William Quincy Belle

On February 23, 2015, I received an email from Google announcing a change of policy about sexually explicit materials. If you didn't remove such content by March 23, you ran the risk of Google hiding your blog. I don't post porn per se, but I have posted some images one could classify as erotic. I like to think of them as naughty and nice. I don't write erotica, but I have written about sex in more of a scientific, researched manner. At times, I have spoken about my own experiences to illustrate a point.

Was I going to see my blog disappear? Would I have to go through the herculean effort of transferring a zillion blog posts from Blogger to some other system? Talk about fretting. I need another thing on my plate like I need a hole in the head.

Just four days later, Google reverses its decision.

From Google's Social Product Support Manager, Jessica Pelegio, as of February 27, 2015 at 2am (?)

Hello everyone,

This week, we announced a change to Blogger’s porn policy. We’ve had a ton of feedback, in particular about the introduction of a retroactive change (some people have had accounts for 10+ years), but also about the negative impact on individuals who post sexually explicit content to express their identities. So rather than implement this change, we’ve decided to step up enforcement around our existing policy prohibiting commercial porn.

Blog owners should continue to mark any blogs containing sexually explicit content as “adult” so that they can be placed behind an “adult content” warning page.

Bloggers whose content is consistent with this and other policies do not need to make any changes to their blogs.

Thank you for your continued feedback.

The Blogger Team


This is where I wipe my brow and breathe a sigh of relief. The world has been saved. My world has been saved. When the elephant stomps its feet, the mouse can only try to stay out of the way. There is no choice. However, it would seem a bunch of mice, many mice, can sway the elephant and make it change its mind.

When I first wrote about Google's decision, I looked at other platforms like WordPress.Com and Pinterest which allow the erotic, but stop short of permitting what's sexually explicit. Tumblr, now owned by Yahoo, takes a very reasonable and I would say mature adult approach to the whole question. If you object to materials on Tumblr, it is your responsibility to not look. Yes, Tumblr is not going to censor the materials, you have to censor yourself. Like Blogger, Tumblr does have an "adult content" setting and requires publishers to adhere to the policy of marking one's materials for adult consumption only, but from there, it would seem just about anything is permitted. Out of curiosity, I Googled various topics on Tumblr to see how outrageous outrageous really is and found images and video for anal fisting, urolagnia (golden showers), and coprophilia (scat or defecating). Heck, I was worried about my blog being censored? Holy cow! (By the way, I am always amazed at the depth and variety of human sexuality. I don't condemn as long as it's "safe, sane, and consensual". Personally though, I'll stick with something a little more pedestrian.)

I'll end by repeating what I said when this all started. In our culture, moralists look upon sex as a dangerous, corrupting influence but seem to have no qualms about violence.

A TV network censored a sequence of John Steinbeck's The Red Pony, which showed a mare giving birth, but broadcast the rather hideous sequence from The Godfather showing a beheaded horse. - Youth, Sex and the Media, CyberCollege: quoted in my blog: Censorship: Kill me but no sex please - Oct 29/2010

Norman Herr, Professor of Science Education at the California State University states using data from A. C. Neilson:
The average child will watch 8,000 murders on TV before finishing elementary school. By age eighteen, the average American has seen 200,000 acts of violence on TV, including 40,000 murders. -quoted in my blog: Censorship: Kill me but no sex please - Oct 29/2010

Are we concerned about the right things?

Tony Campolo (b 1935), Baptist minister, American sociologist, author, public speaker
"I have three things I'd like to say today. First, while you were sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition. Second, most of you don't give a shit. What's worse is that you're more upset with the fact that I said shit than the fact that 30,000 kids died last night."
-quote from The Progressive, Aug 2005

2015-02-28

Site Map - William Quincy Belle

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Postscript: Feb 27/2015 below

March 23, 2015. That's the deadline set by Google to remove offending content or have one's blog marked as private, and therefore made inaccessible to the general public. At least Google is not deleting the blog, so an author can recover the content and move elsewhere.

