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04 Nov 2005
Yahoo engineers apparently couldn't help themselves. The beta of the new Yahoo Maps for a short while listed "The Dude's Fish Store" at 1600 Amphiteatre Parkway in Mountain View, CA.
The address is better known as the headquarters for Yahoo's competitor Google.
Yahoo claimed to have further information (broken link here; screenshot on the left) about the store, listing hours of operation (only open in summer) and an assortment of fish, hamsters, gold fish, snakes and spiders. Languages spoken are German and Russian.
The store even has a basic website (screenshot on the right) featuring a picture of a collection of cheeses and claiming that "Our fish NEVER die!". The link page offers a link to the "Bestest page" (Google) and Stanford University.
"Need directions? Go to Google Maps", the site claims, with the link leading to a Yahoo map instead.
The phone number listed is for guy named Ruben Suterwitz (or that's what it sounds like on his voicemail). His voicemail gives the option to get assistance, forwarding callers to the Google front desk.
There are several hints pointing to a Google prank. The search engine's co-founder Sergey Brin was born in Russia and both he and his buddy Larry Page were students at Stanford when they founded the company.
The 'fish store's' website by the way lists a different address on Middlefield Road. Nothing is listed at that address.
And the foolishness at Yahoo doesn't stop with the alleged fish store. The Yahoo Local information on Google itself points to the website of Google Belgium (screenshot on the right). One of the two comments claim that the company has a "great cafeteria".
UPDATE: The information on the fish shop has been removed by Yahoo. The screenshot for the Local listing comes from the Google Desktop cache, causing it to look less than perfect.
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Do you agree?
<p>uhhhh<br /> i think thats pretty<br /> L-0-L.</p>
Posted by: Artoonie 26 Mar 2007
<p>Neither Yahoo nor Google can get you there.<br /> It is all about TeleAtlas and NavTeq and these are extremely aggressive data nazis that will soon be able to charge you for giving someone directions over the phone.</p> <p>The map interface is fluff, sometimes slick fluff, but fluff.</p> <p>It's all about the data, stupid.</p>
Posted by: heknawedhertitsoff 18 Oct 2006
<p>i dont get it....</p>
Posted by: huh? 07 Sep 2006
<p>i talked to a certain someone from google (by mistake, actually) and he explained what happened to me. google put it in yahoo! maps as a joke, not yahoo. he didn't talk long, but i'm guessing yahoo just figured it was one of their own before google knew anything was going on about it.</p>
Posted by: Robert Macabre 21 Dec 2005
<p>This is WAY funnier than the news.<br /> Bob, will you marry me? Oh wait, I'm straight. Will you marry my moose. I just want to keep your wisdom nearby. You know, for emergencies</p>
Posted by: John 14 Nov 2005
<p>Reading all these comments is way funnier than the news</p>
Posted by: butters 13 Nov 2005
<p>This is a news worthy prank?<br /> Yahoo's sense of humor is pretty lame.</p>
Posted by: Jorall Gay 07 Nov 2005
<p>Fish is good when it's google!</p>
Posted by: Fishly 07 Nov 2005
<p>Software is no substitute for common sense.</p>
Posted by: Anonymous 07 Nov 2005
<p>Yeah but dont forget the squid</p>
Posted by: Squid 07 Nov 2005
<p>But has anyone tried the fish yet?</p>
Posted by: John 06 Nov 2005
<p>I used to love Netscape's Fish Cam, but I don't recall one at Google.</p>
Posted by: Erica Sadun 06 Nov 2005
<p>"the dude's fish store"</p> <p>it's an anagram folks...</p> <p>figure it out =D</p>
Posted by: anon 06 Nov 2005
<p>yahoo + 1</p>
Posted by: B0SS 06 Nov 2005
<p>What's extra cool is that in a page about the store, it said "more text coming soon".</p> <p>Obviously hinting to Google's "beta" services that stay that way forever</p>
Posted by: Kim 05 Nov 2005
<p>George Bush doesn't care about maps.</p>
Posted by: Kanye 05 Nov 2005
<p>I thought it was quite funny. Way to go Yahoooo!!</p>
Posted by: Some Gal 05 Nov 2005
<p>How childish. I wonder how many OTHER entries in Yahoo's database are also "pranks" against companies or people they don't like.</p>
Posted by: Henry Warnex 05 Nov 2005
<p>I thought it was pretty funny :-) I like both google and yahoo.</p>
Posted by: Some Dude 05 Nov 2005
<p>Is this american humor ?<br /> Never have quite got the americans</p>
Posted by: ? 05 Nov 2005
<p>all your base are belong to us</p>
Posted by: lick my balls 05 Nov 2005
<p>Was this prank even funny?</p>
Posted by: FV 05 Nov 2005
<p>The "German" language seems to refer to a leading Google woman (don't remember her name right now) who came from Germany.</p>
Posted by: Rodney 05 Nov 2005
<p>ATTENTION EVERYONE</p> <p>This is notice to tell that Yahoo make indexion mistake. We sell fish, we sell fish that never die!!<br /> But Yahoo maps locate us wrong. We hope to see you all here at our store. The right adress is: 1600 Middlefield Rd, as say our website! Because we is angry to Yahoo, we don't put Yahoo Maps, we puts Google Maps, in our website, visit our website!</p> <p>Thanks<br /> The Dude</p>
Posted by: The Dude 05 Nov 2005
<p>I are teh winnar! hooray for me! w00t and stuff!</p>
Posted by: Bob 05 Nov 2005
