Results tagged “googlemaps”

• We had this pop up about a dozen times in the inbox today: Google Map used to track Swine Flu.
• The Tribune takes a look at the new modern wing at the Art Institute, due to open in a few weeks and the possible ramifications of the new admission hike.
• Speaking of the Trib, Crain's is reporting today that circulation for the paper in the six months ranging from October '08 through March '09 is down 7.4 percent, while the Sun-Times also saw a drop, but a far smaller one of 0.04 percent. The decline for the Trib was right at about the national average of 7.1 percent.

I'm not sure if this is new or just new to me (and tipster Mark), but Google maps now has little block numbers to help you find your way. Wheee.

Should Chicagoist be worried that the Bulls have opened their season 0-4 after dropping Tuesday night's game to the L.A. Clippers 97-91? Having watched three of their first four in their entirety, we can certainly say that the Bulls look nothing like a team who we'd predict to win 55 games and finish atop the Eastern Conference. Not only have they yet to enter the win column, but they're not even losing to elite teams....

Do you find your cell phone doesn't do enough for you, what with features limited to text messaging, video and music playing, internet access, cameras, alarm clocks and, oh yes, actual call capabilities? Do you find yourself wondering, "When, oh when, will I finally be fulfilled by my cell?" Well, until we get those kind of Touch capabilities built in, maybe not for a while, but in the meantime, you'll soon be able to use...

Like millions of other digerati across the globe, Chicagoist gives mighty props to Google. The folks at Google constantly amaze us by what they come up with next, including but not limited to Google Earth, patent searches (new!) and spreadsheets. (Trust us, it’s a big deal for those of us who refuse to install MS Office Resourcegobbler at home.) We’re also extremely attached to Google Maps, forsaking all our old tools in favor of being...

Yesterday’s fire in the South Loop had an impact on the present and took away a part of Chicago’s past. The building that caught fire was the Witt Dexter Commerical Loft Building at 630 S. Wabash. Firefighters battled the blaze into the night, the CTA’s Loop elevated trains were shut down, and nearby buildings were evacuated. Here’s what you need to know for your morning commute: Green Line and Orange Line service is currently...

All of us at the Chicagoist offices are huge fans of the city's public transit. Sure, it's stinky, and the schedules are polite fictions at best, but by God, it gets us to where we need to go without us having to worry about contributing to the world's problems by disproportionately consuming energy and fossil fuels. (We're also very pleased that we don't have to contribute to the insurance industry coffers, and that we're not...

While traversing the wild and wooly suburbs this weekend, Chicagoist was once again reminded why we always tend to carry an atlas when traveling: Google Maps are all fine and good until you need to change your plans. The folks at Skokie-based Rand-McNally are hoping others have learned that lesson, too. In the early aughts, the company was going through some rough spots including bankruptcy and ownership changes. Plus, they found themselves detoured by the...

Chicagoist is clearly proud of our city. We love showing it off when out-of-town friends and family. vist. And we'd love to see the whole world learn about its beauty, cultural institutions and people. That's why we want to see the summer Olympics come to chicago in 2016. The city learned that it has made the first cut -- competing with two other cities to be chosen as the United State's bid to the Olympic...

The recent spring-like weather almost inspired Chicagoist to dust off our running shoes, but then we thought, nah, we'll write about running instead. Springtime signifies the start of the running season for all but those diehards who actually run through the winter months.

The Google Maps API program has led to folks mapping the most arcane and insignificant minutiae (is there a Google map of places where Tucker Max has been a drunken ass yet?). Here at Chicagoist we've told you about Drink Town and the Chicago beer map, which -- depending on your priorities -- are either the greatest things since sliced bread or two more reasons to stay in.

Starting this spring, the CTA is rolling out a new system on the No. 20 Madison line that will let riders check the real-time status of buses on the internet and automated signs at stops. The system will take advantage of GPS devices already installed on the buses. Riders will know the exact location of that next bus, and whether they'll have time to stop for an Egg McMuffin or not. Although serious CTA riders...

Thanks to the tip from Palla Palla, Chicagoist has been browsing around the new and improved satellite imagery on Google Maps. Palla Palla pointed out how nice the detail on Marina Towers is and we're quite fond of it too. Google's official blog says that they've updated the Google Local database to match the coverage they have in Google Earth and they've added 2 more zoom levels to Google Local's Satellite mode. Now you...

The Illinois Department of Transportation launched a new web site called Getting Around Illinois on Thursday. It provides a wealth of traffic and road information, including directions, construction zones, which roads have been cleared during snow storms, and road services like rest stops and gas stations. Eventually they will even provide email and text message alerts about accidents and road closures. IDOT touts the site as one-stop shopping for transit data that previously had been...

A partnership of government agencies and private groups has come up with a 15-year, $20 billion plan to clean up the Great Lakes. The plan includes ways to keep invasive species out of the lakes, improve sewage systems, clean up the deterioration of animal habitats, clean up toxic hotspots and improve wetlands and rivers. $20 billion seems like a lot of cash, but remember how big the Great Lakes region is.. here to Canada...

A few weeks back Chicagoist Prime got an e-mail from these guys who started a site called "Drink Town." It's a novel premise: list the nightly drink and food specials throughout the city's taverns and restaurants. But coding and typing up the list could become an exhaustive and time-consuming endeavor. That is, until Google unleashed its Google Maps API program. Then it became not only easier, but pretty damn cool, as well. For those...

A few years ago, Chicagoist wrote a thesis on how Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology could change the way people work and play. While the thesis was largely speculative at the time and only produced a few workable prototypes, Chicagoist was excited this last week to discover that one of the world's coolest companies has taken the ball and run with it. Google Earth is the latest of free services offered by the search engine titan Google. While Chicagoist instantly fell in love with the satellite photos available in Google Maps, Google Earth makes Google Maps look like that girl you see at your high school reunion who makes you wonder, "I got all bent out of shape about her?" while sipping a martini with your new wife who speaks six languages, runs the marathon, and models underware on the side. While Google Earth is Windows-only, it is one of those killer apps that all Chicago residents should own.

If you haven't already, you better try out Google Maps now, because soon it will be passe, and no self-respecting hipster will even talk to you about it. The excitement is because it's just so darn easy to use, with its simple but very effective mapping mode and then that amazing satellite mode you can just switch over to. And then there's the hacks. The hacks you say? Oh yes, the hacks. Each of which...