Thursday, January 31, 2008

Google is Watching



Have you been to Google Maps recently? The technology is getting creepily impressive. How impressive? Well, if you know my address, you can google map it and LOOK INSIDE MY MAILBOX. (in case you're wondering, it's empty)

It's all thanks to the new feature "Street View." It doesn't work everywhere just yet, but it's getting there.

Want an up-close view of the door I walked through every day while interning at Paramount Studios? Just google map "748 N Gower St CA" and click street view (click and drag for a full 360 experience!).

Pretty mind blowing stuff.

2 comments:

SuiginChou said...

I decided to check out my home address tonight and was much more unnerved. Must be a selfishness thing, I dunno. Do you think Google employees go from town to town and do this, or do you think (as I am inclined to, myself) that perhaps they have contacts in ~every town and they offer to lend them a corporate camera + a stipend of cash if the individual will spend 2-3 weeks of his or her summer taking these photos? Either way, I'm surprised we never saw the guy.

Then again, the photos seem to suggest that I wasn't home in Zionsville when they were taken, which may mean they're from early autumn or very late summer rather than summer as I had first thought.

Jay said...

Well, it looks like Google has hired people to go around with 3d cameras. I'd guess these people just drive around somewhat slowly with a device mounted on a car that takes about 4 pictures at once.