OK, a quick little humourous item that can get to with Google maps:

1. Go to maps.google.com
2. Enter ‘New York’
3. Next to ‘Get Directions’ click ‘From here’ and type ‘London’ as your destination.
4. Check out step 23

Alternatively, try this link.

Or view this:

Yes, it really does say ‘Swim across the Atlantic Ocean’. Why, considering the distance, it suggests swimming from New York to Pont Vauban and not to Southampton, or somewhere in the UK instead of going through France is a little bit of a mystery, but I guess if you are going to swim then you are not aversed to a little sight-seeing.

The book has only been out a week, and already we have questions coming in through Amazon’s new beta book discussion service.

The first query is on the API versions, which, as I explain in my response, are centered about the v1 API as this was the stable version at the time the book was written. Although it surprises some people, I actually finished writing the final parts of this book at the end of April, with the bulk of the book having been completed by February.

To ensure stability of the examples (and without delaying the book further) I standardized on the mature v1 of the API.

I’ll be posting updated examples and code for v2 versions and the relevant examples and sections of the book on this blog. If you have something specific you would like in a v2 API version, please let me know through the contact page.

Hacking Google Maps and Google Earth has been released, and should be available to order and purchase soon.

I’ve also now enabled the live examples of all the techniques covered in the book, as well as adding a full list of resources (as in the book), and full information and table of contents on the book.

• Book Information
• Table of Contents
• Live Examples
• Downloadable code
• Resources

My new book, Hacking Google Maps and Google Earth, has now been put to bed. It’s expected to be available for purchase in the early part of August.

This blog is, of course, designed to back up the book and contains all of the examples featured in the book, along with follow-up articles and other bits and pieces.

I’ll be following up in the next couple of days with all the book-related content. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Hello! I’m just about to start working on a some new examples of working with Google Maps and Google Earth. As part of that, I’ve decided to set up a new website, both to host the examples and to act as a repository for informaiton on how I’m doing with the Google Maps/Earth APIs. We’re early [...]