Google Maps

GoogleEarth_Image.JPG

This is my house in Arizona – right in the center, with the oval-shaped swimming pool. (Click to enlarge the image.) Isn’t it scary, how there are no secrets any more? How nothing needs to be left to the imagination? How just a little bit of googling can practically put you in a stranger’s living room?

By the way, the house is really beautiful, though you’d never know it from this picture.

The Discussion: 16 Comments

Here is as close as they can get to my living room in Ma’anshan.
Ironic that here in China, it’s harder to spy on me than in Arizona or Waterlooville. At least for the general public.

I love google’s choice for my local pizza place.

February 11, 2006 @ 9:26 pm | Comment

Actually this picture reminds me of the issues of water. Isn’t it a tremendous waste of resources to grow all that green shrubbery in a desert area, let alone maintain swimming pools?

Actually is Arizona primarily desert? I am aware of the ongoeing water issues between California and Nevada, but is Arizona involved?

February 11, 2006 @ 9:34 pm | Comment

Jing, your observations are on target. The last rain we’ve had was in mid-October.

Phoenix is very fortunate to have a substantial amount of water diverted from the Colorado River. That’s part of the reason why we have the highest number of golf courses per capita in the US.

You can see more details on how this works on Wikipedia at “Central Arizona Project Aqueduct.”

BTW, Colorado farmers now want the water back, but that’s not likely to happen given what was involved in getting the water, and the number political favors that can’t be undone.

February 11, 2006 @ 10:57 pm | Comment

I’ve heard municipal governments are using this technology to detect improvements on properties so they can re-assess you and raise your taxes.

February 12, 2006 @ 2:25 am | Comment

The GIS technology of such was military exclusive back in the 70’s.
So, yeah, the web availability means, the current reality is “scarier”. Remote sensing is down to the individual level now.

February 12, 2006 @ 3:58 am | Comment

Maybe tomorrow you will find you are on this photo

February 12, 2006 @ 4:59 am | Comment

When taking a look at my old stomping grounds, I discovered that Microsoft’s Terraserver is better than Google Earth – higher resolution, better quality images.

I guess it varies by what data was available for a given location, but if you like this sort of thing, do check out Terraserver as well!

February 12, 2006 @ 5:35 am | Comment

Richard, you gave away your longtitude/latitude!

Better watch out for the commies.

February 12, 2006 @ 9:38 am | Comment

That’s very cool. And if anyone wants to see where I live, I’m at 52 23 10.70N 4 53 13.28 E. Right inside the high-resolution area.

February 12, 2006 @ 10:29 am | Comment

Richard, by leaving the co-ordinates there, I could actually track your house down to its address and then pick up a phone book and find your home telehpone number.

With that data, plus your name, and the information from your blog about yourself, I could ID theft your *SS in about 15 minutes.

February 13, 2006 @ 4:54 am | Comment

I don’t know about you, but I find it really weird how even a standard US suberb can have such big houses.

It’s certainly a lot more roomy than Tama.

February 13, 2006 @ 4:56 am | Comment

ACB, I’m not living there. If anyone wants to find me that badly, they can easily do so by other means.

February 13, 2006 @ 6:03 am | Comment

Clean that pool! 😉

February 13, 2006 @ 5:08 pm | Comment

Temptation, temptation…must resist temptation…must resist the temptation to suggest a cartoonish vision of someone skydiving into that pool shouting:

“GAAAANNNNN BEEEEIIIII!”

oops, I couldn’t resist…..

February 13, 2006 @ 10:26 pm | Comment

ACB, What exatctly do you do for a living? 🙂

February 14, 2006 @ 12:15 am | Comment

Have you ever seen Enemy of the State? The technology the government was using to track Will Smith by satelite looked a lot like a real time version of this. Still, I like it in everybody’s hands a lot more than just in the governments’.

Google Earth only refreshes once every half hour. Still that’s enough to see if my grandmother’s car is at the house or not before I call… 🙂

February 16, 2006 @ 7:08 am | Comment

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