PenFall

When it comes to technology, I tend to discover things much later than most. I often doubt how interesting or cool new technology can be because there is so much out there, and a lot of it turns out to be a waste of time, or clutters up my life more than helps it. Google especially gives me doubt — I just don’t believe the big companies, the corporations, the big names. To me, Google is the Gap of the internet — it has spread its wings over the entire industry. Just as there is Gap, Gap Kids, babyGap, gapMaternity, and GapBody, there is Google, Google Maps, Google Images, Google Earth, Google Desktop, Google SketchUp (and here’s when I go to google Google…this isn’t right).

This is why I resist.

This week at work, I received my laptop (an iBook), and with it came Google Earth (and all the rest). Last night (on a Friday, yes), inbetween one task and the next, I decided to actually check out Google Earth and see what all the fuss is about.

I discovered that I actually like it. Great…

After trying my very best to resist liking something Google, I gave in and spent almost three hours on Google Earth. I did the usual — searched my house, my office, my apartment, and so on. Eventually I discovered a “sightseeing” option, for which there was a tour of many of the worlds greatest landmarks: the Eiffel Tower, The Forbidden City, Mount Saint Helens, and The Grand Canyon (to name a few). The first three stops on the tour weren’t too impressive — the queen mary, disney world, etc. The fourth stop, the Grand Canyon, was what made me write this blog post. Bare with me, there are a LOT of pictures in this post. But most are really worth it — and the links are clickable, folks! You can see the larger and much cooler version just by clicking on the photo. Check it out:

You can zoom in even more, and the quality stays the same. It’s pretty amazing.

Check out The Forbidden City –

And Mount Saint Helens -

Now, I know a couple of people who have spent a significant amount of time in the Middle East, especially Baghdad. So, of course, that was my next stop. Wanna see? Let’s just zoom in on the green zone

Maybe a little more? C’mere embassy –

And finally, the airport –

and some planes…

So, that’s pretty cool, but nothing mind blowing, right? What bugged me the most during this exploration was that buildings could not be seen very well, except from a birds-eye view. There is a pretty cool tool that allows you to change the angle you are viewing from, but when you change the angle, buildings flatten. For instance, here’s Washington, DC –

But then, my co-worker Chris sent me this link. America’s Favorite Architecture recently partnered with Google, to provide 3D images of famous US buildings and/or landmarks. They even let you vote on your favorite five landmarks here. By clicking on the right tool in Google Earth, and searching the right buildings and/or landmarks, you can find some pretty interesting stuff.

(more…)

When it comes to technology, I tend to discover things much later than most. I often doubt how interesting or cool new technology can be because there is so much out there, and a lot of it turns out to be a waste of time, or clutters up my life more than helps it. Google especially gives me doubt — I just don’t believe the big companies, the corporations, the big names. To me, Google is the Gap of the internet — it has spread its wings over the entire industry. Just as there is Gap, Gap Kids, babyGap, gapMaternity, and GapBody, there is Google, Google Maps, Google Images, Google Earth, Google Desktop, Google SketchUp (and here’s when I go to google Google…this isn’t right).

This is why I resist.

This week at work, I received my laptop (an iBook), and with it came Google Earth (and all the rest). Last night (on a Friday, yes), inbetween one task and the next, I decided to actually check out Google Earth and see what all the fuss is about.

I discovered that I actually like it. Great…

After trying my very best to resist liking something Google, I gave in and spent almost three hours on Google Earth. I did the usual — searched my house, my office, my apartment, and so on. Eventually I discovered a “sightseeing” option, for which there was a tour of many of the worlds greatest landmarks: the Eiffel Tower, The Forbidden City, Mount Saint Helens, and The Grand Canyon (to name a few). The first three stops on the tour weren’t too impressive — the queen mary, disney world, etc. The fourth stop, the Grand Canyon, was what made me write this blog post. Bare with me, there are a LOT of pictures in this post. But most are really worth it — and the links are clickable, folks! You can see the larger and much cooler version just by clicking on the photo. Check it out:

You can zoom in even more, and the quality stays the same. It’s pretty amazing.

Check out The Forbidden City –

And Mount Saint Helens -

Now, I know a couple of people who have spent a significant amount of time in the Middle East, especially Baghdad. So, of course, that was my next stop. Wanna see? Let’s just zoom in on the green zone

Maybe a little more? C’mere embassy –

And finally, the airport –

and some planes…

So, that’s pretty cool, but nothing mind blowing, right? What bugged me the most during this exploration was that buildings could not be seen very well, except from a birds-eye view. There is a pretty cool tool that allows you to change the angle you are viewing from, but when you change the angle, buildings flatten. For instance, here’s Washington, DC –

But then, my co-worker Chris sent me this link. America’s Favorite Architecture recently partnered with Google, to provide 3D images of famous US buildings and/or landmarks. They even let you vote on your favorite five landmarks here. By clicking on the right tool in Google Earth, and searching the right buildings and/or landmarks, you can find some pretty interesting stuff.

(more…)