Russian Town Puts Giant Smiley On Google Maps 280
Toramir writes "Citizens of the Russian town Chelyabinsk calculated when the satellite, QuickBird, which takes images for Google Earth and Google Maps, would cross above their city and used people to make a giant smiley face. A rock concert on the main square attracted many people and everyone got a yellow cape. It looks like someone at Google was quicker than usual to put up the new data. Maybe Google likes the idea of an entire town working hard to get its 15 minutes of fame. The article has a screenshot of Google Maps and images taken directly at the event."
Lenina? (Score:2, Interesting)
Do they still celebrate Lenin as a hero after the crap they endured because of him and his acolytes?
Re:Lenina? (Score:2, Interesting)
Right... and Communism is good but it was badly implemented *rolls eyes*
Re:Where exactly? (Score:5, Interesting)
Hmmm.
Overcast and that's not how it works (Score:5, Interesting)
There's about 20 "I don't see it in Google Maps" and "It was photoshopped!" posts that don't mention any of the basic reasons why this didn't work.
1. Google Maps isn't realtime, some areas have photos updated every few years. My house is a picture from over a year ago, for instance. Just because the bird goes overhead doesn't mean the content goes into Google Maps, and even if it did, it would only go in for a few days until the next pass, so... concept fail.
2. Did anyone actually LOOK at the photos taken on the ground at the event? It was OVERCAST. These are not magical Star Trek satellites with super inverse polaron field vision that sees through clouds.
Why aren't other folks touching on these VERY BASIC FLAWS with the clever premise?
Re:Mad (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Fake images (Score:5, Interesting)
I guess that's Journalism 2.0, in which it's the user who does the editor's job of spotting the bullshit.
Is this really a bad thing though? I first watched CNN during the first gulf war. They were kind of dumb, but they had people on the ground in Baghdad and those people stuck their cameras out of the window and sounded scared but enthusiastic. Every time there was a crisis they'd fly someone out there and broadcast anything cool they filmed. There wasn't much attempt at analysis, but it was still pretty interesting
Now when I watch CNN they seemed to have far more stuff back home. Every half our or so they run an advert for CNN "Eco Solutions" which is the opposite of journalism - they know the story before the leave the office and select reports that fit it. There are far more talking heads back in the studio repeating conventional wisdom from the US. Frankly this is boring - I don't care what middle class Americans believe is happening.
I'd much rather just see a stream of images from what is actually happening and make up my own mind. There less editorial control the better.
This was exciting... for about 5 minutes (Score:2, Interesting)
Here's an example of the real thing (Score:4, Interesting)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=target+stores+chicago&ie=UTF8&ll=42.006225,-87.886505&spn=0.012883,0.017509&t=k&z=16 [google.com]
Never mind. (Score:5, Interesting)
It was just a stupid promo action for the local Internet service provider (is74.ru). They also gathered these people to sign the petition "please introduce a $15 unlimited Internet plan". Although they did not collect enough signatures, they still introduced it.
Also, they promised to hire a plane to get rid of the clouds (which would not help anyway - google maps will never add just a 500×500 meter shot to their maps if everything else is covered by clouds. They also promised that you'll be able to see the shots on Google Maps the next day - which is also a blatant lie. This ISP already had a terrible reputation for cutting the optical cables of its competitors, and now this.
Whatever (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Fake images (Score:3, Interesting)
That sounds more like the google aerial photography. For which Google, as they did in Australia, specifically issues a press release and an online tool to track the location of the plane so the general population could form interesting assemblies to be later viewed on google maps.
Re:Yes, Lenina (Score:1, Interesting)
Do not forget that Russia had an absolutist feudalist government, with peonage, before Lenin's revolution - people were better off during Lenin's time. Even those loathing Stalin often consider Lenin in a similar way as most Americans look at their founding fathers.
And if you look at recent history: living conditions for most Russians became much worse during Jeltzin's reign of corruption, than they were during the 1970es and 1980es. Most Russians are not convinced that "western style democracy" is a more just, efficient and humane system than "sovjet democracy": in a country as large as Russia, sovjet rule often meant 'rule of the inept', but 'democratic rule' means 'rule of the greedy', of the Mafia and the oligarchs.
meanwhile, in Italy ... (Score:0, Interesting)
I hope you can all stop laughing at the Russians 'shooping a map for a moment to take the time to check out the following:
go to http://www.flashearth.com/ [flashearth.com] and select the Microsoft VE (with labels) radio button.
in the 'search' field type in
Godi, Italy
and then gradually scroll out. Look! It's-a da magical NATO run-a-way, and she is a covered in trees so nobody bomb-a her!
C/- http://cryptome.org/ [cryptome.org] - there were heaps of them.
Re:Where exactly? (Score:3, Interesting)
Off-topic, I know, but I'd never seen this before, and I found it quite funny.
Trademarks are not verbs, therefore verbs are not trademarks, therefore 'photoshopped' is not a trademark, and can therefore be used freely. Or am I applying logic where none applies? (Yes, I know, trademark law probably covers stuff like this.)
More Russian Messages (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:You know what... (Score:1, Interesting)
In Soviet Russia, satellite smiles at you!
Will Soviet Russia jokes still work when America is Socialist?
Re:You know what... (Score:5, Interesting)