I can see your house from here

marnanel points out that Google Maps UK have updated their aerial shots to include a much higher resolution, down to a half a metre or so.

Apart from the inevitable “I can see my house from here”, you can also see a punt approaching Grantchester (the image doesn’t show whether the clock stands at ten to three, unfortunately), and a whole swarm of them having a look at King’s College chapel. You can also see Tony’s house, which I was a bit surprised by, because of the terrsts: Google, why do you hate AmericaEngerland?

On an unrelated note, someone pointed out a Wikipedia edit on Wicca, surely worthy of Encyclopedia Dramatica.

8 Comments on "I can see your house from here"


  1. marnanel points out that Google Maps UK have updated their aerial shots to include a much higher resolution, down to a half a metre or so.

    Pity they haven’t updated the map of central Cambridge, which still looks
    extremely amusing (especially where they’ve marked the ditch behind Queens’ as a road).

    Reply

  2. You can also see Tony’s house, which I was a bit surprised by, because of the terrsts

    ISTR that Google had this one out with the Australian(?) government a while back, and defended themselves on the basis that the images were far from real time and at a very low resolution, making their value for identifying potential targets negligible. In any case, I’d be amazed if anything the terrrrrst woryers would want to attack isn’t deep underground in a nukulur bunka anyway.

    For more comedy value, find the paths that just stop in empty fields on an Ordnance Survey map (try a friendly US listening post or air base) and then look up all those places on Google Maps. Just don’t tell them I suggested this when they come for you. :-/

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  3. My house is in a very high resolution area. We used to do a bit of, I think that dark blob on the drive is my car. Maybe. Now the cars are VERY clearly visible, they have shape and sunroofs and everything.

    It’s kinda cool, but also kinda scary.

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    1. I can see my housemate’s car and mine pretty clearly on aerial shot, too.

      One of my work colleagues showed Google Earth to his parents, who wanted to go outside and wave and see whether he could see them on the computer. He had to explain it didn’t quite work like that. Yet.

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      1. Awww, bless. That’s so cute. You do get people who paint adverts on their roofs, so that when the pictures are retaken there is some free advertising!

        Lives updates is a scary thought though! Big brother really would be watching you, along with the rest of the world! Stalk from the comfort of your armchair. Best to live in England where we have perpetual cloud cover to hide our actions from the rest of the world.

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