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Joined: Apr 2003
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Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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OP
Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 9,362 |
Google Earth is currently Stuart's new toy <g> and although I'm not as fascinated with the subject as he is, I'm impressed enough to share as I think there are FoLCs who would love this. Google Earth is a free download. It's a program of satellite representations of the earth, where you can click anywhere on the globe and zoom in to a specific location in the world. Some areas are more detailed than others of course, but you can usually find the part of the world in question in amazing detail. You can tilt to make the image 3-D and rotate it to see your location from all possible angles. The images of the area around Ben Lomond, here in Scotland, are so detailed, Stuart is able to plan hillwalking trips using them as a reference. The images are constantly updated from satellite information and it's a lot of fun as well as informative. LabRat 
Athos: If you'd told us what you were doing, we might have been able to plan this properly.
Aramis: Yes, sorry.
Athos: No, no, by all means, let's keep things suicidal.
The Musketeers
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Joined: Dec 2004
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Features Writer
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Features Writer
Joined: Dec 2004
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LOL! My boyfriend is fascinated with that website too. The other day we found sattelite pictures of the house I live with my parents in and the apartment I share with my boyfriend. The footage of my house freaked me out!!!! 
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Merriwether
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Merriwether
Joined: Apr 2003
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I've had too much fun with both the website and the application. I've zoomed in my house and old apartment and work, trying to figure out when the pictures were taken. And griped when satellite photos aren't close enough in other addresses, such as my parents' houses.
"You need me. You wouldn't be much of a hero without a villain. And you do love being the hero, don't you. The cheering children, the swooning women, you love it so much, it's made you my most reliable accomplice." -- Lex Luthor to Superman, Question Authority, Justice League Unlimited
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Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
Joined: Apr 2003
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Looks cool! Thanks for sharing. But... *sigh* another step towards finally going with the masses and accepting Google. Oh well, at least it's not Microsoft. So... how different is it from Google Maps ? Also, BTW, have you seen Google Moon ? Browse around for a while, then zoom in all the way... Paul
When in doubt, think about penguins. It probably won't help, but at least it'll be fun.
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Hack from Nowheresville
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Hack from Nowheresville
Joined: Feb 2005
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Hm, Paul, the free version is probably not that different - the commercial ones on the other hand offer a lot more. In my case, google-maps/earth doesn't look promising as the satellite-photos aren't close enough in large areas through many european countries. As a companion-tool for standard maps with detailed contour lines this would have been perfect for hiking in the alps. Have any of you tested NASA Worldwind - against/with google.earth? Although the satellite-data seems to be a bit older, the feature-list impresses me more.
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Joined: Apr 2003
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Hack from Nowheresville
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Hack from Nowheresville
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 111 |
hehe thats cool. Here's my home away from home, The House of Pain, the Cauldron of Fear, Subi Oval. ![[Linked Image]](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/FearlessMonkey/subioval.jpg) Does anyone know how to get rid of all the labels?
Avatar: Michael Clarke, awesome Aussie cricket player
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Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
Joined: Apr 2003
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Yeah, this is a really fun program to play with My husband pointed it out to me, and my son is fascinated by it, but I've had fun, too. Sort of give's you a Clark's-eye-view of the world! PJ
"You told me you weren't like other men," she said, shaking her head at him when the storm of laughter had passed.
He grinned at her - a goofy, Clark Kent kind of a grin. "I have a gift for understatement."
"You can say that again," she told him.
"I have a...."
"Oh, shut up."
--Stardust, Caroline K
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Beat Reporter
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Beat Reporter
Joined: Nov 2004
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I just found my house... and now I'm addicted! 
'I just kind of died for you;
You just kind of stared at me'
- Aurora, Foo Fighters
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 9,362
Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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OP
Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 9,362 |
LOL. I had to laugh when I visited one of my Stargate sites this morning and found someone had started a thread about Google Earth over there, too. Small world. (And even smaller if you're using Google Earth  ) Bettina, yes, it's only drawback does seems to be that it concentrates its detail on the US, Canada and the UK. A lot of the other parts of the world are much less detailed. Which is a shame, because they're probably the areas I'd be most fascinated to find out more about. But they seem aware of that in their FAQs, so perhaps they'll improve those areas before too long. LabRat
Athos: If you'd told us what you were doing, we might have been able to plan this properly.
Aramis: Yes, sorry.
Athos: No, no, by all means, let's keep things suicidal.
The Musketeers
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Top Banana
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Top Banana
Joined: Apr 2003
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I went to Niagara Falls and Toronto Lester B. Pearson international airport this morning. Oh, and if you go to Paris Charles de Gaulle international airport you can actually see the planes!! Lovely views. It's a bit disappointing that some other of my favourite places come out blurry, but I'm gonna try it on Cheshire. Kaethel
- I'm your partner. I'm your friend.
- Is that what we are?
- Oh, you know what? I don't know what we are. We kiss and then we never talk about it. We nearly die frozen in each other's arms, but we never talk about it, so no, I got no clue what we are.
~ Rick Castle and Kate Beckett ~ Knockout ~
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Posts: 111
Hack from Nowheresville
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Hack from Nowheresville
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 111 |
I'm still playing with this one. Someone located and marked Buffy's home and high school (Torrance SHS) hehee
Avatar: Michael Clarke, awesome Aussie cricket player
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 9,362
Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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OP
Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 9,362 |
Someone located and marked Buffy's home and high school (Torrance SHS) hehee LOL. I was highly amused when the first thing the Gaters did with it was look for Area 51. LabRat
Athos: If you'd told us what you were doing, we might have been able to plan this properly.
Aramis: Yes, sorry.
Athos: No, no, by all means, let's keep things suicidal.
The Musketeers
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 843
Features Writer
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Features Writer
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 843 |
The only problem is that the images are VERY outdated (at least in my city), when I do a maximum zoon in. I'm moving to a new apartment complex (which opened in 2002), and in the image, there isn't even sign of construction at that place, just a green field. I guess it costs a lot to make satellite images and save them in a server, so they only do it every 5 or 6 years. Too bad.  I was planning on using those images to give directions to people on how to get to my new place (especially since you can include the street names with the images - cool feature). malu
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