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Google Suggests You Swim Across The Atlantic Ocean
consumerist.com — Google, either encouraging physical fitness or zero population growth, offers the above helpful suggestion when mapping the route from Chicago to London.
jamesong- 6404 diggs
- digg it
- triscuitbiscuit, on 10/12/2007, -7/+145This is so weird. I was just playing around with google today and we were seeing if we could find directions to cities in Mexico (which by the way did not work). Then in a playful manner I type "London, England" and it loads. I look at the directions thinking that it might say "Take a Plane" or "Take a Boat", etc., but I see "Swim".
Then I log onto the consumerist and see that it is there. Weird.
As a sidenote, it seems to work with a lot of Europe/Russia (does not work with China though).- R34C7, on 10/12/2007, -2/+537It is nice to see that the google programmers/google execs have a healthy sense of humor.
- raptordrew, on 10/12/2007, -7/+239Who's up for it? $5 to the first person.
- dirtyharry, on 10/12/2007, -4/+173@ raptordrew
I was going to say I'd throw down $10 more, but it looks like you already owe someone money.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Lecomte - noahhoward, on 10/12/2007, -6/+23Whats awesome is that it even directs you to the (apparently) most effective crossing point. It took me up the coast aways before crossing between New Jersey and Bristol. I'm going to save money on my next visit to my family.
- irregardless, on 10/12/2007, -2/+68But why does it send us to France first? Certainly, it's easier to swim to England's west coast.
- alexgg, on 10/12/2007, -5/+78Sorry for comment hijacking but after 2 blogspam, here it is: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&saddr=Chicago,+IL&daddr=London,+UK&sll=48.458352,-37.792969&sspn=55.705336,119.53125&ie=UTF8&z=3&ll=46.437857,-42.890625&spn=57.543604,119.53125&om=1&layer=t
- otheruser, on 10/12/2007, -30/+2man... google is so awesome...
Google CEO, addressing other IT CEOs:
"Whattaya lookin' at? You're all a bunch of ***** assholes. You know why? 'Cause you don't have the guts to be what you wanna be. You need people like me. You need people like me so you can point your ***** fingers, and say "that's the good guy." So, what dat make you? Bad? You're not bad; you just know how to hide. Howda lie. Me, I don't have that problem. Me, I always tell the truth--even when I lie. So say goodnight to the good guy. Come on; the last time you gonna see a good guy like this, let me tell ya."
-Scarface, deleted scene - liquidcoooled, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11@ irregardless
It seems to land you in France for most of Europe.
I just tried it with places in Portugal/Spain and Germany, the landing was always same place in France, presumably, the closest data point it has after a swim.
It cannot send you across possible rocks and across a beach because it doesn't know the route and it wouldn't want you getting lost. - gaiden2k5, on 10/12/2007, -0/+52I just love how they understated the ' . . . ' during the swimming process LOL
- airwalkery2k, on 10/12/2007, -0/+42Hey. As long as you are going through all the trouble to swim to London, you may as well take the scenic route through France.
- koick, on 10/12/2007, -0/+20@irregardless & airwalkery2k:
Well, after going that far, you just *got* to see the chunnel! - infowar, on 10/12/2007, -20/+10What if someone literally took the directions as truth, died and then the family sued google for billions. Could happen.
- dracostimpy, on 10/12/2007, -28/+4Take Google's scenic route through France, eh? Tell that to James Kim.
(Too soon?) - EBFoxbat, on 10/12/2007, -12/+6***** street signs in Boston
- PaulOwen, on 10/12/2007, -9/+1Even weirder, it suggests that to get from France to the UK, you just "continue from Bologne Sur La Mer to Dover".
Along the seabed I presume ... - arcooke, on 10/12/2007, -2/+46Haha.. it even figures in how long it should take to swim across the ocean.
4,703 mi (about 29 days 22 hours)
Thats only about a 48-60 hour trip by car (if there were no ocean). - noahhoward, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13I think I get why it sends you to France first is symbolic of the route that Lecomte actually swam. Th article linked from Wikipedia says he left from Massachusets but it says he landed at Le Havre when the article says he landed at Quiberon.
