Cabbies in NYC Say No to GPS

The city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC, get it?) wants to mandate GPS tracking. Cabbies and The New York Taxi Workers Alliance are protesting saying they do not need or want to be tracked. Big surprise, eh?

Google Maps Getting Localer Hacks

I’ve turned up two recent university related Google Map hacks. One from Tufts University (near me) is a basic campus map and second one does a craigslist sort thing (oodle is the company) specifically geared to my alma mater in Chicago. They even got the lingo right in the latter, referring to it as “U of C.” It’s all about the local scene and making it easier to use Google by simply zooming in on the area of interest does help.

Google Maps vs. MSN Virtual Earth

M. David Peterson tackles the two in a blog entry. There are screen shots and some details, but so far I think most of us have a current favorite in the one that begins with “G.” That said, the licensing from Microsoft may prove more liberal and be attractive. So far, it’s been rather quiet on the MSN Virtual Earth front, at least from what I’ve seen.

Geocaching Film

A new film GPS: The Movie, uses geocaching as the basis of a thriller. Set in Washington State, the plot revolves around a pair of geocachers who while hunting for a cache find “photographs of a masked woman tied to a chair along with a new set of coordinates.” The website claims the story is based in reality, though with a game associated with it, it sounds sort of hokey to me. I’ll wait for Richard Ropert and Roger Ebert to weigh in.

GPS Training Tools for Horses

A new system has been developed by engineering firm Cambridge Design Partnership, together with British Endurance Team member Dominique Freeman. “It combines a GPS receiver with biological and environmental sensors into a single lightweight package carried by the horse. The device can simultaneously monitor the horse’s performance, physiology and environmental conditions.” This is not so different from devices worn by human endurance athletes, so why not?