Google PenguinView
October 1, 2010 2:08 PM Subscribe
I heard about this on the CBC yesterday, and am very pleased to find out that no, they did not blur out the penguin faces for privacy as the announcer claimed.
And I think I just found the penguin corollary to "You're a kitty!" That wee penguin marker in the lower right is ridiculously cute.
posted by maudlin at 2:18 PM on October 1, 2010
And I think I just found the penguin corollary to "You're a kitty!" That wee penguin marker in the lower right is ridiculously cute.
posted by maudlin at 2:18 PM on October 1, 2010
On a related note, imagine one of these guys jumping on your boat.
posted by inmediasres at 2:19 PM on October 1, 2010
posted by inmediasres at 2:19 PM on October 1, 2010
Google "Street View" in Antarctica? Now they're just showing off.
posted by oneswellfoop at 2:23 PM on October 1, 2010 [8 favorites]
posted by oneswellfoop at 2:23 PM on October 1, 2010 [8 favorites]
I saw some commentary on this yesterday mentioning how many people seem to be just lounging around in Antarctica. Don't they have anything to do?
posted by Jimmy Havok at 2:27 PM on October 1, 2010
posted by Jimmy Havok at 2:27 PM on October 1, 2010
Click the minus toggle enough times and the truth will be revealed! The so called "globe" we live on is actually part of an infinitely repeating vertical strip.
posted by Kevin Street at 2:30 PM on October 1, 2010
posted by Kevin Street at 2:30 PM on October 1, 2010
Also, there seems to be a significant amount of yellow snow in that particular shot.
posted by Jimmy Havok at 2:30 PM on October 1, 2010
posted by Jimmy Havok at 2:30 PM on October 1, 2010
I'm not sure if I should be disappointed or not that the penguin transforms back into Street View Man if you drag him to a non-Antarctica location.
posted by sleepcrime at 2:37 PM on October 1, 2010
posted by sleepcrime at 2:37 PM on October 1, 2010
No, wait - a horizontal strip. All that penguin cuteness is messing with my mind.
posted by Kevin Street at 2:39 PM on October 1, 2010
posted by Kevin Street at 2:39 PM on October 1, 2010
PenguinView is a lie, I saw the penguin's shadow. The penguin has a shadow that mysteriously looks like a human carrying a camera.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 3:06 PM on October 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Mister Fabulous at 3:06 PM on October 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
I like that the penguins nearly all have their backs turned to the tourists (on the initial load photo anyway)
posted by selton at 4:23 PM on October 1, 2010
posted by selton at 4:23 PM on October 1, 2010
This is what the internet is for.
posted by brundlefly at 4:25 PM on October 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by brundlefly at 4:25 PM on October 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
Looks like this was taken on Half Moon Island, part of the South Shetland Islands near the Antarctic Peninsula. The penguins really are incredibly tame around humans (and cute, especially in family form), because they've essentially never been hunted by humans or human-like creatures, so there's no evolutionary reason to fear us.
On tours, they obviously ask everyone to keep a good distance from the penguins and to give them the right of way, but if you sit in one place for a couple minutes, they will waddle right up to you. The whales, on the other hand, put on a heck of a show.
(yes, in the spirit of disclosure, the photos are self links. flickr helpfully describes the geotag as "a mysterious place with no name," which is pretty cool)
posted by zachlipton at 5:49 PM on October 1, 2010 [4 favorites]
On tours, they obviously ask everyone to keep a good distance from the penguins and to give them the right of way, but if you sit in one place for a couple minutes, they will waddle right up to you. The whales, on the other hand, put on a heck of a show.
(yes, in the spirit of disclosure, the photos are self links. flickr helpfully describes the geotag as "a mysterious place with no name," which is pretty cool)
posted by zachlipton at 5:49 PM on October 1, 2010 [4 favorites]
Just smile and wave, boys. Smile and wave.
posted by prinado at 7:11 PM on October 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by prinado at 7:11 PM on October 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
Antarctica is my favorite continent. By far.
posted by blucevalo at 7:44 PM on October 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by blucevalo at 7:44 PM on October 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
Those penguins look like they are planning something.
posted by dougzilla at 9:13 PM on October 1, 2010
posted by dougzilla at 9:13 PM on October 1, 2010
So is this literally the sole Street View offering for Antarctica? On a quick browse all I come across are dozens of user-submitted 2D photos. I smell a gimmick.
posted by squeakyfromme at 9:40 PM on October 1, 2010
posted by squeakyfromme at 9:40 PM on October 1, 2010
I smell a gimmick.
An adorable gimmick!
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 10:43 PM on October 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
An adorable gimmick!
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 10:43 PM on October 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
I smell a gimmick.
Good heavens, NO! Google has made a pannable "street view" of an area that has no streets, and that almost nobody on Earth will ever need to navigate, featuring a cute cartoon penguin icon, for perfectly sensible business reasons!
Next thing I know you'll be telling me that those "doodles" on Google's homepage serve no real purpose, and actually make it HARDER TO READD THE NAME OF THE WEBSITE!
posted by mmoncur at 3:13 AM on October 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
Good heavens, NO! Google has made a pannable "street view" of an area that has no streets, and that almost nobody on Earth will ever need to navigate, featuring a cute cartoon penguin icon, for perfectly sensible business reasons!
Next thing I know you'll be telling me that those "doodles" on Google's homepage serve no real purpose, and actually make it HARDER TO READD THE NAME OF THE WEBSITE!
posted by mmoncur at 3:13 AM on October 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
A friendly reminder: please do not kick the penguins.
posted by jquinby at 8:25 AM on October 2, 2010
posted by jquinby at 8:25 AM on October 2, 2010
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posted by Astro Zombie at 2:13 PM on October 1, 2010