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The History of the NORAD/Microsoft and Google Santa Trackers 59

Posted by Soulskill from the NSA-only-has-santa-metadata dept.
theodp writes: Marketing Land's Danny Sullivan has a pretty epic post on How Google Became A Santa Tracker Tradition To Rival NORAD, and wonders if future generations will think of Santa tracking as synonymous with Google, just as past ones have felt about NORAD. Until it split with Google in 2012 (for unknown reasons) and hooked up with Microsoft, Sullivan explains, NORAD had really been the only place to go for a serious, dependable Santa tracking service. "There's a big part of me that wishes Google had gotten out of Santa tracking when it split from NORAD," says Sullivan of the divorce. "The NORAD Santa tracker brings back memories from my childhood; it brings back memories of me being a father with young kids checking in on Santa's progress. In contrast, Google feels to me like an upstart interloper messing with my nostalgic memories. But maybe Google's a welcome alternative to others. It's not uncommon to see the occasional complaint about a NORAD "Santa Cam" video showing Santa being accompanied by fighter jets. Some might prefer a Santa tracker that's not connected to a military organization. Of course, some might not feel one connected to a giant company is necessarily preferable. Part of me is also sad that when I go to NORAD's own site, I get a big Internet Explorer icon in the top right corner, which effectively opens up an ad for Microsoft. I guess I feel it's too blatant. Of course, complaining about the commercialization of something Christmas-related, I suppose, is kind of useless." Sullivan adds, "Overall, I'm thankful to the many people who are involved with both operations [NORAD Tracks Santa and Google Santa Tracker], who work hard to make children smile on Christmas Eve.""
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The History of the NORAD/Microsoft and Google Santa Trackers More

The History of the NORAD/Microsoft and Google Santa Trackers

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  • Social Media Based Application (Score:5, Funny)

    by Virtucon ( 127420 ) on Wednesday December 24, 2014 @12:29PM (#48667615)

    We need to have more accurate methods. I suggest a social media app that leverages the best of Google earth and then uses observations to track where Santa is. The updates could then be used to predict speed and direction in order to predict where Santa will appear next. Now for a catchy name. I propose Santa's Annual Tracking Announcement Network or SATAN for short. I will get the Kickstarter rolling.

    • The updates could then be used to predict speed and direction in order to predict where Santa will appear next.

      I thought that Santa is just a quantum wave function, and it is impossible to determine both quantities simultaneously to any sort of precision. It would explain how he manages to deliver so many presents without turning into an incandescent meteor in the sky.

      • I thought that Santa is just a quantum wave function

        Thats true! Santa only exists if you dont look. If you do look, he wont be there, and somewhere a cat in a box dies.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by Anonymous Coward

        It's simple. In addition to emitting low EM band electromagnetic radiation, Rudolph's nose also generates an chronoton burst on take-off that creates a temporal displacement field. This allows Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen to generate an anti-graviton field that causes inverse time dilation allowing travel along spacelike paths. One can anticipate Santa's arrival by remodulating sensors to detect the spontaneous generation of tachyon anti-tachyon pairs.

        • Considering Santa must travel at about 650 miles per second, [daclarke.org] Rudolph's nose would need to be so bright to illuminate a safe distance ahead that he would incinerate himself and anything else nearby.

          It's no wonder the other reindeer didn't let him play in any reindeer games.

    • Now for a catchy name. I propose Santa's Annual Tracking Announcement Network or SATAN for short.

      Unfortunately, that name is taken. [wikipedia.org] And so is SANTA, by the same program.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Livius ( 318358 )

      There's a very small possibility that someone will *falsely* report sighting Santa.

  • When I started reading TFS and found myself dazed and bewildered - words swimming in a blur before my eyes - I was sure that this must be one of Bennett's wonderful epics. But no! Theodp wants to usurp Bennett. Treason!

  • NORAD Santa “simulation” tapes (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    In the pre-internet age, I was in the military and stationed at Elmendorf AFB. I worked at the ROCC which consolidated the radar air picture to monitor US air space. We had a Christmas “simulation” tape we could play to create Santa and his sleigh on the radar scopes for the benefit of the media.

