I think Google should buy the rights to the DNA database that maps the human genome. Then maybe they can monetize things like breathing, eating, procreating, which all require some piece of DNA to happen right?

Interview regarding SQL Server 2008 Spatial Capabilities

http://www.directionsmag.com/article.php?article_id=2477&trv=1

This may allow some of our queries to be done more efficiently and much quicker. It could also release us from our dependence on a map engine for some spatial queries we make. Yay.

Microsoft adds new Imagery and Birdseye views

http://virtualearth.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!2BBC66E99FDCDB98!8739.entry

now where will i find my mid 90s black and white aerials of phoenix?

Hacking Google Streetview

http://brainoff.com/weblog/2007/06/03/1253

So, apparently in less than 2 hours after the announcement of Streetview someone had already figured out how to get to the images. This is pretty easy and will be done frequently with sites using REST.

Google Imagery and Terrain update 6/2

http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showthreaded.php/Cat/0/Number/910528

sons of bitches are updating on the weekend too. the updated terrain will be nice for cities with mountains nearby, salt lake city, denver, portland, etc. and the imagery update in europe may put some pressure on us to have something available for our euros.

i wonder if google rests on sundays...