pete314 writes "Yahoo engineers apparently couldn't help themselves, and Yahoo Maps had a great prank on the folks at Google. The beta of the new Yahoo Maps for a short while listed 'The Dude's Fish Store' at 1600 Amphiteatre Parkway in Mountain View, CA. The address is better known as the headquarters for Yahoo's competitor Google." From the post: "The phone number listed is for guy named Ruben Suterwitz (or that's what it sounds like on his voicemail). His voicemail gives the option to get assistance, forwarding callers to the Google front desk. There are several hints pointing to a Google prank. The search engine's co-founder Sergey Brin was born in Russia and both he and his buddy Larry Page were students at Stanford when they founded the company. "Ads_xl=0;Ads_yl=0;Ads_xp='';Ads_yp='';Ads_xp1='';Ads_yp1='';Ads_par='';Ads_cnturl='';Ads_prf='page=article';Ads_channels='RON_P6_IMU';Ads_wrd='humor,google,yahoo';Ads_kid=0;Ads_bid=0;Ads_sec=0; Yahoo Map Engineers Prank Google Log in/Create an Account | Top | 123 comments | Search Discussion Display Options Threshold: -1: 123 comments 0: 117 comments 1: 97 comments 2: 68 comments 3: 20 comments 4: 14 comments 5: 8 comments Flat Nested No Comments Threaded Oldest First Newest First Highest Scores First Oldest First (Ignore Threads) Newest First (Ignore Threads) The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way. Where the..?? (Score:4, Funny) by Kuku_monroe (753761) on Saturday November 05, @05:48AM (#13956848) I'll wait for google guys response, to have the complete laugh.Meanwhile, i'll keep looking for the fish store... [ Reply to This Re:Where the..?? (Score:5, Informative) by DrEldarion (114072) on Saturday November 05, @06:08AM (#13956883) (http://www.dealmein.net/) No need to search, just check out their website [yahoo.biz]! [ Reply to This | ParentRe:Where the..?? by Kuku_monroe (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @06:39AMRe:Where the..?? by Haydn Fenton (Score:3) Saturday November 05, @10:21AMRe:Where the..?? by galaad2 (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @08:37AM1 reply beneath your current threshold.Re:Where the..?? by Tatarize (Score:1) Saturday November 05, @06:28AM Re:Where the..?? (Score:4, Informative) by nostrad (879390) on Saturday November 05, @06:39AM (#13956934) That was Microsoft erasing Apple HQhttp://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/07/25/ 1856220&tid=133&tid=109&tid=1&tid=3 [slashdot.org] [ Reply to This | ParentRe:Where the..?? by ecko3437 (Score:3) Saturday November 05, @08:52AM Re:Where the..?? (Score:5, Funny) by NetFusion (86828) on Saturday November 05, @12:56PM (#13958271) I think this image was doctored by Steve Ballmer so he could say..."Apple? I fucking buried them too!"*throws chair [ Reply to This | ParentRe:Where the..?? by Pollardito (Score:1) Saturday November 05, @11:17AMRe:Where the..?? by dantheman82 (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @11:30AM What I want to know is (Score:1) by FidelCatsro (861135) * <.moc.liamg. .ta. .orstacledif.> on Saturday November 05, @05:51AM (#13956853) (Last Journal: Saturday November 05, @02:10AM) Why didn't they replace it with a shop that sells glasses ,Grants Goggles or some such.Would have made a bit more sense.Other than that it just seems a bit mean really. [ Reply to This2 replies beneath your current threshold. Innovation! (Score:2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 05, @05:51AM (#13956854) Cool! With Google, MSN and Yahoo I can have maps on three different computers now!(...continues reading his buzzword magazin...) [ Reply to This1 reply beneath your current threshold. Yahoo Engineers or Yahooligans? (Score:5, Insightful) by Apu (325126) on Saturday November 05, @05:52AM (#13956857) What are the chances that Yahoo engineers did this vs. the chances some third party setup a yahoo.biz website for "The Dude's Fish Store" and Yahoo! Maps indexed it and added it to their mapping system? I vote for the third party candidate.Seems to me its easy for anyone to setup a site with Yahoo and it would be easy for Yahoo to use data already in their systems to make their map more complete or even just as a starting point for adding data to the new system. Unless its part of Google's unique business strategy, I doubt their website is hosted by Yahoo and as easily added to the dataset. [ Reply to This Re:Yahoo Engineers or Yahooligans? (Score:5, Interesting) by Paska (801395) * on Saturday