
Mapvelopes - duck
http://mapvelopes.appspot.com/
======
davidcollantes
I keep getting:

Traceback (most recent call last): File
"/base/python_runtime/python_lib/versions/1/google/appengine/ext/webapp/_webapp25.py",
line 701, in __call__ handler.get(*groups) File
"/base/data/home/apps/mapvelopes/main.341084165938999830/handler.py", line
274, in get start_loc, end_loc, route = get_route(start_address, end_address)
File "/base/data/home/apps/mapvelopes/main.341084165938999830/handler.py",
line 104, in get_route start_geocode =
decode_geocode_response(route['legs'][0]['start_geocode']) KeyError:
'start_geocode'

~~~
essayist
I do as well, even when I type in the addresses provided in the example.

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ericd
mmm transparent cloud scaling. This kind of handling doesn't make app engine
look like a good option for hobbyists...

~~~
reso
AppEngine is great, until you get HN scale traffic. The user should have been
prepared.

~~~
ericd
Traffic from an HN link is a lot over the course of a few hours, but it isn't
that hard to handle. A single dedicated server usually won't even break a
sweat. That's why this looks really bad.

~~~
stickfigure
What do you want for free? "A single dedicated server" costs something... this
guy is almost certainly running on the free quota.

I don't think this looks bad for Google -- it looks bad for the author. The
fact that he's using the freebie *.appspot.com rather than a dedicated domain
gives you some indication of his dedication to the project.

~~~
ericd
A single server not breaking a sweat means that this can be handled by a
middling VPS that is breaking a sweat, and that load only lasts a few hours.
That means that it's stupidly cheap for Google to provide for a few hours of
load like this, and the ability to absorb a huge spike on a cheapo plan is
supposed to be one of the main points of cloud hosting.

Lots of people make cool stuff without dotting all the i's. That doesn't look
bad on them - it just means they're doing the hard stuff and skipping the
grungy parts of a project until it seems necessary.

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gojomo
More than a decade into hosting-as-a-business model, I still don't see why
'temporarily over quota' messages aren't replaced with an offer to let the
audience sponsor a bump in quota, either for just the current viewer or
however many viewers the next quantum of hosting can support.

~~~
kiba
It's quite inconvenient for audiences to spend money. They have to enter
credit card information and such.

~~~
pbhjpbhj
Paypal payments are only a few clicks.

~~~
thechut
And they already have Google wallet

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bockris
I've pinged the developer on G+. (At least I think it's him.)

Hopefully he can get it fixed ASAP.

~~~
bockris
He is traveling and on holiday so he can't fix it right now.

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jerrya
I am also getting a server error, which is a real shame, this is pretty
awesome.

Suggestion: let me email/upload a photo or two, as well as the addresses and
print retro postcard like views of the scaled down photos on top of the map.

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kqr2
For an idea of what this app does, check out google envelopes:

[http://www.yankodesign.com/2010/03/30/google-envelopes-
beta-...](http://www.yankodesign.com/2010/03/30/google-envelopes-beta-of-
course/)

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cellis
You killed it HN!

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chrisrhoden
What was this before it went over quota?

~~~
wmat
It seems to be a "an App Engine app that generates customized printable
envelopes with the map to your recipient on them". Here's the developer's blog
post about it: <http://bit.ly/sVgTGh>

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ctdonath
Works for me; very clever service!

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dev_Gabriel
Same here.

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ronbo
me too - :(

