Slashdot Mirror
Google Maps Meets Carmen Sandiego
Craig Miller writes "What better way to end the weekend than by playing a game of Brewster Jennings Protects America? This new game is a Google Maps mashup with the classic 'Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego' style of game. Run around the world trying to stop a terrorist from carrying an attack. Pretty amusing game and it shows what you can do with the Google Maps API and a little imagination." Despite the jingoistic title and concept it's a lot of fun, and quite challenging on hard.
Wow, this is amazing. Shows what innovation and imagination can prduce.
is a 'Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego' style of game?
Do not try to read the dupe, thats impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth
What truth?
There is no dupe
Yet another example of perfect marketing by Google:
1.make a more-than-average type of product, and establish it on the market.
2.Make everyone use it.
2.1Do that by quality
2.2 by offering the best possible solution for someone who just wants to USE it
2.3 by being the one who lets other people use it (by offering an API)
TADA
3. World Dominance
I don't hate Google, but isn't it a bit a strange thing that "fair use" methods like "letting others use your product for both's advantage" leads to some kind of strange quasi-monopolism?
is that something the Open-Source-Community has to worry about?
Don't let the facts bite you. Get bitten here instead.
This would be so much cooler with real time satellite feeds and orbital laser command at your control
Jingoistic? So the desire to protect America is extremely nationalistic?
Either that, or Zonk has no idea what the word means.
...Brewster Jennings couldn't stop the incoming terrorist attack on his server...
Ok so NASA World Wind gets high resolution terrain mapped Moon data, lots of people submit the article to /. all get rejected, someone makes a game for google and /. say "WOW OMFG how cool we mustwrite an article"
Is that Bostons roads are REALLY messed up.
OgleEarth points to three games involving GoogleEarth, Earth Contest, GoogleEarthing and GEwar. Taken from http://industry.slashgisrs.org/article.pl?sid=05/1 0/07/134251
Animoog.org
extreme chauvinism or nationalism marked especially by a belligerent foreign policy (source m-w.com)
I don't really think of this as Jingoism. Fighting terrorists to prevent them from killing people in your country (particularly after they've done things like, say that they want to kill people in your country, is pretty natural.
Jingoism might be things like shooting illegal immigrants trying to run across the border from Mexico, such as the Minutemen are accused of doing. Notice the difference.
Update (Oct 30, 2005): Oh crap, here comes the Slashdotting.. The server probably won't be able to take the beating so if the game doesn't work now bookmark us and return in a few days time. Sorry! - Craig
This is from BrewsterJennings.com.
Run around the world trying to stop a terrorist from carrying an attack. Expect a full-fledged investigation from the Patriot Act police soon.
Such games never really taught history. Yes, they taught you dates and names, but nothing serious. They never were able to delve into the complex socio-political situations that caused or arose from historic events. They never taught how to discern tainted or biased historic information from legitimate reports.
Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
Google helped me found her.. She's in Cairo, Egypt.
would you submit your site to slashdot when you already know you can't handle a slashdotting? Seriously, he submitted the article then writes on his site "here comes the slashdotting, come back later".
Just my $0.02
Then again, perhaps if anyone knew where the name "Brewster Jennings" came from, it might put things in a different perspective.
no.
Perhaps it's the name of the front company that Valerie Plame used as cover.
When you've got a fictitious company protecting America, the title isn't "jingoistic": it's just a joke.
If you want to find out where she is hiding herself right now, just ask Google: Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Man is a slave because freedom is difficult, whereas slavery is easy.
Ho yeah ! It was even shown on french TV... What's the link with Carmen Sandiego ?
Well, holy fuck, it's a game, not a goddamned graduate level course at Yale!
So the American military was just walking down the boulevard one day, window gazing, and then all of a sudden the meander into a full-fledged war with Iraq? Of course they deliberately attacked Iraq!
America has never expressed a desire to eliminate an entire way of life or people.
We hear on a daily basis how America would like to eradicate various extremists. Like it or not, they are people, and they have chosen a particular way of life. Yet you're all into destroying them. Frankly, I'm appalled by all such behaviour, be it from an American or an Arab.
And thank you for the ad hominem attack. That seals the victory for me!
Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
Brewster Jennings and co. is a "real" company. The CIA agent Valerie Plame, whose cover was blown for political reasons, "worked" for Brewster Jennings.
Perhaps I was uniformed. But can't you argue like an adult rather than a message board troll? Also, what makes you so sure that there were not Americans 50 years ago who did advocate "killing all the communists". America is a country of what, 650million people? Amoung that number there would be people who thought executing Communist party officals would be the only way to ensure the security of their way of life, particularly doing McCarthy's Red Scare in the 50's.
Islam is practiced by 1.3billion people world wide. Don't you think they are allowed their share of extremists also?
Lets get all the CIA/FBI hooked to this and they might get a bit better at their jobs. BTW, I have failed in saving 3 major cities in my attempts at this game. My apologies to the residents.
