"Good God, y'all"

"Fly from space to your neighborhood," promises Google Earth, now available in beta for your cyberspace-traveling pleasure. Photos above show our little corner of the world (Chelsea-by-the-Sea is located just across the street from that patch of green in the center of the left image). Note bulk carrier unloading salt at Eastern Minerals across the street.  At first blush, we jumped to conclusions -- we always do -- and decided the ship was the "Harrier" that just put into port yesterday.  Reading our own post of last April, we realized the satellite images are six to 12 months old. Left is birds-eye view. Right demonstrates Google Earth's awesome tilt and rotate features, showing the view from our location in the foreground across Logan Airport in East Boston in the middle distance and on to the Atlantic Ocean and the horizon.

"Good God, y'all," writes blogfriend Barry Campbell of enrvanche re GoogleEarth. The beta version is available for download now -- or at least in a few minutes.  You may have to wait awhile 'cause they're wicked busy. That's how it is when you're the hottest topic on Technorati.

Successive images in Google Earth's "fly from space to your neighborhood" feature between our house in Eastern Massachusetts and Goomp's in Southern Coastal Maine.

We blogged about Google's purchase of the Keyhole technology that added satellite imagery to Google Maps last April. Now, not only can you tilt and rotate, but best of all, you can launch yourself up into the sky and travel over thousands of miles to reach the heartland -- Hi, Matt and Regan -- or just 60 miles or so to check on things Down East -- Hi, Goomp and Lucie. Fun stuff.

Comments

[goomp]

Fabulous. Can these images be enlarged?

[Barry Campbell]

Thanks so much for the shout-out, Sissy. One word of warning: do NOT download this sucker if you've got a deadline or other pressing work to complete. I had to tear myself away from it last night after fiddling with it for a couple of hours, "visiting" the hotel where Carrie and I honeymooned in Paris, the street market on the Rue Mouffetard, etc. etc.

[Sissy Willis]

Goomp: I think so. We'll play with it over the July 4th Weekend Down East. :) Barry: Thank YOU for calling it to my attention. Fun stuff, and as you can see, Goomp can't wait to try it too.

[Mr.Kurtz]

I have been drooling over this since day one. Something about looking down on it all. However: "We do not currently offer a version for MacIntosh." Dirty Pinkos.;-)

Seriously, it's a marvelous tool.