November 05, @06:23AM (#13956908) Bingo, check out this Google Cache link - seems to have been data mined by the Yahoo and presented on their maps.http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:Jdv3LRqIRboJ:lo cal.yahoo.com/CA/Mountain%2BView/95763967/Retail%2 BShopping/8120444/Toys/index.html+%22The+Dude's+Fi sh+Store%22&hl=en [66.102.7.104]Scroll down to item number 6. [ Reply to This | ParentRe:Yahoo Engineers or Yahooligans? by hattmoward (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @11:14AMRe:Yahoo Engineers or Yahooligans? by WormholeFiend (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @11:38AMRe:Yahoo Engineers or Yahooligans? by ari_j (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @01:34PM So the way it looked to me (Score:5, Interesting) by AEton (654737) on Saturday November 05, @05:54AM (#13956860) When I read this in somebody's blog about twelve hours ago, it seemed like this was actually a moderately elaborate prank on Yahoo (there was a website attached to the fictional company at Google address, etc.). It seemed more like somebody had created this fake Website to see whose auto-mapping services would put that fake company at this address.But maybe I just didn't look very carefully and I'm an idiot? [ Reply to ThisRe:So the way it looked to me by Anonymous Coward (Score:1) Saturday November 05, @07:38AMThat can't be it by the_mighty_$ (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @07:49AMRe:So the way it looked to me by darkmeridian (Score:3) Saturday November 05, @10:36AM It's the API, Stupid (Score:5, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 05, @05:55AM (#13956862) Forget about the pranks; it's the new Maps APIs [yahoo.net] that deserve attention. Not only can you create JavaScript/Ajax [yahoo.net] maps like with the Google API, but you can also embed Flash maps in your pages [yahoo.net] or even your own Flash applications [yahoo.net]. And there's a free geocoder [yahoo.net].Rasmus Lerdorf has a handy tutorial [lerdorf.com] on using this stuff with PHP. [ Reply to This Re:It's the API, Stupid (Score:4, Insightful) by sznupi (719324) on Saturday November 05, @06:26AM (#13956914) Great...more "flash goodnes" everywhere... [ Reply to This | ParentRe:It's the API, Stupid by thelost (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @07:59AMRe:It's the API, Stupid by sznupi (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @08:21AMFVM2 by ScottyH (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @09:33AMRe:FVM2 by sznupi (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @10:51AMRe:FVM2 by ScottyH (Score:1) Saturday November 05, @12:30PMRe:FVM2 by sznupi (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @01:25PMRe:FVM2 by Mr Z (Score:1) Saturday November 05, @11:40AMRe:FVM2 by mad.frog (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @01:09PMRe:FVM2 by FuzzieNorn (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @01:54PMRe:FVM2 by mad.frog (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @02:01PMRe:It's the API, Stupid by Eric_Cartman_South_P (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @12:23PMRe:It's the API, Stupid by oztiks (Score:1) Saturday November 05, @08:26AMRe:It's the API, Stupid by sznupi (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @09:08AMRe:It's the API, Stupid by Baricom (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @05:09PMRe:It's the API, Stupid by oztiks (Score:1) Saturday November 05, @07:25AMRe:It's the API, Stupid by danharan (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @07:25AMRe:It's the API, Stupid by bigman2003 (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @09:18AMRe:It's the API, Stupid by superpulpsicle (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @09:27PMRe:It's the API, Stupid by sznupi (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @09:16AMRe:It's the API, Stupid by Quixote (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @11:13AMRe:It's the API, Stupid by Ilgaz (Score:1) Saturday November 05, @02:13PM Maps?! How novel! (Score:1) by madaxe42 (690151) on Saturday November 05, @05:59AM (#13956867) Seriously - why don't they just leave the maps thing alone - the market is saturated - we have, what, google maps, microsoft maps (or whatever they call it), mapquest, map24, mapit, streetmap, maporama, and the list goes on. If they're not bringing *anything* innovative or new to the table, what the £"$£ is the point?! [ Reply