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I love Google Earth. How's that for a nice, even-handed opening statement? Wait, don't leave, this really is a different post.

I can't lie, Google Earth is one of the most fun bits of software I have on either my work or home machine. And my home machine has Civilization 4 on it. Actually the two programs have a globe in common, it's just that Civ4 lets you take it over.

Even though it lacks in the global domination department, Google Earth is quite fun. If you've only been using it for directions around your hometown then you are missing out. There's a whole world out there, literally. It's our world too, and a lot of it is in high resolution images that give you a birds eye view of places you'll probably never see with your own eyes. Granted, it's not like it's impossible for you see, say... Belgrade, but I don't think the chances are very high either.

Google Earth can provide a bit of a solution to that issue. You can fly in from a cozy outer orbit to zoom down to a nicely detailed view of the city slightly more accurately known as Beograd, the capital of Serbia. You can check out "Great War Island" at the meeting of the Danube and the Sava Rivers, with the Stari Grad fortress on the east bank. Check out the neatly segmented tracts of farmland to the west and north, which look like patchwork spread across the land. Always fun is to check out the big airports and see the aircraft lined up at the terminals. Nikola Tesla Airport is pretty well populated, in fact. You can even take a look at one of the image "seams" in Google Earth on the western part of the airport, where two image sets combine.

The Google Fleet On Your Street

When I originally profiled Google Earth, I didn't really touch on any of the "controversies" to which this type of application has given rise. The primary one, and oft repeated in conjunction with Google Earth's older brother, Google Maps, is privacy. Though not all parts of the globe in Google Earth have the same resolution imagery, there is some fairly detailed stuff out there. There's more detailed imagery available, even. Should you be sunbathing on a roof top in Beograd on the wrong day, (and not be Dick Cheney) you could become fodder for anyone ogling architecture in Google Earth one day.

The privacy hot button was recently stabbed again when Google Maps introduced "Street View." Prior to Street View, we had to content ourselves with picking through high res areal photography (it's not taken by "satellites", btw). Now we can plunge into the very street, look left, look right, look right into your store window, in fact. Street View is the latest sensation for Google Maps, and the biggest privacy foofaraw and/or argle-bargle to have yet been generated.

Granted, I'm a fairly large "privacy" advocate myself, but part of me just wants to kick back and say "this is pretty awesome" and call it even. Google released new Street View level images for San Diego, Los Angeles, Houston and Orlando recently, and it appears they have a fleet of cars ready to roll across America to capture even more. The big black vans that are part of the fleet are kind of amusing. Don't worry folks, the black vans aren't coming to abduct you, just take your picture. Be sure to smile.

Good For Nothin'?

What is point of this stuff? Besides, perhaps, the perfectly justifiable "because we can" response. I'll bite and say I think it does have some use. If you are "directionally impaired" then actually getting a street level view of the intersection where you're supposed to "turn right" could be pretty helpful. Though I don't consider myself one of that unfortunate group, even I wouldn't mind such a aide.

You can be looking at a few lines on paper that say "Right On Elm St." and still get lost. Ultimately that isn't a lot to go on if you really think about it. Poorly labeled streets and confusing turn instructions have probably tripped up even the most seasoned navigational guru. Instead of just "Right on Elm St." you could have "Right on Elm St. where the Macdonalds is on the left and Holiday Inn is on the right and there's a strip mall across the street to the left." Now you know what to look for besides the little green strip of metal that says "Elm St.", and there's nothing wrong with that.

Look In Any Window

What of all these unfortunate souls that were treading the streets as the Google black van sped by? For the most part you don't have anything to complain about. Your expectation of privacy on a public street is pretty close to nil. There's technically not much difference than the guy on the other side of the street glaring at you than there is a whole bunch of people from the Internet trying to find directions to Elm St. Your "ick" factor may swell a bit, but you need to get over that.

Issues with the camera peeking into homes becomes a bit more delicate. Obviously if you're walking about naked with the drapes open, perhaps you have concerns other than privacy. Still, the camera reaching into a private residence is something a bit more troubling. Google provides a kind of "opt-out" request to have images removed or, presumably, censored, in order to handle issues arising from such incidents.

This follows a pattern that Google is fond of, shifting the onus of determining unwanted content to the "offended party." This is a little different from YouTube, though, in that it might be a little harder to find a shot of you in that ill-advised pair of cycling shorts if you don't happen to remember the big black van with the cameras on top passing you a few months ago.

LOLCats FTW

In all this hand wringing over privacy concerns, I just have to say: wont someone think of the kittehs?