So to see how traffic was, I mapped out Stadium Mall to Nuuanu on Google Maps. Amazingly, Google told me to take the H3 over the Koolaus then go townbound on the Pali. 30 minutes said Google.
I was thinking of taking Moanalua Highway towards Tripler, but Google said that route would take 15 minutes longer. So while a longer route, Google was correct and now I’m early.
I should have seen this coming, but I forgot that my two-factor authentication codes might get messed up switching phones (and also upgrading to a new iOS). Sure enough, launching Google Authenticator on my iPhone 7 brought up a new, blank configuration. Luckily, all my accounts and codes are on my old iPhone so accounts are still accessible although inconvenient.
So I’ve been fixing all my two-factor authentication accounts but this time, I’m trying LastPass’ Authenticator app instead of Google Authenticator. I think this is the third time that Google Authenticator wiped out everything. I kinda understand the ramification related to security, but boy, what a hassle to resolve.
I’m hoping LastPass Authenticator remembers a bit better although I have to read up on its feature set.
This is for the security conscious techie person in your life. You may have heard about the many recent online incidents dealing with stolen passwords, credit card information, and personal photos. The key take away is that the traditional password just isn’t enough to protect your online identity. This holiday season you need to better protect yourself with a second factor security key.
Yubico has released an USB security key that’s needed in addition to your password in order to access accounts such as the ubiquitous Gmail. So if your password is leaked, hacked, or guessed, the bad guy would still need your security key as the second form of authentication to access your account. In conjunction, these two walls of security will help protect yourself considerably.
And at only $18, this is a very affordable gift! Buy a FIDO U2F Security Key
More suggestions from the Pulpconnection Holiday Gift Guide, 2014 edition.
Follow Gee Why’s board Holiday Gift Guide 2014 on Pinterest.
Did I mention that the Starbucks location at Windward City is now powered by Google Wifi? My last check in December 2013 confirmed wireless connectivity provided by attwifi. But during a recent visit to finish my hardcore dash of 2014, I saw the Google Wifi network show up.
Additionally, the small Starbucks inside of Windward Mall is also Google connected. Oddly, the third and seemingly busiest Starbucks location in Kaneohe, the one with the first 24-hour drive thru in Hawaii, is still not Google-fied. Here’s a SpeedTest comparison of Google Wifi versus attwifi.
The top two lines are from the Kaneohe drive thru location while the bottom line is from the Windward Mall location. Two out of three ain’t bad I guess.
Downtown Starbucks locations seemingly were the first to enjoy Google-provided Wifi networks, replacing the slower AT&T Wifi. More and more Starbucks locations on Oahu are now seeing Google Wifi. On the Leeward side, the Pearl City location on Makolu by Walmart is now Google powered.
Starbucks explorer Wayne’s World also reports that the Kapolei location has been Googlified but not the one at Kauai Kukui Grove.
At least over the Christmas season. My last check on December 21, 2013 of the Starbucks Windward City location in Kaneohe showed its Wifi network still powered by AT&T. While the captive portal interface has adopted a distinct Google Now look, the network speed still isn’t Google-esque.
Did you notice that web surfing at Starbucks Hawaii has gotten a lot faster? At least in the Downtown Honolulu area, Starbucks Wifi is now powered by Google, replacing AT&T. So don’t be surprised when you see this login screen on your smart device.
Yup, you are connected to a legit Wifi network.
Speedy, speedy!!
Thanks to Wayne’s World for the screen shots while walking around different Starbucks downtown locations.
The popular Google Maps service has a simple goal – to make the perfect map. With views from space to views on the street level to views underwater, you gotta be passionate, dedicated, and just a little bit crazy to get the “perfect map.” And that’s what the team at Google Maps is, a little bit crazy (crazy good, not crazy bad). From a car to a trike to a trolley to a snowmobile and now a wearable backpack version of the Street View Trekker, their passion for the perfect map is crazy.
Partnering with the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB), Google launched its third party Street View Trekker program. If your organization has amazing visual stories to tell, you can now apply to borrow a Trekker to capture your geographic stories. For the Hawaiian islands, the Big Island will be first to get mapped by Hawaii Forest & Trail whose focus is on popular Hawaii trails.
So what’s the Google Street View Trekker like? Well, it’s like this.
The backpack version is about 40 pounds heavy (with the batteries) holding a ruggedized rig of 15 cameras. Taking pictures every 2.5 seconds to compose a 360-degree view of the surroundings, you’d think this high tech gear is fragile. Not in the least. Constructed to take a fall, this rig is tough and is designed to be exposed to the elements. It raises your profile about 18 inches and along with its weight, your body’s center of mass is significantly altered. You have to be a little bit crazy to take this on a hike! I felt like I’d topple over with every turn, and you can’t lean over otherwise you’d surely topple over. A strong back and strong legs are definitely recommended.
How much does this backpack Trekker cost? A million dollars? Probably not. Buku bucks? For sure, and Google is letting you borrow it. Supposedly it has no comms although I find that highly unlikely since Google has the ability to remotely update and troubleshoot the packs. Images are stored on media cards which are then sent back to Google for processing. The cleaning and stitching of all the images could takes months before they’re live on Street View.
Street View collections recorded with this Trekker should be available in September and who knows, soon enough you may see this Trekker pack roaming the scenery of Oahu.
More pictures from today’s announcement.
Thanks to Nathan Kam for this invitation.
Go to Google.com today and check out the artwork doodle from the theme “My Best Day Ever…”
This doodle was created by Sabrina Brady, a high school senior. Here’s part of her story.
Since Google announced the sunset of its RSS Reader service, I’m giving NewsBlur a try. Granted RSS has become my distant third option for discovering content and reading news with Facebook and Twitter tied for my online news top spots.
But I do miss the wide capture of my RSS feeds over the year so since RSS is buzzing again, I want to see what I’m missing. NewsBlur adopts the freemium model where you pay annually for advanced features. The free version is good but limited to 64 feeds/sites. I’ve been using the web site so far and it’s very usable. I’m going to test the iOS app next. So far, I’m impressed but I still have a lot to learn. Maybe NewsBlur will be getting another paid customer…
What’s this NewsBlur blog each user gets?
Google Now recently became available on iOS via an updated Google search app, so one morning I took it for a test drive. Nothing fancy, app defaults taken, minimal customization, and a daily commute to work.
Here’s what Google Now presented to me.
Pretty mundane. Nothing out of the ordinary. Let’s compare the weather. Google Now reports 75-degree weather with some clouds and rain.
Car reported outside temperature was 76 degrees, and it was an overcast morning, so that’s a +1 for Google Now. How about the commute? 26 minutes seems about right with light traffic, but even Google doesn’t know and can’t integrate everything (yet). You see, there was a traffic accident reported on the H3 that morning. I had heard about the mishap on the radio at the start of my drive and was hoping the accident would be cleared by the time I got to the H3. Not quite.
There were lines of cars before the H3 Harano tunnels with one lane closed off. Fortunately traffic was flowing, albeit slowly compared to most mornings. Was this “light traffic” according to Google? From my daily commutes, I would consider this heavy traffic for the H3. So my commute did take longer than normal, quite possibly the 26 minutes estimated by Google Now from the starting point of traffic slowdown.
My overall first experience with Google Now wasn’t totally amazing but modestly intriguing. I can see how this intersection of relevant data is very cool and convenient, and I have to tinker with Google Now settings to see what else it can do.
