"Flickr Bikes" Photo-Map Locales Across the Globe

[ScottS]

http://lifehacker.com/5049737/flickr-bikes-photo+map-locales-across-the-globe

For their new "Purple Pedals" campaign, Yahoo has dispatched a handful of GPS-enabled bicycles equipped with cameraphones that automatically shoot and upload photos to Flickr to riders in cities all over the world, from San Francisco to New York and soon, to Singapore, Denmark and the U.K.. The bikes come with solar panels which power the camera, and special software that uses the phone's accelerometer to snap photos every 60 seconds automatically when the bike is in motion.

-ss

[yoli]

damn.
that is one ugly-ass bike.
the cool factor of functionality is definitely making up for the ass factor of its looks.

my favorite part is the UI design of the control panel - it just doesn't get more stripped down than that.

thanks, scott! this is such a great form of procrastination...

[Art]

Well...

..i've ridden uglier bikes with less brains !   

[ScottS]

damn.
that is one ugly-ass bike.
the cool factor of functionality is definitely making up for the ass factor of its looks.

my favorite part is the UI design of the control panel - it just doesn't get more stripped down than that.

thanks, scott! this is such a great form of procrastination...

Yeah, I hate the Electra Townies. Electra calls it "Flat Foot Technology." When you're sitting on the bike seat you can put both feet flat on the ground. The geometry is for people who want to sit on a bike like they sit on a chair, straight back, feet flat on the ground, hands nearly at shoulder height. Yuck. Maybe a decent bike for someone older than my mom but I try to dissuade anyone younger from getting one. Note the bottom bracket spindle pushed about 6 inches in front of the seat tube/down tube intersection. Essentially the bike is somewhere between a beach cruiser and a recumbent and performs about as well. A year after Electra debuted this bike, they moved the bottom bracket spindle on all their beach cruisers a little bit forward too. Bad decision. Luckily my 2004 New Belgium Fat Tire Ale beach cruiser made by Electra was made previous to the bottom bracket change.

As far as procrastination... now that sounds rather personal. ;-)

-ss

[Steve Mattson]

ugly ass bike, and the radio shack box with the camera and rack turd box with the collector.  I hope someone got a good deal on the package.

[JB]

I'm pretty sure Yahoo overpaid, but look, we're talking about it, so it's marketing $ well spent.

It will help distract us from Yahoo's other recent endeavors, like turning Chinese dissidents in to the Chinese authorities.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/29/AR2008022901240.html

So much for exporting American values abroad.

But, you know, it's not like Chinese prisoners are being executed and having their organs harvested to raise money via the black market.

Oh, wait - http://www.american.edu/TED/prisonorgans.htm, http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/rm/2001/3792.htm

But those Purple Pedal Pictures do provide a lovely distraction, so way to go Yahoo!

[EricW]

Well a pix by one of the ugly bikes.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jessamyns_bike/2833646145/in/set-72157607164548222/

really nice Indian...

EricW

[Steve Mattson]

Maybe the chinese government gave the bikes to Yahoo for free for their devoted service to great nation of China.  Perhaps they are government issue survellance bikes used by the Chinese authorities.