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Non-Road Boards => Off-Topic => Topic started by: doorknob60 on December 28, 2013, 01:07:53 AM

Title: Google Maps is too smart
Post by: doorknob60 on December 28, 2013, 01:07:53 AM
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FtFiSusR.png&hash=cb0184df4bff81755fac6493a1f13f852f5022ab) (http://imgur.com/tFiSusR)

I was browsing Google Maps and saw this. What this means, is that Google scanned my Gmail, noticed my flight confirmation from Expedia, and was smart enough to see my flight time, and embed it into Maps. I'm impressed, but that's creepy. I know Google is smart and knows everything, but this still surprised me. What other "smart" things have you noticed in Google Maps (or other Google services)?
Title: Re: Google Maps is too smart
Post by: citrus on December 28, 2013, 01:48:51 AM
If you have an Android phone with a new enough version of the OS, you'll probably get flight status notifications, and perhaps also a notification "you need to leave by xx:xx". This also works for things like restaurant reservations, movies, events that you have on Google Calendar, and a bunch of other stuff. If you have a regular commute and have told Google Maps where your home and work locations, you may start getting notifications if traffic is worse than normal.
Title: Re: Google Maps is too smart
Post by: doorknob60 on December 28, 2013, 01:51:22 AM
Quote from: citrus on December 28, 2013, 01:48:51 AM
If you have an Android phone with a new enough version of the OS, you'll probably get flight status notifications, and perhaps also a notification "you need to leave by xx:xx". This also works for things like restaurant reservations, movies, events that you have on Google Calendar, and a bunch of other stuff. If you have a regular commute and have told Google Maps where your home and work locations, you may start getting notifications if traffic is worse than normal.

Yeah, I just got a new phone a couple weeks ago and Google Now does seem to know a lot about me as well.
Title: Re: Google Maps is too smart
Post by: NE2 on December 28, 2013, 03:13:37 AM
It keeps thinking I'm a robot.
Title: Re: Re: Google Maps is too smart
Post by: Brandon on December 28, 2013, 08:13:53 AM
Quote from: NE2 on December 28, 2013, 03:13:37 AM
It keeps thinking I'm a robot.

Any evidence to the contrary?
Title: Re: Re: Google Maps is too smart
Post by: NE2 on December 28, 2013, 08:49:56 AM
Quote from: Brandon on December 28, 2013, 08:13:53 AM
Quote from: NE2 on December 28, 2013, 03:13:37 AM
It keeps thinking I'm a robot.

Any evidence to the contrary?

My shit stinks.
Title: Re: Google Maps is too smart
Post by: Zeffy on December 28, 2013, 11:24:18 AM
Quote from: doorknob60 on December 28, 2013, 01:07:53 AM
I was browsing Google Maps and saw this. What this means, is that Google scanned my Gmail, noticed my flight confirmation from Expedia, and was smart enough to see my flight time, and embed it into Maps. I'm impressed, but that's creepy. I know Google is smart and knows everything, but this still surprised me. What other "smart" things have you noticed in Google Maps (or other Google services)?

Google does this everywhere: maps, email, etc. Microsoft made a rather interesting site that covers what exactly Google does (and what Microsoft doesn't):

www.scroogled.com
Title: Re: Google Maps is too smart
Post by: hotdogPi on December 28, 2013, 11:28:52 AM
I think the definition of being scroogled is to see the "scroogled" advertisement (which ran a year ago). Not what the advertisement claims the definition is.
Title: Re: Google Maps is too smart
Post by: hotdogPi on December 28, 2013, 11:32:05 AM
One thing that Google allows that OpenStreetMap and Mapquest don't allow is scrolling diagonally by pressing two arrow keys at once.


Unlike MassDOT, Google knows MA 202 doesn't exist.  :colorful:
Title: Re: Google Maps is too smart
Post by: Alps on December 28, 2013, 11:35:41 AM
Quote from: Zeffy on December 28, 2013, 11:24:18 AM
Quote from: doorknob60 on December 28, 2013, 01:07:53 AM
I was browsing Google Maps and saw this. What this means, is that Google scanned my Gmail, noticed my flight confirmation from Expedia, and was smart enough to see my flight time, and embed it into Maps. I'm impressed, but that's creepy. I know Google is smart and knows everything, but this still surprised me. What other "smart" things have you noticed in Google Maps (or other Google services)?

Google does this everywhere: maps, email, etc. Microsoft made a rather interesting site that covers what exactly Google does (and what Microsoft doesn't):

www.scroogled.com
Microsoft does other shit to you. This is like Burger King making a website about McDonald's having bad ingredients.
Title: Re: Google Maps is too smart
Post by: Zeffy on December 28, 2013, 11:40:57 AM
Quote from: 1 on December 28, 2013, 11:28:52 AM
I think the definition of being scroogled is to see the "scroogled" advertisement (which ran a year ago). Not what the advertisement claims the definition is.

