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- Hacker News
- For about the third time this morning (sigh)
Google Maps users, please report this aberration.
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by k310 - This is not a case of vandalism by other users. Google made this change because they use the names officially recognised by the government of the US.by bsian
- Google is a perfect example of the banality of evil.
- This isn't really on Google. Countries disagree on how things should be named. Google sources the US centric view from the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
Blame the person causing the GNIS updates.
by matt_heimer - [dupe] Discussion on source: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49495947
- Don’t do evil…by dotcoma
- This is a good moment to remind everyone that the USA is not "America". Not even North America. Just a part of it.by carra
- Thats right, we can all share in this new naming. From Canada in the north to Chile in the south
- While true, that charitable interpretation of this renaming is not appropriate to apply here.by teeray
- It's not so bad. Schoolchildren merely have to change the acronym they use to memorize the Great Lakes from HOMES to SHAME.
Edit: It seems others have figured this out before I did.
- First place I saw it so enjoy your upvote!by derwiki
- I think this is a great startup idea and unique opportunity - create Google Maps competitor on promise to have Lake Ontario and Gulf of Mexico named correctly, along with a promise to ignore other possible renamings in future. :)
- We have MapQuest for this!by maccam912
- Inside the US. In the rest of the world, it shows the correct name.by whh
- The correct name depends on your context. I know it’s unpopular but it’s true.by pylua
- True for now, but here in the UK I still see 'Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)'by rozab
- While they show Lake Ontario (Lake America) in the rest of the world, I would like to suggest that they apply a more patronizing treatment to the alias:
Lake Ontario ("Lake America")
The quotes add a certain.. je ne sais quoi.
I think overall it's not Google's job to decide the names of things. Half of America voted for the circus, enjoy!
by lwansbrough - Well technically less than a quarter voted for it, but fair enough.by 420official
- If I'm swimming in Lake America, in America, greatest country in the world, I don't want to hear this "Je ne sais quoi" - Keep it in American, buddy.