In my posting "Google Blogger: Adult Content Policy" (Feb 24/2015), I compared this change to WordPress and Pinterest, both of which restrict such materials and pointed out how Tumblr, although owned by Yahoo, follows a policy of if you don't like some content, don't look at it. Yes, they are not going to censor the content you don't like, they are telling you to self-censor by not looking at said content. I also pointed out the contradiction of embedding the Fox News clip (Feb 3/2015) of the ISIS video of captured Jordanian pilot Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh being burned alive and nobody would say anything about my blog. Sex must be censored for the public good, but if you can't stomach the violence, it is up to you to self-censor by turning the channel. Tumblr's approach is deemed common sense to everything except sex.


The Passionate Wife
This web site, "written by Tracey…an unapologetic sexual and sensual enthusiast, an advocate of pleasure and eroticism and of course, a very passionate wife", shows in its About the following:

“The Passionate Wife” is an erotic guide for couples interested in cultivating sexual desire, passion and peak sexual experiences in their marriage or long-term relationship.

While the content of the site, both written (articles and erotica) and images, is about sex and consequently sexually charged, the tone is classy, inspiring, and educational. It ain't porn. Well, I say porn per se, but it is pretty evident that one person's titillation is another person's scandalous slide into the salacious scum of sinful smut. The censor is altruistically trying to stop you from going to hell.

The Passionate Wife is on Pinterest, which is testimony I'm guessing that her content is deemed fit for public consumption by Pinterest: Content Policies.


I am guessing, however, that some puritan do-gooders, keepers of the flame, and protectors of the purity, have attempted to "shut her down". The opening page of The Passionate Wife shows the following pin on just about all the boards.


I do my best to take sexuality from crass to class...but it seems others do not see it as such and have reported me. -The Passionate Wife

I return to the policy of Tumblr: if you object to it, don't look at it. I see, though, that for some, it's not a question of not looking at the content, it's a question of the content even existing at all.

But what about the children?
Dunderhead me, I am missing the big picture, the most important part of this whole debate: the children, those tender souls being negatively influenced by a cultural tsunami of perversion.

A TV network censored a sequence of John Steinbeck's The Red Pony, which showed a mare giving birth, but broadcast the rather hideous sequence from The Godfather showing a beheaded horse. - Youth, Sex and the Media, CyberCollege: quoted in my blog: Censorship: Kill me but no sex please - Oct 29/2010

Norman Herr, Professor of Science Education at the California State University states using data from A. C. Neilson:
The average child will watch 8,000 murders on TV before finishing elementary school. By age eighteen, the average American has seen 200,000 acts of violence on TV, including 40,000 murders. -quoted in my blog: Censorship: Kill me but no sex please - Oct 29/2010

If you're like me, this is where you say, "What???"

pandodaily - Feb 24/2015
Silicon Valley’s War on Sex continues as Google bans adult blogs By David Holmes
Last summer, Google, under pressure by the “family values” group Morality in Media, banned “ads that promote graphic depictions of sexual acts. ... Now, Google is taking its anti-sex stance even further by banning public blogs hosted on its Blogger platform that feature “sexually explicit or graphic nude images or video.””

Wikipedia: Morality in Media
Morality in Media, Inc. (MIM) is an American, non-profit organization that was established in New York in 1962. MIM seeks to raise awareness about what they regard as the harms of pornography and other forms of obscenity to individuals, families and society. MIM also works through constitutional means to curb traffic in material they consider obscene and uphold what they view as Judeo-Christian standards of decency in media.

Final Word
Google's mission statement from the outset was "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful," and its unofficial slogan was "Don't be evil." (Wikipedia) Has something changed? When you are one of the largest tech companies, and some would argue one of the most influential, what you do is felt far and wide. If I think your stuff is lewd, I am only one person. But if Google thinks your stuff is lewd, see you on March 23. Actually, I won't see you on March 23.

In Google's original email, they wrote:

We'll no longer allow blogs that contain sexually explicit or graphic nude images or video. We'll still allow nudity presented in artistic, educational, documentary, or scientific contexts, or where there are other substantial benefits to the public from not taking action on the content.

Does that include me? Does that include sex bloggers who are, arguably educational? Does that include authors of erotica? Does that include erotic images? I'm not proposing going at it hot and heavy, but where's the line between (entertainingly) suggestive and well, that's not leaving much to the imagination? And who decides that question?

The 1958 French Film The Lovers, directed by Louis Malle currently enjoys a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In other words, this is a work of art.

