Carl Tyler's Blog :: A funny story and trick to play on youngsters

Category Google Maps
As some of you may know, the blogging was a little quiet for a couple of weeks as I had family visiting. One of the people visiting was my niece Bethany. One day we happened to find ourselves in the mall waiting for my sister and my other niece. Bethany was playing with the iPhone and we decided to try Google maps on the iPhone and the compass interaction. Not being one to miss a perfect opportunity for a wind up, we loaded the satellite image overlay.

I then proceeded to tell Bethany how the satellite image is live and if she was to go outside and wave, she would see herself. I'm sure you can imagine what happens next. Now right now this is funny, but in 10-15 years it will probably be true. Many years ago in my Renault Espace I used to tell people it had a voice controlled radio, the alarm sensors looks just like microphones, I'd tell people to ask for a different radio station or change the volume and I would switch the volume and channel with the buttons hidden behind the steering wheel. They thought it was great. Well now, cars come with radios that do this so I should be careful, as many of my pranks become reality. And yes before anyone reminds me, this was the car that I had for two plus years before I realised it had a cassette player.

Comments

1 - Carl, I'm almost embarrassed to share this story (not too embarrassed). Several years ago, I was talking to a client and I decided do show them how the new voice dictation mouse worked. I asked them to pick up the mouse and talk into it (Remember Star Trek?) and what they said would happen on screen.

They fell for it.

They did not know I was connected to their PC via PC Anywhere.

Posted by Eric Mack At 02:11:06 PM On 07/17/2009 | - Website - |

2 - "buttons hidden behind the steering wheel"

Must be a french thing.

Posted by Wassim At 09:18:52 PM On 07/18/2009 | - Website - |

3 - Yes, I remember the Espace trick - you had me for a second or two, luckily I had known you for a year or two by then and could start to recognise the beginnings of a wind up! But sadly to this day I can't work out whether that mega Hi-Fi system you had in Macclesfield actually did mute the vocals on CD's that were playing via some button or equalizer thing?

Do you remember the Kebab you found in your car as well!!!?

Posted by Mike Rice At 07:35:39 AM On 07/19/2009 | - Website - |