Funniest Comments About the New Google Maps

I'm going to preface this with a statement:

I like Google. Despite all the recent news, Google products are still wonderful. My site is built on Blogger, I still use Gmail, and of course, the search engine was a curse gift from the gods. I felt the same way about Maps right up the new version came out. It's almost as if they took the control away from engineers and gave it to someone with an art degree and just told them to f*ck it up as hard as humanly possible.

I'm hoping the changes were rushed to mask changes to the not-so-well-hidden SEO game that was going on the Maps results for years, because otherwise, this was one of the worst-planned updates I've ever seen and I'd prefer to give the Google guys a bit more credit than that.

All I'm saying is, the person in charge of the new Maps changes has been living in a bubble, and should consider moving over to Microsoft, where I'm sure his inability to conceive what the rest of the world beyond his backyard is like would be appreciated.


Anyway, my favorite comments about the new Google Maps from: What's the stupidest change you ever witnessed on a popular website? (all comments copied as is)

1.
Removing the distance measurement tool from google maps.

2.
How do you switch to classic view? I didn't realize that was an option and can't figure it out after clicking around for a few minutes?

(Response) https://support.google.com/maps/answer/3045828?hl=en

3.

"Guys, so there's this other navigation app people are using... Apple Maps. What do we do about this? How can we turn our perfectly awesome app into Apple Maps?"
"But sir? Isn't Apple Maps absolutely terrible?"
"Yes! But we must derive a plan to make our app equally shitty! Think people!"

4.
It's also crazy slow

(Response) Really want to be floored ? Try Bing maps... I swear it's instant. It's crazy. I just can't accept it.

5.
I just use Google Earth.

Indian Wedding Elephant Art - Free Desktop Wallpaper

Indian Wedding Elephant
Click for FULL SIZE
Posterized over gradient background and hand drawn accents in Photoshop
1600x1200px

Here's a free desktop wallpaper for anyone to use for non-commercial use - a traditional Indian Wedding Elephant piece that I made in Photoshop.

What Brands Would Survive in a World Without Advertising? (Reddit Discussion)

Add this stuff to your next plain cheese pizza slice and you'll see why Sriracha has an international fanbase.

There was an interesting thread on reddit's /r/AskReddit (a main sub) yesterday:

If advertising was made illegal (print, TV, internet ads, etc. not the packaging), which products do you think would survive based on customer loyalty, quality, or word of mouth?

http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/28e1w4/if_advertising_was_made_illegal_print_tv_internet/

The results seem to match what I've been telling people for years: No matter how you dress it up, no matter how much you polish it, nothing really ever beats word of mouth and true value in the end.

Some of my favorite comments (copied as is):

Jiffy mix sells over 55% of all muffin mixes in the United States and they don't spend a dime on advertising.
user megobits

WD40
Ain't nobody seen an advertisement for WD40 but everyone's got a can in the shed.
user Einsatzkommando

The main cigarette brands. If putting death notices on packets doesn't stop people, no advertising at all certainly won't!
user TheWindBelow

Pretty much any type of doctor / physician. If I see an internist advertising on a billboard, I probably will be less likely to go see them -0 but if a friend tells me that doctor is good, that means the world to me.
Also probably colleges / universities. Again, the good ones wont advertise much and just survive on reputation.
user Best_Zyra_LAN

arizona drinks, they are very popular but i dont think ive ever seen a ad for them
user awesomo213

Q-Tips because the cheap ones will fuck up your ears.
user rwildhorseranch

That Sriracha sauce that everyone uses. That company has never advertised. Their product is popular because of word of mouth, and nothing else.
user ElDochart

Their product is popular because of taste in mouth, and nothing else.
user IJustNeedToMention in response to above Sriracha comment

My thoughts:

These are all good points, and I personally think there would be a simulataneous upsurge in quality local shops and as well as a strengthening of brand loyalty to existing market leaders who have stood the test of time.  

Some Wise Words About Marketing and PR on the Internet by Gabe Newell

"Don't ever, ever try to lie to the internet because they will catch you. They will deconstruct your spin. They will remember everything you ever say for eternity."

Gabe Newell, the president of Valve (I've covered them before), telling it like it is. He and his company are among of the biggest names in video gaming, a fan favorite, and a huge thorn in the side of the classical businessmen and bean counters working at Electronic Arts.

What he says might not necessarily hold true for all businesses, but if you plan on marketing to the teen-to-early middle age group with any level of internet savvy on a topic they actually care about, take these words to heart - it might not be perfect, but the internet spite machine does not tolerate spin tactics and lying very much. If you want to know why you should respect the opinion of a fat dude who runs a video game company, think about it this way: he has taken on one of the most difficult to please, whiny, and unreasonable demographics to have ever existed, and made them love him. That's pretty darn impressive.

On a broader scope, we're rapidly approaching the era where owning up to mistakes and taking the time to fix them might actually be the more economically sound path for big businesses, and I'm both really excited and terrified to see what that's going to be like.

A Simple Picture Guide to Computer and A/V I/O Ports

Just something useful - as some one who frequently has to check boxes full of cables to fix other people's problems, here is a good picture of most of the input/output ports you'll see. It's a bit dated, so things like HDMI aren't on here, but this is still handy.

So many port styles!