In case you're wondering what the name Brewster Jennings refers to, it's the CIA shell company that was exposed along with Valerie Plame's identity.
My favorite part of this game was looking up the word "jingoistic".
So says ToeNipples
Thank god this has Slashdot's attention, maybe now someone can tell me where Charles Manson is imprisoned?
It's the first step in one of the sequences, and I could not find it. I tried 4 different major California prisons, each of which had been indicated by some research (via Google, natch).
On a related note, how does hinting work? I turn it on but I see no effect.
One simple rule for its versus it's
That's right - somethis is missing! A terrorist has stolen the White House! Your job is to track the theif to his hideout, arrest him, and recover the loot! A white man was seen leaving the scene of the crime...
--LWM
My parents practice Islam in Britain, and can assure you that they most definitly do not condone the actions of Extremist Terrorists in America an, ideed, Britan. As I stated, there are 1.3 billion practicing Muslims, Muslims in India, Europe, The America's... only a very, very small percentage of them support the attacks against the USA, and only the minority turn a blind eye to these events, so they may live in safety in their countries. Do not assume that "Islamists" (As you say) means only the inhabbitants of several small countries in the Middle East, in the same way you would not assume that "Christian" means inhabbitants of Isreal and perhaps Italy.
This new game is a Google Maps mashup with the classic 'Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego' style of game.
What is wrong with something like:
"It is a 'Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego' style game that implements google maps."
Although I hate the word 'podcast', for example, it at least fills a void where a new term was needed. 'Mashup' is a stupid buzzword that essentially means 'combination of', we already have plenty of more informative ways to express this idea (see above).
Sometimes, SlashDot articles read as though the posters are actually embarassed to be American.
the title isn't "jingoistic": it's just a joke.
Calling a joke title jingoistic is a joke. Asking 'why do you hate America so much?' of the person who called the joke title jingoistic is also a joke.
Of course, the authors of those posts and Zonk may not be in on it (what did Zonk know about Brewster Jennings and when did he know it?), but that makes the whole thing even more funny.
Wearing a flag is jingoistic. Or maybe this storeis. Unless it's a hippy wearing a flag. Then people assume it's anti-jingo, whatever that is. Okay, he might not be a hippy, just a slob. Whatever.
I18N == Intergalacticization
This is an awesome game! Me likes.
>>>There was no threat to be eliminated, and as such it was not an act of protection
It was less an act of protection from immediate threat than it was taking out the trash. We had unfinished business from the Gulf War and Bush decided that since we were in Afghanistan anyway thanks to the Taliban we might as well do a little global housecleaning. The fact that Bush had to spin it with the WMD thing is a sad commentary on how far the left as eroded America's spine.
And from the way Iran has been acting lately, they should be next on the list unless Israel get to them first. Unlike America, the Left in Israel doesn't have such a loud whiney voice and I doubt they will stand around and let Iran get nukes whilst the left in the West debates and complains and wrings its hands over multicultural respect, human rights, worries about offending butchers etc.
Israel has learned the hard way that follwing a liberalist appeasement doctine would be the quickest way to get yourself wiped out when dealing with Islamic radicals.
Of course, one should not deem themselves experts on a subject because they've played a game. Nobody is suggesting this. Did anyone ever suggest that? Nobody ever has, for all I know, and if they did, I'd be all up in their ass instead of yours. I've never heard anyone call himself or herself an expert in anything related to a game, besides being an expert at playing the game, and that's a fair metric if it's based in reality. Playing chess professionally doesn't make one an expert military strategist, and playing professional golf doesn't make one a good landscaper. Why should playing game designed for 6th graders make one an expert historian?
The game is designed to stimulate interest in and open the mind to the subjects of geography and history (and astronomy, English, math in later games) by presenting a cursory and entertaining overview of each. For any kid remotely interested in the topics, it's a step in the right direction, isn't it? By that virtue, I'd say the games did just as they were designed to do, and in fantastic style.
It is assumed that this is all the game was supposed to do, and assuming or suggesting otherwise is idiocy at best and ad hominem at worst. Unless, of course, you appreciate the in-game experience as training exercise just in case you somehow happen to get a job as a detective chasing a long legged brunette hottie in a red trench coat and broad brimmed hat, whom also likes to leave obvious clues--then you've really got a leg up on the competition, haven't you?! It's not a failing of the game designers, and it's not a failing of primary education in the western world to not present the subject in way you feel is appropriate. If anything, the people who keep track of teenage suicides should be thankful you're not in charge!
I guess it's all relative, right? Still, I bet some of those kids on the PBS contest show could've wiped the floor with you, pretty much all of the US, and many history majors, just for the fun of it and, of course, that prized trip around the country/world.
Constitutional rights may be respected, repealed, or modified; but they must never be ignored.
First rate trolling, sir. Congratulations.
Or, in the off case you're serious, I'd like to point out that we *can't* win a war by eradicating everyone who sees America as an irresponsible and arrogant world citizen. I'm not saying the solution is to go hug them, but you can't treat life like a game of Counter-Strike.