- Biggindude, on 10/12/2007, -4/+27Someone will probably try it, then their family will sue when they drown.
- IMustBeEmo, on 10/12/2007, -3/+14It doesn't suggest you dig to China. =[ those sick, lying cartoons!
- Tochi, on 10/12/2007, -2/+32"about 29 days 22 hours"
Maybe if I was Aquaman... - marnaq, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9liquidcoooled, have faith in dijkstra's algorithm.
- dethsesh, on 10/12/2007, -1/+45atleast there wont be any traffic
- mcduckov, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9Don't apologize for linking to the content and bypassing the friggin blogspam. I always look in the comments first for the direct link and then bury the blog.
- negra, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1jack bauer and chuck norris have done it no big deal KA POW!
digg me down
- lincolnluxor, on 10/12/2007, -43/+134 posts with the same thing... good job!
1st post: http://digg.com/tech_news/Google_Map_Directions_from_Canada_to_England_REALLY_ODD
2nd post: http://digg.com/general_sciences/Google_Driving_Directions_from_California_to_Sweden_weird
3rd post: http://digg.com/tech_news/Google_thinks_we_can_swim_3_462_miles
now this...- antifolkhero, on 10/12/2007, -31/+5@lincolnluxor: Yep, just more wankers trying to capitalize on someone else's good idea. Buried.
- hdtvdust, on 10/12/2007, -25/+6stealing from Consumerist? Oh the IRONY.
- Jo9100, on 10/12/2007, -4/+13you arent the poster... dugg you
- Wonkanobi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+104Won't your directions get all wet?
- Idrive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+72Not if you have google on the cell and put it in a plastic bag.
Google is everywhere...even underwater. - bolinstephen, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1Are new passports waterproof?
- kitwaites, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9To be honest, I'd think you'd have more of a problem at step 37, where it suggests taking a "slight right" and plunging into the English Channel.
- KMye, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3That's a ferry route, still "plunging into the English Channel" was fun to read.
- Idrive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+72Not if you have google on the cell and put it in a plastic bag.
- imrankarim, on 10/12/2007, -116/+5love google
imran karim- Akaji, on 10/12/2007, -14/+202hate people who sign their digg posts
akaji - rmaxrocks, on 10/12/2007, -38/+3Google, either encouraging physical fitness or zero population growth,
- offput, on 10/12/2007, -28/+3Love sarcastic and hypocritical comments
/sarcasm
- Akaji, on 10/12/2007, -14/+202hate people who sign their digg posts
- lagrange, on 10/12/2007, -6/+30The correct answer would have been to drive across Europe, then Russia, then and drive via ice bridge from eastern Russia to Alaska via the bearing straits, then follow the US and Canadian highways to your destination.
- Hardcase, on 10/12/2007, -14/+3I see a couple of small problems with your "correct" answer. First, our destination is London. Second, there's no such place as the "bearing straits". Hmmm...maybe more than a couple...
- anonydigg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4well, same thing as "lagrange", except visa versa.
- xen0blue, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1you are part right, but I don't think there is an ice bridge from alaska to russia
- MrUnderbridge, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1You're a few millennia late.
- rmaxrocks, on 10/12/2007, -20/+2"Google, either encouraging physical fitness or zero population growth,...."
- djphatjive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+48Good job Google! Make me laugh my ass off in my cubicle!
- uggidi, on 10/12/2007, -8/+6Google is neither encouraging physical fitness nor the zero population. Google seems to have a better sense of humor thats all. Why else would they ask you to swim?
- Prod1gy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+27Yes google, just like the lemmings.
- MDrake, on 10/12/2007, -4/+77In other news: Man dies while trying to swim across the Atlantic.
- conna, on 10/12/2007, -2/+37Some California lawyer will jump all over this.
- gregduh, on 10/12/2007, -1/+26or jack thompson will claim that someone got the idea after using the infinite oxygen cheat in san andreas
- 102blue, on 10/12/2007, -0/+23i like how it minimizes the swimming distance, and lets you start at an aquarium
(ignoring the bering strait swim possibility)- xaxxon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5They seem to be taking in to account the speed at which someone swims, too. If you do the math, the average speed of the trip is around 6.5 mph.
