This isn’t the first time I’ve brought this up; in fact, just a little bit ago I did a post about how cab drivers in New York City were officially striking due to the proposed ordinance to put a GPS tracking device in each and every cab.

This move, they said, was being done to ensure that customers of the cab company would be able to retrieve lost baggage or personal belongings.  Cabbies believed this was a direct infringement on their personal privacy and would lead to them being tracked 24 hours a day.  Well, the squabbling might not be over, but a verdict has come in…Cabbies have to live with the GPS, the ordinance will stand.

That’s right friends, according to the article I Just read, “U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman refused to block the rule from taking effect, saying the use of the technology to improve taxi service appeared to outweigh drivers’ privacy rights. He urged the two sides to negotiate and set the next hearing for Oct. 10.”  Whether or not the negotiation part will actually occur remains to be seen, but I guess we’ll see how it goes having GPS all over the taxi cab companies.  I’m curious to see.

Local is the new global.  Or something.  Ok, ok, I just wanted to start this post off with some witty, wise saying, but the bottom line is, this weeks WHERE Widget is pretty darn rad.

So, without further ado…this week’s WHERE Widget of the Week is….The TOPIX Widget.  That’s right, local IS the new global and in our fast paced society, how cool is it to know what’s local, what’s current, and what’s surrounding you?  Very cool friends, very cool.  The Topix Widget basically hits you with news, classifieds, information and events in Your town, Your area at YOUR convenience.

Turn it on, tune in, and get bombarded with everything local…everything that directly concerns You, not some other dude from half a world away.  How cool is local?  Very cool.

Open source has hit the browser wars, and it’s doing a darn good job in that market; it’s hit the social networking platforms and is cleaning up there…how will it do as it branches further outward and hits GPS?  I guess we’ll see.

That’s right, I Just read about how open source is now officially coming to GPS.  According to a pretty technical, but pretty cool article I just read,

“GPSTk (which actually isn’t all that new, having been around for several years now) is an open-source library and suite of applications for the satellite navigation developer community intended “to free researchers to focus on research, not lower-level coding,” as its Web site states. Or as Harris put it, “you shouldn’t have to re-invent the wheel to get to your research.” 

So, now that it’s out and downloadable, I’ll be very interested to see where it goes from here.  Working for a company like WHERE is rad because you get to see where great minds can take great technologies.  Stay tuned to see what else WE do!