Flash Earth takes google maps to an extreme. You start off with a flat map of the world, and then using the scroll bar on your mouse, you can zoom in to almost any point on the earth, right down to specific buildings. Pictured to the right is WFMU's neighborhood in Jersey City. It's fun to look for what your neighbors are secretly building in their backyards, not to mention monuments and other landmarks. As you might expect, some parts of the world are more extensively photographed than others. (When you click the link above, you'll get a message which you need to only say "OK" to.)
There is a free downloadable program by the (presumably now very wealthy) people at Google called Google Earth http://earth.google.com/.
Posted by: Jeff T | August 24, 2005 at 03:13 PM
The Google Earth version has the added advantage of offering 3D terrain data. You can turn the map on its side and appreciate the relief. In some larger cities, they stick in little building block buildings over the photos of actual ones. You can also download points and fly-throughs from other users. Make sure you have a decent PC with 3D graphic accelerator, and of course broadband.
But Flash Earth is cool for kiosk and other locked-down PCs. You can also turn on black-and-white MSN VE coverage of presumably earlier vintage to see how things have changed. Thanks for the link.
Posted by: Guest | August 24, 2005 at 05:38 PM
Along those same lines, http://www.googlesightseeing.com/ is a fine site for finding interesting things within google maps and they even have a little plugin to zip around to all of them.
Posted by: JJZ | August 24, 2005 at 11:51 PM
I never realized there was a C-shaped swimming pool on top of the post office next to the station.
Posted by: efd | August 24, 2005 at 11:59 PM