- 102blue, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5However, world record pace for just 50m is barely 5 mph.
(Alexander Popov's 21.64) - chapium, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1It could be possible if you ride a current.
- conna, on 10/12/2007, -2/+100It's because they are going to introduce ads on the sides of fish.
- Clelland, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2Somebody's been reading the latest Michael Crichton.
- subscriber, on 10/12/2007, -0/+35@uggidi "Why else would they ask you to swim?"
They are serious about cutting down on global warming. - daveyt, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Hmm, thats not a bad route into london. I would have taken that right into Kennington road and crossed Westminster bridge. Slightly better view of Big Ben that way for the whole 'Londony' thing. At least they didnt make you swim the Thames. The Atlantic? Pretty tough. The Thames? No thanks mister.
Also who knew that 'London' meant 'Houses of Parliament'? I always thought the 'centre' was Trafalgar Square. Thats the 'official' measuring point for all the signs in to london that say "x miles to london".
nodnol 861 selim. - hokiefantony, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10i heard that is Michael Phelps daily trek to work.
- ziptnf, on 10/12/2007, -7/+0Nice try at some humor, but Phelps would rather be like the rest of us and die before swimming across the Atlantic. He doesn't do distance.
- topcad, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1Tried to get directions from Dallas to Cape Horn. But no go from Google.
- jaymzx, on 10/12/2007, -1/+80Reminds me of another slice of Google humor:
http://moon.google.com
Zoom in as much as you can :)- crackedplastic, on 10/12/2007, -23/+5So old.
There's also http://mars.google.com as well. - Hardcase, on 10/12/2007, -4/+9Shoot, all this time I thought it was green!
- crackedplastic, on 10/12/2007, -23/+5So old.
- Cyber_Akuma, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7With all the news stories about people driving into flooded roads and nearly off cliffs because their GPS said so, I'm hoping I won't find any recent stories about people that killed themselves trying to swim from the US to London.
- witcompe, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Seems to only work for Atlantic Ocean crossings...
- Pougan, on 10/12/2007, -4/+5That's awesome. I <3 Google.
- notjamt9000, on 10/12/2007, -0/+22Swim across the Atlantic Ocean: 5,572 km 29 days
- interiot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+16That's an average of 5mph, swimming 24 hours a day, 7 days a week... a bit optimistic, don't you think?
- saritate, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11Speed limit of the Atlantic Ocean: 5 mph
- gunbuster, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1Funny, can't figure out how to get me to Shanghai, China.
- TheLoneWolf071, on 10/12/2007, -1/+27Me:Hey We're going on a road Trip from Texas.
Friend:To Where?
Me:England, wanna come?
Friend:What do we do when we hit the atlantic ocean?
Me:Roll Up The Windows, Duh! - XISUPERMANIX, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6I love Google's sense of humor like the moon zoomed all the way in reveal cheese.
- theendlessnow, on 10/12/2007, -14/+2Sadly, google's extra research also substantiates the claims that the Apollo moon landing were faked.
- XISUPERMANIX, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@theendlessnow keep pulling stories out of your ass. Anyone with an IQ knows that the government regulates how detailed satellites can be not only Google moon but Google hybrid maps. Currently you can see images only 2 meters and bigger, you got to understand there is a security issue with these things and other countries come into play too. Google is trying to change that so eventually we will be able to see things smaller than that but it has to pass with our government and pretty much all the governments on earth so don't expect to see anything for a long time.
- samthegecko, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3lol, u gota love the good folks at google
- jdrama418, on 10/12/2007, -3/+44Chuck Norris swims it in one breath.
- Menchi, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5Well everyone only needs one breath to swim all the way to the bottom...
- xoon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13I googled "how to swim across the atlantic ocean" and got this:
"Possibly the greatest triumph of endurance is Benoit Lecomte swimming across the Atlantic ocean."
http://www.didyouknow.cd/aroundtheworld/swimming.htm- SoCalDissident, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8I want to know more about this "electronic forcefield" that protected him...? I'm thinking it was something to keep things like sharks (with or without laserbeams) away?
