Thanks to Google Maps new street view feature, you can see the front door of the apartment we are moving to. As a friend of mine said, “It’s like living in the future.”
On the one hand, keen! On the other hand, it’s a little creepy. I mean, is that a neighbor walking past the building? Will I meet that woman while I’m there?
And then I swing back over to the keen! side. Can you imagine how much work this must have been? Holy cow. Rob just showed me his old apartment and his favorite restaurant is still across the street.
Edited to Add: Mr. Radley, in comments, pointed out another very shiny service.
Tags: art, comment, friends, Journal, moving, RobWhere google maps is fuzzy, try using http://www.flashearth.com/ (requires Flash) which lets you switch between several different satellite map services, one of which may provide a clearer view.
I share the feeling that this sort of thing is squicky as hell. On the other hand, I am resigned to the development and employment of this sort of Orwellian surveillance. And therefore am in favor of any force that grants equal access to said surveillance to any private citizen.
And where we live is still in low res. You can’t even make out our house.
What a trippy thing! I just “walked” from my old apartment on 27th st. down B’way. Alas, reflections kept me from checking out what was in the windows at ABC Carpet and Home, but when I got to Union Square, the farmers market was in full swing. What a huge project this must have been, did a crew just walk up and down every block?
-d-: And yet Grandma’s house is so clear you can see the furrows in the garden.
-e-: They apparently have vans with cameras that are driving around photographing things. Weird, huh?
Alas, no street views for London yet. The potential for street view is enormous. Sadly, the potential for abuse is equally enormous. We’ve been thinking about moving out of London and have learned that satellite maps are extremely useful for looking at an area without actually visiting it in person. Where google maps is fuzzy, try using http://www.flashearth.com/ (requires Flash) which lets you switch between several different satellite map services, one of which may provide a clearer view.
Interestingly, the blue lines stop in Queens right before you get to my apartment. It’s like the people in the vans were like “You know who’s down there… we’d best turn back.”
Thanks, Mr Radley, for the flashearth link. I can finally see my old homes in Scotland in hi res for the first time (Google Earth has thus far been pathetic as far as Scotland goes). Though I have to say looking at these maps of the town I lived between the ages of 5 and 10 feels far stranger than any of my subsequent places.
Yes thanks, Mr Radley, for the link to flashearth. I can actually see our house with it.
OOO! Very cool, Mr. Radley.
Chris: I kept putting the little guy right at the end of one of the lines and tracking in. I’m not sure why I found it so interesting, but it was. Maybe I need to come up with a different procrastination technique.
-d- They clearly don’t update frequently, since the log house hasn’t been moved in these images yet. Still, it’s awfully nifty.
Glad to be of help.