Person Finder: Boston Marathon Explosions • Hacker News Board

Re: Person Finder: Boston Marathon Explosions

#11

Post by jd007 » Mon, Apr 15, 2013, 10:03 PM UTC

xoail wrote: post #8

"Status: Someone has received information that this person is alive" - I wish they reword it to something less scary. like, "Status: Someone has received information that this person is fine"

the two do not mean the same thing though. the former means the person is not dead, while your version means the person is not harmed. in google's version, the person might have lost a limb or was injured, but still alive. this is not "fine". it's better to be clear about what the information that the message carries in this situation IMO.

Re: Person Finder: Boston Marathon Explosions

#12

Post by level09 » Mon, Apr 15, 2013, 10:11 PM UTC

I'm impressed by the speed of software engineering at Google, do they pre-design these systems for such events ?

that was pretty quick indeed.

Re: Person Finder: Boston Marathon Explosions

#13

Post by alpb » Mon, Apr 15, 2013, 10:13 PM UTC

level09 wrote: post #12

I'm impressed by the speed of software engineering at Google, do they pre-design these systems for such events ? that was pretty quick indeed.

Yes, Person Finder is being used since 2010 and since then it has been reused for couple of times. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Person_Finder

Re: Person Finder: Boston Marathon Explosions

#14

Post by ldh » Mon, Apr 15, 2013, 10:14 PM UTC

level09 wrote: post #12

I'm impressed by the speed of software engineering at Google, do they pre-design these systems for such events ? that was pretty quick indeed.

This has existed before today. Check out the home page: http://google.org/personfinder/global/home.html

Re: Person Finder: Boston Marathon Explosions

#15

Post by nnutter » Mon, Apr 15, 2013, 10:32 PM UTC

toomuchtodo wrote: post #10

sukuriant wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This might be a place where the Red Cross might be able to improve their services by creating an AppEngine or EC2 instance to handle the traffic?

Or let Google do it. Google can scale much faster than the Red Cross can outsource it.

Until Google decides to close it a few years from now in order to focus on what matters.

Re: Person Finder: Boston Marathon Explosions

#16

Post by sukuriant » Mon, Apr 15, 2013, 10:45 PM UTC

toomuchtodo wrote: post #10

sukuriant wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This might be a place where the Red Cross might be able to improve their services by creating an AppEngine or EC2 instance to handle the traffic?

Or let Google do it. Google can scale much faster than the Red Cross can outsource it.

Because having ads for making funerals less expensive is exactly what I want to see when I'm searching for my loved ones that disappeared during an earthquake.

I'd rather not-for-profits continue disaster relief, like they have been, and the for-profits actively choosing to donate to them.

Re: Person Finder: Boston Marathon Explosions

#17

Post by jiggy2011 » Mon, Apr 15, 2013, 10:46 PM UTC

sukuriant wrote: post #16

toomuchtodo wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or let Google do it. Google can scale much faster than the Red Cross can outsource it.

Because having ads for making funerals less expensive is exactly what I want to see when I'm searching for my loved ones that disappeared during an earthquake. I'd rather not-for-profits continue disaster relief, like they have been, and the for-profits actively choosing to donate to them.

There are no ads on that page.

Re: Person Finder: Boston Marathon Explosions

#18

Post by sukuriant » Mon, Apr 15, 2013, 10:47 PM UTC

I wonder what the ramifications are for this functionality with regard to people that are in the Witness Protection Program. I suppose that might just be another thing our civil servants will be considering when they're protecting their witnesses.

Re: Person Finder: Boston Marathon Explosions

#19

Post by sukuriant » Mon, Apr 15, 2013, 10:48 PM UTC

jiggy2011 wrote: post #17

sukuriant wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because having ads for making funerals less expensive is exactly what I want to see when I'm searching for my loved ones that disappeared during an earthquake. I'd rather not-for-profits continue disaster relief, like they have been, and the for-profits actively choosing to donate to them.

There are no ads on that page.

Very true; and I trust that Google would have a heart to not do that. At least, I hope they wouldn't. My point was that if a for-profit company enters this space, they need a way to monetize their efforts, and it's a field ripe for exploitation. It's better if a non-profit does this, since their heart is more likely to be in the right place.

Re: Person Finder: Boston Marathon Explosions

#20

Post by lemma » Mon, Apr 15, 2013, 10:56 PM UTC

sukuriant wrote: post #16

toomuchtodo wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or let Google do it. Google can scale much faster than the Red Cross can outsource it.

Because having ads for making funerals less expensive is exactly what I want to see when I'm searching for my loved ones that disappeared during an earthquake. I'd rather not-for-profits continue disaster relief, like they have been, and the for-profits actively choosing to donate to them.

The link is to google.org, google's not-for-profit arm.