Technology - Google News

Today I learned a handy trick to zoom in and out of Google Maps - The Verge

Posted: 03 Feb 2022 12:52 AM PST

Did you know that Google Maps has a nifty little trick that lets you adjust zoom with just one finger? Because I sure as hell didn't until yesterday, when a tweet from Sketchfab CEO Alban Denoyel alerted me to its existence via a years-old YouTube video from 2013. The shortcut is simple: just double-tap the maps interface, but instead of lifting your finger after the second tap (the shortcut for zooming in), you leave it touching the screen. Then a swipe up zooms out, and a swipe down zooms in. Neat right?

With this knowledge you can say goodbye to awkwardly holding the phone and trying to use two fingers to reposition the map to check your directions when your other hand is busy holding a dog leash, coffee cup, shopping bag, or whatever. Personally I'm looking forward to using it the next time I'm on a bike and need to whip out my phone to quickly check directions. No more taking both hands off the handlebars for this guy. No sir.

I haven't done an exhaustive search, but it looks like this feature is pretty commonplace across mapping apps. It works on Google Maps on both Android and iOS, and also works in other iOS mapping apps like Apple Maps and CityMapper. Have fun!

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Lawyer Who Landed Wordle/New York Times Deal Shares Gaming Strategies - Above the Law

Posted: 02 Feb 2022 01:46 PM PST

(Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

I like to play over my second cup of coffee in the morning. I usually start with 'TEARS' or 'RATES.'

— William Patterson, co-chair of the data protection practice at Chicago firm Swanson, Martin & Bell, offering his advice on playing Wordle, the popular word guessing game that he just helped sell to the New York Times. Patterson represented Josh Wardle, the game's creator, in the deal. He says that he uses his first two guesses to rule out letters, and prefers to use "rates" because of his "Wheel of Fortune" knowledge: R, S, T, and E are some of the most commonly used letters in the English language. Patterson is on a 10-day winning streak. "Josh and I are very confident that The New York Times are going to be great stewards of the game," he said.

Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she's worked since 2011. She'd love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.