Where am I?

Ever wonder where in the world I am? I know I sure do. Like that time I woke up in a dirty dingy basement with a single flickering light, handcuffed to a tub or toilet and a dead guy lying next to me and a note....er wait, maybe that was the movie Saw. While that might be an exaggeration, I certainly do a great deal of city-hopping between DC and RVA, especially during my move. So I introduce to you the newest feature of my blog, Google Latitude. ---------------> If you're not familiar, Latitude can track where one are based up what is input to the widget, or it can use one's mobile phone either by cell tower triangulation or GPS. Luckily my mobile device has GPS and therefore can determine where I am within 4 meters usually. Scary isn't it?

This remind me of a fight discussion I had with my neighbors after they discovered of my blog. They are private people, and I respect that, but I'm much less of a paranoid private person. They were concerned that I published my where about, that I (at the time) published when I visit DC, that I autocross, that I have a girlfriend, etc. I assured them that I don't publish anything I don't want anyone in the world to know, or anything that I wouldn't voluntarily tell a friend or even a stranger for that matter. I take precautions. Hell, I even code-named my girlfriend, mainly at her wish. Somehow though we couldn't just agree to disagree. Ha, I wonder what they'll say about my latest addition, that is if they still read this. And if they do, then they now understand why I blog--to keep friends/family abreast of my activities, and now my whereabouts. If I could make followers out of them, then perhaps I successfully won the fight made my point.

I don't like the whole world seeing exactly where I am within 4 meters, so eventually I will restrict it to only publishing my current city. However, in just a week I will begin epic motorcycle journey from the hot Phoenix, AZ, to the adventurous Las Vegas, to the even hotter Death Valley, through the beautiful mountains of California, through the city of San Francisco and its enormous bridge, and finally to the legendary Laguna Seca racetrack in Monterey, CA. I want everyone that wants to know where I am to know exactly, within 4 meters, of where I am. Just imagine how useful this will become should something bad happen to us.

I've been using Latitude privately with some friends for a few weeks and have discovered a few things. First, its not perfect. The cell tower triangulation will usually locate within several hundred meters, which is good, but not useful when trying to find someone. Second, the GPS obviously only works when there is LOS (line of sight) to the GPS satellites, much like a car's GPS unit. For example, when I'm in work, it shows that I'm somewhere downtown, but not exactly where. Third, its quite useful when people are expecting one another, especially if travel gets delayed due to traffic. I'm guessing that Google will eventually tie it into Google Maps in such a way that it will give Latitude friends an ETA and even a planned route.

I intend to occasionally toggle between city-level and best available publishing depending upon what's going on. For instance, I'll likely publish best available location during my marathon so people may track my progress exactly. Stay tuned!