Google Earth

I think I've just found my new computer time-killer.

Fun to zoom in with a satellite image of your house (my neighbor's corner lot is even bigger than I thought), and who knew you could find a baseball field in Madagascar?

Definitely worth a download:

http://earth.google.com/earth4.html

 

You guys should also get this thing called an iPod.

 

I have to be careful with Google Earth because I could waste a whole day looking at it and seeing what Wrigley Field, the Empire State Building, etc. look like from on high.

My town's satellite photo is almost 3 years old (I guess April 2004, judging by the greenery). I can tell because my 2 vehicles are parked at my old house, the football field is still under construction, subdivisions that should be there aren't, etc.

 

My swimming pool has the old cover on it.

 

I try to find sports stadiums, especially the ones with people in them. Look at Candlestick Park. It's packed for a game.

 

I found Doc's parents' house without using their address. I know they live on a lake, so I found the lake that looked like their lake and low and behold, I found their house.

 

I found a really cool "new" computer program called "Oregon Trail" -- check it out if you get a minute. ;D

 

Apparently, there is a little geekdom out there that makes groups of "bookmarks" for Google Earth. I downloaded the English soccer stadiums. There's all the major-college football stadiums, all the ballparks in professional baseball ... all kinds of stuff.

 

I emailed my mom a shot of her house from space once. It blew her mind.

 

You just blew my mind!

 

<a href="http://googlesightseeing.com/2007/02/13/top-10-sports-on-google-earth/">
There are some neat sports images on this link. The one where you can see the group on the golf green is amazing. Talk about big brother looking down!</a>

 

yeah, but if you try to look at Big Brother, (i.e. military installations, etc.) you get blurry images or faux clouds covering key buildings.

Practical applications though...I used an arial shot of a small road where I got a speeding ticket. Was able to prove that there was little chance my car could reach the speed I was ticketed for.