Posts Tagged ‘google’
Friday, March 19th, 2010
I’m thinking that people still expect too much from the new free Google Maps beta called Bike There. Of course, lots of folks asked Google for it, so, as of this month, we have it.
But, Bike There is not enough for at least one Berkeley resident at the tersely-named Berkeley Blog. And believe it or not, Sylvia Paull’s recent tale of woe got a mention in the New York Timeseses’ The Bay Area. Seems that, after consulting her PC and starting a journey on her $5000* custom-made, carbon/titanium/unobtainium Ben Serrota ride:
“‘Ms. Paul found herself pushing her bike up ‘Everest’ hills. ‘If Google bicycle maps had told me the truth,’ she said, ‘I think I would have missed the party or found a ride with friends.’”
She should ask for a full refund from Google or something, huh? Or, alternatively, she could invest $5 or so in a bike map that shows hills.
Over here in the West Si-iiide of the Bay, people use the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition’s SF Bike Map and Walking Guide to see how hilly the streets are. On the East si-iiide, you all have a wealth of free online sources plus the East Bay Bicycle Coalition’s East of the Hills Map. It looks a bit like this:
Easy peasy, right?
Of course, some people like Get There more than others, but oh well.
*Mas o menos, those things cost muy dinero, especially the ones that are “much easier” to carry on BART than a laptop PC.
Tags: (BART), bay area, ben, Berkeley, berkeley blog, beta, bicycle, bike, bike there, blog, car, cyclists, east bay, get there, google, google maps, hills, map, maps, mountains, new york times, online, orinda, San Francisco, serrota, sylvia paull, West Bay
Posted in bikes | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
As seen on SFist and SFWeekly’s The Snitch, Google Map’s new bicycle trip planning service has alternatives to the famous Wiggle bike path.
Peter Jamison checked it out:
“We keyed in a request for directions from the downtown area to Golden Gate Park to the easternmost edge of Golden Gate Park, at Stanyan and Fell. Rather than sending us up Market Street, behind the Castro Safeway, and then north along the flat, zigzag route through the Haight that is known to any serious bicyclist in the city, Google advised us to bike straight up McAllister for a mile to the west — an uphill and decidedly less convenient trek.”
The problem with Google’s route is that it favors Fulton. The correct route from downtown is slightly different – Market, McAllister, Divisidero and then Fulton and Central or however you want to get to Fell Street and or the Panhandle Bike Path. Route 20 (or if you prefer a cute name for it, the Snickerdoodle) is faster and easier overall. You might have to wait for lights at McAlllister and Van Ness / Franklin / Gough but you completely avoid horrible horrible Octavia Boulevard.
This is the pass over Alamo Heights that the Wiggle Route avoids. If you can handle a couple not-all-that-steep blocks then you’ll prefer this route over the vaunted Wiggle.
Not that I care what you do. But this counterintuitive route is superior for anyone going to the Panhandle and points west from Union Square / Mid-Market / The Financh / The Tenderloin and most of the SoMA. Of course, if you’re already behind the Church Street Safeway and you want to get to Ocean Beach, then by all means, take your precious Wiggle route.
More deets here at the StreetsBlog SF.
Tags: 20, 30, bicycle, bike, bike there, cyclist, divisadero, get there, getthere, google, maps, market, mcallister, Planning, route, San Francisco, snick, snickerdoodle, street, wiggle
Posted in bikes | No Comments »
Monday, March 1st, 2010
Magazines suck these days, right kids? Oh, wait a sec, maybe not. That’s the message coming out of the ”4A’s [AAAA, the American Association of Advertising Agencies] Leadership / Media Conference“ that kicked off yesterday at the San Francisco Hilton Union Square. Check it:
“The leaders of five major magazine companies—Charles H. Townsend, Condé Nast; Cathie Black, Hearst Magazines; Jack Griffin, Meredith Corporation; Ann Moore, Time Inc.; and Jann Wenner, Wenner Media—today jointly announced the launch of one of the largest print advertising campaigns ever created to promote the vitality of magazines as a medium.”
O.K. then. Here’s the campaign logo – how many fonts from different mags do you recognize? Hint: “Es” is from Esquire (but even I knew that. I got the “M” and the “g” right as well, but everything else…)
Y&R NY made a clever graphic, I’ll give you that. But whenever you hear a Betty harshing on a Veronica, you start to think that the Betty is playing a losing game. For example, how bon are these mots?
“We Surf the Internet. We Swim in Magazines.”
“Will the Internet Kill Magazines? Did Instant Coffee Kill Coffee?”
Oh well. Look forward to seeing this ad in a few months:
Click to expand
In short, magazines, magazines, magazines!
In short, Magazine Fever – Catch It.
In short, Grawwwwwwwk!!!!! goes the dinosaur.
All the deets, after the jump.
