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Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

bbc.com

521–530 of 693 posts

Re: Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

#521
post #487

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Whatever criticism Israel may or may not deserve over its current bombing campaign, you aren't going to convince anyone if you misuse phrases like "murdered in cold blood". That's just not what those words mean.

Can you explain why I am misusing the phrase? I believe it to be objectively accurate. Again, that phrasing might make people uncomfortable. as I wrote above. I understand that, and I understand why people desire to censor it. But I don't believe it's incorrect, which is another thing entitely.

You can have your beliefs, but that doesn't make them facts.

Meanwhile a cleptocratic regime is firing missiles at civlians using as launching pads hospitals, kindergartens or office buildings housing international journalists.

Re: Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

#522

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same reason that this conflict always gets the same optics in international media — jewish lives are worth less. At first, as you don't want to believe it, you argue, you investigate, you really try to find any sane reason that while these things are happening on ground with you and your family, everybody else still sees a different picture, and then you just come to realisation that there's no other explanation for…

I'm sorry to hear you're living through violence. That sounds horrible, and I hope you and your family are safe. I see you conflating criticism of the actions of the Israeli government with opposition to Jewish lives. They are not the same. I oppose the Israeli government's policies and actions towards Palestine, but that does not mean I wish harm on you or your family, nor does it mean I don't see and value the Isra…

> I see you conflating criticism of the actions of the Israeli government with opposition to Jewish lives.

No. I'm saying that putting israeli government under a completely different set of standards than any other country in the world cannot be explained with anything else rather than pure anti-semitism.

Re: Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

#523
post #396

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's why they target news agencies such as AP. Now you can't get pictures on the ground. So we all have to rely on is low resolution maps to judge damage. "Security measures", or so they say. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck....

Yes. Because no one there has a smart phone. Because they actually killed the journalist. /s Of the course the obvious explanation is the correct one, the building housed military targets (Hamas operations etc) and it was destroyed.

I don't understand. AP claims to have been using the building for years, and they didn't know that there were Hamas operations with them?

Not only that, but what is your proof to call it the correct explanation?

Re: Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

#525

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sorry to hear you're living through violence. That sounds horrible, and I hope you and your family are safe. I see you conflating criticism of the actions of the Israeli government with opposition to Jewish lives. They are not the same. I oppose the Israeli government's policies and actions towards Palestine, but that does not mean I wish harm on you or your family, nor does it mean I don't see and value the Isra…

> I see you conflating criticism of the actions of the Israeli government with opposition to Jewish lives. No. I'm saying that putting israeli government under a completely different set of standards than any other country in the world cannot be explained with anything else rather than pure anti-semitism.

What different standards do you mean?

Re: Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

#526
post #480

Not really related to the article at hand, but I've been on a bit of a Google Maps binge the past couple weeks. I learned a few interesting facts, blurry Israel being one of them. Another strange thing I found that might not be super well known (I didn't know about it) is that all GPS data in China is offset by a nonlinear psuedo-random amount. If you turn on the satellite view in Google Maps and look at various citi…

All Google products except the Google Translate App are blocked in China. So no Google maps. I spent 2 months cycling China from Hong Kong to Beijing. Despite only using Chinese characters, Baidu maps worked very well for me. I copied the characters I needed (Hotel, supermarket) into it from the translator. Here's my journal https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/5000years

Regarding the “foreigners can’t stay here”, from what I know, this is because it requires extra work for hotels, they need to report your stay to the local police station, so usually smaller hotels, or the ones in non touristy cities just don’t do that. (And I believe that any tourist, needs to report their address to the local police station within a few days)

Re: Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

#527
post #454

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IDF couldn't provide any evidence of Hamas' existence in that building, it was all over the media yesterday. https://twitter.com/haaretzcom/status/1394287848950427649

IDF provided the evidence to US intelligence, and apparently that hasn’t made its way to the US state department yet.

That is absolutely ridiculous. The US state department is on top of things. There is no way they do not have this information if it exists.

Re: Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

#528

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is different but related. China has no ability to influence GPS accuracy within its borders. What they do is manipulate all of the authoritative maps available so that GPS coordinates won’t map cleanly to the digital waypoints in the map. The GPS locations are very precise, they are just off by as much as a quarter mile in varying directions depending on where in the county you are.

> This is different but related. China has no ability to influence GPS accuracy within its borders. FYI: And even far outside of them too

I don't think so Tim.

https://spacenews.com/pentagon-report-china-amassing-arsenal...

Re: Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

#529
post #367

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Call me cynical, but I suspect the more important reason to keep these images blurred might be to stop the rest of the world from seeing what is going on. No, not cynical. I will call it for what it is - baseless conspiracy.

I’m curious how Palestinian people live. I’d like to see the condition of their dwellings, infrastructure and resources eg water, roads, rail, ports, public spaces. I just want to get a feel for the place, like I can almost everywhere else. How can I do that?

Street View is available in the West Bank area, for example in Ramallah and Jericho

Re: Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

#530
post #487

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Whatever criticism Israel may or may not deserve over its current bombing campaign, you aren't going to convince anyone if you misuse phrases like "murdered in cold blood". That's just not what those words mean.

Can you explain why I am misusing the phrase? I believe it to be objectively accurate. Again, that phrasing might make people uncomfortable. as I wrote above. I understand that, and I understand why people desire to censor it. But I don't believe it's incorrect, which is another thing entitely.

I'd like to think I would have resisted responding, but I see another response that doesn't answer your question, so, oh well-

The dictionary seems to use "murder" for premeditated killing. Even if you think Israelis are the devil incarnate, killing children doesn't serve their interests. You have to go pretty far into conspiracy territory to believe they secretly want those children to die, and then turn around and explain to everyone how they try to prevent those kids from dying. It certainly serves Hamas's interests more than it serves Israeli interests.

Google's dictionary returns "without emotion or pity; deliberately cruel or callous" for cold-blooded. See above. Any reasonable pro- or anti-Israel position would concede that Israelis would be happier without civilian casualties.

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