Riding Shotgun With the Google Street View Beetle 139
longacre writes "Popular Mechanics takes a ride in an Immersive Media VW Beetle, one of the six cars that drives around America shooting images for Google Maps Street View. Mounted on the roof is the $45,000 Dodeca 2360 video camera, whose 11 lenses record a 360 degree field of view at 30 frames per second, sucking up as many as 200 miles of city scenes per day. The setup takes up the whole back seat and part of the front passenger seat, and is all controlled with an off-the-shelf Logitech game controller. Includes a cool interactive raw video of a drive through Manhattan."
Just like Data (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Get these damn things off the streets. (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Get these damn things off the streets. (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Get these damn things off the streets. (Score:4, Funny)
Should be no problem so long as they don't record a policeman performing his job duties.
Re:welcome to slashdot (Score:1, Funny)
Wait until Google has enough data gathered on everyone.
Then it'll become the...
"Are you feeling lucky, punk?" button.
Privacy? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Impressive (Score:5, Funny)
Yes. If only there was some way we could make a solid, imovable, vertical surface transparent so that we could make parts of vehicles from it. We could then drive moving vehicles down the street without crashing and children could peer outside while travelling.
The techology may even become so cheap so that we could use it housing so theat we dont have to live in darkness in our homes. We good look outside through the transparent 'walls' and see the sun.
One day technology will find a way.
Re:Dangerous work (Score:5, Funny)
Police? Yes, I'd like to report a stolen camera.
The parking lot at seven eleven.
To buy a slushie.
The roof of my car.
It cost over forty grand.
A Volkswagon Beatle.
No no, the camera.
That's right, a slushie.
No, just a slushie.
I don't think they sell that.
Yes, the roof.
Really big. And it takes round pictures.
No, really, I haven't.
No, this isn't.
Balls? Only two.
Yes they are, but that's not what I meant by round pictures.
Well, I guess it is.
I'm sure it wouldn't fit.
Same to you.
Re:Dodeca? (Score:2, Funny)