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As we have all been anticipating the grand arrival of Earth Day, it has finally come. For everyone who has been trying to shrink their environmental footprint and go greener than ever before, we can all hug a tree today. Some of the Googlers have come up with a great idea to allow everyone all over the world to share their stories about going green. The Official Google Blog spot has taken the stories, the people, informed all about how they can share to each other all within Google Earth.
This tasty little read is be served up for your pleasure at “We can’t wait for Earth Day” an informational and entertaining look at other people’s Earth Day movements. Read it HERE.
Going green in meaning, are ways in which we have can all be more environmental and earth friendly. Riding your bike to work, planting a tree, stopping up that leaky faucet and more all counts toward going green.
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BMW is joining up with everyone’s favorite well known mapping monopoly, Google Maps, to bring a new addition to the BMW Assist Safety Plan. It’s called “MyInfo,” and it’s a service which will allow BMW Assist subscribers to send business locations, street addresses and their associated phone numbers to Google Maps within their car.
So for those of you with that old 1993 Red Volvo 440 and accessorized iPhone, lookout, as BMW Assist has become one of the first integrators of this new media. First there was a map and a phonebook, then GPS and 411, now we have BMW Assist. Combining modern technology is a wonderful thing, allowing everyone to find their favorite foods and places everywhere.
Read the full press release, with stodgy spaces, below.
CONNECT YOUR DRIVE: BMW ADDS NEW “MYINFO” SERVICE FROM BMW ASSIST(TM) POWERED BY GOOGLE MAPS(TM) 04/11/2008 Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey - April 11, 2008…Navigation systems have become even easier, faster and more convenient to use with the introduction of “MyInfo”. This latest addition to the BMW Assist Safety Plan allows subscribers to send business locations and street addresses and their associated phone numbers found in Google Maps(TM), an innovative online mapping service, from the comfort of their home or office directly to their BMW. Effective as of April 8 production of 2008 X6 Sports Activity Coupes equipped with the BMW Assist and Bluetooth® Hands-free calling System, customers will be able to call the phone numbers received with their Bluetooth connected mobile phone or, if their BMW is equipped with a navigation system, immediately start route guidance by a simple push of a button.
To use MyInfo, just search for a business or street address on Google Maps (http://maps.google.com) and click on the “Send” link at the top-right corner of the map. Select “Car”, then “BMW” and “BMW US” for country and enter your e-mail address on file with BMW Assist as your BMW Assist account name. You can add a personal note, if desired, then press the “Send” button - and your destination is on its way. Once inside your BMW, simply push the MyInfo button within the BMW Assist menu and you will find the desired destination and associated phone number.
Already popular in Europe and recently launched in Canada this unique service allows advanced preparation for your next trip. Before you leave the house or office, you can easily and quickly determine online the exact location of up to 10 of your desired destinations and then make them available in your BMW. The advantage is that the listings found at Google Maps no longer have to be written down or printed out. Also manual data entry into the navigation system is no longer needed -the address and phone number is already in your iDrive menu. Even better, you can share MyInfo with your family, friends and colleagues so that they can send destinations, phone numbers and even notes to the vehicle while you are on the road. But best of all, there is no charge for this service, as it’s included as part of the Safety Plan for the first four years, like the other benefits of Ultimate Service.
MyInfo will be included on BMW Assist-equipped X5, X6, 1, 3, 5, 6 and 7 Series, effective with Model Year 2009. For now it is an exclusive feature of the 2008 X6. The X6 Sports Activity Coupe will be offered in the USA in two versions. The X6 xDrive35i, sporting a 300hp, twin-turbo, inline 6 cylinder will be available at authorized BMW SAV centers on April 26th. The twin-turbo V8 powered X6 xDrive50i will come to the US market in the late summer 2008.
To learn more about MyInfo, please visit www.bmwusa.com/bmwassist.
About BMW Assist:
BMW Assist provides the driver with services that enhance on-the-road security and convenience, for added peace of mind. The BMW Assist Safety Plan is standard on all 5, 6, and 7 Series models, including M5 and M6, and is included in the Premium Package or available as a stand-alone option on all other models. BMW is the only manufacturer that offers this service for 4 years at no additional cost. Most other manufacturers cover only the first year of service.
The in-vehicle equipment for BMW Assist includes GPS technology and hands-free communication functions accessed via buttons in the overhead or center console. Vehicle occupants may request emergency or other services simply by pressing a button; the BMW Assist system then transmits the location and vehicle information to the BMW Assist Response Center. A response specialist will then speak with the occupants to coordinate dispatch, notify emergency contacts on file, and link BMW Roadside Assistance or emergency services as needed and requested. A severe accident automatically activates the BMW Assist emergency call as well. The BMW Assist Safety Plan also includes Remote Door Unlock and Stolen Vehicle Recovery services, which can save the owner time and money.
TeleService automatically notifies the BMW center when a vehicle will need service. The Service Advisor then proactively calls the customer to set up a convenient appointment and have the needed parts ready.