Jacobellis v. Ohio (1964) narrowed the scope of the Roth decision. Justice Potter Stewart, in his concurrence to the majority opinion, created the standard whereby all speech is protected except for "hard-core pornography". As for what, exactly, constitutes hard-core pornography, Stewart said "I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description, and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it, and the motion picture involved in this case is not that." The film in question was Louis Malle's The Lovers. (Wikipedia: I know it when I see it)

See you all on March 23. Or not.


Postscript: February 27, 2015 at 2am

my blog: Google Blogger Reverses its Ban on Sexually Explicit Materials - Feb 28/2015

As of 2am, February 27, 2015, Google announced a reversal of its previous policy announcement. The tech giant will not censor any blogs.

This week, we announced a change to Blogger’s porn policy. We’ve had a ton of feedback, in particular about the introduction of a retroactive change (some people have had accounts for 10+ years), but also about the negative impact on individuals who post sexually explicit content to express their identities. So rather than implement this change, we’ve decided to step up enforcement around our existing policy prohibiting commercial porn. Blog owners should continue to mark any blogs containing sexually explicit content as “adult” so that they can be placed behind an “adult content” warning page. Bloggers whose content is consistent with this and other policies do not need to make any changes to their blogs.


References

my blog: Google Blogger: Adult Content Policy - Feb 24/2015
On February 23, 2015, I received "the email".

National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCSE), formerly Morality in Media (MIM)
About Us: Founded in 1962, National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCSE), formerly Morality in Media (MIM), is the leading national organization dedicated to opposing pornography by highlighting the links to sex trafficking, violence against women, child abuse, and addiction.

Our Mission: Defending human dignity. Confronting sexual exploitation.

Our Vision: All individuals have a right to be free from the effects of pornography and all other forms of sexual exploitation.

NCSE: #FiftyShadesIsAbuse
The Fifty Shades of Grey book series and franchise promote torture as sexually gratifying and normalize domestic violence, particularly violence against women. This type of material cultivates a rape and sexual violence culture and is now permeating our society.

my blog: Erotica vs. Pornography: What's the difference? - Jun 26/2013
Erotica vs. pornography. Good vs. bad. Desirable vs. vile. A welcome part of the human experience vs. all that is perverted in the world. ...The other day, somebody made a curious remark which made me stop and think. "I'm not big on porn, but I'm a big fan of erotic photography & art." What struck me as so odd about the above statement was that the person in question, a woman, is the author of erotic fiction. It was almost as if she had said, "I'm not big on sex (porn), but I'm a big fan of sex (erotica)." Maybe all roads don't lead to Rome.

2015-02-26

Site Map - William Quincy Belle

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On February 23, 2015, I received the following email:

Dear Blogger User,

We're writing to tell you about an upcoming change to the Blogger Content Policy that may affect your account.

In the coming weeks, we'll no longer allow blogs that contain sexually explicit or graphic nude images or video. We'll still allow nudity presented in artistic, educational, documentary, or scientific contexts, or where there are other substantial benefits to the public from not taking action on the content.

The new policy will go into effect on the 23rd of March 2015. After this policy goes into effect, Google will restrict access to any blog identified as being in violation of our revised policy. No content will be deleted, but only blog authors and those with whom they have expressly shared the blog will be able to see the content we've made private.

Our records indicate that your account may be affected by this policy change. Please refrain from creating new content that would violate this policy. Also, we ask that you make any necessary changes to your existing blog to comply as soon as possible, so that you won't experience any interruptions in service. You may also choose to create an archive of your content via Google Takeout (https://www.google.com/settings/takeout/custom/blogger).

For more information, please read here (https://support.google.com/blogger?p=policy_update).

Sincerely,

The Blogger Team

(c) 2015 Google Inc. 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043


Several years ago (2011? 2012?), Google made what I recollect as a similar pronouncement and the entire world, including yours truly, apprehensively waited for the cutoff date to find out if the omnipotent censor would take our blogs off-line. At that time, I believe the target was anyone advertising anything sexually explicit: porn sites, escorts, phone services, etc. I don't do that, but I was still apprehensive about some faceless person somewhere taking offense at something I posted. This time, the target seems to be images or videos which are sexually explicit, but what constitutes "sexually explicit"? I don't post porn, but do some images, possibly defined as erotic, constitute sexually explicit? Once again, even though I don't think I'm doing anything wrong, is some faceless person somewhere going to slam down the gavel in a verdict without defense and my on-line blogging efforts will be cast into the eternal pit of shame?