    The local TV stations would have reports on Santa’s progress throughout the evening and would show our radar screens on the news. I’m sure each regional center had their own tapes for the

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by halivar ( 535827 )

      I have long believed that the Santa Tracker was a fraudulent government operation. I really began to suspect the conspiracy when I grew out of childhood; about when I got my first college apartment. I noticed that not only did Santa not visit on Christmas Eve (despite a number of sting operations with video cameras), but that NORAD's Santa Tracker had him placed right over my area while these non-visits occurred. I don't know what to believe anymore. I don't really think it's Santa delivering those presents

  • Regardless who Norad partners with, I will use them. Why you ask? That's easy, they have the radar. I am pretty sure Google is just making stuff up as I don't think they have the radar facilities that the US and Canada have. So when I want to reliably track that red suited bastard, I'll ask the guys who actually know.

    This year I got some new Starstreaks to replace my FIM-92j's, I'm pretty sure I'll shoot him down this time.

  • NORAD A military organization designed to blast communist out of the skies.
    Google A for profit organisation that makes its money off of selling adds and offers a bunch of free services in return to having those adds in front of you.

    So you are against capitalism however you are supporting the organization that is designed to track and kill people who are against capitalism (just as long as they are flying)

    In general NORAD tracking of Santa is a gimmick to help bring up good will towards the organization. Be

    • In general NORAD tracking of Santa is a gimmick to help bring up good will towards the organization.

      Saw an article last week (early this week?) discussing the origin of the whole business.

      Apparently, it got started with a Sears ad with a typo - the ad included a number to "call Santa", but a misprint gave a number to a NORAD watch officer (from TFA, the phone number was supposed to be known only to the watch officer and the duty general in the Pentagon),

      Anyways, long story shortened, some kids called the

  • Lately I've been wondering why we lie to our children, why the "real life" magic of science and Nature isn't told to them instead, in fact I feel that telling them lies and fairytales from an early age softens their brains up for religion/propaganda later.

    Though I can't prove that, the idea interest me, so anyone have a rational reason (encouraging imagination will not be accepted) to tell their children lies like Santa Claus and the rest of the standard fairytales?

    • Well, if you want to encourage skepticism in children, what better way to do it than show them they can't even trust their parents not to just make stuff up about magical bearded men. Why, you'd almost think Santa is a devious atheist conspiracy...

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by koan ( 80826 )

        I was thinking more along the lines of encouraging wonder in things that are real, like Nature that sort of thing, skepticism comes natural when dealing with other humans.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by sjames ( 1099 )

      So to translate, "other than a perfectly valid and rational reason that I'd rather not consider, can you tell me a rational and logical reason?"

      But as to the question, every culture has a mythos that (hopefully) reminds it's members of their values and provides for a commonality and a sense of belonging. Naturally, children tend to take it all literally. Why spoil their fun Mr. Grinch?

  • The NSA Snowden tracker, watching Edward Snowden as he travels around the world, bringing transparency to all the good and bad little boys and girls and agencies across the Internet. Merry Christmas, Edward!

  • Back in the eighties and nineties, the only organization who could even feasibly track Santa was the military, because they had the radar and private companies like Google did not own their own satellites taking pictures of the whole globe 24 hours a day. Nowadays, the idea that Google would do just as good a job of monitoring Santa as NORAD, is not far fetched.

  • Some might prefer a Santa tracker that's not connected to a military organization. Of course, some might not feel one connected to a giant company is necessarily preferable.

    Maybe Santa will offer an app

  • A friend's kid was watching the tracker. His network glitched and for a minute he got the [X] icon instead of the sleigh image. He started crying that Santa got blown up.

  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • Today Google is a household word and a name associated with bleeding-edge technology.

    There was a time, however, when NORAD was second perhaps only to NASA as the brand most associated with advanced technology, at least among names that would be familiar to children.

  • NORAD and Google report different path and different count of gifts distributed. Does that means there are more than one Santa Claus? That would explain how he manages to cover the world within one night.
  • We always used the NORAD site in the past. However this year, it no longer loads up and has an Internet Explorer icon in the upper left corner. It appears that the site is incompatible with standards browsers like Firefox and Chrome. Oh well, I guess we will use the Google tracker instead, which is compatible and works fine in ALL browsers. Sad that they would shut out people from using the site.

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