Considering I still use Google for email, maps, searching, etc., I don't think I got scroogled. I honestly don't give a fuck about what Google does with my crap - as long as it doesn't sell it to some shady 3rd party company, by all means, manipulate me. It's not like I click on advertisements anyway.

Quote from: Steve on December 28, 2013, 11:35:41 AM
This is like Burger King making a website about McDonald's having bad ingredients.

Fast food is still bad for you, regardless of where you eat it.  :bigass:  And yes, I'm aware that Microsoft does these types of things as well, I was just saying that few people know that Google actually uses your data to display targeted ads as well as other things. (I mean, do you read their privacy policy? Yeah right, that's the equivalent of reading an EULA when you're installing any piece of software). I'm not promoting nor bashing on Google or Microsoft here.
Title: Re: Google Maps is too smart
Post by: SSOWorld on December 28, 2013, 01:40:12 PM
So does Apple, etc.

...and the monkey flips the switch.
Title: Re: Google Maps is too smart
Post by: hotdogPi on December 28, 2013, 02:36:16 PM

Quote from: Steve on December 28, 2013, 11:35:41 AM
This is like Burger King making a website about McDonald's having bad ingredients.

Quote from: SSOWorld on December 28, 2013, 01:40:12 PM
So does Apple, etc.

...no. Apples are healthy.
Title: Re: Google Maps is too smart
Post by: vdeane on December 28, 2013, 04:13:13 PM
Quote from: 1 on December 28, 2013, 02:36:16 PM

Quote from: Steve on December 28, 2013, 11:35:41 AM
This is like Burger King making a website about McDonald's having bad ingredients.

Quote from: SSOWorld on December 28, 2013, 01:40:12 PM
So does Apple, etc.

...no. Apples are healthy.
Maybe if you're a Dalek.  "An apple a day keeps The Doctor away" and all that.
Title: Re: Google Maps is too smart
Post by: Alps on December 29, 2013, 11:12:10 AM
Quote from: 1 on December 28, 2013, 02:36:16 PM

Quote from: Steve on December 28, 2013, 11:35:41 AM
This is like Burger King making a website about McDonald's having bad ingredients.

Quote from: SSOWorld on December 28, 2013, 01:40:12 PM
So does Apple, etc.

...no. Apples are healthy.
So when do we get the website scrappled.com? I could use a good scrappling.
Title: Re: Google Maps is too smart
Post by: vtk on December 29, 2013, 11:00:51 PM
Quote from: 1 on December 28, 2013, 11:32:05 AM
One thing that Google allows that OpenStreetMap and Mapquest don't allow is scrolling diagonally by pressing two arrow keys at once.

That's a limitation of the Leaflet map applet used on the OSM site for displaying the map, not so much OSM itself.  And I make this distinction because there are many other ways to view OpenStreetMap.  Perhaps someone should suggest diagonal keyboard scrolling as a Leaflet feature request.
Title: Re: Google Maps is too smart
Post by: Duke87 on December 30, 2013, 01:01:34 AM
Gmail pulls profile photos from people you have on Google+. No surprise there.

It did do something rather creepy to me once, though: it started associating a particular picture with emails from an individual who I did not have on Google+. This picture was one I had taken personally, with my Android phone, and set on the phone to associate with the contact for this individual.

So, Google said "he tells us via his phone that this is a picture of Jane Smith, let's upload the picture to our servers and slap it on emails he gets from Jane Smith as well". Charming, eh?
Title: Re: Google Maps is too smart
Post by: doorknob60 on December 30, 2013, 01:25:56 AM
Oh yeah, and then there's Google Location History (https://maps.google.com/locationhistory/b/0) (which works with Android phones and can be disabled, for the record)

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FJc4hCL4.png&hash=a1604746be43146c2712c4f4cce8c21501777f1a) (http://imgur.com/Jc4hCL4)

Now how's that for creepy :P

(Anyone else wanna post theirs haha?)
Title: Re: Google Maps is too smart
Post by: vtk on December 30, 2013, 08:05:54 AM
Quote from: Duke87 on December 30, 2013, 01:01:34 AM
Gmail pulls profile photos from people you have on Google+. No surprise there.

It did do something rather creepy to me once, though: it started associating a particular picture with emails from an individual who I did not have on Google+. This picture was one I had taken personally, with my Android phone, and set on the phone to associate with the contact for this individual.

So, Google said "he tells us via his phone that this is a picture of Jane Smith, let's upload the picture to our servers and slap it on emails he gets from Jane Smith as well". Charming, eh?

Your android phone syncs contacts with gmail. Every detail you add to contacts on your phone shows up on gmail, including contact photos/ icons.
Title: Re: Google Maps is too smart
Post by: bugo on January 01, 2014, 01:40:41 PM
My location history is very incorrect.