I know it when I see it.
— Justice Potter Stewart, concurring opinion in Jacobellis v. Ohio 378 U.S. 184 (1964), regarding possible obscenity in the 1958 film The Lovers.


FYI: I have turned on the option on my blog for "Adult Content" which means anybody surfing to my site must first click on an option accepting that the materials are for adults. Somebody suggested Google sent the above email to anybody with this option turned on, not because they have materials falling under this new policy. True? False? I'm going to find out on March 23, 2015.

The Terms of Service link shown above, leads you to the following (as of February 24, 2015 at 2pm EST):

Our Services display some content that is not Google’s. This content is the sole responsibility of the entity that makes it available. We may review content to determine whether it is illegal or violates our policies, and we may remove or refuse to display content that we reasonably believe violates our policies or the law. But that does not necessarily mean that we review content, so please don’t assume that we do.


It's taken a couple of days, but I see the rest of world is waking up to Google's announcement.

ZDNet - Feb 24/2015
Google bans 'explicit' adult content from Blogger blogs by Violet Blue
Google will soon disappear blogs on its Blogger platform that don't conform to its new anti-adult policies. Every Blogger user behind an "adult content warning" page was told Monday by Google to delete sexually explicit content, or find their blog removed from every form of access except registered users. Until today, Google's Blogger platform previously allowed "images or videos that contain nudity or sexual activity," and stated that "Censoring this content is contrary to a service that bases itself on freedom of expression."

ZDNet - Feb 24/2015
Timeline: Google's role in global sex censorship by Violet Blue
Summary:While you were busy freaking out about government surveillance, censorship blossomed at the one corporation that has the most power to fight -- or enable -- suppression of speech: Google.


What's everybody else doing?
Below, I've copied the content policies of several on-line publishing platforms. While WordPress and Pinterest seem to be similar to what Google is enacting, Tumblr is truly open and free. They clearly state that if you don't like something, don't look at it. Tumblr isn't going to censor it; it is your responsibility to stop looking. While this makes Tumblr look like a rebel, I have to note that Tumblr is now owned by Yahoo. One would think if Google's move is spurred by the possible threat to their advertising by those people disapproving of questionable materials, why does Yahoo not feel the same way?


Tumblr is a microblogging platform and social networking website founded by David Karp and [as of 2013] owned by Yahoo! Inc. (Wikipedia)

Tumblr: Adult Content

Is adult-oriented content allowed on Tumblr?

Sure. We have no problem with that kind of stuff. Go nuts. Show nuts. Whatever.

What should I do if I don't want to see adult-oriented content?

For material on your dashboard, you should be judicious about who you choose to follow. If someone posts stuff you don’t want to see, whether it’s adult-oriented or not, don’t follow them. If you don’t want to see anything overtly sexual in your search results, just click the padlock in the upper-right corner. As long as it says “Hiding adult-oriented content,” you’re good. If a questionable post happens to sneak through, please do everyone a favor and flag it.

My blog contains adult-oriented content; what should I do?

If your blog contains nudity or adult-oriented content, please respect the choices of the people in our community and flag your blog as “adult-oriented” on your Settings page.


WordPress.com is a blog web hosting service provider owned by Automattic, and powered by the open source WordPress software. It provides free blog hosting for registered users and is financially supported via paid upgrades, "VIP" services and advertising. (Wikipedia)

WordPress: Mature Content
We do permit mature content on WordPress.com, including text, images and videos that contain nudity, offensive language, and mature subject material. However, blogs that contain such content must be marked as Mature in our system.

However, there are limitations to the mature content permitted on our service. Please don’t:

• Post sexual materials that can be considered pornographic, such as images or video of explicit sexual acts or close-up images of genitalia;
• Post links or ads to adult-oriented affiliate networks, such as pornography site signups;
• Post links, text, or images promoting or advertising escort or erotic services;
• Post images of extreme violence or gore without associated context or commentary;
• Post images of child pornography;
• Post content that promotes pedophilia, such as blogs with galleries of images of children where the images, content surrounding the images, or the intent of the blog is sexually suggestive.

