Watch Bill Drive from San Francisco to LA

by Justin Glow on

This might not be up for long, but it’s worth a mention. Bill Snitzer, a tech guy over at BitGravity has a webcam hooked up to some sort of mobile Internet device and is live broadcasting his drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Below the video feed is a embedded Google Map that shows his exact location.

It might not be the most entertaining thing in the world to watch, but it’s an impressive display of what technology can do these days. “But how is this different than ‘Internet lifecaster’ Justin.tv?” you might be asking. Well, it’s not, I guess… but the Google Maps integration is what sets this apart from the rest. Very cool. [via]

Easily Embed Google Maps

by Justin Glow on

Google has recently announced the ability to embed a Google Map into a website without having to use their API. Though not as powerful, the embed feature is much easier to use. It works much like embedding a YouTube video — just copy the source code and paste. Here’s how you do it:

  1. Load up a map.
  2. Click “Link to this page” in the top, right-hand corner.
  3. Copy the HTML provided.
  4. Paste into your favorite web editor.

You can bet you’ll start to see more custom Google maps showing up on Gadling in the near future as we work out the kinks and figure out the best way to use this nifty new feature. Check out an example after the jump. [via]


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Google Maps Street View Circa 1907

by Justin Glow on

I’m sure by now most of you have heard of or even played around with the new Google Maps Street View. If you’ve been reading Gadling for even a few months, you’ll know that we gushed about the feature on numerous occasions. (1, 2, 3, 4)

It turns out that Google wasn’t the first to develop this technology. (And no, I’m not talking about Amazon.com’s A9 or whatever it was called.) Way back in 1907, before conventional road atlases were made, Rand McNally released “Photo Auto-maps” which gave drivers a visual pathway for navigation, much like the Google Maps Street View of today.

Cool! [via]

Flickrvision 3D: Maps Images on 3-Dimensional Globe

by Justin Glow on

Here’s a Friday time waster if there ever was one. Flickrvision (previously on Gadling here) has released a new 3D version of it’s popular Flickr-Google Maps mashup interface. Instead of the flat world map of Flickrvision standard, 3D displays recently-uploaded Flickr images on a Google Earth-looking globe.

This is dangerous; I could literally spend hours watching new bubble pop up in different locations around the world. There’s also options to adjust the tilt, zoom and make it full screen. If only this could be ported into a screen saver, I’d be set.

Flickrvision 3D [via]

Seinfeld Via Google Maps

by Erik Olsen on

It pains me to think that there will come a time when people think of Seinfeld the way I now think of, say I Love Lucy. Already, you watch some of those older episodes and the pictures a bit faded, the styles dated and even some of the jokes a bit worn. I don’t want Seinfeld to get any older. I want to show to range in my thoughts as fresh as the bread I buy at the local bakery. Having lived in New York for the last (almost) eight years, I feel like Seinfeld and New York are one, and to see the show get old kind of makes me feel old.

All of that is a long preamble to a nice little Google mash up I saw over at Gothamist that refreshes the Seinfeld allure, if just for a moment. The map shows many of the spots in Manhattan where various scenes and episodes took place. Take, for example, Jerry’s apartment on 81st and Columbus, where, the map tells us, Jerry actually DID live while here doing stand up. And, of course, the location in mid-town of the infamous Soup Nazi, who has made quite a little business keeping that character alive. So, good stuff for Seinfeld fans and New Yorkers alike.