Points of Interest: Feb 11, 2005

Adena's Left the Website. Yesterday I announced in GIS Monitor that I'd be leaving GIS Monitor for new pursuits. Today (2/11) is my last day to post on this site. The new editor of GIS Monitor is Matteo Luccio. He'll also be taking over as editor of EOM. Best of wishes to readers and congratulations and best of luck to the new editor.

Google Maps Needs Work. Want a "regular person" look at how Google Maps stacks up to rivals MapPoint, MapQuest, and Yahoo? A review by Anick Jesdanun, of the Associated Press, addresses key issues like coverage, support for public transportation and the number of segments for a route. He offers that Google Maps has a way to go. (No kidding!) It's too bad the writer's affiliation is missing in some online publications. I might have thought the Porterville, CA paper had its own technology writer!

RFID and Chips. While counterfeit betting chips are not a huge problem in Las Vegas, the new Wynn casino is investing just about twice the price of regular chips ($2 million instead of $1M) to obtain RFID enabled chips. More money will be spent on scanners and PCs to read and track the chips. Still, The Nevada Gaming Commission only gets about a dozen complaints every year. So, it's a good thing the tagged chips can also highlight potential theft or lending of chips, and track extra chips added to the table after betting has closed. RFID is also on the docket to track "loyal" players and appropriately provide them with perks. The current system still involves casino staff who take hand-written notes on players. And, that leads, some suggest, to 20-30% "extra" undeserved perks being granted. Do recall that "adult" entertainment is typically the cutting edge user of high tech.

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Source: Material used herein is often supplied by external sources and used as is.