Stop messing with my Google Maps settings!

January 17, 2013 1:52 PM

Please stop making the map of a user's location use satellite view by default.

When I click on the little world icon on someone' profile to see where they are from, it brings up Google maps in satellite view, and Google then saves that preference so that from then on until I switch it back all my maps use satellite view. I don't like that view, it may look slick and all, but it's harder to see read and it's much slower, especially on a phone (maps, especially vector maps, are a lot less data than full images). So each time I select a location I have to go and reset the map back to the view I want. Why can't metafilter just respect my settings and stop trying to override them?

Part of me knows this is a really minor complaint, part of me is driven crazy every time it happens.

posted by aspo to Bugs at 1:52 PM (36 comments total)

I think this might be a you issue and not a mefi issue because I can't replicate this in any browser. (win7 admittedly)
posted by elizardbits at 1:58 PM on January 17

Wow check your browserist privilege liz, I mean I guess it could be only me who ISN'T having this problem too.
posted by elizardbits at 1:59 PM on January 17 [21 favorites]

I can't replicate this on Firefox 17.0.1 for Linux.
posted by grouse at 2:01 PM on January 17

i can't handle the blatant browserism in this meta, meta.
posted by facetious at 2:02 PM on January 17

This is the behavior I get in Windows Chrome.

Amusingly, I also discovered it is Halloween at my house. Also, that is not my house.
posted by maryr at 2:06 PM on January 17 [1 favorite]

I don't see any problem with changing the link so it doesn't pass in any sort of view preference. I haven't experienced the "setting to default" problem, but I also don't see a problem with passing in fewer parameters on that link.
posted by pb (staff) at 2:06 PM on January 17

Done!
posted by pb (staff) at 2:09 PM on January 17 [1 favorite]

pb is our invisible sky wizard.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 2:10 PM on January 17 [29 favorites]

Let's talk about maps!!
posted by desjardins at 2:13 PM on January 17 [2 favorites]

pb, you are my hero! Thank you so much.
posted by aspo at 2:15 PM on January 17

Good lord! You really are located at Uranus.
posted by unliteral at 2:17 PM on January 17

Thanks for this, pb.

I'm curious what's the point of having both q and ll?

q= sets the location of the marker, ll= sets the center point of the map; for an application like this, they would seem to be nearly interchangeable (the difference being, ll doesn't produce a marker).

I'm also not sure about spn--it seems to set the span of the map, though I'm not sure in what units, and i'm not sure how differently than z (which is zoom index).

(btw, for the less determinedly curious/bored, t= sets the map type. t=h: hybrid; k: satellite without labels; m: [political] map)
posted by FlyingMonkey at 2:19 PM on January 17 [4 favorites]

elizardbits: "Wow check your browserist privilege liz, I mean I guess it could be only me who ISN'T having this problem too."

not favoriting this is a hate crime
posted by boo_radley at 2:31 PM on January 17 [1 favorite]

I'm curious what's the point of having both q and ll?

No point as far as I can tell. We can probably get rid of ll.
posted by pb (staff) at 2:58 PM on January 17

Folks, I think we all need to sit down and unpack our invisible ZIP files.
posted by griphus at 2:58 PM on January 17 [11 favorites]

Just so long as you keep the default that puts me lost somewhere smack in the middle of the forest being slowly devoured by lichen. Cause, yay!
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:05 PM on January 17

Can the maps have titles?
posted by softlord at 3:21 PM on January 17

Can we talk about my anus for little bit longer?

Because it's been really itchy lately.
posted by item at 3:38 PM on January 17

and yes, I wiped
posted by item at 3:39 PM on January 17

pb is our invisible sky wizard.