- derami, on 10/12/2007, -10/+2by the way, the person who wrote the site ya'll are Digging basically stole his content from this little-known blog: http://www.allsux.com. and to make it worse, they didn't even try to hide it. just compare the two to see - even the transatlantic destinations are the same, how lame can you get? and how did they do it? well, they the other site on Digg, probably, and then stole the content and Dugg their own site. nice work :( meanwhile, i recommend UNDigging this one and Digging allsux instead: http://digg.com/environment/Google_directions_from_Washington_DC_to_London_England_Bush_meet_Blair
- jjhack, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5For a fun one try "Dutch Harbor, AK" to "Moscow, Russia". 11,071 Miles, ~36days!!
- adrianTNT, on 10/12/2007, -10/+1Anyone wants to get rich quick ? Follow Google's instructions, then sue Google because of the misleading :)
- hooksie, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Yeah, you just try beating Google's lawyers.
- BryanJK, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1common sense, asshole
- Cornedbeef, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0Family of first cross-Atlantic swimming fatality sues Google.
- infowar, on 10/12/2007, -8/+1Funny, if this was Microsoft, everyone would be bashing it, but since it's google everyones got there dick in the hole so giddy happy.
- ziptnf, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2I wonder if that correlates to the fact that Google actually puts out extremely useful software applications, whereas Microsoft sorta tries to play catch-up.
- warchant, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2sweet...only a 30 day trip for me
and i've wasted all this money over the years on silly planes - stox, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2For fun, try to plan a trip to Orleans, Indiana. According to Google Maps, it is located several hundred miles off the coast of New Jersey, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Strangely, if you add the correct zip code to your query, it locates it just fine.
- derami, on 10/12/2007, -19/+0the SITE CONTENT of this post you are all commenting on was BASICALLY STOLEN from http://allsux.com - go and compare for yourself.
- noahhoward, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Went there, looked at it, your claim is *****. The only similarity is a sscreencap of the maps. The 'article' is some random ranting about Bush and Blair, kindly bugger off.
- mhill110, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2I just followed Google's directions to London, and boy are my arms tired.
- sandiegojoe, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I've always thought it'd be cool if it could direct you to a flight reservation getting you across the ocean and then continue the directions from there.
- heuer007, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1Justin Mongiardo
- jordanlund, on 10/12/2007, -13/+0James Kim unavailable for comment?
/Too soon? - neorser, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3And it expects you to have a car after you swim. How are you supposed to swim and carry a car at the same time?
- fireblade278, on 10/12/2007, -6/+5chuck norris could
- derami, on 10/12/2007, -6/+0Strange coincidence that a few short hours before this page started being Dugg, another page was listed on Digg: http://www.allsux.com ... they both show the Transatlantic swim, both have London as the destination, but the allsux page post was written a day earlier. Coincidence? Check it out.
- holyskeleton, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1that is awesome.
- JonesJohnson, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6ha! the old include-swimming-instructions-when-getting-directions-from-country-to-country joke! nice one, google!!!
- mcduckov, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2Does K Rose own consumerist?
- caponumen, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Wow that's some detour.....
- lxjordanxl2007, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0guuyyss, u know who wrote those directions, right?? CHUCK NORRIS. He is the only human being capable of doing such a thing. Common sense
- laxwarrior, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0weird when i typed that exact route it told me to CANOE across the atlantic ocean. Must be because im using the newest version
- Denelson83, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Why not see what "Gander, NL to London, UK" gives you? That's a hell of a long shortcut, if you ask me. Perhaps one of the techs who maintains Google Maps hails from Boston. ;)
- TheTrueAPlus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1When it tells you to start swimming, for me, it tells me to jump off at the New England Aquarium.
- loconet, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2What is interesting is that no matter what you pick (I've tried various cities in Canada/US), it always tells you to start your swim from the New England Aquarium. Interestingly enough, the road is right beside the Christopher Columbus Park ;). Great insightful sense of humor.
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