San Francisco Neighborhood Maps

When we first moved to San Francisco, I struggled to find a good map that outlined the many neighborhoods of the city to help with apartment searching and just getting to know the area.

Sure there are static versions (e.g. this one and that one) but you can't do much with them. And there is a decent dynamic one using google maps with markers to give you a sense of where the neighborhoods are... but I was surprised how hard it was to find one that is dynamic and had the boundries to clearly show the neighborhoods. Back when Google Launched Neighborhood Search that's what I thought was coming soon... but that's not quite what neighborhood search did.

Then, buried as a user-generated map within GoogleMaps I came across this version by a guy named Craig that is great! It hasn't gotten much attention (only 405 views to date and one rating). You should check it out and rate it up!

For some reason it is broken up into two maps (both embedded below) so you can't see it all on one, but you can also check it out directly on Google Maps for more functionality at Dynamic Map of San Francisco Neighborhoods.

View Larger Map

View Larger Map

Google for Non-Profits

Some exciting news from Google today... we launched Google for Nonprofits! http://www.google.com/nonprofits/

It is a portal for nonprofit organizations to learn more about free tools from Google to help save time and money and promote and expand the great work of the nonprofit sector!

I think it does a great job of breaking down all the various tools, letting you know how to sign up and use each one. It also has some case studies and stories showcasing how others are using the tools... that part could use more - so submit your stories and help spread the word!

For more, see the: Official Google Blog: Google for Non-Profits

p.s. It's been a while since I posted, but in case you haven't heard, I had a baby, and joined a new team at work, so it's been busy!

Countdown to Fatherhood

The next major life goal I am about to embark on is fatherhood. That's right folks, on January 23, 2008, Jyothi and I are expecting a little baby girl!

Here's a count down timer so you can follow along with us as we eagerly await the arrival.

This also gives me an excuse to try out Google's create a calendar button, so here it is:

If you are A Google Calendar user, clicking on that link should add our due date to your calendar with the title "Jyothi and Seth are having a baby!"

Google-Pimping my blog

As part of my blog re-organization I have been "Google-Pimping" my blog by trying to add in a variety of Google enhancements.

So far I have:

1. Integrated a Custom Search Engine which lets you search this blog and all the sites I link to
2. Set my feeds "en fuego" with FeedBurner - which allows you, dear readers, to subscribe via RSS and/or email, and allows me to see some cool stats about subscribers
3. Provided another window into my head with a Google Reader gadget that allows you to see snippets of stories I have read lately (and decided to share publicly)
   
4. Analyzed my traffic (or lack there of) with Google Analytics
5. Jazzed-up a post with an embedded slide show via Picasa
6. And I have even installed AdSense to monetize these musings (actually this is just an experiment to see how AdSense works - I don't expect to make any money off of this. ;)

What else should I try... any suggestions?

Less Running and More Goofing around on the Internet

Since the marathon, people keep asking me, "so, are you still running?" and "when is the next marathon?" and the truth is, I have only been for 1 run since. It was a 5 mile jog around Stow Lake last weekend. It felt good, of course it always feels good during and at the end of a run, but I can't say I really miss it when I am not running.

So what have I been up to? Mostly I have been spending time catching up on other areas of my life and am back to goofing around on the internet. One thing I have been goofing around with is the new Google Analytics. I thought it was funny to see the traffic for this site looks kind of like the elevation map for the marathon!

The Marathon Route (2) - This time on Google Earth!

For those of you who can't make it in person, here are some snapshots of the Big Sur International Marathon Route which I created in Google Earth.


Note: No these are not "official" images endorsed by either the Big Sur International Marathon or Google Earth... I mapped the route on Google Earth, took some screen shots, and then added on the logos to make them look good.

Driving the route in person was awesome, but driving it on Google Earth was almost as amazing! I will find a way to post the KML file soon, so you can "fly" the course yourself on Google Earth.

Update: Here is the link to the KML file and here are some helpful instructions on how to change your "Camera Tilt" all the way to the right (80 degrees), and the "Camera Range" to the left (150 meters) to feel like you are on the course.