Google Tricycles To Map Footpaths For Street View 274
CNETNate writes "To advance its Street View service this summer, Google is poised to unleash the unstoppable power of human legs. Google will deploy pedal-powered tricycles — the company calls them 'Google Trikes' — mounted with 360 degree Street View cameras to map areas inaccessible by its fleet of Street View cars." The article indicates that the trikes will first see use in the UK, to map out public walking paths, but one anonymous commenter said: "This must be bogus — you are not allowed to cycle on public footpaths in the UK, I can't believe Google would have overlooked such a fundamental fact. Not to mention that the vehicle pictured wouldn't fit down most paths." PC World features the trikes in Rome.
Good job kdawson! (Score:5, Funny)
"The article indicates that the trikes will first see use in the UK"
He then goes on to link to pictures of them actually being used in Rome. Did the UK annex Rome?
Next up: (Score:5, Funny)
Pretty soon ... (Score:5, Funny)
Little cameras grow... (Score:2, Funny)
Where no tricycle can go... (Score:1, Funny)
"This must be bogus -- you are not allowed to cycle on public footpaths in the UK
For UK, they will actually be deploying Google Beanie-Caps
Re:Pretty soon ... (Score:3, Funny)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/108/261905722_d2912c0465.jpg It's already been done!
Re:LIDAR? (Score:5, Funny)
By attaching it to their masts.
This is all well and good... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Hmmm . . . . (Score:3, Funny)
Re:This is all well and good... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Pretty soon ... (Score:5, Funny)
Me: Honey, where did I put my car keys?
Her: I don't know dear, just fucking google it.
Me: OK, according to Google they are on the keyhook next to the door... WTF? They aren't there!
Her: Oh, that's right, dear, the Googol Housecrawling Spiders of Doom haven't been through since last Tuesday. That's where they were then.
Me: Fucking useless GoogleHouse app. At least they helpfully recorded the combination when I unlocked my safe.
Re:google + scuba = ? (Score:5, Funny)
Self-contained underwater Google app.
An April Fools Day joke in May? (Score:3, Funny)
Next thing you know they'll be reporting that Lister has been hired to peddle the thing around London. They tried to hire Cat but he was afraid being outside in the summer heat and humidity would ruin his fantastically perfect hairdo.
Re:Pretty soon ... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:There's a few businesses and the like... (Score:5, Funny)
Google Bike Path, Foot Trail, and River would be.. (Score:4, Funny)
awesome. To the best of my knowledge, GPS's will show rivers, but if you are paddling on one, it won't give you a great ETA. Google Rivers, on the other hand, could record average current speed and all the bends in the river to a genuine geocoded object instead of a dumb jpeg. That would be pretty sweet.
Re:Forget street view, how about decent maps (Score:2, Funny)
It would be great to have a feature that a) lets me find them, and b) tells me exactly how far out of my way I'd need to go for the added safety/pleasantness of using them.
And hookers.
History lesson (Score:5, Funny)
Did the UK annex Rome?
No, it was the other way round. Rome invaded Britain in 43AD. I think they've mostly gone home now.
Profit!!! (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Pretty soon ... (Score:5, Funny)
Wouldn't tightening them be more appropriate?
Re:Pretty soon ... (Score:5, Funny)
There's always Google's cached copy of them...
Re:I can just imagine (Score:5, Funny)
I imagine they'll have plenty of evidence to help the police identify their assailants.
Re:google + scuba = ? (Score:5, Funny)
Oh great. Sharks with frickin' Google cams.
Re:I can just imagine (Score:3, Funny)
They see me roll on
My Google Trike
And I know in my heart
They think I'm ridin' nerdy
Re:History lesson (Score:5, Funny)
Yeah, but what have the Romans ever done for us?
Re:Forget street view, how about decent maps (Score:2, Funny)
You actually got stopped by the Sheriff of Nottingham? That's awesome.
Re:Pretty soon ... (Score:5, Funny)
Considering the scale bars at the bottom are set to 200 miles, then I would say its a pretty big flat.
There would be no problem seeing it from orbit, the coffee table is 100 miles by 200 miles just by itself, and the rug is a massive 700 miles square.
Your brother must be rich to afford a flat that big!
The path less googled (Score:4, Funny)
I shall be twittering this with a sigh
On someone's blogs and blogs hence:
Two paths diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less googled by,
And that has made all the difference.
--RFrostie1977
Re:There's a few businesses and the like... (Score:4, Funny)
They have but the problem was the naming. "Google pervert" just wasn't marketable so they scrapped the entire project.
Re:I can just imagine (Score:5, Funny)
5 acres away? If you planted those 250 yards with zucchini, how many neighbors could you bother over the next furlong?
(Yeah, yeah, so I'm not all that great with jokes about improperly used units.)
Re:Pretty soon ... (Score:5, Funny)
Shortly after I showed Google Earth to my Mom, she came to me with a question. A friend of hers wanted to know if I could get photos of someone who broke into her house. That's right; satellite images of a specific time (at night!) that were good enough that you could actually identify the people in them, on google, for free. Now, maybe the CIA can do this....
I remember being amazed at what was offered on Google Earth when it first came out. It is always surprising when someone else thinks that a technology can do something that is insanely more complicated than what I was amazed by.
Re:Pretty soon ... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Pretty soon ... (Score:3, Funny)
Yes, but I draw the line at stealing policemen's helmets.
Re:Good job kdawson! (Score:3, Funny)
Put cameras on everyone's cats.... You'll get a lot more than a "street view".....
And speaking of people's cats, you could put them up dogs' noses and get many an entertaining shot.
Re:I can just imagine (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Good job kdawson! (Score:1, Funny)
http://www.mr-lee-catcam.de/cc_index_en.htm [mr-lee-catcam.de]
Re:google + scuba = ? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Good job kdawson! (Score:4, Funny)
Put cameras on everyone's cats.... You'll get a lot more than a "street view".....
Especially the view from Ceiling Cat.
Re:Forget street view, how about decent maps (Score:3, Funny)
And Blackjack!
In fact, forget the bike paths! And the Blackjack.
Re:History lesson (Score:1, Funny)
Killed Jesus?
Re:Good job kdawson! (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Good job kdawson! (Score:3, Funny)
I suspect the average cat would be difficult to put up a dogs nose.
Only in solid form.
Re:History lesson (Score:4, Funny)