Pinterest is a web and mobile application company that offers a visual discovery, collection, sharing, and storage tool. Users create and share the collections of visual bookmarks (boards). ... The site was founded by Ben Silbermann, Paul Sciarra and Evan Sharp. It is managed by Cold Brew Labs and funded by a small group of entrepreneurs and investors. (Wikipedia)

Pinterest: Content Policies
To keep Pinterest a place that everyone can enjoy, we don’t allow:

• Things that are inappropriate for the general public, like sexually explicit or pornographic Pins
• Hateful Pins or language that attacks a protected group or individual
• Anything that promotes mental, emotional or physical harm to yourself, others or animals
• Content that's fraudulent, deceptive or misleading

We do allow works of art and educational Pins, like you might see in a museum or classroom, on Pinterest. We also think Pinterest is a great place for discussing controversial or personal issues, but we ask that you be respectful and kind in the process.


Final Word
Fox News recently posted (Feb 3/2015) the ISIS video of captured Jordanian pilot Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh being burned alive. There's the option to embed the video on my blog, and I have no doubt that if I did so, Google would not say anything. I'm sure you see where I'm going with this. Violence is acceptable, but sex is not. Tumblr takes the approach that each one of us have to be responsible viewers and responsibility is not censorship, responsibility is self-censorship: don't look. It seems that Google has perceived this change in policy is necessary from a business point of view. And it is interesting how such a change is reflective of the current American culture: sex must be censored, not violence.


Postscript: February 27, 2015 at 2am

my blog: Google Blogger Reverses its Ban on Sexually Explicit Materials - Feb 28/2015

As of 2am, February 27, 2015, Google announced a reversal of its previous policy announcement. The tech giant will not censor any blogs.

This week, we announced a change to Blogger’s porn policy. We’ve had a ton of feedback, in particular about the introduction of a retroactive change (some people have had accounts for 10+ years), but also about the negative impact on individuals who post sexually explicit content to express their identities. So rather than implement this change, we’ve decided to step up enforcement around our existing policy prohibiting commercial porn. Blog owners should continue to mark any blogs containing sexually explicit content as “adult” so that they can be placed behind an “adult content” warning page. Bloggers whose content is consistent with this and other policies do not need to make any changes to their blogs.


References

my blog: Erotica vs. Pornography: What's the difference? - Jun 26/2013
Erotica vs. pornography. Good vs. bad. Desirable vs. vile. A welcome part of the human experience vs. all that is perverted in the world. ...The other day, somebody made a curious remark which made me stop and think. "I'm not big on porn, but I'm a big fan of erotic photography & art." What struck me as so odd about the above statement was that the person in question, a woman, is the author of erotic fiction. It was almost as if she had said, "I'm not big on sex (porn), but I'm a big fan of sex (erotica)." Maybe all roads don't lead to Rome.

my blog: Pornography: What is it? - Nov 9/2010
I know it when I see it. It may seem that simple at first glance but the further one delves into the question of defining what is acceptable and what is not acceptable, one realises that the subjective nature of the assessment is very much tied to the individual doing the defining. One man's pornography is another man's art... or innocuous pleasure.

my blog: Censorship: Kill me but no sex please - Oct 29/2010
Norman Herr, Professor of Science Education at the California State University states using data from A. C. Neilson: "The average child will watch 8,000 murders on TV before finishing elementary school. By age eighteen, the average American has seen 200,000 acts of violence on TV, including 40,000 murders."

2015-02-24

Site Map - William Quincy Belle

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On Friday, October 1, 2010, I read a news article that I found using Google's news service which states that Google Street View has come to the Antarctica. This means that the service is now present on all seven continents and covers 25 countries this week launching Ireland and Brazil.

As you may know, I am a fan of Google. (see my blog Google - June 6, 2010) Yes, I know there are other services, other search engines like Bing and Yahoo but my real point in extolling Google is the idea of all this information on the Internet being harnessed so it's available at my fingertips. I am certain that nobody under the age of 20 who has been born into this era could possibly imagine what the world was like pre-Internet. Hey, stone-age or what?