<p>your wife was grazed by a 9mm bullet huh? so you could tell from the graze mark what type of bullet it was? its a shame you didnt use those awesome perceptive powers to notice you were headed towards the fourth ward until you were smack dab in the middle of it. you could have saved your wife some time in the hospital. boy do those grazes take forever to heal! imagine, losing a bit of skin! i know the last time i skinned my knee i was in the hospital for a month!</p>
Posted by: skeleton liar 05 Nov 2005
<p>Praise Bob!! </p> <p>I remember in 1991 when yahoo was simple, vanilla, and my home page. Now is just another toilet seat cover. How do I flush a bag of hammers?</p> <p>Praise Bob!!</p>
Posted by: Bob Who 05 Nov 2005
<p>To Mr. T. Back:</p> <p>Fix your contry first. It not the map problem that your contry its outlaw zone.</p>
Posted by: Tei 05 Nov 2005
<p>bob is my hero. leave him alone. it's indexing you damn fools. sheesh.</p>
Posted by: Jokey 05 Nov 2005
<p>no... that would be 'Live' so maps-4-life i guess :P</p>
Posted by: nick 05 Nov 2005
<p>Moose bites can be nasty</p>
Posted by: spork 05 Nov 2005
<p>Everyone knows that 'Spam' is evil.</p> <p>If 'Maps' are the reverse of 'Spam' then 'Maps' must be the reverse of evil.</p> <p>Which is 'Good', no?</p>
Posted by: bob2 05 Nov 2005
<p>Maps are the handiwork of Satan. All facts, no heart. Anyone who ever uses a map will be damned to hell for all eternity.</p> <p>- luv, God</p>
Posted by: God 05 Nov 2005
<p>a moose once bit my sister.</p>
Posted by: procyon 05 Nov 2005
<p>Yahoo! got pranked to death with a tire iron.</p>
Posted by: Anonymous 04 Nov 2005
<p>Why is Google such a success? Simple. No really... Simple. That's the answer. No annoying flashing, yapping or floating ads. I've used Google's ad service and was surprised by the success. Simple. KISS really is a rule to live by. Want more proof? Look at what Microsoft did to the MSN Search site... looks awfully familiar, and if Microsoft is willing to rip it off, it must be a good idea... which implies that they didn't think of it themselves. Google rocks... and as long as they don't get TOO greedy or lose their minds among management, they'll continue to succeed.</p>
Posted by: SportingWood 04 Nov 2005
<p>I heard from my Uncle's half-sister's fiance's brother's girlfriend's cousin that Yahoo maps actually molested their next door neighbor. Oh, the humanity!</p>
Posted by: Fred 04 Nov 2005
<p>My daughter was looking for directions to the mall on yahoo maps AND HER HEAD LITERALLY EXPLODED!!!!<br /> Won't someone PLEASE PROTCECT THE CHILDRENS?</p>
Posted by: some guy 04 Nov 2005
<p>One time some bad Yahoo directions actually told me to jump off a bridge.</p>
Posted by: T. Front 04 Nov 2005
<p>Whatever. Google Maps and Yahoo maps are only accurate about 70% of the time. One is not better than the other. Granted it's a great idea, but THEY BOTH SUCK! go out.... buy an Atlas, put it on your bookshelf (it is permitted you know). I travel quite a bit all over the continent and I have not found a reliable online mapping system yet. I'd rather ask 10 rubbies for directions than rely on crappy stuff that has been released just to fight with competition. I buy a rubbie a cup of coffee and get where I am going post-haste, I google or Yahoo and I drive around for hours. Do it..... go buy a rubbie a cup today!</p>
Posted by: Uglytroll 04 Nov 2005
<p>The thing about Yahoo! Maps is true. I once used it to find some directions to the theater in downtown Houston for a night out with my wife. It ended up putting us smack dab in the middle of the Fourth Ward -- one of the worst parts of Houston -- after dark. Someone attempted to carjack us and fired shots at our car. We managed to get away but my wife was grazed in the head by a 9mm bullet and spent the better part of a week in the hospital. After that experience I can't say I recommend Yahoo! Maps to anyone.</p>
Posted by: T. Back 04 Nov 2005
<p>Yes, I too am concerned about the increasing criminalization of cartography.</p>
Posted by: Jon Stewart 04 Nov 2005
<p>You are all way too serious</p>
Posted by: Dave 04 Nov 2005
<p>This is simply criminalization of cartography. Typical anti-Yahoo partisan witch-hunt.</p>
Posted by: Yuri 04 Nov 2005
<p>yeah, bob--stop being such an idiot!</p>
Posted by: joe-bob 04 Nov 2005
<p>Great Cafeteria!</p>
Posted by: William Perry 04 Nov 2005
<p>I agree with Joe - Bob is dumber than a bag of hammers.</p>
Posted by: Aaron 04 Nov 2005
<p>Bob, you're an idiot.</p>
Posted by: Joe 04 Nov 2005
<p>I couldn't live without Google or Yahoo maps; each has it's own best use, but yahoos new multi-destination feature rocks.</p>
Posted by: Beck 04 Nov 2005
<p>Great prank! Clearly not an indexing error, but careful what you wish for...the last ting anyone wants to see is the FCC regulating *content*.</p> <p>Martin Tibbitts</p>
Posted by: Martin Tibbitts 04 Nov 2005
<p>Yahoo maps is good if you want to give directions to someone you don't want showing up to your party.</p>
Posted by: Bornyesterday 04 Nov 2005
<p>Bob - a bit partisan, are we? I can't see how this could possibly be an indexing error. A prank is the only logical answer.</p>
Posted by: Kevin Ballard 04 Nov 2005
<p>This is nothing more then Yahoo inaccuratly indexing. They are trying to play it off as a prank but we all know google is killing yahoo.</p>
Posted by: Bob 04 Nov 2005