18 November 2005

Earth

This is an unashamed advertisement for "Google Earth". Have you been there? It's easy to load up and use as long as you have enough space on your hard drive. It's also easy to visualise how "Google Earth" will one day cover the entire planet in intricate detail and beyond that perhaps another distant day, people may even be able to watch every inch of our world moving in realtime close-up.
With "Google Earth" I have flown and swooped around the globe, focussing in on every place I have ever been and others besides - darkest Africa, the mysterious coast of Chile. The facility is at its best in certain urban zones such as Manhattan or central London, Rome or Paris. Watch out for the photographic strips that allow for closer inspection. Those Google eggheads - they have have given all computer users opportunities that science fiction of the past wouldn't have dared to anticipate and to me "Google Earth" is an amazing addition to the Google catalogue of wonder.
I have always loved maps. I possess lots of maps and have spent hours studying them. In the past, when others revealed their geographical ignorance, I used to be appalled. I have always been inquisitive about our world - it's like a burning need to know exactly where I am. Yet I have come to realise that not everyone cares about this - perhaps they're too busy living their lives to care about the names of the oceans or what the capital of Tahiti is or where you'll find the island of Spitzbergen. Map hunger possibly reveals something of my inner psychology - as if through geography I'll eventually be able to sort out the mystery of my existence. Of course I will never do that so in the meantime I'll be a rocketman courtesy of "Google Earth", scouring the globe for the hidden hills of my soul and the valleys of my heart, beside the turbulent waters of my memory.

4 comments:

  1. Dear Mr. Pudding,

    Regarding your comment on my blog:

    "Your pudding is good enough for gorillas and other mildly intelligent primates but female humans require something else in their bellies."

    Don't think I am unaware of what you are up to! You are trying to bait me into throwing a fit. Don't think I won't fly to the UK to deal with you directly. After we have our row, perhaps we can catch a football game (Go Blades!) and head south to catch Alabama 3 in concert. Afterward, I will proceed to drink you under the table.

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  2. I don't have it... but I shall try it. Sounds really good Idear!

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  3. York, your desires to travel via mind and soul are well met. This, my dear, is how I have determined what certain parts of the U.K. must look like. While I will be visiting London and Edinburgh at some point next year (if all goes according to plan), I plan to completely forget what they really look like if they don't do justice to my imagination.

    Googling Earth is a fascinating thought. As soon as the new computer (which is now a year old and my husband is still being stubborn and waiting on DSL, while I am realistic and just hope for garbage pick up in the near future) is hooked to the internet, I shall download Google Earth. The next time you Google my fair area, look for north central NC. I'm only a short hop from Danville, Virginia. I'm thinking it's probably almost due NW of my humble abode. All you'll see in my area is farmland and trees, but it's still a lovely sight.

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  4. Got it! really cool but I cna't find my husband.. Probably fuzzed out.

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Mr Pudding welcomes all genuine comments - even those with which he disagrees. However, puerile or abusive comments from anonymous contributors will continue to be given the short shrift they deserve. Any spam comments that get through Google/Blogger defences will also be quickly deleted.

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