Google just released Open Spot, an Android app (public beta, natch) that tells you where there are open parking spots.
Open Spot works by letting people who are leaving parking spots share their spots with people who are searching for parking.
Start helping others find parking, and together we’ll all save time, save gas, and reduce pollution. Like to keep score? The more open spots you mark, the more parking ‘karma points’ you’ll get.
It’s a cool idea, and could be useful if enough people around you use it. Of course, if you know the area well, you probably already know where to park, meaning the app will probably end up mostly helping suburbanites and out-of-towners find city parking. Also, if you really wanted to save gas and reduce pollution, you wouldn’t be driving.
Whether or not Mehersle actually intended to shoot Oscar Grant, the trial is a reminder of a few things:
Juries, especially juries where blacks are excluded, are unduly sympathetic to police.
Even when not confused with guns, Tasers have caused hundreds of deaths in the last decade. However, police still use them freely, even in confrontations with unarmed suspects.
This trial only came about because of citizen-recorded video, which will get you arrested in several states (Maryland has been particularly incoherent on the subject).