Open a separate tab in your browser so you can jump back and forth between reading the following steps and doing them:

1. Go to http://www.google.com
2. Click on Maps
3. On the left hand side, you'll see a vertical slider. Click a couple of times on the negative sign to zoom out. We want to see the entire world so you may have to drag the map to center it.
4. At the top of the slider, you will see the icon of a person. This is Google's "pegman" that you use to "peg" where on the map you want an image to be displayed. Hold down your mouse button and drag the icon onto the map. Don't let the button up!!!
5. The map will fill with both highlighted areas and points. These represent where Street View is available in the world.

N.B. The blue dots represent user submitted images that have been incorporated into Street View. Remember that it is the Street View cameras which offer 360 degree panorama as opposed to user photos.

Wow. The States and the most populated areas of Canada, the western nations of Europe, Japan and great chunks of Australia, South Africa. Plus points and points all over the map including the far North and now the Antarctica. I don't know about you, but I'm impressed. This is an amazing amount of information to have readily available.

This is Google's own default map of those areas covered by its Street View service: click here. Note that this map does not show the blue dots which are the additional user submissions.

What is Street View?
This is an addition to Google's maps and Earth View which provide panoramic views of streets in various city centres in the world. Using car mounted cameras, Google visits an area criss-crossing the streets with the results of providing 360 degree photographs. Try the following:

1. Go to http://www.google.com
2. Type in "CN Tower" and hit Enter.
3. You should now see a map of the centre of Toronto with a little pin symbol marked A.
4. On the left hand slider, at the top, place your mouse over the icon of the person, "pegman", and drag the symbol onto the pin marked A.
5. The map will then be replaced by a photograph, but not just any photograph. By holding your mouse over the photo and holding the mouse button down, you are able to "drag" the photo into a new angle. You can turn left or right, up or down and have pretty much a 360 degree view of the area.

You should end up with something like this: http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=cn+tower&sll=49.891235,-97.15369&sspn=33.258073,107.138672&ie=UTF8&hq=CN+tower&hnear=CN+Tower,+Toronto,+Toronto+Division,+Ontario&ll=43.641293,-79.387078&spn=0.008758,0.026157&z=16&layer=c&cbll=43.641183,-79.387164&panoid=wkdzZwHI7D7c4NW6IFyuLQ&cbp=12,10.03,,0,-9.1

The feature of Street View which is certainly missing from regular photographs, is that you can "move" along the streets. Holding your mouse over the photo brings up options to click on which displace the camera so you can look at an area from various points of view. You can literally "drive around" and like anybody in a car, you can swing the camera angle around 360 degrees just as if you were sitting in your car turning you head around to get a better view: quite an impressive offering to the public. And don't forget, this service is free!

Link
If you've never done this before, there is an absolutely fabulous feature of Google maps that extends to Street View. In the upper right of the map or Street View, you will see 3 buttons labelled Print, Send and Link. The Link option gives you a popup with the full URL of what it is you are currently looking at. By copying and pasting this URL, you can pass off to friends and loved ones exactly what you've found. I have found this to be a great way of sharing my trips, the things I've seen or even planning how to do the trip itself.

History
Google started this service in the U.S. in 2007 and the Wikipedia article contains some interesting details of the service and its history. I was amused about various people, groups and governments voicing concern over privacy issues. It was hilarious to discover amongst the first images taken according to an newspaper article dating from 2007, a man picking his nose on the street, protesters outside an abortion clinic and a man leaving a strip club. Google pointed out that they are merely taking pictures from a public area but has since introduced face blurring technology to its images to avoid any possible contentious issues about privacy. Of course, some governments in trying to protect their citizens from this so-called invasion of privacy, have either placed restrictions on Google's picture taking or just banned Google altogether as has the Czech Republic. - Aside: The Czech government has banned Google but oddly enough has permitted another service to do exactly the same thing. Go figure.

Where's my place?
Of course, I imagine everybody wants to see where they live; I certainly have checked out my current abode, the house where I grew up, etc. Since you don't know when Google may have sent their cars around snapping pictures - usually within the past 3 or 4 years - you sometimes end up with some funny results. One guy I know showed me his home and there was his dog sitting out on the front lawn. Another saw his previous car parked in the driveway. I saw construction in my neighbourhood which now as of this writing is completed. In any case, it is always a interesting to bring up photos of things you are familiar with. It's sort of like going back for a long awaited visit to a place you haven't been to in a while.

