Google: “We Didn’t Harm That Donkey In Botswana During Street View Recording” [Incl. Footage]
Many strange things have been seen on Google’s Street View application. Now they’ve been forced to answer about the fate of a donkey in Botswana that they may or may not have knocked over. They have of course denied knocking the donkey over.
Friday Morning Spice
Motlanthe book launch fires off ANC leadership race. Armstrong unfazed by doping maelstorm. Spear move sets ‘crucial precedent’. France’s Hollande promises pupils ‘no more homework’. Zuma calls summit in bid to end strike wave.
Bing Maps Show The CIA’s Secret Bin Laden Training Facility
Just yesterday we reported on the fact that Apple Maps had exposed a Taiwanese military facility, now, using information contained in a Navy SEAL’s book, someone found a satellite image on Bing depicting what is surely the training facility used for the assault on bin Laden’s Abbottabad compound in Pakistan.
Taiwan Asks Apple To Please Hide Secret Military Base Visible On Apple Maps
Apple Maps is in hot water yet again, this time not because some poor guy tried to get to Constantia and ended up in Turkey, but rather for revealing sensitive military information. Taiwanese authorities have asked Apple to take Google’s lead, and rather post low-res pics of sensitive places.
Iran Is Threatening To Sue Google Inc.
I know, today was supposed to be Facebook’s special moment, but when a sovereign state threatens to sue a corporation like Google, it’s sort of a thing. Especially when a sovereign state sues a corporation because of a disagreement over how a map should be labelled. Seriously.
Round-Up Of 2012’s Better April Fools’ Jokes
April Fool pranks played by people tend to be either cruel or embarrassing. April Fool pranks played by tech companies, however, are charming and endearing attempts at being funny for one day every year – and this year’s haul of PR stunts is actually pretty good. Check them out after the jump.
Google Street View In The Amazon Basin [VIDEO]
Last year, Google announced that it was sending its Street View team to the Amazon basin – and images from that trip are are now being made available on Google Maps. You probably won’t end up using it for directions, but there are some awesome panoramic images on display.
Google Offers Rare Glimpse Of Their Headquarters [PICS]
Internet giant, Google offered a brief look into their California headquarters yesterday. Photos taken inside the 500 000 square foot complex, along with this message were posted on the search engine’s blog: “You asked for it, you got it: here are behind-the-scenes pictures of the Googleplex.” Have a look at the full gallery – after the jump – to see how your office compares to that of Google.
Google’s New ‘Emergency Alerts’ Feature
Google has been saving up a tonne of creepy private information about you lately, which is unfortunate, but the company’s philanthropic arm just launched a new crisis response project to win back our hearts and personal data: emergency alerts on Google Maps.
Google’s Updated Streetview of Fukushima
True to the pledge it made back in July to digitally archive images of the parts of Japan affected by the March earthquake and tsunami, Google has uploaded imagery of post-earthquake Fukushima to Street View. They’ve also set up a ‘Build the Memory’ website which compares before-and-after shots of the affected towns.
Now Google Wants To Map Your Floor Plan Too
Last month, Google Maps’ Street View functionality started displaying photos of retail spaces’ interiors; now Google Maps itself is headed indoors, too, with a proposed Google Maps Floor Plans feature. This would mean Google maps of airports, shopping malls, and other buildings that you might somehow be able to get lost in.
Map Middle-East Protests With Google Maps and Twitter
It’s sort of hard to be on the internet right now without hearing about protests from whichever North African/Middle Eastern country is falling under the ‘freedom’ bandwagon, but this Google Maps/Twitter mashup contextualizes the online protest movement nicely – and in real time.
More Gems From Google Street View
Well, alright, I’ll level with you, one of these two awesome pictures is a fake. Except they’re both fantastic – one displaying a street-side birth, the other with a naked dude climbing out of the trunk of a car. So either way, you’ve got at least one fantastic thing being given to you by your friendly neighborhood stalker/search-engine. SFW, by the way.