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Time flies in Google Earth’s biggest update in years

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351–360 of 436 posts

Re: Time flies in Google Earth’s biggest update in years

#351
post #348

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you seriously suggesting that every mention of a negative issue needs to be a self contained and cited polemic piece? Stop being absurd. If you want to talk specifics, make a specific objection, or at least narrow in on an issue you want to get into in more depth.

Sometimes it's better not to respond, gbrown.

You’re probably right.

Re: Time flies in Google Earth’s biggest update in years

#352
post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What headset did you use?

I don't know about the GP, but I use a Quest 2.

Also not OP, but I use Vive Cosmos.

I'm very happy with it and haven't experienced the tracking issues others complain about.

At work I've previously tried some of the early oculus dev versions, the original Vive, and the PSVR. The Cosmos was the first which felt like a really great product and not just tech with potential if it were a bit better.

Re: Time flies in Google Earth’s biggest update in years

#353
post #338

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Technology enthusiasts (read: HN users) may not like it, but it's a business practice that's working as intended. Sometimes Google may seem shortsighted but often times they're just measuring the market correctly. I worked on AR/VR at Google and the projects have mostly paused because there's no visible financial benefit. No one in the real world cares enough about VR to justify it as a business. We prototyped hundre…

Thanks for commenting - like others, I'm a big VR fan and hugely perplexed by how Google has walked away from it. Leaving us with Facebook is a horrible outcome and locked-in Apple not much better. Even if I'm disappointed by what you say, its really helpful to know this was the thought process within Google. I guess I think Google is taking a huge risk here by taking their hat out of the ring so early. Even if other…

Oculus isn't your only alternative. I've been very happy with Vive, especially the Cosmos, and I've heard great things about Valve's Index.

If you're on more of a budget the PSVR is quite good if you happen to have a PS4.

Re: Time flies in Google Earth’s biggest update in years

#354
post #121
post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can say the same thing about ant colonies. I think it's probably just what anything that groups and branches around resource deposits looks like. If I recall slime molds are optimal planners regarding surrounding resources so it just sounds like a natural optimality to me. I'd be more interested in what you think it "should" look like for an "advanced" species besides optimal? Looking at it is disparagingly is we…

> I'd be more interested in what you think it "should" look like for an "advanced" species besides optimal? An advanced species would recognize the uniqueness and importance of the natural world, and would fence off huge sections of it to protect it for future generations.

Are you saying humans aren’t a part of the “natural world”?

Re: Time flies in Google Earth’s biggest update in years

#355
post #243

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The two biggest "wow" reactions I ever heard at Google's company wide meetings were from the Keyhole/Google Earth demo right after they were acquired, and the first Google Maps demo with scrollable maps. IIRC the Keyhole demo started with the full planet view from space and then did a smooth continuous scroll into the Grand Canyon. Pretty mindblowing back in 2005 or thereabouts.

Interesting to think: What demos are happening now that elicit a similar response?

There have been a few but they were mostly marketing bullshit. The google glass announcements impressed many even though they never delivered the initial demo. There was also that demo where they showed googles AI calling a store for you to book a haircut which also ended up being fake and never delivered.

Re: Time flies in Google Earth’s biggest update in years

#356

What's really striking to me about timelapse videos of the Earth is how, at a grand enough scale, the growth of human settlements on Earth really looks no different than the growth of bacterial and fungal colonies on Petri dishes. We think of ourself as special, as having conquered environments, technology and more - and when zoomed out you could explain everything we've built and accomplished as the achievements of…

If you see humans as vermin, why don't you stop being a hypocrite, follow your words and commit suicide?

Virtue signalling and hypocrisy. It always amuses me how many people fall for it.

Here is some little inspiration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMCFoudyYxQ&ab_channel=ITSTa...

Re: Time flies in Google Earth’s biggest update in years

#357
post #83

I kinda wish that there was a timelapse for Google search. Search seems to be heavily biased towards stuff popular right now. It seems older things disappear fairly quickly. I've been in a position where I wanted to search for a website that was popular in 2012 without having the exact name, and having to find an old forum post that linked to it to find it.

Google Search does let you limit the results to old sites (though I realize this isn't quite equivalent).

A bit off topic: The Google's feature requires me to input date on MM/DD/YYYY format even though locale is ja-jp (We NEVER use it). When I just wrongly input "2021/04/16" to field and search, they even don't show format error, but show the result of 184/05/04. What??? I believe it never tested by locals. I've sent report but of course no response.

Re: Time flies in Google Earth’s biggest update in years

#358

What's really striking to me about timelapse videos of the Earth is how, at a grand enough scale, the growth of human settlements on Earth really looks no different than the growth of bacterial and fungal colonies on Petri dishes. We think of ourself as special, as having conquered environments, technology and more - and when zoomed out you could explain everything we've built and accomplished as the achievements of…

This is a really sad (and rather disgusting) comment. Your comment takes an incredibly depreciating view of humanity, and it ignores / rejects the beauty and wonder of humans, by comparing us to bacteria. Humans are the peak of Earth life; humans are the most glorious form of life that’s existed on this planet. I agree with everything that the user Grimm said in reply to you. I have no clue why such a horrible, repulsive, and repugnant comment would be the most-upvoted/top comment on HN.

Re: Time flies in Google Earth’s biggest update in years

#359
post #324

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Congratulations, you've discovered that I'm commenting on an internet forum rather than submitting something for publication. My assessment is based on my own reading, and on being involved in conservation efforts and trying to stay educated generally. Sorry I didn't prepare a set of bullet points for you, and instead went with an informal an easily intelligible lay summary. To the best of my knowledge, my language (…

It's not an easily intelligible lay summary because the meaning could be anything. It only conveys emotion, not knowledge about nature. I suppose you're being an activist trying to convert people to your religion of doom. In that case, you do need to convey emotions like fear to fool people into imagining things are unboundedly bad. Quantitative predictions put a cap on how bad it is so they're not as scary as the un…

"I'm sorry Ms Smith but you have a tumour. The good news is that it is completely operable - at the moment. The bad news, well, until we can measure every conceivable metric relating to this tumour, and unless we can determine every conceivable path its progression might take, we are very reluctant to operate. We have chosen, instead, to wait until the outcome of this cancer is more certain and, having weighed these against the small but measurable risks of surgery, that we are comfortable that we are certain of the benefit surgery will provide."

"And when will that be?"

"Well, not to beat around the bush, but when the cancer has metastisized and is about to kill you, we will be certain enough of the benefit of surgery now. Yes, this will likely result in your death, but to move before we have solidified all of these variables to a five-sigma measure would be allowing too much emotion into our descision making."

Re: Time flies in Google Earth’s biggest update in years

#360
post #219

What's really striking to me about timelapse videos of the Earth is how, at a grand enough scale, the growth of human settlements on Earth really looks no different than the growth of bacterial and fungal colonies on Petri dishes. We think of ourself as special, as having conquered environments, technology and more - and when zoomed out you could explain everything we've built and accomplished as the achievements of…

"Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment but you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a c…

This was the first thing that came to my mind!!
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