Google maps, Soweto uprisings and Iranian TV
Google today upgraded Google Maps. It’s now bloody easy to include a map on your site.
View Larger Map
Above, you’re looking at geotagged artworks in Delft. The datafeed comes from Beeldenstad.net.
That took me less than one minute. True, as a user using this new technique (embedded maps) you’re more restricted than doing everything yourself (like I do on several of my sites), but your development time also goes down to near zero. It just ain’t fair.
Soweto uprisings . com on MSNBC
Yah, we’re cool. You might know I’ve done some nice work, together with Ismail Farouk on Soweto uprisings . com, an online mapping application, documenting the June 16, 1976 uprisings in Soweto. Recently, the site was mentioned in an article on MSNBC.
The article is decent enough, but also generalizes too much, something journalists writing on ‘Africa’ often end up doing. The article also isn’t 100% accurate, as it says that “… by the end of the day (June 16), scores of children were shot dead.” In fact, at the end of the first day (that is, June 16), it is generally accepted 23 people had died, including 3 whites. I don’t think the other 20 all were children.
Anyway, the site’s getting coverage on, according to Alexa, the second most popular website in the world.
Iranian TV
I was asked to plug an online Iranian TV station aimed at the 18-35 age group. It’s rather entertaining, if you have an interest in Iran. They’re still ironing out some glitches on the website.
http://services.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/823324966