(more…)
Tags: 2010, 4a's, aaaa, Advance Publications, Amanda Cortese, American Association of Advertising Agencies, American Baby, Ann Moore, Better Homes and Gardens, cable, campaign, Cathie Black, Charles H. Townsend, Charles Townsend, Condé Nast, Corporation, Dawn Bridges, Debra Shriver, Did Instant Coffee Kill Coffee?, facebook, Family Circle, fitness, google, hearst, Hearst Corporation, Hilton, Howard Polskin, inc, internet, Jack Griffin, Jane Lehman, Jann Wenner, Ladies' Home Journal, LLC, Magazine Publishers of America, magazines, Mark Neschis, Maurie Perl, Men's Journal, Meredith, Meredith Corporation, online, parents, Patrick Taylor, Paul Luthringer, power of print, radio, readers, Rolling Stone, rubican, San Francisco, satellite, Susan Portnoy, television, time, transformation, union square, Us Weekly, We Surf the Internet, We Surf the Internet. We Swim in Magazines, We Swim in Magazines., Wenner Media, Will the Internet Kill Magazines?, Will the Internet Kill Magazines? Did Instant Coffee Kill Coffee?, yahoo, young
Posted in advertising | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010
How would you like to spend a couple of weeks on and around the Black Sea with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former Secretary of Defense William Perry, and former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev?
Well, you’re in luck, ’cause San Francisco-based World Leaders Travel on 500 Third Street is asking just $23,990 per person (double occupancy) to attend Global Challenges in a Post-Perestroika World: A World Leaders Symposium in Russia and the Black Sea this summer, August 30 through September 15th 2010.
No, Silly Billy, you won’t sail on the Chevron Condoleezza Rice - they renamed that vessel years ago.
You’ll be on the Silver Wind, whatever that is.
(America, what a country. In your country you have movie I Know What You Did Last Summer. In Soviet Union, KGB knows what you did last summer! In America, you sail boat. In Soviet Union, boat sail you!)
They’re calling it “educational travel” so maybe it’s deductible or something…
Bon voyage!
All the deets, after the jump
(more…)
Tags: 2010, Alumnae Association of Smith College, American Museum of Natural History Expeditions, astrophysicist, azerbaijan, Black Sea, Chautauqua Institution, chevron, Condoleezza, Condoleezza Rice, EastWest Institute, Foreign Affairs magazine, former, georgia, Global Challenges, Global Challenges in a Post-Perestroika World, google, Gorbachev, Harvard Alumni Association Travels, instanbul, James Billington, John Mroz, Librarian of Congress, Marvin Kalb, Michael Shara, Mikhail, Mikhail Gorbachev, moscow, Post-Perestroika World, president, Princeton Journeys, rice, russia, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, Silver Wind, Smithsonian Journeys, Soviet, turkey, ukraine, Vinton G. Cerf, William Perry, World Leaders Symposium, World Leaders Travel, Yale Educational Travel
Posted in travel | 1 Comment »
Thursday, December 24th, 2009
See?
Frosty the Chu Man at the SoMA office of Google in San Francisco, where the toilets all have 14 things to push, instead of just one.
via moppet65535
Click to expand
Tags: christmas, chu, frank, frank chu, frsoty, google, holidays, Phixgrostrenikal, Phixgrostrenikul, San Francisco, snowman, soma, toilet
Posted in christmas | No Comments »
Monday, December 21st, 2009
When our corporate overlords at Google aren’t getting busted for lacking shooting permits in national parks or getting ripped off buying $7000 toilets from Japan, they’re giving the world a gift for the holidays.
See how they’re commemorating the end of the aughts, the end of 2009?
“This gift is for someone very special: Everyone. Because charities are experiencing their toughest year in decades, we have committed $20 million to helping those who help us all. Our gift to you is a gift to them.”
Check out the recipients.
Feeding America
Boys and Girls Clubs
Smile Train
CARE, Mothers Matter
World Wildlife Fund, Natural Capital Project
Mobile Creches
Prajwala
HEAL Africa
African Institute for Mathematical Sciences
The Mango Tree
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Harlem Children’s Zone
Save the Children, Latin America focus
Reporters Without Borders
Witness
Loud Against Nazis ["Laut gegen Nazis"]
Global Voices
Ushahidi
Save the Children, Middle East and Eurasia focus
Grupo Cultural Afro Reaggae
Ashesi University College, Ghana
Pratham
Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience
Shin Shin Educational Foundation
Tzu Chi Foundation
(Nazis? I hate those guys!)
Happy Holidays from Google
Hello, As we near the end of the year, we wanted to take a moment to thank you for the time, energy, commitment, and trust you’ve shared with us in 2009. With sharing in mind, this year we’ve decided to do something a little different. We hope you’ll find it fits the spirit of the holiday season. We’re looking forward to working with you to build lasting success in 2010.
Happy Holidays, Your Google Team
Thanks Google.
