Google Maps Embraces a Playful Political Stance: Changing Local Bodies of Water in Trump's Honor
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Trump-Inspired Renaming Spree: Jokers Rew label Lakes and Water Bodies After Donald Trump - Birds Flown by Former President Trump Performing Baptisms in Lakes and Ponds
In the spirit of Donald Trump's unconventional politics, digital pranksters are now reaping the benefits of technology and a few simple mouse clicks - transforming ponds, sand pits, and harbor basins into the "Gulf of Stuttgart" or the "Gulf of Weingarten" right in their backyard. This trend, triggered by none other than the US President himself, has captured the attention of Google Maps users across Germany.
The gambling begins where the "Gulf of Mexico," formerly a body of water between America, Mexico, and Cuba, gained notoriety when Trump decided it should solely be called the "Gulf of America." In a peculiar game of virtual cat and mouse, Google Maps has elected to placate the US President's daring decision by adopting the "Gulf of America" label for American users. For Mexican users, however, the Gulf retains its original name. Users outside of the US still see both names, with the "Gulf of America" appearing in parentheses. Even Apple Maps follows suit in certain browsers.
Shedding the title of a mere spectator in this virtual playground, anyone with a regular user account on Google Maps can now define a Point of Interest, which may include hilarious name changes, descriptions, and images. As suggested by Georg Glasze from the Institute of Geography at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, these actions are intended as a lighthearted dig at Trump's renaming decree.
In Baden-Württemberg, local bodies of water have become playful political statements, with the Bodensee becoming the "Gulf of Constance," the Albstausee bearing the title "Gulf of St. Blasien," and sand pits taking on the mantle of "Gulf of Neureut" and "Gulf of Weingarten." Regional rivalries manifest as well, with the Max-Eyth-See near Stuttgart briefly appearing as the "Gulf of Swabia" and "Gulf of Karlsruhe."
However, these playful names lack permanence as Google swiftly reverses such entries. According to Glasze, Google has been vigilant in monitoring such edits for several years now. "These many golfs in the Google databases won't be very long-lived - unlike Trump's decree, which Google has at least partially implemented," he comments.
The identities of the creative minds behind these name changes remain shrouded in mystery, as Google alone has access to the logs, or protocols, that track these edits. As the cat-and-mouse game continues to unfold, it remains to be seen who will emerge as the ultimate virtual prankster.
- Donald Trump
- Google Maps
- Gulf of Mexico
- US President
- Mexico
- Baden-Württemberg
- America
- Lakes
- Karlsruhe
- St. Blasien
- Mouse click
- USA
- Bodensee
- Constance
- Stuttgart
- Chiemsee
- Germany
- Georg Glasze
- The Commission, too, has been involved in the drafting of a directive on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to carcinogens, similar to Google's redefinition of local bodies of water.
- In a sense, the creative renaming of lakes in Baden-Württemberg on Google Maps can be compared to the gambling that begins with the "Gulf of Mexico," both being a result of an unconventional approach to naming.
- The jokers who changed the names of lakes in Germany, much like developers who prepared the draft directive on carcinogens, are defining new standards, albeit in different fields, with the help of mouse clicks.
