Friday Fun with Google Maps

Google Maps Tilt Shift

Street View Funny found this Google Maps 'bird's eye' view image that has a nice tilt shift effect.

The effect has been created accidentally because of the juxtaposition of some blurred map tiles next to some clearer tiles. However it is possible for Google to actually reproduce this effect on the fly on oblique view imagery by creating a blurring filter with the canvas element on individual map tiles.

Now that would be an interesting use of a Googler's 20% time (hint).

Street View House Blurring
In Germany Google have given home owners the option to have their houses blurred out in Street View. A regional DIY store created a clever campaign around the idea of house blurring in Street View to promote their business.



Flat Earth

Joemonster.org has discovered that if you zoom out on Google Maps you will find that the world is flat after all. My attempts to reproduce this on Google Maps have failed miserably. However the site did capture this screenshot so I'm sure it must be true.

________________

Vidéo : Gameplay de Minecraft Pocket Edition sur Xperia Play

C'est cette fois-ci c'est au tour de Sony Ericsson de dévoiler une vidéo de Minecraft Pocket Edition tournant sur Xperia Play. On a hâte de tester ça en vrai.

Animal Cruelty on Google Maps

Factory Farm Investigations Mapped

Animal Visuals has used Google Maps to show the locations of factory farms that animal protection groups have exposed for cruelty to animals. The map displays farms where animals have been found to be living in filthy conditions,intensively confined for their entire lives and other 'criminal acts of animal torture'.

The map also highlights the states that have drafted agriculture gagging legislation, that if passed will impose criminal penalties for creating audio or visual recordings of agriculture operations.

If you click on any of the animal map markers you can click through to view the video of the undercover investigation carried out by animal protection groups at that farm.

________________

Loving You is Easy with Google Maps

Tiffany & Co - Love is Everywhere

You might not be able to afford Tiffany diamonds for the special one in your life but you can share your love with this Google Map from the self proclaimed 'world's premier jeweler'.

To share your favourite romantic locations you just need to click on the 'Share your love' button and place the heart shaped map marker on the correct spot on the map.

If you are single and have no romantic love to share you can browse through the hundreds of romantic locations added by other users in preparation for the next time you date. You never know if you find the right location you might then be able to add your marker to the 'I Just Made Love' Google Map.

I Just Made Love Map

If you've just made love and you want to shout about it add yourself to this Google Map. This mashup uses Google Maps to show the locations in the world where people have just made love.

You can add your own marker to the map by right clicking on the map, choosing 'indoors' or 'outdoors' and leaving a comment. The map is available in a number of languages (you can set a language by clicking on the appropriate set of panties at the top right of the screen).

________________

Minecraft 1.7 : The Aventure Update (Humour)

Alors que tout le monde se demande à quoi pourrait bien ressembler Minecraft 1.7 et son fameux Mode Aventure, certains s'en amusent...

Minecraflevania = Minecraft + Castlevania

Voilà une vidéo nous présentant un Château dans Minecraft tout en nous plongeant dans l'univers de Castlevania. Les amateurs de chasseurs de vampires apprécieront...

2011 Tornado Damage - Before & After

2011 Tornado Damage - Before and After

Using aerial imagery from the NOAA and from Google Maps I've started putting together a series of before and after comparison views of the damage caused by the 2011 tornadoes.

The comparison tool uses a slide control that you can drag to compare the post-tornado imagery from the NOAA with the pre-tornado imagery from Google Maps.

________________