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How Google determines the names for bodies of water in Google Earth (2008)
- doener 2y agoHow much saner the world seemed back then: "In other words, if a ruler announced that henceforth the Pacific Ocean would be named after her mother, we would not add that placemark unless and until the name came into common usage."
- psunavy03 2y agoThey've needed rules like this forever. Is it the Sea of Japan or the East Sea? The Persian Gulf or the Arabian Gulf? And so on. This is just another similar pissing contest.
- jltsiren 2y agoThere is a difference between established people in the region use and deliberate name changes. Seas usually have multiple names, because people give names from their own point of view. "East Sea" often refers to the Baltic Sea. Except if you ask Estonians, who prefer the West Sea instead.
- empath75 2y agoI've been tremendously disappointed by how chickenshit corporations have been this time.
- talldayo 2y agoIt began back in 2016. The tech market didn't want to hear that their progressive leaders were bending the knee. But it was happening, and we know today that it only got worse. Doesn't matter if you're gay like Sam Altman or Tim Cook, doesn't matter if you're an immigrant or refugee like Sergey Brin. "this time" it's a lot more public, but we're also less unwilling to accept the rotten core of the tech industry. The ultimate force majeure is money, not virtue signalling. It's a mistake to trust any business, particularly publicly traded ones, to do the right thing when money is on the line.
- niobe 2y agoWow, old google seemed to care about the quality of their data and the service they were providing to users, and then apply reasoning to achieve those aims.
- hightrix 2y agoThe Google of old wanted users to get the best results using their software. The Google of new wants customers to get the best results using their ad network.
- drawkward 2y agoThey are quislings now
- Terr_ 2y agoFor those out-of-the-loop and confused why this is being posted, recently Google has executed a very different policy, changing names in response a Presidential Executive Order. (Which looks like cozying up with the new administration.) https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jan/28/google-maps-will-rename-gulf-of-mexico-as-gulf-of-america-in-us https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jan/28/google-ma...
- ChrisArchitect 2y agoRelated: Google says it will change Gulf of Mexico to 'Gulf of America' in Maps https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42847758 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42847758