BMW Assist subscribers can also enroll in the BMW Assist Convenience Plan (available at an additional cost of $199 per year) to avail themselves of BMW Assist Concierge services, from travel planning to dining reservations, shopping assistance and event tickets, as well as receive directions, and traffic and weather information. On most models produced September 2006 and later, a selected destination and its phone number can be sent directly to the BMW navigation system and Bluetooth®-linked mobile phone, after a push of the Concierge button. The Convenience Plan also includes Critical Calling, a service that connects the driver in case their mobile phone is not in the vehicle or its battery is discharged. After pushing the SOS button, a BMW Assist response specialist will link the driver to his requested party for up to five minutes and for up to four events per year.
As before, the BMW Assist system includes Bluetooth hands-free phone connectivity with hands-free phonebook access and dialing by name or number via the steering wheel controls. Use of this feature requires a customer-provided compatible Bluetooth mobile phone.
BMW Group in America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, an industrial design firm in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all Z4 models and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles and the X6 Sports Activity Coupe. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 338 BMW passenger car centers, 335 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 142 BMW motorcycle retailers, 82 MINI passenger car dealers, and 30 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North, Central and South America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.
Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet at:
www.bmwgroupna.com
www.bmwusa.com
www.bmwmotorradusa.com
www.miniusa.com
www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com
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This week in Russia, researchers from IFAW (the International Fund for Animal Welfare) and veterinarians from the Moscow Zoo returned five orphaned bear cubs to the wild. This is not unusual as Zoos all over the world take in orphaned or injured animals, nursing them back to health. This goes for oceanic animals too; most often the animals are tagged in hopes that if they re-surface in nature we can see their progress in their own surroundings.
One of the strange occurances here is that one of these bears will be monitored using a satellite collar, a scientific step forward in evaluating post-release behavior and survival of animals released back into the wild. These bear cubs orphaned by the cruel winter in Russia, will now be watched via satellite as he and siblings move locations trailing them back to ther native area. The collar is programmed to record information about the animal’s location every 90 minutes and to automatically drop-off after a period of 18 months. This will allow the bear to grow to it’s normal state without any restrictive devices attached to it stumping its growth.
I’m sure there are many parents who would be interested in trying this out on their kin in hopes that those mysterious Friday nights out late can be tracked where they roam. For now, these devices will be used to protect, learn and adapt to how we nuture bears and other animals back to health in hopes that they can return to their natural habitat. Read this article and much more interesting news on Earth Times.
What a concept, the Earth’s news. If only poiliticians, news media agencies and other parties could put aside their own self-absorbed personal agendas to produce something more Earthly. Everything we read today is so saturated in slanderous warped thoughts and ideas, that the good of the whole and the thought of one world is practically a farse.
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Google Earth, the now commonly known mapping service that allows users to move through 3D satellite images of cities worldwide, offers a close-up view of U.N. refugee camps and aid projects in Chad, Iraq and Colombia. These images are spreading awareness of the types of activities that go on when one is residing in a refugee camp.
The bottom line of these three-dimensional satellite images is that we have a crisis to deal with. Refugees are displaced and removed from their homes, thus leaving a serious issue of providing proper housing and adequate food for the people in the camps. I really feel in war torn societies and countries facing civil unrest, it is vital to ensure refugees are evacuated and cared for properly.
Read more about the crisis on the Reuters news website. To download a version of Google Earth, simply enter your address into the Search at the top of this page. You can download free Satellite maps and Google Earth. Now that everyone has free access to view these refugee camps, we should spread the word.
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We all know Santa lives in the North Pole, but now we can see his polar opposite (pardon the pun) as NASA introduces LIMA. The new Landsat Image Mosaic Of Antarctica can be viewed at lima.usgs.gov so everyone can enjoy a shot at the Earth’s bottom.
Working together on this joint effort, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), created LIMA from more than 1,000 Landsat ETM+ scenes. And let me tell you this place looks icy. Could be a fun ride for snow mobiles or cross country skiers, but I would bundle up if I were you. As you cannot tell from this Earth Satellite Map or even Google Maps, it is cold down there!
Antarctica, or the South Pole, reaches temperatures on the Polar Plateau ranging from -115°F to +6°F; the mean temperature is -56°F. Winter wind-chills can plummet to -148°F. Besides this frigid cold, Antarctica only has precipitation averages of less than 1″ annually. So you won’t need an umbrella! Arctic explorer Ernest Shackleton proclaimed in 1909 “A blinding, shrieking blizzard all day, with the temperature ranging from -60 to -70°F.”
Anywho, on the website you can View LIMA, Download Mosaics and Lansat Scenes, Order USGS Maps, Posters, and Wall Art, Download LIMA Posters, Maps, Browse the Digital Library, Use Interactive Atlas of Antarctic Research, and even locate GIS Resources. As they find out more check out their Newsroom.
