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Russian Town Puts Giant Smiley On Google Maps

Toramir writes "Citizens of the Russian town Chelyabinsk calculated when the satellite, QuickBird, which takes images for Google Earth and Google Maps, would cross above their city and used people to make a giant smiley face. A rock concert on the main square attracted many people and everyone got a yellow cape. It looks like someone at Google was quicker than usual to put up the new data. Maybe Google likes the idea of an entire town working hard to get its 15 minutes of fame. The article has a screenshot of Google Maps and images taken directly at the event."

33 of 280 comments (clear)

  1. You know what... by incognito84 · · Score: 5, Funny

    In Soviet Russia, satellite smiles at you!

  2. Google will have to remove the pic by zappepcs · · Score: 5, Funny

    or the copyright owners of the smiley face will issue a DMCA take down notice.

    Whether that would really happen or not, the news has become so much like the Onion that I kind of expect asshattery like that.

    1. Re:Google will have to remove the pic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      the copyright owners of the smiley face will issue a DMCA take down notice.

      In Soviet Russia, smiley face owns copyright on DMCA!

      In future Soviet USA, they skip take down notice. Instead send you straight to a DMCA Forced Work Camp in Alaska. Where you will transcribe entire works of Disney, by hand.

  3. In soviet Russia.. by 278MorkandMindy · · Score: 5, Funny

    In soviet Russia, we know when the American satellites are coming!

    1. Re:In soviet Russia.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      You do not know when the toilet paper is coming!

    2. Re:In soviet Russia.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      In soviet Russia, we know when the American satellites are coming!

      Because outer space is not maintained by the U.S.A. Art Buchwald, upon hearing the plans for moving Minuteman missiles in a secret underground tunnel network so that the Russians would not know where the missiles were at any point of time, instead proposed using AmTrak for moving the missiles around.

      And in order to make sure the Russians never knew where the missiles were, to give them the train schedules.

      I think they actually heeded his advice in so far as railroads were indeed used for that purpose. I don't know whether they also followed his suggestion of handing over the train schedules. There are probably treaties against that kind of infamy.

  4. Mad by xPsi · · Score: 4, Funny

    Very creative. But were they going for the Alfred E. Neuman look? Probably should have put the stage below the chin. Still love it. Perhaps more with the missing tooth.

    --
    i\hbar\dot{\psi}=\hat{H}\psi
  5. Re:Where exactly? by MarkRose · · Score: 4, Funny

    Way to frown on the happy parade! :(

    --
    Be relentless!
  6. hmm by thatskinnyguy · · Score: 4, Funny

    Obvious Photoshop job. For punishment, I think we can all work together and put him over his bandwidth cap.

    --
    The game.
  7. In Soviet Russia... by FlyByPC · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... Google searches for YOU!

    --
    Paleotechnologist and connoisseur of pretty shiny things.
  8. Rick Rolled? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    I think we just got Rick Rolled.

  9. Re:Where exactly? by Hal_Porter · · Score: 5, Funny

    For those who absolutely refused to read the article, here is an artist's impression

    : )

    --
    echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
  10. Re:Where is it? by TobyRush · · Score: 4, Funny

    No... wait... I see it! You kind of have to focus your eyes on a point behind the picture.

    --
    Sam! If you will let me be,
    I will try them.
    You will see.
  11. Re:Where exactly? by Wanado · · Score: 2, Funny

    It appears as if the smiley was photoshopped in or out of one of the pictures.

    Yes, it appears as if the smiley may have been added to the image using Adobe Photoshop software. Adobe Trademark Use

    --
    Somehow along the way I made a bad choice in life and now must live with 0 Karma.
  12. That's nothing by commodoresloat · · Score: 5, Funny

    You should see how many things in the U.S. are named after Ronald Reagan!

    1. Re:That's nothing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      But there's only one thing named after George Bush, sadly that thing is still running the country.

  13. Re:Lenina? by at_slashdot · · Score: 2, Funny

    Palin is a heroine. She once drilled oil with her bare hands.

