Street Level Google Brings Some Serious Fun

A few days ago Garret Rogers of ZDnet wrote that Google would be launching a “street view” after he spotted some suspicious domain registration activity (see paragraph below):

On may 25th, Google registered several variations of the domain “googlestreetview.com” — normally Garret would think the feature would be months away, but given Where 2.0 starts on Tuesday, it will likely be available (or at least announced) by the end of the month. This functionality is likely in addition to the 3D buildings they are expected to announce at the same conference.

Below are the domains that were being snapped up by Google.

GOOGLE-MAPS-STREET-VIEW.COM
GOOGLE-MAPS-STREET-VIEW.NET
GOOGLE-MAPS-STREET-VIEW.ORG
GOOGLEMAPSSTREETVIEW.ORG
GOOGLESTREETVIEW.COM
GOOGLESTREETVIEW.NET
GOOGLESTREETVIEW.ORG)

Well, — indeed, that is what happened.

On may 30th,at the Where 2.0 conference, Google announced a feature in Google Maps that puts you in the drivers seat for 5 US cities including: San Francisco, Las Vegas, Denver, New York and Miami.




Those cities do not have complete coverage by any means, but the data provided by Immersive Media is sure to grow and improve as time goes on. It will be interesting to see if 3D buildings will be announced at the Where 2.0 conference tomorrow too.

OKAY, so now that Google has launched this, sites are popping up everywhere with street level images. It's clear that there are some bugs...but if anything, they make viewing the images even more amusing.

here's a few from Stan Schroeder, found on that awesome site, NOTCOT:
Top 15 Google Street View Sightings, May 31, 2007 — 11:05 AM PDT — by Stan Schroeder

Google’s Street View feature for Google Maps, which enables users to see certain parts of several big US cities through panoramic images, has caused a new trend: StreetSpotting (we just invented that). We’ve gone through the avalanche of reports about funny, weird or even sexy things spotted on Street View, and chosen 15 that we like most.

15. The Woz

Street named after Steve Wozniak. OK, it’s not such a big deal, but this is number 15, we’re just getting warmed up here, OK?

14. Speed Limit

The laws are there to be broken
Well, at least he’s not speeding by much.

13. The Void

And to your left, you can see the endless void that consumes all life. Please stick to the right side of the street.

12. Your face called…
…it wants its left side back.


11. He sees things we cannot see
The cameras that Google is using for this aren’t really working all that well.


10. Giant Pumpkin
It’s a giant pumpkin. Right there in the field. Turn the image 180 degrees for a weird pink smoky…thing, too.


09. The guy with no head.
This guy shouldn’t complain, at least it’s hard to identify him.


08. Semi-naked babe
We could open our web browser and find zillions of pictures of hot babes within seconds. In better quality. And more naked. But, there’s something about finding a blurry pic of a semi-naked babe drawn on a truck on Google Maps that makes our heart race.


07. The Internet sucks
“The Internet sucks, come here for your erotic needs”, they say. Well, is Tera Patrick being all naked and naughty in there? Is she? Didn’t think so.


06. Cornelius and his dog
There’s a sad background story to this one. Read it here.


05. Girls sunbathing
A couple of girls sunbathing on a lawn isn’t exactly spectacular, but it’s better than the blurry picture of the semi-naked babe on a truck.


04. Guy getting into the adult book store.
Hey, it could have been worse. He could have been going out of a strip club, or something.


03. Guy getting out of strip club
We’re gonna have to be honest here: the guy looks like he’s merely paying for parking. But, that’s a strip club behind him, and we will, of course, assume he just spent some sexy time with Mimi and Peaches. Is that a happy grin on his face? Sure it is.


02. Crime in progress
Maybe the guy just forgot his keys. Or he’s practicing for the free climbing contest. Hey, is that a lockpicking set dangling out of his pocket?



01. ET
Some might say it’s a lens flare. Some might argue it’s a camera malfunction. It’s the sunlight reflecting off the…lamp post…and a lens flare….and a camera malfunction, skeptics will yell!
But deep in your heart you all know it’s ET. Phooooone. Hooooome.


Another reader brought this link of photos to our attention:

As you see, technology doesn't only bring about conveniences and innovations, but online amusement as well.
Enjoy! And keep your eyes on the road!

Summer Fun: the Best New Outdoor Furniture

It's June 1st! Time to upgrade that ratty outdoor furniture from last year.
Below are just some of the cool new products on the market.

Just click on the pic below to see more photos, for more information and/or to purchase.

