Barack OBama Events in your State or Zip Code Mapped!

Are you Barack OBama supporter/fan? Then check out this Google Maps Mashup of "Upcoming Barack OBama Events" in your Zip Code or State. The data source for this Google Maps Mashup is "barackobama.com".

What? Free Strawberry Daquiri at OBama event in Michigan!!

North Korea destroys water cooling tower at Yongbyon Nuclear facility

CNN is reporting that North Korea has destroyed a water cooling tower at Yongbyon Nuclear facility (Google Maps View shown below).

The massive implosion, which came at about 5pm local time Friday at the Yongbyon facility, was intended to be a powerful public symbol of a move to end nuclear activities by the Communist nation once branded a member of an "axis of evil" by U.S. President George W. Bush.

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Who in the world is Googling - "Eight Legged Freaks"?

Auckland, New Zealand and Phoenix, AZ top the list of cities searching for "Eight Legged Freaks" on Google. Check out my latest Google Maps Mashup which shows the top 10 cities for a given keyword search on Google. You can filter the search by country and by date (from last 30 days to January 2004)



And now who in the world is thinking about sex. Delhi, India and Chennai, India lead the list.

Google's desire to see the world Mapped!

And with that in mind Google's Engineers from Bangalore, India have come with a unbelievable tool - "GOOGLE MAP MAKER". What this tool does is

allows you and your peers to add, edit and moderate most features you see on maps including roads, lakes, parks, points of interest, businesses, cities and localities. You will be able to trace many of these features using satellite images; as you trace, maps are immediately updated.

As of now, you can build maps in the countries of Cyprus, Iceland, Pakistan, Vietnam and the Caribbean nations of: Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Grenada, Jamaica, Netherlands Antilles, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago

The power and utility of Google's Map Maker can be seen with this before and after images from cyclone ravaged Myanmar. Google had no data for Myanmar prior to the deadly cyclone hitting the area. With the help Map Maker now it has all the data. (via)

CRUNCHBASE now with GOOGLE MAPS

CrunchBase (developed and maintained by TechCrunch) is the free directory of technology companies, people, and investors that anyone can edit.

CrunchBase has created a Google Maps Mashup of Company and financial organization headquarters. From TechCrunch

Say you’re checking out Yelp and want to see just where the company is located and what other startups are nearby. You can click on the [map] link next to Yelp’s address and its headquarters will show up among its 50 closest neighbors, including Kongregate the building over and Slide just a few blocks away.

Furthermore, you can now browse by City, State, Zip Code, or Country. Or choose an arbitrary location and map all of the results within a certain range (e.g., all the startups within 10 miles of Sydney, the 165 companies in Manhattan, or the VCs on Sand Hill Road).

maps.google.com

This is Great!!. Just noticed a huge spike in traffic from maps.google.com and the reason is that they not only have a link to "Elections '08 Gallery" which has 2 of my maps (OBama and McCain "Journey of Life"), it also has under the "Browse Popular Maps", my "New 7 Wonders of the World Google Maps Mashup". Here's a image from maps.google.com.

MIBAZAAR's OBAMA and MCCAIN's Google Maps based journey gets notable mentions

Yesterday The Google LatLong Blog announced the official release of "Elections '08 Map Gallery" where they list political maps through which you can learn about this year's race for the United States Presidency and also you can

show off your favorites by embedding them around the web for the world to see.

4 of the maps (Primary Results, Twitter, Search Queries, and Campaign Trail) were made by Google itself. In addition they mentioned 2 of my maps (OBama and McCain's map based journey).

Another HUGE mention was in TECHCRUNCH in a post titled "Google Maps Gets Political" where my OBAMA map has been embedded.

Another mention I noticed via stats to my site is from Radio Canada.

Also noticed in NEWSDAY.

Jump in Worldwide Blogger Arrests

University of Washington annual report states that there have been 64 Blogger Arrests worldwide since 2003. Majority of these arrests took place in the Middle East and Asia with some in North America and Western Europe. Majority of the arrests were due to (Using Blog to organize or cover Social protest (15), Violating Cultural Norms (14), Posting comments about Public Policy (12).

Here's a Google Maps view of where the arrests have taken place with details on number of arrests and reasons for arrests.

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Tim Russert - "one of the premier journalists of our time"

Tim Russert - Host and Moderator of NBC's "Meet the Press" passed away at a young age of 58. Tim passed away on June 13, 2008 just couple of days before "Father's Day".

Tom Brokaw of NBC describes Tim Russert as "one of the premier journalists of our Time". Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) noted that Russert

"was a loyal and loving son," as well as "a devoted husband and father. He was one of the smartest, toughest television news journalists of all time" and an astute student of American politics."

"I can say from experience that joining Tim on 'Meet the Press' was one of the greatest tests any public official could face, Regardless of party affiliation, he demanded that you be straight with him -- and with the American people who were watching."

I have attempted to map out Tim Russert's journey on Google Maps. My information source was wikipedia. Do let me know if any corrections/additions are needed.

Google Maps Street View comes to Ann Arbor, MI

Ann Arbor, MI is among 37 new cities added by Google Maps Street View. This on Google Maps Street View's 1st Anniversary. (more at Google LatLong Blog)

Here's a Google Maps Street View of Michigan Stadium, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor,MI

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Improved Browsability in Google Maps

Google LatLong Blog is reporting that "Richer Data automatically appears in the left panel on Google Maps". What this means is that now you can see a picture (of what you are searching) or read snippet from a review, and you are just one click away from voicing your own opinion by clicking the "Write a Review" link.

Here is an example I tried out. For example I am visiting Mountain View, California and I am craving for "Chicken Curry". So I head over to Google Maps and type in "Chicken Curry near Mountain View, California". Snippet from a review has been circled. Just above that you have "Write a Review" link.

A First - The 44th United States President's Birth Place not in lower 48 states

For the 1st Time in United States History a United States President's Birth place would not be in lower 48 states. Take a look at this Google Maps Mashup I had put together a while ago which shows birthplaces of United States President. All the markers are in lower 48 states. This will change on January 20th, 2009, with the 44th President being either born in Honolulu, Hawaii (Senator Barack Obama) or Coco Solo Naval Air Station, Panama Canal Zone (Senator John McCain)

See Walt Disney World in 3D on Google Earth

Google Blog is reporting that

Walt Disney World Resort in 3D, an interactive, virtual Walt Disney World has been completely recreated on Google Earth. This revolutionary project features 3D models of four Orlando theme parks and more than 20 of Disney’s Resort hotels. Incredible in scope -- containing over 1,500 3D models -- Walt Disney World Resort in 3D is the most detailed 3D rendering undertaken on Google Earth to date

Also check out this awesome video put together by GEarthBlog which gives you a quick tour of 3D Disney World Magic Kingdom.

Trip Planning made easy with Google Maps

Just in time for your Summer Vacation...

Check out this video put together by folks at Google which shows you how easy it is to create Travel Maps using Google Maps. It shows you how to create placemarks of your travel destination, take a scenic route to your travel destination, check out the area around your travel destination, add photos to your map, find hotels near your desired location and finally share the map you have created with friends. (via Google LatLong Blog)

Top Finishers in National Spelling Bee Competition - 2008

The 81st National Spelling Bee just concluded in Washington D.C. Sameer Mishra of West Lafayette, Indiana was the winner, followed by Sidharth Chand of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Here's a look at Top 12 finishers on Google Maps (includes information on words spelled incorrectly)