What are you talking about? I can see him from here.

also my house
posted by davejay at 4:01 PM on January 17

If pb is the original sky wizard, does that mean he'll start writing some really funny product reviews?
posted by infini at 5:33 PM on January 17

What is pb going to do when Metafilter becomes sentient, assuming that Metafilter doesn't keep him in a gilded cage as a beloved pet?
posted by double block and bleed at 7:43 PM on January 17 [2 favorites]

Becomes?
posted by radwolf76 at 9:26 PM on January 17

Metafilter?
posted by davidjmcgee at 10:32 PM on January 17

and yes, I wiped
posted by item at 12:39 AM on January 18 [+] [!]

Standing or sitting?
posted by daisyk at 1:34 AM on January 18

Dear AskMe: how can I find myself? I'm at that point where it feels like I'm watching myself from above and I need to find some markers in my life.
posted by MuffinMan at 3:13 AM on January 18 [1 favorite]

The Oracle of Moss Green intones for thee, Homo Muffinus
posted by infini at 3:49 AM on January 18

"What is pb going to do when Metafilter becomes sentient, assuming that Metafilter doesn't keep him in a gilded cage as a beloved pet?"

No no, pb is the sentience of metafilter; that which is the collective consciousness of the userbase creating a mass delusion of personhood to rationalize the spontaneous and efficient database management that springs forth from our ether.
posted by Blasdelb at 5:34 AM on January 18 [1 favorite]

How do I set my location to automatically show all the offices of famous NYC dermatologist Dr Zizmor?

I am sad that got deleted before I could crap all over that thread tbh
posted by elizardbits at 6:16 AM on January 18 [4 favorites]

NOT BROWSERIST!!1!1!
posted by quonsar II: smock fishpants and the temple of foon at 7:37 AM on January 18

Dr Zizmor? Is he still advertising after the incident with the goat, the candlestick and the 4 gallon tub of lard?
posted by MuffinMan at 8:20 AM on January 18

It would be a kindness if people would not make the Dr. Zizmor stuff worse than it already is.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 8:36 AM on January 18

I apologise if my acned jokes are creating a spot of bother. I will decyst immediately.
posted by MuffinMan at 9:19 AM on January 18 [5 favorites]

Well, they were a blemish on this thread.
posted by grouse at 9:21 AM on January 18 [1 favorite]

I am really disappointed that it has been four days and there have been no new puns.

COME ON.
posted by grouse at 4:18 PM on January 22

grouse: "I am really disappointed that it has been four days and there have been no new puns.

COME ON."

Larry Lobster and Sam Clam where best friends. They did everything together. The only difference between them is that Larry was the nicest Lobster ever and Sam, well lets just say he was not so good.
Larry and Sam did so much together that they even died together.

Larry went to heaven and Sam went to hell.

Larry was doing well in heaven and one day St. Peter came up to him and said, "Larry, you know you are the nicest clam we ever had up here. Everyone likes you but you seem to be a bit depressed.

Tell me what is bothering you, maybe I can help."

Larry said, "Well, don't get me wrong Pete, I like it up here and everything, but I really miss my good friend Sam Clam. We used to do everything together and I really miss him a lot."

St. Peter looked at Larry with pity and said to him, "I tell you what, I can arrange it so that you can go down to hell tomorrow and visit Sam all day. How would that sound?"

This made Larry very happy and he got up bright and early the next morning and grabbed his wings, his harp, and his halo and got in the elevator to hell. When the doors opened he was met by Sam. The hugged each other and they were off. You see in Hell Sam owned a disco. The spent the day there together and had a great time. At the end of the day Larry and Sam went back to the elevator together said their goodbyes and Larry got back in the elevator and went up to heaven. He stepped off the elevator and was greeted by St. Peter who blocked the doorway to heaven. He looked at Larry and said, "Larry Lobster, didn't you forget something?"

Larry looked around and said, "No, I don't think so I have my halo and my wings."

St. Peter looked at him and said, "Yes, but what about your harp?" Larry gasped and said, "I Left My Harp in Sam Clam's Disco."
posted by double block and bleed at 7:39 PM on January 23 [1 favorite]