Pete and I finished the first-ever virtual live-streaming broadcast cross-country road trip on August 18th. It took us 9 days and 40+ hours of driving on Google Maps to complete the trek. I got food poisoning from Burger King and Pete almost lost his mind, but we persevered and made it to Richmond, VA from LA.
Fancy us; we were interviewed by NPR Weekend edition for our “vacation.” For the NPR audio interview go to http://bit.ly/GMRTNPRA. And for the NPR article see http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111921898.
You can see some vids over at www.googlemapsroadtrip.com, read a blurb on wiki if your heart so desires, and check out a hand full of screenshots on flickr.
We’ll be back up this Friday, August 21st at 2pm PST to take a tour of Richmond, and we’re slated to take a trip up to Maine soon. Stay tuned.
Posted via web from marc horowitz’s posterous
Filed under intss blog by on Aug 20th, 2009. Comment. 
Like so many of you, my friend Pete Baldes and I wanted to take a road trip together this summer, but he lives in Richmond, VA and I live in LA. We tried and tried to make our dreams of the classic American cross-country journey come true, but because of finances, schedule conflicts, and time constraints, we just couldn’t make it work. You know how it is. But then we had an idea: What about a virtual road trip that exploits the wonderful technologies of Google Maps and ustream. We could definitely make that happen.
So on August 10th, 2009, at 3pm PST, we’ll leave my house in LA and drive together to Pete’s place in Richmond. We’ll “virtual drive” across the country by continuously pressing the Google Maps arrow keys eastward, and we’ll broadcast the entire experience live on http://www.googlemapsroadtrip.com . This means you’ll be able to not only see and hear us as we travel, but also join us in a real-time chat room. Just think of it as an invitation to hop in the backseat and ride along with us for any part of our adventure that you like. We’ll take your suggestions on what to see and where to go as we trek this great nation, and ideally we’ll all get to know each other a little better.
We’ll stop for a shake at McDonalds in Flagstaff, get dinner at Olive Garden in Roanoke, play mix tapes, get in the inevitable argument, visit historical sites and old friends, stop at crummy motels for the night, etc… Just remember: This is real-time, so when we stop to eat, we’ll actually eat, and when we stop to sleep, we’ll actually go to bed, and if you’d like us to visit you, we’ll actually call you as we near your house, and you can virtually take us around your hood.
This is everything that we’d do on a real road trip, except we don’t have to leave the house, pay for gas, or worry about getting speeding tickets.
If you have suggestions on what we should see along the way — or if you would like us to stop and visit you — please e-mail me at marc@ineedtostopsoon.com
Looking forward to spending some quality time with YOU on our road trip! Can’t wait!
Marc & Pete
p.s. The chronicles of this epic road trip will also be available at http://www.thefastertimes.com/travel
Posted via web from marc horowitz’s posterous
Filed under intss blog by on Aug 7th, 2009. 1 Comment.
You can see the photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/marchorowitz/sets/72157621030659709/
Posted via web from marc horowitz’s posterous
Filed under intss blog by on Jul 9th, 2009. Comment.
Here are some photos from an amazing evening of dare devils that double up as poodle trainers, strange humor, glow-in-the-dark acrobats, interesting smells, ladies of all sizes, and too much cotton candy at Circo Atayde. The little circus was tucked away between a 99 cent store and a massive latino grocery store that had the most extensive tequilla selection I’d ever seen.
If you are in Los Angeles and need something to do, this is a must see. It ends Tuesday, March 31st, 2009, so hurry! It is at 3rd street and Bonnie Brae (http://bit.ly/3GIwoJ).
For the set visit – http://bit.ly/eBy4
For the slide show visit – http://bit.ly/xqO8b
Posted via web from marc horowitz’s posterous
Filed under intss blog by on Mar 30th, 2009. 2 Comments.
LOS ANGELES, Wednesday – After years and years of Research & Development in an underground Stanford laboratory, scientists have finally unveiled what has been hailed as “the best” solution for the ever-growing Los Angeles traffic problem: “The Not-So-Invisible Giant Hand,” or simply, “Big Hand.”
Over 200 years after Adam Smith’s economic theory of an “Invisible Hand,” Governor Schwarzenegger’s traffic theory of a “Not-So-Invisible Hand” is finally realized, bringing past and present together once again.
“The time was right,” Schwarzenegger proclaimed. “After all, these hands have something we want – a firm grip on traffic control. And we also as well have also something that they want – cars. Who are we to keep these big hands from their desires?”
Scientists describe the Big Hand propulsion system as “A combination of an advanced sub-atomic jet and good ol’ fashioned black magic.” This supernatural speed allows the Big Hands to arrive at the scene of an accident up to 3,501 times faster than law enforcement, tow trucks, or emergency services. The Big Hands are also equipped with a 360-degree digital camera and were given temporary CPR licenses.
When asked if the Big Hands would be given the ability to administer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, one scientist replied, “That’d just be weird.”
Seventy-five “Not-So-Invisible Giant Hands” were deployed today in Los Angeles. Witnesses on I-5 describe the Big Hands as “really Goddamn scary giant hands.” This morning, one car’s highway collision with a guardrail served as the first Big Hands traffic assistance.
The driver, 75-year-old Max Melmo, describes the scene:
“I was just resting my head on the airbag when a Big Hand peeled back my roof and carried me away in its fist. Once I arrived at the impound lot, several hours had passed and there was snow on the ground. When I asked where I was, the Big Hand stuck out its middle finger and flew away. It turns out this was definitely not the right impound lot and, to make matters worse, I believe the Big Hand stole my wallet. I have the strange feeling that soon these Big Hands will put us under their thumbs and will destroy the human race.”
The Los Angeles Police Department is looking into these accusations.
Posted by email from marc horowitz’s posterous
Filed under 001 Imagination, intss blog by on Sep 16th, 2008. Comment.
