James Kim: killed by Google Maps?

James Kim's body was found today, ending the search for the tech community member. As I wrote last week, James was always a great part of my tech and media consumption, and I am extremely sad for his family and coworkers.

Now the question turns to "How could this happen?" Interestingly, MSNBC suggests part of the blame may lie with our ever-increasing reliance on Google Maps. I have been a victim of this myself: in our driving trip to Dallas and the Southwest in 2001, I used Microsoft's Streets & Trips to plan a scenic drive to Taos...and almost got Amy and I killed, careening off a cliff at 60 MPH, Roadrunner cartoon style. The road went from a flat blacktop in the desert to a dirt trail barely large enough for a single car in 50 feet...and the trail ended above a cliff. This, because I asked Microsoft for a "scenic" route.

Looks like there's a market for a new map site: one that uses real-world info. Seems like an ideal Web 2.0 idea: combine social networking with Flickr and Google Maps, with an associated wiki: Voila! Mapr is born. :-)

Note: I will collect royalties on that and donate them to James Kim's family, if it's used.

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