Google

[chickenhead]

I recently became a shareholder in google, so I've become a little more interested in what kinds of things they make possible. I'm not much of a web 2.0 kind of guy, I like reading some of the stuff that it makes possible, but so far as being an active part of it, not really.

I have to admit, its pretty neat stuff. Just to see how it works I decided to set up a blog...in the space of about 2 hours you can set up a blog, advertising for it, analytics to analyze traffic and whatnot, all sorts of cool stuff. I know you guys that are a little more involved know all that already, but I was amazed at how easy the whole process is.

[Murph]

I recently became a shareholder in google, so I've become a little more interested in what kinds of things they make possible. I'm not much of a web 2.0 kind of guy, I like reading some of the stuff that it makes possible, but so far as being an active part of it, not really.

I have to admit, its pretty neat stuff. Just to see how it works I decided to set up a blog...in the space of about 2 hours you can set up a blog, advertising for it, analytics to analyze traffic and whatnot, all sorts of cool stuff. I know you guys that are a little more involved know all that already, but I was amazed at how easy the whole process is.I hadn't found these tools yet. Thanks CH, I've been looking for something like this.

Murph

[Pace Cap'n]

Ever google Google?

[Jeff P]

When I was 4 years old my dad bought a new house in Willingboro NJ. I remember the lot itself being bare. I also vividly remember a trip that my dad took me on one summer Saturday morning... We went to a nursery where I picked out an oak tree about as tall as myself. Then we stopped to pick up ice cream cones on the way home. Later that afternoon I "helped" my dad plant that oak tree in the back yard. Just how much help a 4 year old actually provides when planting a tree is up for conjecture... but I do vividly remember scooping a couple shovelfuls of dirt (with a blue toy plastic beach shovel) as we dug the hole. I also remember carrying some of the excess dirt (using a matching blue toy plastic beach bucket) over to the flower garden where I spread it around some with the shovel. Afterwards I remember helping my dad water the tree with the garden hose.

When I was 7 we moved into a bigger house in Pennsylvania after my brother was born. When I was 10 we moved to Arizona where I grew up.

My dad is gone now. Every once in a while I recall the day that I helped him plant that tree. And all throughout my entire adult life one of the things that's always been in the back of my mind is to make a nostalgia trip to the east coast, visit Willingboro NJ, drive past that house, and see if that tree is still there.

The other night when I read this thread something occurred to me: I googled the address of that house in Willingboro, NJ and a few seconds later was presented with a map of the street. The map itself had a button labeled "satellite." Curious, I gave it a click.

I was presented with a satellite photo of our street. I zoomed in for as close a look as the interface would allow. The street address marker on the image itself wasn't quite right... our house... the first house I have memories of - was actually about three houses north of where the arrow was... I know because ours was the 7th house in after you turned (I used to walk to and from school as a 1st & 2nd grader... something unheard of these days.)

But there it was plain as day... a satellite image of the house... with a giant tree in the back yard that could only be the oak I "helped" my dad plant that summer afternoon over 40 years ago.

Viva La Google :cool:


-jp

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[Hosshead]

Great story Jeff ! Because it's true.
Those little things that parents/grandparents did with us little kids.
Like the tree, they get larger as time goes by.

[bigmack]

I've Google "Earthed" old houses and can't believe how much they've remained the same. Fun stuff to see aerial shots of where you once biked, fished, hung out & went to school.

Technology is sometimes pretty nifty.

[dutchboy]

Did you know the google earth program has two flight simulators provided with the the program? They are kind of hidden.

Google Earth is a free and amazing program.