Gizmodo Australia » street view

Take A Virtual Tour Through Google Street View On A Stationary Bike

Sean Fallon — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:20:00 +0000

Using a Vuzix headset, a laptop, Arduino and a bike sensor, Aki Mimoto was able to rig up his wife’s stationary bike to transport himself through a virtual Google Street View environment.

Of course, that means you wouldn’t have to sit staring at a wall or a TV while exercising — you could virtually travel down roads anywhere in the world. Unfortunately, the design needs some tinkering to be really usable — but it’s a fantastic concept that’s really worth pursuing. If there was a commercial product that got this right, I would probably be all over it. Hit the following link to learn how to do something like this at home. [Bako via Make]

Google Street View Captures Fire Truck Hit-And-Run On Old Lady

Sean Fallon — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:40:00 +0000

The latest adventure for the Google Street View car comes to us from the Netherlands, where it witnessed a fire truck mow down an innocent old lady on a bike.

Grotere kaart weergeven

Yeah, it looks like the fire truck just continued down the street like nothing happened. Look at her, in the classic “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” pose. Poor thing. Fortunately for the bike lady, Google did what fire fighters are supposed to do — come to the rescue. [Jalopnik]

Google Street View Driver Doomed To Map Hell For All Of Eternity

John Herrman — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:20:00 +0000

After careening into a wall outside of Rankin, PA, one Street View photographer has been trapped and condemned to send dispatches from a horrifying hellscape, forever. This is the highly empirical theory that the internet, and I, am sticking with.

As per the instructions by the gentleman on Reddit who found this anomaly, “click forward“. And as per my instructions, click forward again. And again, and again, and again. Again!

Then sputter a little prayer in Latin, exorcise your laptop, slaughter a baby goat, whatever you have to do to help this man escape this fiery, oddly typographical abyss, which never ends. (Except for when it does, somewhere around East Pittsburgh.) [Reddit]

DIY Google Street View Camera Lets You Infuriate Shut-Ins

Adam Frucci — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:20:00 +0000

Google’s spent millions of dollars sending its Street View cars around the world, photographing streets so you can see them on the internet. And now you can replicate this for some reason.

Created for a class at West Point, Roy D. Ragsdale created his prototype setup using a laptop, $US300 of off-the-shelf components and open source software. As he drives it around, it captures eight 1280×1024 jpegs that are then stitched together and uploaded to Google Earth.

It’s certainly impressive, and I can see how one could want to make Street-View-like images of private property. But for most of us, I think letting Google do the heavy lifting is working out just fine. [IEEE Spectrum via Make]

Google Street View Car Speeding Through Laguna Seca Racetrack

Jesus Diaz — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 02:30:00 +0000

Holy Mother of Steve McQueen! A crazy, perhaps strayed Google Street View got into the Laguna Seca Racetrack, chasing a badass group formed by a prepared Porsche, Corvette, Mazda, and—I think—an spiffy Audi.

View Larger Map

Faster faster, kill kill pussycat. [Thanks Alteredspeed08]

Hungry Google Street View Driver Directs You To Local KFC

Jack Loftus — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Google Street View see the Almighty, fights crime, and even does self-portraits. It’s a busy, relentless lifestyle. I guess what I’m getting at is… dude gets hungry once in a while, and you’re coming along for the ride.

Wait. What happened to West Pacheco? And how did Google Street View know I loved the Colonel’s delicious fried chicken?!

And now the Street View driver is helping me park, all while continuing to screw with my directions by saying I’m still cruising peacefully down West Pachero.

Well, we’re parked and ready for some finger lickin’ goodness (and still “on” Pachero). Let’s just hope no one actually uses Street View for, you know, legitimate directions—it’s no wonder that people are “directed” of a cliff every now and again. [Google Street View - Thanks, Eric]

Muggers Caught After Crime Was Captured By Google Street View

Dan Nosowitz — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 19:45:00 +0000

Last September, a 14-year-old Dutch boy was assaulted and robbed after being shoved off his bike. But with no evidence and no real idea who his assailants were, police were powerless—until the crime showed up on Street View.

The photo shows the boy being tailed closely by two men who matched the boy’s original description, but Dutch police actually had to send a formal request to Google to have the faces unblurred. When Google complied, a policeman recognised one of the men (actually twins) as a suspect wanted for similar robberies, and was able to finally make the arrest, six months after the crime.

So beware, felons: The Google cars are watching. [AP]

What It’s Like to Drive the Google Street View Van

Matt Buchanan — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:00:00 +0000

This is what it’s like driving the Google Street View van across the Golden Gate Bridge. Seems a bit choppy:

[Flickr via BuzzFeed]

Google Street View Discovers Rift in Spacetime Contiuum

Matt Buchanan — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 00:40:00 +0000

Pre-medieval warriors! Battling to the death! In Pittsburgh! (Appropriately, at Samsonia Way.) Obviously a serious tear in the spacetime contiuum, since it even replaced their iron weapons with modern foam-rubber. [Google Maps - Thanks tipster!]

iPod Touch Denied Street View, Other Google Maps Upgrades in Firmware 2.2

John Herrman — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:01:50 +0000

Our testing has confirmed that iPod Touch users do not get updates to their Google Maps app with firmware 2.2, which, at least on the iPhone, includes the addition of Street View as well as public transit and walking directions. The updated browser interface, podcast downloading and assorted other tweaks are all there, as was the requisite sacrificing of any jailbreak apps. Of course there may be a perfectly reasonable explanation for this, but until that’s given, Apple, it’s all pitchforks and torches. Or iPods and forums posts, I guess. [MobileCrunch]