Thread

My weird new hobby: Wandering around Tokyo on Google Maps

429 points · 181 comments · ahmedhossamdev

dkurth · 1790282920 · focus · HN ↗
In 2009, Google Street View had only been gathering images in Austin for about a year, I think. I pulled up right behind the Street View car at a red light, and I waved out the window, hoping that would get captured. I sent an email to my friends with a link to the location and said, "check this out in a couple of months!"
When I checked later that year, there was no image of me, so I thought the camera had not been active, and I forgot all about it.
Then, while looking through old emails a couple of weeks ago, I found that one and clicked the link. I clicked to see images from 2009, and sure enough, there was my little white Honda. And when I moved around the map, I found an image where my hand was out the window, waving! It was like I was waving to myself from the past. Pretty neat!
1. jimbobimbo · 1790283636 · focus · HN ↗
  I have a picture of my car in street view photo made by Bing. Sold the car long ago, nice keepsake.
  1. busymom0 · 1790313866 · focus · HN ↗
    TIL that Bing has maps and even street view. Had never heard of it.
    DANmode · 1790314473 · focus · HN ↗
    Parent company has quite a few irons in the fire, lol
2. rzzzt · 1790283948 · focus · HN ↗
  A forgotten classic video depicts a similar story: <a href="https://youtu.be/fPgV6-gnQaE" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/fPgV6-gnQaE
  1. sublinear · 1790306277 · focus · HN ↗
    <a href="https://youtube.com/watch?v=yDzAAjzbV5g" rel="nofollow">https://youtube.com/watch?v=yDzAAjzbV5g
    Not sure if this is forgotten by now (wow it's been 5 years!) but the quest to find "Michaelsoft Binbows" is a modern classic.
3. knert · 1790301879 · focus · HN ↗
  My grandfather passed away a few years ago. Google caught him raking leaves in the front yard a year prior. It’s nice to visit him once in a while.
  1. DANmode · 1790314420 · focus · HN ↗
    Grab that, if you’ll miss it <3
    JJMcJ · 1790353192 · focus · HN ↗
    Sometimes images from the past will disappear.
    Right now it's Aug 2025/Jun 2022/Dec 2019/Sept 2017 but come back a few months later and Dec 2019 has disappeared. Don't know if it's licensing issues or what.
    DANmode · 1790412523 · focus · HN ↗
    Is this your experience with aerial, or Street View level imagery? Both?
    Thanks!
    JJMcJ · 1790699163 · focus · HN ↗
    Street View where you are offered "See more dates"
4. ahmedhossamdev · 1790302707 · focus · HN ↗
  What a nice moment!
5. morning_poster · 1790329645 · focus · HN ↗
  I love this! It's like something out of a Ben Lerner novel.
6. cube00 · 1790333564 · focus · HN ↗
  > I sent an email to my friends with a link to the location and said, "check this out in a couple of months!"
  This is an example of behaviour I personally find frustrating.
  My internal thought process: There's nothing I can do with this email when I first get it, will I remember to check months later? Probably not.
  1. spiderfarmer · 1790334044 · focus · HN ↗
    Be a better friend.
    xeyownt · 1790334174 · focus · HN ↗
    Need to have one first I guess.
    CyberDildonics · 1790380277 · focus · HN ↗
    Someone doesn't like an email that asks them to do something months from now and so you're insulting them and implying they have no friends, do I have this right?
  2. popcorncolonel · 1790336914 · focus · HN ↗
    email snooze button

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