Blog: Claudia Imhoff: So You Think You Are Alone. Think Again

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So You Think You Are Alone. Think Again

I recently got an email from the Personal Tech Newsletter regarding a new service from Google – Google Maps. It is a beta product that offers maps and something that is not available in Mapquest, the current favorite for directions – something that will knock your socks off when you see it. Read on for details.

I used to think that satellite imagery was just for the military or a few very specialized applications involving some sort of fancy geospatial telemetry analysis. Not anymore. Google is trialing a new service called Google maps that not only gives you very specific details on where some address is but then gives you the satellite image of that particular location. Go ahead – give it a try by typing in your home address. When the map comes up, click on the “satellite” button. You will be amazed at the incredible detail. I sure was. There was my neighborhood, the walking paths around my neighborhood, and, by holding down the left key, I could scroll across the entire area of Boulder, Colorado.

The email that I got informing me of this new service also showed me so fairly unintended consequences of the satellite imagery. The satellites took pictures of things that perhaps our government did not want others to see. For example, the famed B-2 Stealth Bomber or the newer version, the F117 Stealth Fighter, parked at air bases .

The newsletter also had some lighter findings like a blimp captured by the satellite over Florida. Take a look at this image for a bit of levity.

So… think you are alone? Think again. This new service by Google should shake us all up in terms of our “privacy”. Anyone, for no cost, can peek into your neighborhood and perhaps even your house with incredible clarity. Good or bad – we are no longer alone.

The other interesting thing about the Google service is that it has spawned all sorts of new services by clever people making use of the Google capabilities. Innovative creatures, aren't we?

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