    --
    "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." -- Prof. Dumbledore
  14. Re:Where exactly? by gmuslera · · Score: 5, Funny

    A new breaktrough in loseless image compression, what really matters of that image in just 2 bytes.

  15. Re:Where exactly? by GFree678 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I disagree. I can provide a better artist's impression: :D

  16. Re:Fake images by easyTree · · Score: 4, Funny

    No, the purpose of a cinema is to sell popcorn. It's actually quite the opposite of karma whoring.

  17. Re:Here's an example of the real thing by mgabrys_sf · · Score: 2, Funny

    Shh! You FOOL! Those are Wall Mart's cover story for their impending death-satellite campaign. You're not supposed to mention them until AFTER the attack.

    One more word outa you, and you'll be a door greeter in Topeka for the next 5 years.

    ALL HAIL WALLMART!

  18. Re:Yes, Lenina by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I think he was comparing the desire to forget a nasty period of history, not equating the crimes perpetrated by the respective historical figures.

    Me, I'm wondering how many girls born in 80s Scotland were named Margaret.

  19. Bad teeth by laddiebuck · · Score: 2, Funny

    I see that according to good old Eastern European custom, the smiley has bad teeth. Probably too much vodka...

    (Disclaimer: I say this as a Hungarian with bad teeth. :)

  20. In soviet Russia.. by phexitol · · Score: 5, Funny

    Toilet paper knows when you are coming! Oh, wait a minute...

  21. Re:Where exactly? by Stooshie · · Score: 2, Funny
    --
    America, Home of the Brave. ... .and the Squaw.
  22. Re:Where exactly? by Inf0phreak · · Score: 4, Funny
    I also heard that a Japanese artist had made an impression:

    ^_^

    --
    ________
    Entranced by anime since late summer 2001 and loving it ^_^
  23. bleh by joss · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm more impressed that they made their park a union jack, I guess that was put up a 100+ years ago, so maybe they just have a history of sucking up to the powers that be..

    --
    http://rareformnewmedia.com/
  24. Re:Where exactly? by Simon+Brooke · · Score: 4, Funny

    Off-topic, I know, but I'd never seen this before, and I found it quite funny.

    Trademarks are not verbs.

    CORRECT: The image was enhanced using Adobe® Photoshop® software. INCORRECT: The image was photoshopped.

    Trademarks are not verbs, therefore verbs are not trademarks, therefore 'photoshopped' is not a trademark, and can therefore be used freely. Or am I applying logic where none applies? (Yes, I know, trademark law probably covers stuff like this.)

    I tried to Google for an authoritative answer, but didn't come up with anything.

    --
    I'm old enough to remember when discussions on Slashdot were well informed.
  25. Re:Where exactly? by need4mospd · · Score: 5, Funny

    I Britannica'd the info and found what you're looking for. I'll Xerox the page and UPS it to you.

  26. Re:Where exactly? by camperdave · · Score: 4, Funny

    Looks fake to me. The screenshots on the article's websites show the cars on the exactly same positions, so it's obviously the same square, photoshopped.

    That makes me angry. They go through all the trouble of handing out yellow capes to hundreds of people. They tell them where to stand, and they probably have to wait there for quite a time while the satellite passes over. They have to block traffic, and business, etc. Then some humourless drone down at Google goes and photoshops all that work away. It was probably done by the same sourpuss person who got rid of the "Swim across the Atlantic" instruction you used to get when asking for directions from New York to London, England.

    --
    When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
  27. Re:Where exactly? by The+Gaytriot · · Score: 3, Funny

    It was definitely 'shopped, but I did manage to find a real instance of this happening. It was in Central Park, NY, weird...
    Here's a screenshot:
    http://05lan.dyndns.org/public/centralpark.JPG

    This one is definitely not photoshopped.

    --
    Srsly u guys. U guys, srsly.
  28. Re:Where exactly? by WoLpH · · Score: 2, Funny

    It's 3 bytes actually, he added a space there ;)

  29. Re:Finally, a way GIMP is definitely superior! by devilspgd · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yeah... "I gimped Bob into the company photo" will go over real well.

    --
    Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day, but teach a man to phish...