Location fun

By stoat on November 2, 2016.

This will be old hat to most people but I've discovered two funky new location-type things today.

Number one, after I got a puncture and so needed a taxi back home, was getting a text from the taxi company saying "your driver is 2 mins away; click this to track him" whereupon I did, and got a cute Google map that showed him moving up the Milton road, stopping at all the traffic lights. I haven't tried Uber; I presume it is similar.

Number two was after I discussed with him how this was done. It is, of course, as I should have guessed but didn't, not a special hardware fit to the vehicle but just an app on a phone that tells Control where he is. And he pointed out that I could do the same, most easily on Google+. So I turned it on, and lo! Now I can see where my daughter is and she can see where I am.

Don't worry, the niceness won't last. Another inflammatory post of a political nature will be along Real Soon Now.

Refs

* Card Game Based on the Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma
* America Can Run Trade Deficits Forever

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You've probably already seen this, but I think it's pretty cool as location things go. What3words.com

> Now I can see where my daughter is
and so can everyone else? No, I'm not looking ....

[You can choose who you share with, in some sense that can refer to G+'s "circles", but it doesn't quite work right. She's currently at school, if you're interested ;-) -W]

By Hank Roberts (not verified) on 04 Nov 2016 #permalink