Fortunate or unfortunate? The Google car only drives on the street. When you see some place familiar, there may be an urge to explore further but unfortunately, Google images don't get off the beaten track to go behind buildings. When I visited my boyhood home, I would have loved to have gone into the backyard with which I am so familiar, but Google only took photographs from the street so I have to content myself with just looking at the front of the house. I suppose I could go back sometime but the new owners might phone the police on a 58 year old man wandering around their backyard!
Link to the above pic of the CN Tower

Street View: oddities
I have discovered a "plethora" - I just had to use that word. Ha! - devoted to the unusual in Street View. Many times when the Google Car passes by to snap some pics, it will inadvertently catch some bizarre things which make the reader wonder just what was going on.

I apologize for the following lengthy URLs but that is the nature of the beast when calling up Street View. Thank goodness Google offers that fabulous "link" option which gives you the URL of what Google maps, including Street View is currently showing you. Copy and paste into an email to pass along to friends and loved ones. Cool!

Pepsi truck turns into Coke truck: Montréal, Canada
You must move forward towards the Pepsi truck. Research has turned up that this phenomenon is merely caused by photos being taken at different times.
http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=3800+ontario+est,montreal&sll=49.891235,-97.15369&sspn=41.711424,114.169922&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=3800+Rue+Ontario+Est,+Montr%C3%A9al,+Communaut%C3%A9-Urbaine-de-Montr%C3%A9al,+Qu%C3%A9bec+H1W+1S4&layer=c&cbll=45.547142,-73.543563&panoid=kcGq_bAKrDDfp-xkyDYuIQ&cbp=12,113.57,,0,9.15&ll=45.547097,-73.543415&spn=0.035344,0.104628&z=14

Car with duct tape as its rear window, Barrett, West Virginia
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=BARRETT,+wv&sll=38.569643,-81.573486&sspn=2.267619,6.80603&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Barrett,+2,+Boone,+West+Virginia&t=h&layer=c&cbll=37.971202,-81.824975&panoid=9IYvKQn6AW6AglIEhNktiw&cbp=12,117.8,,0,8.2&ll=37.9712,-81.824863&spn=0.004204,0.013078&z=17

A nasty accident - West Palm Beach, Florida
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&layer=c&cbll=26.712239,-80.053563&panoid=_zaou8g6_XKsQjwkeI7e6w&cbp=12,327.45,,0,1.22&ll=26.712147,-80.053565&spn=0.009526,0.026157&z=16

The Google Camera Car stopped by the Ontario Provincial Police, Terrace Bay, Ontario
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&layer=c&cbll=26.712239,-80.053563&panoid=_zaou8g6_XKsQjwkeI7e6w&cbp=12,327.45,,0,1.22&ll=26.712147,-80.053565&spn=0.009526,0.026157&z=16

A couple of hams for the camera - Toronto
If you move down the street, these 2 kids stay just ahead of the Google camera car hamming it up for posterity.
http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=Toronto,+Ontario&sll=49.891235,-97.15369&sspn=50.672333,135.263672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Toronto,+Toronto+Division,+Ontario&t=h&layer=c&cbll=43.682461,-79.389232&panoid=T5iv8Ye4Clb_y7OK-IYG1g&cbp=12,88.45,,0,11.09&ll=43.682491,-79.389127&spn=0.003298,0.010568&z=14

A word of warning: These oddities and funny scenes do change. In researching this, I ran across pictures taken from Street View where people had "mooned" the Google camera car. However, when I double checked the link, Google had erased the offending... ah, posteriors. So, if you run across some "cheeky" little devil, make sure you check the original link to Street View. You may be disappointed to find that what was funny is no longer there.

Some additional thing to try
If you are unfamiliar with Google, its maps and other services, I would strongly advise you to take some time to explore what you literally have at your fingertips. Google offers a lot of services for free, working from a business model that uses advertising offered along with these free services. So far, the ads I find unobtrusive but considering what I've read about the size of the company, they certainly seem to know what they're doing.

