Anyone else getting a little wiered out by mapping programs

Ok...google maps http://maps.google.com

has a feature called "streetview"

I can read the license plate of my wife's van in the driveway.....

not in all areas...but lookup Grand Rapids, MI for examples

and no, I can't spell correctly.

For some reason, they've StreetViewed my entire town, except for my neighborhood, which isn't all that big. I guess they went to lunch and then missed it when they came back.

Yeah, it brings all sorts of privacy issues to light, but personally I think it's awesome technology. The pictures aren't anything special, any Joe could get them from the street normally and it's pretty similar to satellite imagery that is public info and shows a lot more detail about stuff than a person could normally get from the comfort of their own home.

Google has had the streetview pictures for quite a while now, I know my house in Portland has been in there for at least a year.

Bryce

I see that they're missing a gated community that I used to live in. Wow, a possible reason to live in an HOA area?

Still creeps me out. Not in a "ZOMG THAT'S MY CAR" sort of way, but in a "what comes next" way. Looks like the cameras are available to the public too:

http://immersivemedia.com/

Ha! That's kinda nifty. It's also cool that in the segment in front of my girlfriend's apartment, there's a classic Dodge Challenger.

I just discovered this, too. I saw one shot of a street with a guy walking down the shoulder. You could follow him. Pretty cool, although it is a good reason to have the shades drawn during...certain activities.

I like how Google directions now give you the option to calculate route, distance and time by either car travel or walking! I can drive to my new jobsite in 55 minutes or walk there is 11h 23m!

They street viewed most of the big cities in the northeast. It's great when your about to head into a neighborhood you've never been in, especially the bad ones. It gives you a chance to scope the area out.

My friend Richard's Alfa is in my driveway, I'm not home but my wife is!!!!!!

I think it's kind of neat, myself. Every day hundreds of people drive or walk by my house and can look at my house if they want to, so I don't think the streetview feature is any different.

There's another mapping website out there, called http://maps.live.com/. It doesn't have a street view, but it does have a 'bird's eye view' where you can see pretty good detail on the ground. In the picture they have of my house I can see myself standing out in the driveway.

Spitsix wrote: My friend Richard's Alfa is in my driveway, I'm not home but my wife is!!!!!!

See, now that's the proper use of technology: spying on loved ones!

Seriously, though, if that's not a real relational development, it's freakin' hilarious.

Holy crap. I just tried http://maps.live.com/. The page opened centred on my workplace. Not on my exact building, but on the campus of the research park that I'm at. Scary what they can get just from your IP adress.

Didn't see myself or my car anywhere but I recon the photos are about a year out of date, judging by the state of some nearby construction.

J

Monkeywrench wrote: They street viewed most of the big cities in the northeast. It's great when your about to head into a neighborhood you've never been in, especially the bad ones. It gives you a chance to scope the area out.

Wait, there's a guy hiding in the bushes.

Local radio station had people call in who were in the streetview of their homes.

Then they got kind of silly with the calls:

"I was bending over picking up the paper..."

Yeah, we were all looking at the Street View at work the other day. We dated the pics to about a year ago. I'm heading to wedding this weekend and it's located off an unmarked tree-lined road (per the invitation). I just checked the Street View and now I know exactly what the road looks like. Crazy for sure.

I'm thinking in the long term Google plans to have a "Drive Your Route" option where you can watch a "video" of your entire route if you like. Similar to the Google Earth program that morphs images to look like a video.

If you go to 915 Ridgewood avenue, Holly hill, Fla and hit street view you can see the GRM world headquarters before it was Schroedered up, but the interesting thing is if you start moving the view you can see the gray Beetle that the camera is attatched to.

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=qyr8b98vb435&style=b&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=20312230&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1

This is from before we moved in, but the white mini van is my realtors, so I'm there soemwhere

Google street view is sort of old news in the San Francisco Bay area. Google HQ is less than 10 miles from my house and it got rolled out here first. The local buzz about Google streetview was they caught semi-topless sunbathers on the Stanford campus and various people walking into or out of strip clubs/adult bookstores on the streetview images.

I like to look up places I used to live and see what's changed, like 3621 N Sheffiled in Chicago (Wrigley Field). My apartment building is still there, but seriously updated, and there's a pub where there used to be a parking lot. Neat, kind of like spying or just taking a peek on the street. It is creepy that a pic of my house is online, though, but if you have the address you can find it and look at it, so why not save the step for everyone.

I think it's kind of funny that nothing in Seattle is mapped in streetview, but Juneau, Alaska is.

I think it's pretty cool though. I just found a sweet old P-Type Supra in Compton. Oooh and a nice Mk1 Scirocco.

wow my whole hood, can't read E36 M3 off licenses plates though. pretty creepy like deja vu

hey! I live 784.7 mi from Wally!

don't think I've ever seen a single digit house number

Joke - My wife would not have anything to do with someone driving an Alfa!!!

Spitsix wrote:

My friend Richard's Alfa is in my driveway, I'm not home but my wife is!!!!!!

See, now that's the proper use of technology: spying on loved ones!

Seriously, though, if that's not a real relational development, it's freakin' hilarious.

what I find humorous is when they streetview an intersection at 2 different times.
there is an intersection that I used to frequent
Streetview of Said intersection

if you turn the corner heading north you will see all the cars on the lot change.
both views are kind of odd though, I don't have any of my own cars in either shot.
sadly that lot is now fenced off and barren. berkeleying con man got it.