got geoint?

Welcome to the Friday’s Food for Thought post from got geoint? Our fans of the infamous FFT posts may recall that we did a FFT post about Google ruling the world back in October 2009. Well, we have decided to do a part two of this post with the news of Google Street View going into Israel. And, with all the upheaval happening in the world — from protests in Libya to all of the contentious budget dealings in Wisconsin — we thought today’s theme could be a double theme. We are facing some crazy times, and Google keeps breaking big time boundaries. And, finally, we wanted to remind you all that that the USGIF Young Professionals Group (YPG) is hosting its first event of 2011 all about apps! Be sure to check it out and learn more here.

Google Face Search to Use Social Network Photos
If you are out in public, you are fair game, but how would you like it if a stranger took your picture and then ran a search to find out your name, online aliases and all the information about you via that image? We are very nearly there with automatic face-recognition technology and social media aggregation. Although several companies are exploring that realm, Google recently published a patent in Europe to use facial recognition and social networking combined to give visual search results. Google Goggles is an image recognition search for mobile phones which allows curious users to take a picture of anything, such as a landmark, and then run a search for info on the item in question. A user does not need to type or speak to start the search; instead it’s as easy as opening the app, taking a photo and then waiting for the search results. Read the full Computerworld article here.

Middle East Protests: A Country-by-Country Look
The NY Times has been kind enough to provide a daily summary of all Mideast protests broken down by each country. And, our readers may recall our post from this week on a cool new tool that uses Google Earth (see, there it is…Google playing a major role) to track the latest tweets from around Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, Iran — tagged with the respective country names. Be sure to check out the NY Times daily column here. And, today, violent protests broke out in Iraq.

More News of Upheaval: Wisconsin Assembly Approves Controversial Collective-Bargaining Measure
In a late-night vote that caught Wisconsin Assembly Democrats by surprise, Republicans pass Gov. Scott Walker’s plan, which would strip most government workers of collective-bargaining rights. The measure’s fate remains uncertain as Senate Democrats remain out of state to forestall a vote. The Wisconsin Assembly early Friday approved a measure to strip most government workers of collective-bargaining rights, but the measure’s fate remains in limbo with Democrats still out of state to prevent a vote in the state Senate. Shortly after 1 a.m., Assembly Republicans, who control the lower chamber, abruptly cut off debate after 60 solid hours of discussion and approved the bill, 51-17. The tally was taken so quickly that most Democrats didn’t have a chance to vote. Read the full LA Times story here.

Former Google Employee Launches First to Search for Hotel Rooms
Looking to find the perfect hotel room for your next holiday getaway or business trip? A Sunnyvale, California startup by the name of Room 77 — backed by some online travel vets with roots in Seattle — believes it has come up with a new way to pinpoint the best rooms at some of the top hotels in the country. “Why is it if I am going to spend seven nights at the Hyatt at Waikiki, that I don’t know until I get there whether I am going to end up in a good room or shitty room?” asks Room 77 Chairman Brad Gerstner, an online travel veteran who also sits on the board of Zillow. “What we have sought to do is build the world’s first room engine, and to index — not hotels in the way that Expedia and Orbitz and TripAdvisor do — but to index hotel rooms.” Read the full TechFlash post here.

Tears for Fears Cover of “Mad World” from Donnie Darko
When coming up with a song that really highlights what a crazy world we inhabit, one song immediately came to mind. And for those fans of Tears for Fears, or cool cult classic movies, you all certainly remember Gary Jule’s amazing cover of “Mad World” from Donnie Darko. Here it is for your viewing pleasure.

Tags: Donnie Darko, Friday's Food for Thought, Google, Google Earth, Google Face Search, got geoint?, Mad World, Mideast Protests, Tears for Fears, Wisconsin Budget