I've come across some beautiful some fun, and certainly some unusual outdoor furniture for this summer. Whether it's the funky Dutchtub (a portable wood burning jacuzzi) or the brilliant Obelisk (four outdoor chairs and table that stack to form an outdoor sculpture) or one of the stunning outdoor daybeds and tea houses on the market, you can simply click on the image to learn more about them and where to purchase.

Graffiti Art Becoming Hot Property

Graffiti art- From the street to the museum [May 07]

This article has been reprinted from artprice.com, the leader in the art market:

Historically, graffiti was a underground movement, born to the Hip-Hop rhythm in the American ‘hoods of the 1970s. It is people’s art, rough and ephemeral. Rough because it was created illegally in public spaces. Ephemeral because its lifespan, subject to external constraints, is necessarily limited. The prohibitions which hit this urban art right from its beginnings in Europe could not stop its expansion during the 1980s. At the end of the decade it had become a veritable fashion phenomenon, in the press and on museum walls. Aside from urban buildings, street furniture and public transport, the graffiti artists created works on canvas, paper or street hoardings which are now prized by a growing number of collectors.

The pioneers

above: A Basquiat serigraph

The unquestioned star of the genre is Jean-Michel BASQUIAT who is racking up million-ticket sales (more than forty). On 15 May last, a mixed-medium 1981 work smashed the artist's record in crossing the 10 million dollar mark! Initially estimated at between 6 million and 8 million dollars, the hammer went down on the lot at 13 million dollars (more than 9.6 million euros, Sotheby’s NY). Warhol’s friend with the fleeting destiny (he died at 27 years) signed his first works in the street under the pseudonym Samo. Today a small pencil or graphite drawing changes hands for between 10,000 and 20,000 euros on average and you'll need between 50,000 and 100,000 euros for a paper-based work in crayon. Prices are higher still for large formats in ink or oil pastel.

above: A Keith Haring silkscreen

Another Warhol accolyte, Keith HARING, is also a key graffiti name. He doesn’t reach the heights of Basquiat but has shown steady growth over the last four years. On 8 February last, you'd have needed not less than £56,000 to secure a small 1984 acrylic (50x50 cm) at Sotheby’s London. The same day, Sotheby’s competitor set a new record of £440,000 for a 1983 canvas (Christie’s London).

The more affordable FUTURA 2000 is one of the pioneers of urban painting which he created instinctively on the walls of Brooklyn as of the 1970s. Only 3 works from the graffiti artist have been put up for auction in ten years! The latest, an untitled acrylic and aerosol painting on a plank of wood, found a buyer for 4,000 euros in October at Artcurial who will auction a spray-painted graffiti canvas entitled Bar code (1983, 137 x 181 cm) for an estimate of between 4,000 and 5,000 euros.

above: A 1963 John Perello acrylic painting, All Are One

Graffiti art becomes sought after in France

The auction house Artcurial will auction around twenty works by American and French graffiti artists on 6 June. The sale catalogue lists the works together in a section called ‘Graffiti and post-graffiti art’: never before has a French auction house given the genre so much credit! The sale’s headline piece is the large-scale Match Point, Ephemeral Hospital, 1993 (214.5 x 190 cm) by John PERELLO, aka Jonone estimated at between 15,000 and 20,000 euros. Highly vibrant and colourful, this work takes liberties with the masters of abstract art such as Kandinsky, Pollock and de Kooning.

With these twenty lots going for estimates averaging between 5,000 and 10,000 euros, the art lover can set his or her heart on the large canvases with cartoon references signed John Matos CRASH or ASH II. There is a wide choice of works for between 1,000 and 5,000 euros: a Jonone sized at close to a metre, the abstract graffitis by SHARP, Chris Ellis DAZE, KOOR or a surreal graphic canvas by Alex/Mac-Crew. For less than 1,000 euros, one might hope to secure the spray-painted canvases by Sonic or Hondo and for a low-end estimate of 100 euros an untitled work combining several media on a plywood panel signed Thierry CHEVERNEY.

In two years, graffiti artists have seen their prices double: is the street phenomenon moving to the auction room?

More DIY Stuff For All You Frustrated Artists!

Once upon time, the only creative DIY stuff available was for kids. Coloring books, mainly. But now, for those of us who fancy ourselves "creative", there are a million cool things on the market to which we can add our own sense of design.

And here are some of the latest to hit the market.. Just click on the pic for more info and to purchase

See more of my DIY stuff for Frustrated Artists list at ThisNext.