No Google Street View for you

Like the Soup Nazi, it would appear that there's the requisite 'soup' and 'no soup for you' with regards to Google Street View's mapped content.

If you haven't seen this, it's Google latest (couple years old) foray into providing 'added value'. The company employs a squadron of vans equipped with a roof-mounted camera to drive almost everywhere and then provide these images on their mapping service, so when you want to map an address, you have the option to actually see what the area looks like: the 'street view' one might say. Clicking on the 'Street View' button brings up blue trails on streets and roads that have been indexed by Google.

It's interesting. If your area has been captured, then someone mapping directions to your house can see what it looks like from the road. I'm sure it makes some people's lives easier, as if you're not a directions-on-paper type person, the visuals fill in the blanks.

How does Google determine which areas are captured? Excellent question. As we see here:
there's a big hole of coverage in parts of Piedmont, Montclair, and Crocker Highlands. Not familiar with Piedmont? It's got stupid money. Huge homes, great schools, embedded (like journalists in Iraq) in Oakland, and it doesn't tolerate all that nonsense that goes down in the adjacent Oaktown streets. The cops shoot at you with platinum bullets. Montclair (the area bisected by Snake and Shepard Canyon) is similar to Piedmont, although it's still technically part of Oakland. Crocker Highlands is another relatively affluent area with gorgeous homes.

Rumor has it that the downtown Montclair village area had a nightclub back in the 80s that was the source for the majority of cocaine for the local yuppies. The area now frequently changes hands and becomes a swanky burger joint or bagel shop every 3 years. I digress.

How did certain parts of Piedmont and Oakland escape the capture?

Google filmed all of Pinehurst Rd in Canyon, but left the 'residential' area alone.In nearby Walnut Creek, there's a similar hole.Almost the entire island of Alameda was left untouched.Was there a request made by the community leaders? A discrete pay-off? Subtle (or not so subtle) legal threats? Montclair is in an elevated location, where the houses are secluded by gorgeous redwoods carpeting the hillside. Maybe the camera on the van can't swivel to get all the non-standard street view perspectives. All of Alameda? Hmmm...

Has anyone ever seen the Google picture van?

It's an elusive creature...fortunately, as the sun sets the vehicle's shadow becomes part of the landscape...keep your eyes open...Coupled with Google Health we should expect some vocal privacy concerns. Kaiser Permanente partnered with Google in order to 'advise' them on HIPAA related concerns.

The new Kaiser Thrive marketing mantra?

• We believe in instant information
• We believe that your medical records are great for sponsored listings
• We believe you can't do shit about us making them available for Google
• We believe we'll make a great profit from your genetic profile being scanned by the Google AdSense engine
• We believe that going over budget is the best way to increase profits, since you'll pay for our mistakes
• We believe we'll thrive on you, the consumer
• We believe you better pray you stay employed, so we don't have to reject your medical coverage application

Rumors on the internets can get you a fabulous stay in an undisclosed location

Have you heard of the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007?

The House passed it on October 27, 2007 404-6, and it's on its way to the Senate. I'm kicking myself because it always seems like these types of issues come up AFTER they've passed. Of course, the Senate needs to approve as well, and Dubya needs to remember to not use his banana to sign it into law, but it looks pretty clear: this is going to happen.

An excerpt from the legislation, sponsored by Democratic Rep. Jane Harman states:

The Internet has aided in facilitating violent radicalization, ideologically based violence, and the homegrown terrorism process in the United States by providing access to broad and constant streams of terrorist-related propaganda to United States citizens.

Taken by itself, it's not surprising to hear: I'm sure terrorist cell members are using gmail, although they might not be tracking their actionable items on Google Groups.

The legislation establishes a committee comprised of:

• one member shall be appointed by the President from among officers or employees of the executive branch and private citizens of the United States;
• one member shall be appointed by the Secretary;
• one member shall be appointed by the majority leader of the Senate;
• one member shall be appointed by the minority leader of the Senate;
• one member shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
• one member shall be appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives;
• one member shall be appointed by the Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives;
• one member shall be appointed by the ranking minority member of the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives;
• one member shall be appointed by the Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate; and
• one member shall be appointed by the ranking minority member of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate.

This committee meets to:

Examine and report upon the facts and causes of violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence in the United States, including United States connections to non-United States persons and networks, violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence in prison, individual or ‘lone wolf’ violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence, and other faces of the phenomena of violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence that the Commission considers important.

Now, this may seem relatively harmless posturing on the Dems to demonstrate proactive measures to combat terrorism, and it very well may be...but the spirit imbuing this legislation could very easily be used to start persecuting you for thoughtcrime: What are you doing visiting the Al-Jazeera website anyway? The Economist...why don't those sneaky intellectuals sign their articles, and why did you leave an anonymous comment on that anti-American story? Hmm...I think we'll need to detain you for questioning. Please slip this black eyeless bag over your head and draw the cord. You won't be away from your loved ones for very long. Don't bother packing any luggage. We'll take care of that for you.

Don't think the legislation could creep, like a poorly managed software development lifecycle? Check out the page on the State of Alabama's Homeland Security website (page recently removed, but archived...thank you Internets) statement on 'anti-government' groups. Then take the interactive quiz just for fun! Yay!

Does that mean if we, American taxpayers, are supporting the procurement of weapons for Afghan or pro-American fighters are transforming our country's government into one smacking of socialism, thus undermining the God-given right of pulling yourself up by the bootstraps? If that's the case, how about we just ditch drugs patents (bite my sac Phizer), stop immortalizing doctors, and introduce universal healthcare.