Whilst checking the work website yesterday I noticed that the Google Maps powered postcode based route finder had stopped working. Back when the site was in developement I found to my delight that UK postcode searching via Google’s API was now a possibility, so we decided to have an interactive map rather than a boring static one.

I did some research and found this from a Google employee:

Earlier this week, we fixed a bug that was allowing the precise location of full UK postcodes on the Google Maps API. This is functionality that, due to data usage terms and conditions, we cannot yet offer our API users but we hope to be able to offer this service in the future.

The data usage terms and conditions refers that the fact that the Royal Mail own the copyright on postcode data and charge rather hefty fees to license their database. Not wishing to pay those fees I set about finding another way and found this page. This example uses Google’s Local search to geocode the postcode then uses that geocode to search Google Maps. I used the usePointFromPostcode function in our own map and modified some existing bits in map the page to make use of the new function. And finally it’s now back up and running.

Oxeye Daisy map page

I finally had to bite the bullet today and upgrade my G4 Powerbooks RAM. I installed CS3, at the time it warned me I didn’t have the recommended memory (1Gb) but I ignored it. No surprise that the poor thing ground to a halt the minute I started up Photoshop.

There’s no way I can do my job without Photoshop so I immediately went to the Apple online store and checked their RAM upgrade prices - £210 for 1Gb. That’s quite a lot so I went looking elsewhere, PC World had the same memory for £69 and PC World aren’t known for their cheap prices. So, job done, I now have 1.25Gb in my mac and it feels so much quicker. Apple are totally ripping people off at that price I really don’t see how that price is in any way justifiable.