Never Lost Again: The Google Mapping Revolution That Sparked New Industries and Augmented Our Reality

by Bill Kilday

But Monday came. And Monday went. With no announcement from John. In fact, John was holed up in a conference room with Brian, Michael, and Noah. As I walked to the kitchen or bathroom, I fleetingly glanced through the porthole window of the conference room door and saw them still gathered around the table. When I left work at 7:30 p.m., there were no signs that they were going to finish up any time soon. I, like many others, began to worry. Had something gone wrong with the deal? When I arrived the next day, it looked like the four of them had never left, as they were already back in the conference room. Finally John emerged late that Tuesday afternoon. He looked relieved. I got the sense that something was up and commented on the marathon-like nature of the meeting. In response, John asked me if I wanted to grab a beer after work. We both drove to the Sports Page, parking next to each other in the lot, which was unusually crowded for a Tuesday. I was surprised that John was waiting for me in the parking lot because we often met inside the bar. As I got out of my car, John stood at the rear bumper of my car, blocking my path to the bar’s front door. His expression was stern. “Hey, listen, I need to tell you something.” Looking around, John continued: “You’ve got to promise not to tell anyone. Not even Shelley.” “Okay.” John stood there in the middle of the black asphalt parking lot. The sun was setting against the pristine blue sky. He paused as another group of strangers ...