Google Maps shows real-time traffic data

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I just went to Google Maps today and discovered a new button - TRAFFIC. Google Maps now shows real-time information about traffic for many US cities. To see this, switch to the map or hybrid views and click on the new traffic tab. A new layer will appear that color-codes the traffic according to how fast traffic is moving.

• Green: > 50 miles per hour
• Yellow: 25 - 50 miles per hour
• Red: < 25 miles per hour
• Gray: no data available

India Poised - Our Time is Now

Back from India

I’m back from India. I was gone a solid 3 weeks. Not enough time, but that’s life.

I drove around today because I needed groceries. Unfortunately its Christmas eve and most stores are closed and I didn’t particularly feel like grocery shopping at a convenience store as I need more than bread, milk, and Snickers though I could use some Mountain Dew about right now.

Some observations of contrast I made on my drive today:

• The air is so clean and buildings are not soot-ridden.
• Its quiet. With so many people India has alot of energy on the streets at any time of day.
• My trek seemed boring. The drive was probably the same time-wise, but seemed drab except for the radio blaring, which leads me to the next observation.
• We have more radio stations in the U.S. This is due to the readily available capital in the U.S. Businesses requiring capital are more sparse in India. Even the large industries are dominated by a few large conglomerates.
• When labor is cheap, service is great. In India I can go into a mom & pop store for a coke and the guy will go to the back to pull out a fresh cold coke and also ask me what else I like and make suggestions. I guess this is old-fashioned selling, but it is refreshing. Compare this to Wal-Mart or your typical grocer in the U.S. where you have to walk several blocks to find a human to ask for assistance. Normally they just refer you to walk 4 blocks to your left and the 50th shelf from the bottom.
• The Human element is stronger when the technology becomes more scarce. There is less emphasis on TV and technology in India. Refrigerators are places to store milk and less of a place to store leftovers or processed instance meals. Fresh is the word here. It seems so much more natural than the magic box we reach into filled with hydrogenated soybean products.