Microsoft Demos Augmented-Reality Maps at TED

[Rob Williams]

Over the weekend, I kept hearing about this TED video where Microsoft's Seadragon architect, Blaise Aguera y Arcas, was showing off some of the features that are coming to Bing Maps. I didn't know quite what to expect, especially with a term like, "augmented-reality" floating around, but after watching the video, all I have to say is, "Google Earth?"

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You can read the rest of our news post here.

 

[2Tired2Tango]

Perhaps the coolest upcoming feature, though, is the new ability to map the insides of buildings, using backpack cameras.

Can you say "Massive invasion of privacy" boys and girls?

Really... do I want these clowns walking through my apartment building lobby?
Do I want them sneaking cameras into my office building?

WOW... too much.

 

[Rob Williams]

The fact that we're essentially videotaped everywhere we go bothers me a lot more than this.

 

[2Tired2Tango]

The fact that we're essentially videotaped everywhere we go bothers me a lot more than this.

Oh I dunno Rob.... between haing my trip to the mall stored on some video server for a week and having my face plastered all over some world map forever... I'll take the video server.

Think about the potential for planetary embarassment here... some guy shopping for his wife's birthday present winds up on Bing Maps forever holding a fancy little bra to his oversized ribcage... some woman cheating on her husband memorialized in a mall shot for the whole world to see... some kid loosing his lunch... a technician cutting an hour from work... teenyboppers cutting school... All right there in beautiful living color.

Same problem with Google street view... WAY too invasive.

Yep... I'll take the cctv footage any time.

What really bothers me is that by and large, people seem to think this is OK....

 

[crowTrobot]

What really bothers me is that by and large, people seem to think this is OK....

I've always thought the possibility of "1984" happening is very slim. But after seeing the things people put on YouTube, MySpace, Twitter, etc. We are doing to ourselves without any help from any Big Brothers.

 

[Kougar]

The fact that we're essentially videotaped everywhere we go bothers me a lot more than this.

I wouldn't care about being videotaped in public places if it actually meant higher security and less crime... but it just doesn't.

Common sense would tell you people would stop walking into convenience stores and robbing them without disguising themselves and their vehicle, but people still do that every other week just about. Either the bad guys are too stupid to know any better, or the smart ones find workarounds but either way it doesn't seem to matter very much.