Tags: 000, 20, 2009, adsense, adword, africa, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Ashesi University College, Australian, Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience, Boys and Girls Clubs, care, charity, christmas, dollars, Eurasia, Experience, Feeding America, fight, focus, gegen, Ghana, gift, Global Voices, google, Grupo Cultural Afro Reaggae, Harlem Children's Zone, HEAL, HEAL Africa, holidays, Indigenous, Latin America, Latin America focus, Laut, Laut gegen Nazis, Loud Against Nazis, Mango Tree, Mentoring, Middle East, Middle East and Eurasia focus, Million, million dollars, Mobile Creches, Mothers Matter, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Natural Capital Project, nazis, network, partners, Prajwala, Pratham, Reporters Without Borders, Save the Children, Shin Shin Educational Foundation, Smile Train, The Mango Tree, Tzu Chi Foundation, Ushahidi, Witness, World Wildlife Fund
Posted in advertising | 2 Comments »
Thursday, October 29th, 2009
Phone books – they’re useless, right? What are they good for? Absolutely nothing. I’ll say it again. Hooot! Absolutely nothing.
So let’s hear it for Dr. Leland Yee, Ph.D, Assistant Senate President pro Tempore Extraordinaire, the fightingest Senator in California, as he takes on the Telephone Book Industry on behalf of The People.
A brief wait on the doorstep for a few days until someone puts all these things into the recycling:
Your days are numbered, you mandatory telephone books.
Read all about it:
San Mateo County Leaders and Environmental Advocates Call for Consumer Choice on White Pages
Yee and Papan: Mandatory delivery of white pages wastes paper, energy, and scarce local government resources
SACRAMENTO – Following the successful efforts of Cleveland, Ohio and Miami, Florida, California could become the largest jurisdiction to give telephone customers a choice in receiving the white pages directory. Today, Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo) and Millbrae Councilwoman Gina Papan announced they will pursue state legislation to prohibit telephone companies from delivering the white pages unless the customer opts-in to receiving it.
“The requirement that phone companies must deliver the white pages comes from an era before the internet and other means of obtaining phone numbers,” said Yee. “At a time when Californians are looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint, we should give them that choice, particularly when very few customers still use the white pages.”
“Ending the unnecessary distribution of the white pages is a step forward that we can take at the local level to address the global issue of climate change. I am proud to take the lead on this issue to help save the environment and reduce local recycling costs,” said Millbrae City Councilmember Gina Papan. “I would like to thank Senator Yee for his responsiveness in taking on this important legislation on our behalf.”
All the deets, after the jump
(more…)
Tags: advertising, books, california, California Public Utilities Commission, cleveland, Councilwoman, CPUC, delivery, florida, gina papan, google, law, leland yee, mandatory, miami, Millbrae, Ohio, pages, Phonebook Free SF, recycling, San Francisco, San Mateo, telephone, telephone books, universal service, white, yellow
Posted in advertising, environment, government | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
Oddly-named Meraki wants to WiFi up your K-12 school with a quickness, so all the kids can watch the Lady Gaga (coming December 13th, 2009!) and AutoTune the News without all those pesky wires about. See?
“Meraki, the cloud-based wireless networking company, launched its “Wireless For Schools” program today, offering K-12 schools and districts a comprehensive 802.11n wireless LANat the price of $40 per student or less. The program enables schools to deploy a high-quality wireless network quickly, easily, and at less than half the cost of other solutions in the market. To qualify, schools must contact Meraki and make their purchases by December 22, 2009.”
Now that’s $40 per, but if you get some kind of E-rate rebate aka (Universal Service Fund for Schools and Libraries (USFSL) from Uncle Sucker, the Feds will kick in for 80% of the bill. I mean, they wanted to pay for the Bridge to Nowhere and they still want to pay for the bulk of the Chinatown subway – the Feds have all kinds of moola. So it’s time to get your fair share. You know…. for kids.
Meraki founders Hans Robertson and Sanjit Biswas want to Free the Net, or something:
“On Sanjit: Marc by Marc Jacobs army mélange jacket with zip-out vest ($528)[!] at Marc by Marc Jacobs. Cotton t-shirt and glasses, model’s own[!].” Photo by Bryan Davis.
All right, get cracking. One Call Does it All: (415) 632-5800
“Meraki Offers Wireless Networks to K-12 Schools for $40 Per Student or Less
Meraki’s “Wireless For Schools” makes it easy for schools to deploy a high-quality 802.11n wireless network across the campus
Meraki, the cloud-based wireless networking company, launched its “Wireless For Schools” program today, offering K-12 schools and districts a comprehensive 802.11n wireless LAN at the price of $40 per student or less. The program enables schools to deploy a high-quality wireless network quickly, easily, and at less than half the cost of other solutions in the market. To qualify, schools must contact Meraki and make their purchases by December 22, 2009.
The Hard Sell, after the jump.
(more…)
Tags: 20, 2009, 802, 802.11, 802.11n, army, Bridge to Nowhere, Chinatown subway, cloud, cloud-based, December 22, elementary, feds, google, Hans Robertson, High, internet, jacket, Jacobs, John Bicket, Jr, junior, k-12, kindergarden, LAN, m.i.t., Marc, mélange, Meraki, MIT, october, phd, principal, San Francisco, Sanjit Biswas, school, schools, Stanfoo, stanford, student, teacher's, Uncle Sucker, unified, Universal Service Fund for Schools and Libraries, university, USFSL, wifi, wireless, Wireless For Schools
Posted in internet | 1 Comment »