to This Re:Maps?! How novel! (Score:5, Insightful) by ozmanjusri (601766) <aussie_bob&hotmail,com> on Saturday November 05, @06:48AM (#13956948) why don't they just leave the maps thing alone - the market is saturatedYeah, because now they'll just keep competing with each other, each trying to outdo the rest, In the end, the only people who'll benefit from that situation will be the bloody users.That would suck, wouldn't it? [ Reply to This | ParentRe:Maps?! How novel! by hankwang (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @08:39AMRe:Maps?! How novel! by hugzz (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @09:25AMRe:Maps?! How novel! by kesuki (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @07:31AMRe:Maps?! How novel! by LaughingCoder (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @08:05AMRe:Maps?! How novel! by tommers (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @11:35AMMaps? by Mr Z (Score:1) Saturday November 05, @11:42AMRe:Maps?! How novel! by deimtee (Score:1) Saturday November 05, @09:22PM3 replies beneath your current threshold. Amphitheater parkway is a dump. (Score:2, Interesting) by tabbser (560130) on Saturday November 05, @06:06AM (#13956880) (http://www.findsimon.com/) I worked there are year ago, across the road from google and it's a total dump. One of the reasons I left : Too many ants all over the place.Yahoo's place in Sunnyvale used to be nice, not been there for a while though.The only useful thing Google really does is the valet parking for employees, otherwise, the stock is over priced.I wonder if 4 years from now we'll be referring to a 'google bubble' ?Yeah, yeah, there goes my positive karma. [ Reply to ThisRe:Amphitheater parkway is a dump. by JNighthawk (Score:1) Saturday November 05, @07:19AM1 reply beneath your current threshold.Re:Amphitheater parkway is a dump. by MrMista_B (Score:1) Saturday November 05, @07:19AM1 reply beneath your current threshold. You'd think they could afford a special panther (Score:4, Funny) by artifex2004 (766107) on Saturday November 05, @07:38AM (#13957047) (Last Journal: Wednesday October 26, @01:17AM) One of the reasons I left : Too many ants all over the place. You'd think they could afford a special panther, to take care of the problem.You know, one that comes with its own soundtrack. Bright pink?Dead ants! Dead ants! Dead ants dead ants dead ants, dead ants Dead ANNNTS... [ Reply to This | ParentRe:You'd think they could afford a special panther by NeoSkandranon (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @09:03AMRe:You'd think they could afford a special panther by ClamIAm (Score:1) Sunday November 06, @12:42AMRe:Amphitheater parkway is a dump. by AndroidCat (Score:1) Saturday November 05, @08:11AM3 replies beneath your current threshold. Refreshing to see.... (Score:2, Interesting) by talipdx (891867) on Saturday November 05, @06:12AM (#13956887) ... some comedy between rival companies and not flames like Sun vs. Dell [slashdot.org]I enjoy the busting each others balls in good fun...... but the whole putting them in a vice.Brings back eerie memories of my last girlfriend. [ Reply to This Har de har (Score:2, Funny) by Fusen (841730) on Saturday November 05, @06:31AM (#13956926) I just want to say, this prank is hilarious -.- [ Reply to This And this makes me trust Yahoo's map how? (Score:4, Insightful) by QuietLagoon (813062) on Saturday November 05, @06:37AM (#13956931) Where else in Yahoo's new map service are there hidden pranks (a.k.a., bad information) that only the Yahoo insiders know about? [ Reply to ThisRe:And this makes me trust Yahoo's map how? by Anonymous Coward (Score:1) Saturday November 05, @06:47AMRe:And this makes me trust Yahoo's map how? by crayz (Score:3) Saturday November 05, @07:31AMRe:And this makes me trust Yahoo's map how? by AndroidCat (Score:1) Saturday November 05, @08:05AMRe:And this makes me trust Yahoo's map how? by QuietLagoon (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @08:26AMRe:And this makes me trust Yahoo's map how? by Joehonkie (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @08:37AMRe:And this makes me trust Yahoo's map how? by QuietLagoon (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @12:24PMRe:And this makes me trust Yahoo's map how? by jrockway (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @03:42PM This doesn't make me feel so bad... (Score:5, Funny) by Jack Earl (913275) on Saturday November 05, @06:49AM (#13956951) (http://google.com/) Knowing that people munge the maps makes me feel not so bad. The other day I looked at a map of my house and in the description it said "Loserville. Population: You." [ Reply to This1 reply beneath your current threshold. Blast them! (Score:2) by SamSim (630795) on Saturday November 05, @07:53AM (#13957076) (http://ned.ucam.org/~sdh31/) I drove all the way up there hoping to buy some fish! [ Reply to This I still prefer google maps (Score:1) by Barkley44 (919010) on Saturday November 05, @08:46AM (#13957190) (http://www.keeptrackofit.com/) I think their interface is just much simplier. And like madaxe42 says above, there are already a ton of map services. [ Reply to ThisRe:I still prefer google maps by duffahtolla (Score:2) Saturday November 05, @09:23AMRe:I still prefer google maps by Barkley44 (Score:1) Saturday November 05, @03:05PM I'm a minion of the googlopoly... (Score:2) by kikensei (518689) <joshua@ i n g a u g e m e d ia.com> on Saturday November 05, @09:32AM (#13957333) (http://igmny.com/) as much as the next guy. But YYahoo's maps seem to be implemented better than Google. You can zoom in and out with the mouse whhel, and in Google, Maps w/ Firefox, I invariably, on multiple machines, get vacant squares, and I have to drag the map around this way and that to get the data filled in. Yahoo just works much more smoothly. [ Reply to ThisRe:I'm a minion of the googlopoly... by Mr. Capris (Score:1) Saturday November 05, @11:37AM Google Responds... (Score:3, Funny) by Ingolfke (515826) on Saturday November 05, @09:34AM (#13957345) (Last Journal: Thursday September 01, @11:30PM) By buying Yahoo! and razing it to the ground. [ Reply to This This is why geeks cant get women.. (Score:2) by N3WBI3 (595976) on Saturday November 05, @09:37AM (#13957349) (http://tim.timriordan.com/) What a lame prank! now if they had tp's googles hq I would be impressed.. [ Reply to This1 reply beneath your current threshold. Why (Score:1) by DMorritt (923396) on Saturday November 05, @09:51AM (#13957392) (http://www.morritt.tv/) so why link tohttp://www.stanford.edu/ [stanford.edu]http://google.com/ [google.com]on the links page? and post a gmail account [or should it be googlemail.co.uk over here ...] [ Reply to This How is this a prank? (Score:2) by smart.id (264791) <`moc.78dj' `ta' `j'> on Saturday November 05, @10:17AM (#13957479) (http://www.jd87.com/) How is this a prank? Since when is making your own service unrealiable in terms of the information it provides a "prank"? If I make fun of someone on a website, am I pranking them? A prank is when you make someone look like an idiot at THEIR expense, not the person doing the prank. [ Reply to ThisBecause it's funny... by woodsrunner (Score:3) Saturday November 05, @10:39AM Let's consider another possibility (Score:4, Insightful) by shoolz (752000) on Saturday November 05, @10:38AM (#13957585) (http://iamtheshadow.blogspot.com/) This might not be a prank. About 2 weeks ago, news stories were circulating regarding how dictionaries and encyclopedias deliberately insert false entries into their compendiums. They do this to catch obvious theft of their information. There remains the possibility that GOOGLE themselves or another company that keeps map data has inserted their own false information. Here's a refresher article on the false entries in dictionaries/encyclopedias: http://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/articles/050 829ta_talk_alford [newyorker.com] [ Reply to This Maybe (Score:2) by jacoplane (78110) on Saturday November 05, @11:02AM (#13957692) (http://tviv.org/wiki/Main_Page | Last Journal: Monday January 05, @09:55PM) They just like the fish and are suggesting people go there for lunch [techcrunch.com]... [ Reply to This the dudes website (Score:1) by yohan1701 (779792) on Saturday November 05, @12:02PM (#13958012) Looks like the Dudes also have a website http://ca.local.yahoo.biz/thedudesfishstore [yahoo.biz] [ Reply to This Pranks on google maps (Score:1) by inverselimit (900794) on Saturday November 05, @01:31PM (#13958402) I think there are enoug MIT folks at Google that they felt it necessary to omit any mention of a certain other Cambridge, MA college, though there is a label for its former women's branch, Radcliffe College. [ Reply to This "Great" prank? (Score:2) by MisterBad (40316) on Saturday November 05, @02:06PM (#13958559) (http://www.pigdog.org/) That's a pretty lame prank, actually. [ Reply to This