Friday, November 05, 2010
NRO's Google game
Daniel Foster at NRO points out some clearly deliberate humor in the "Get Directions" function of Google Maps.
I tried it with similarly broad locations within the US, "Get Directions" from Kansas to Oklahoma and "Get Directions" from Kansas to Missouri. Since Kansas shares long borders with both states, the simplest and shortest directions between entire states would be "cross the border". In the Kansas City metro area, it can be even closer, since many streets and buildings straddle the border. I taught electronics in such a building, with the border running directly through my classroom. In that situation, my left hand and right hand were often in different states at the same time.
But no, Google has its own very specific ideas of where "Kansas" is, where "Oklahoma" is, and where "Missouri" is.
"Kansas" is a point along a country road between Lucas and Sylvan Grove, sort of near Ellsworth but nowhere near any houses or businesses.
"Oklahoma" is a similarly uninhabited point along a country road between Tribbey and Wanette, sort of near Shawnee.
"Missouri" is a similarly uninhabited point along a country road near Rolla.
None of those points are anywhere near the center of their states, which is where I'd be inclined to place them.
Tried a few other states, always the same. Well off the state's center, about a mile down a farm road from a T-intersection, far from major cities or towns.
Yet they aren't 'poles of inaccessibility'; in each of these states I could easily find places that are much farther from main routes. Possibly these Google centers are the places that require the maximum number of turns to reach from main routes? That would make sense in terms of stress-testing the Get Directions mechanism. ¶ 6:39 PM
I tried it with similarly broad locations within the US, "Get Directions" from Kansas to Oklahoma and "Get Directions" from Kansas to Missouri. Since Kansas shares long borders with both states, the simplest and shortest directions between entire states would be "cross the border". In the Kansas City metro area, it can be even closer, since many streets and buildings straddle the border. I taught electronics in such a building, with the border running directly through my classroom. In that situation, my left hand and right hand were often in different states at the same time.
But no, Google has its own very specific ideas of where "Kansas" is, where "Oklahoma" is, and where "Missouri" is.
"Kansas" is a point along a country road between Lucas and Sylvan Grove, sort of near Ellsworth but nowhere near any houses or businesses.
"Oklahoma" is a similarly uninhabited point along a country road between Tribbey and Wanette, sort of near Shawnee.
"Missouri" is a similarly uninhabited point along a country road near Rolla.
None of those points are anywhere near the center of their states, which is where I'd be inclined to place them.
Tried a few other states, always the same. Well off the state's center, about a mile down a farm road from a T-intersection, far from major cities or towns.
Yet they aren't 'poles of inaccessibility'; in each of these states I could easily find places that are much farther from main routes. Possibly these Google centers are the places that require the maximum number of turns to reach from main routes? That would make sense in terms of stress-testing the Get Directions mechanism. ¶ 6:39 PM