Telltale Games: Bone, Sam and Max
... but all I got was this error message!
Read my blog.
Waldo made an appearance in my Computer Engineering class last Friday.
Then, your parents are poor Muslims. The Qur'an commands that Muslims are not to take Jews or Christians for friends, to subjugate other nations, and force them to either pay tribute or convert. This is not trolling-- it is fact. Read the Qur'an, then come back and mod me down if I am wrong.
Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
The game seems fun and all, but I found it impossible to play, specifically with the counter in place. That is, I think that when you take into account factors such as the speed of google maps, the area of the map which you could click on, the rate of zoom, etc, it is very, very close to the 10 minutes allotted. This is of course, ignoring the human controllable factors such as the time it takes to read the clues or make up your mind onto where to click next. I've tried twice, playing with nearly dead-on "top-level" clicking, reasonable zoom levels (to not get lost out in the middle of nowhere), and yet I still can't win. But I do have to wait a lot for Google's maps too load.
Robert Bindler
A Computer Science student's views on technology.
Council of American-Islamic Relations condemns 9/11 in national full-page newspaper ad the next day.
Ayatollah Muhammad Husain Fadlallah of Lebanon condemns Osama Bin Laden.
Grand Imam of Al-Azhar seminary, Shaikh Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, condemns Osamah Bin Laden (Plus official text)
Prominent Pakistani Cleric Tahir ul Qadri condemns Bin Laden.
Television preacher Yusuf Al-Qaradawi condemns Al Qaeda
Spanish Muslim Clerical authorities Issue Fatwa against Osamah Bin Laden. There are on the order of 250,000 Muslims in Spain.
High Mufti of Russian Muslims calls for Extradition of Bin Laden. Russian Muslims are 15% of the population there, so this is not a pro forma thing.
List of Muslim condemnations of Terrorist attacks. Also Scholars of Islam and the tragedy of 9/11 attacks
Expressions of grief and sympathy in the Arab world after 9/11. (Includes candlelight vigils in Tehran, anti-terrorism protests in Bangladesh)
Iraqi blogger Riverbend recalls the sympathy she felt on 9/11
You didn't hear any protests because it simply wasn't covered in American news. International news did pick up on these events. How about the people in Arab countries who donated blood after 9/11 because Qaradawi suggested it? What about the flower bouquets people sent in sympathy to the American embassy in Kuwait, so many that they ringed the fence?
That's not what is says. Show me the actual verses. You're just spouting what the detractors say.
[5:82] "...And you will find that the closest people in friendship to the believers are those who say, "We are Christian."
Nothing about subjugating other nations. And I don't think I've ever heard any Muslim call it tribute, anyone who lives in an actual Islamic state has to pay taxes, Muslims pay their charity tax (zakat) and non-Muslims have to pay similar for citizenship.
I'm still looking for Waldo.
Warning: Could be fatal if taken seriously
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynne_Thigpen
I can't find the location of the clue "mickey, donald and the rest of the gang" I've looked at Disneyland and Disney World, but I can't find it.
Because there aren't many clues, this one keeps popping up and keeping me from finishing
No doubt. I'm going to use this opportunity to pimp my blog entry on the subject - I'll leave it as an exercise to the reader to determine whether this action is ironic or not.
concrete5: a cms made for marketing, but strong enough for geeks.
I read that as:
(..)to a farm park to see the animals play on the inflatable bouncy castles, ride on the boats and generally get some fresh air.(..)
This is not an automated signature. I type this in to the bottom of every message.
What I learned from this game:
Aside from the little thing about buring in hellfire a few verses later.
But that's how religious texts are supposed to be written i guess.
Pathman, Free (as in GPL) 3D Pac Man
if you search google for where in the world is carmen sandiego it tells you she's in cairo, egypt.
if i'm not immortal, what's the point of living?
...te?
"Except as any intelligent person knows, Iraq was not a threat to America. That was well-known before hand, and proven completely true afterwards."
1) Iraq under Saddam was a threat to Shiites.
2) Iraq under Saddam was a threat to Kurds.
3) No-fly-zones were set up and run for a decade to prevent slaughter because of (1) and (2).
4) Considering #3, in hindsight, every intelligent person obviously had no idea whatsoever know how much of a threat Iraq was or was not. If it was obvious, then surely you could point me to somebody, somewhere that came forward prior to the war with evidence arguing that point.
Using Bill Maher's talking points does not make one Bill Maher.
"There was no threat to be eliminated, and as such it was not an act of protection."
4) If the Iraq War never began, and if the US and UK ended the no fly patrols, then the "International Community" would instantly blame the US and UK for the slaughter of thousands or millions.
The Google Maps API is so open and easy to develop, this has caused stuff like this to develop. You have to hand it to Google for creating such an easy to use tool like that, I expect to see some great innovative sites based around different ways to use this API. Congratulations to everyone involved.
Business Voyeur
You're absolutely right. I shouldn't take /. so seriously =P.