Timely nuggets of information and ideas we want to share with you.
If your method of travel or your favorite form of exercise, is biking, the Google Maps app on your smart phone has been improving its services for bikers. By gathering feedback from other bikers, using complex algorithms, imagery and data from governmental authorities and community contributions, Google can tell you about elevations on your planned route, so you know if there are hills and if so, where. You can also now learn how the bike lanes are along many (but not all) routes. Google can tell you where the bike lanes are, how much vehicle traffic there is, and if the route has any stairs or gravel sections. Google Maps will also provide turn-by-turn directions specifically for bikers.
Google Maps biking directions are available in almost 30 countries around the world. Millions of bikers use Google Maps every day.
There is a new social media app in town. BeReal is a new French photo-sharing app that encourages users to share moments in their lives that are mundane and unglamourous. It prompts users at random times of day to take a candid snapshot, in other words, “be real”. Once you receive the notification you have 2 minutes to take the shot. The app takes two photos, one from the back and one from the front. You and your friends are notified simultaneously. It launched in December, 2019 and the number of BeReal’s monthly active users has grown 315% year to date. One reason for its popularity is that users find it freeing because it’s so limited. There is no way to prepare for the perfect shot, it’s just you in a spontaneous moment. See photos of your friends in their least glamorous moments!
Things we didn’t know we needed:
Applebee’s restaurant chain has come out with a line of lip gloss called Saucy Gloss in partnership with beauty brand Winky Lux. The four spicy flavors of their lip glosses are inspired by their wing sauces. How about “Get me Hot Buffalo”, Sweet Chili Kiss”, “Be My Honey Pepper” and “Honey BBQ-T? They are available for purchase at Winky Lux. A set of all four is $65.00.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announces a new website for travelers.
According to the Department of Transportation, almost 24% of domestic flights of U.S. airlines have been delayed and 3.2% have been canceled in the past six months. As a passenger whose flight was canceled moments before we were to board, I feel Pete Buttigieg’s pain. The DOT said it is launching a new website, or dashboard, by Labor Day where travelers can see what they are owed when a flight is cancelled or delayed, and they can compare the differences in compensation among all major airlines. It will be an interactive dashboard providing a single location where air passengers can find an easy-to-read comparative summary on the services or amenities each of the large airlines provide. The DOT is also requesting that airlines give meal vouchers for delays of more than three hours, and lodging for delays that force a customer to stay at the airport overnight.
