The geographical equivalent of vanity web-surfing.
Maybe it's not the first thing that anyone does when they first install and open
Google Earth, but it's certainly one of the first. How can we resist not requesting
a view of the house we grew up in (or perhaps the house where we now live)? I
loved the feeling of flying toward our old address and,
as the program approached the correct area, of clearly recognizing the neighborhood,
and then saying to myself "yes, they've really got it right!". Not only
could I see "our" house, but even look in the neighbor's backyard (the
pool is still there).
The zoom feature is wonderful. The level of detail - not available for every spot
on earth, though hopefully soon - is incredible. On the other hand such a level
of accuracy carries with it the danger of mistakes. When I really zoomed in our
house, I noticed that Google Earth had missed by one house, and was actually pinpointing
the house next door. I'm really not complaining - our house was still quite visible
and identifiable, and the tool is definitely amazing. But it would be even nicer
if the address was truly accurate.
Go to: On the right track, or
Go to: It's all just data, or
Go to: Taking to the streets