On a map, you have 3 options in the upper right: Map, Satellite and Earth. Map and satellite are obvious but the Earth option is very interesting. This provides a 3D rendering of the satellite images with the ability of changing the angle and moving around objects to a certain extent. While Google Earth is available as a free downloadable piece of software, Google has managed to incorporate a subset of the offering directly into their on-line map feature.

For those of you like me who like to explore or should I saw prepare for a trip by finding out things about the region I'm going to visit, there are options under "More" which allow you to turn on and off resources to information about various places. Google provides links to Wikipedia articles, photos and videos, even transit and webcams. Before even visiting a place, I have a wealth of material to consult so when I step off the plane, I know a thing or two about what to do. Don't get me wrong, having a local guide is important. Our trip to Egypt (see my blog Egypt) was so much better using a local firm for local bookings and guides.

Final Word
I can't get over what Google is offering for free. This is amazing. I repeat that yes, there are other companies vying for advertising dollars by offering similar services but at the moment, Google is way out in front. My browser's home page being set up to the Google search screen is a testimony to my feeling familiar with their service and how my thirst for knowledge is easily quenched with a couple of keywords then a click on the button "Google Search". Having grown up in Canada during the 1950's, I repeat how well I know a world which was very, very different from the plugged in, on-line, World Wide Net, Facebook, Tweeter, YouTube era into which kids are now being born. My goodness, if things have changed this much during my lifetime (so far!), I wonder what awaits us on the road up ahead? [I bow sweeping my arm ahead as a gesture meaning "after you"] Ah, let's see what future holds for us all.  :-)


References

Wikipedia: Google Street View
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Street_View

my blog: Google
http://wqebelle.blogspot.com/2010/06/google.html

my blog: Egypt
http://wqebelle.blogspot.com/2010/06/egypt.html

2010-10-02

My home page is Google. I open my browser, Firefox and always start there. Any question which may come to mind during the day can be answered one way or another by typing in the appropriate keywords in the Google search bar. The trick is just finding the right keywords for my search.

I do not think about this all the time. I just accept naturally that I can type in these keywords and find stuff on the Internet. I don't necessarily think about Google; I don't necessarily think about the Internet. They are just there; they are just part of life.


I was born in 1952, the start of the age of television. As I grew up, whenever I did a school project, I referred to 2 important sources of information my father had made available to his children: a set of Encyclopaedia Britannica and a subscription to National Geographic. Sometimes I went to the public library but I think those 2 household items provided me with a lot of reference material.

I would say this is pretty much the state of affairs throughout my adult life. Personal computers came on the scene in the late 70's, becoming increasingly more important in the 80's and the 90's but it wasn't until the early 90's or the mid-90's that the Internet started to spread out amongst the general public. While search engines like Alta Vista have existed since 1995, it really was Google that managed to capture my attention.

I accept the existence of the Internet and Google as... well, they are just there. I am certain many people; especially younger people accept it as is without thinking much of what it was like when these things didn't exist and thinking what an impact such things have on us all.

Unlike my childhood where I was restricted for the most part of to Encyclopaedia Britannica and National Geographic, I now have access to... well, pretty much the entire world. Wow, I am plugged in and have access to what? A zillion sources of information? The reference power at my fingertips staggers my imagination. I am literally tapping into the expertise, the knowledge, the experience of everyone who is part of this on-line system. It's quite amazing.

Well, it's amazing for me. For the younger crowd, Ha! 1952 must seem like the dark ages... no the Stone Age! No Google? No Internet? Black and white TV? Ugh! How could anybody survive?


Back in 1998, I visited a music store with my eldest daughter, picking up a couple of CD's as a birthday gift. As we were standing at the counter, my daughter looked up and asked, "What are those things?" I looked up and immediately knew what they were. Somebody had attached a series of plastic disks to threads and left them hanging over the counter as decoration. However, the funny thing about these disks is that they were the plastic disks you would put in the large hole of a 45 record in order to play it on a turntable which was not equipped to play 45's. I realized my daughter, 25 years younger than me had never seen in her lifetime a 45 record much less this plastic disk. Everything in the store was CD's; records were a specialty item and didn't really exist in the mainstream anymore. I chuckled in thinking about this; about how quickly technical innovation supplants the past.

2010-06-08