BBC mapping tool Dimensions creates unique mashups

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Ever wondered about the size of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome? Or the how long the infamous Running of the Bulls route is in Spain? The BBC has a great new mapping tool, called Dimensions, to help give visitors and interesting perspective on these unique sights, historical marvels and famous events. Dimensions drops the outline of famous cities, tourist hot-spots and historical points of interest onto a Google Maps view of any postal zip code, creating a uniquely personal context for these well-known places.

To give Dimensions a try, stop by the BBC’s new website, over at www.howbigreally.com. You’ll be presented with nine different topics to map, pulled from a mix of news topics and places: The War on Terror, Space, Depths, Ancient Worlds, Environmental Disasters, Festivals, The Industrial Age, World War II Battle of Britain and Cities in History. As you browse the various choices, dropping the maps onto your hometown, unique insights come to light. For instance, who knew the camp at Nevada’s Burning Man Festival was bigger than the Chicago Loop? Or that the circumference of the Moon is about as big as the entire United States?

BBC Dimensions isn’t just a fun toy. Taken in the larger context of journalism and travel, it represents an innovative way to put news stories and tourist destinations in perspective. Our experience of the world is ultimately derived from what we know. By helping us understand important places in a new way, BBC Dimensions makes the abstract something more than mere stories in a newspaper or photos in a guidebook. A new type of map to help us make sense of the world.

Airlines not alone in poor customer service studies

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The Airline Quality Rating report was released last week, exposing the five worst airlines in the United States. It’s fun to beat up on the airlines … as it is to beat up on other companies and industries notorious for poor customer service. So, this made me wonder just how the airlines stack up against everyone else.

Back in August, the American Customer Satisfaction Index rated hundreds of companies and came out with the results. Some airlines are in there, of course, but they aren’t alone. I took a look at the bottom of the barrel – 18 companies featured by Business Insider – and saw that the airlines were well-represented but far from dominant.

Telecommunications companies led the pack, accounting for a third of the list, with airlines next – four companies accounting for 22 percent. Banking followed with 17 percent. Strangely, social networking contributed two companies, with both Facebook and MySpace getting poor marks for customer service. Insurance, restaurants and utilities each contributed a company.

The airlines that got the nod will look pretty familiar: in fact, they’re four of the five identified in the Airline Quality Rating report. American Airlines took the #12 spot, immediately behind Facebook and MySapce. Delta and US Airways took the next two positions, with United Airlines at #17.

The worst company for customer service was AT&T Mobility, with DirecTV and Citibank behind it.

Maldives change wedding regulations after abuse of tourist couple

by McLean Robbins on

Renewing your vows in a tropical paradise sounds perfect, doesn’t it? But what if you were to discover that the words uttered during your ceremony weren’t “to have and to hold,” but slurs against your name, your country and your religion?

As we originally reported earlier this week, a couple renewing their vows on the island was mocked in the Island’s local Dhiveli language.

CNN reports that the Maldive Islands plans to announce new, stricter wedding laws after it was discovered that a couple participating in a vow renewal ceremony was insulted.

According to CNN, who researched the issue after seeing the video on YouTube:

the person conducting the ceremony calls them “swines” and “infidels” and says children of such a union will be “illegitimate,” according to a translation provided by the local Minivan news website.

At the end of the ceremony, the couple exchange rings and head to the beach to plant a coconut tree in the sand. At several points in the video, the officiant is heard cautioning the videographer to make sure he did not record the profanities.

The nation’s president, Mohamed Nasheed, condemned the incident and the government issued a statement saying that “no stone will be left unturned to ensure that an incident like this never happens again,” according to CNN.

Tourist hotels will soon have strict regulations concerning wedding ceremonies.

[Flickr image via nattu]

Photo of the Day (10.30.2010)

by Catherine Bodry on

What I love about this photo is what’s at the bottom of the waterfall, in that I wonder what’s there. It looks like the jungle got super thirsty and simply swallowed the creek. Otherwise, if I were those hikers, I’d definitely be hoping for a swimming hole. I also appreciate how the steep, rocky drop contrasts with the lush, rolling hills around it. This Southeast Asian scene was captured in the Philippines Guam by snowjumpr.

Have any photos that make might make us wish for a swimming hole at the bottom of our fantasies? Upload them to Gadling’s Flickr pool, and we just might choose one for our Photo of the Day feature.

Mt Everest now has cell phone service

by Kraig Becker on

Nepali cell phone company Ncell announced this week that they have activated a cell tower in Mt. Everest base camp, providing reliable 3G coverage on the mountain for the first time. To commemorate the launch of the service, the technicians completed the highest altitude video call ever from 5300 meters (17,388 feet) on the mountain.

Ncell’s service will replace expensive, and often unreliable, satellite phones, which can be easily disrupted by bad weather and technical issues. Sat phones have been the defacto standard on Everest for years but the new cell service offers not only improved voice communications, but also a relatively speedy data connection all the way to the summit, located at 8849 meters (29,035 feet). That data connection will allow for photos, audio, and even video to be shared by climbers.

The new cell tower won’t just provide coverage for climbers and trekkers on and around Everest however. It will also give Nepali citizens living in the Khumbu Valley the ability to make phone calls for the very first time. The remote region has few modern conveniences, but in a country that only has cell coverage for about a third of its people, this is a big step forward for communications. Ncell, and it’s partner TeliaSonera, plan to spend about $100 million to expand coverage to 90% of Nepal’s population by the end of next year. Considering the challenges of travel in the Himalaya, that will be quite a feat.

It is impressive that visitors to Mt. Everest can now make a phone call, even while standing on the summit. Now if only AT&T could eliminate the dead zones in my home town. Then I’ll be really impressed.