The streets have a view, not just a name
Sorry about that, family dog, but the manner in which we take you for a virtual walk in nasty weather changed today. After months of anticipation, Google Streetview went “live” in parts of the city this morning. From now on, the pretend promenade will have scenery to go along with the soundtrack of our lives.
OK, we didn’t get the whole thing, yet. The metropolitan area covers something over 3200 km2 , so that was a given, but there’s enough content to keep the curious very busy for the next few evenings. After all, this isn’t exactly a workplace activity, now is it? To be fair, since I am the apostle of “new web content proselytization” in our office, I did point out that the little yellow figurine was worth further exploration.
I’d already used Streetview in the American context, without any personal experience to allow a call on quality. Around here, I know what certain neighbourhoods should look like. On the city bus, there’s not much else to do, now is there? I can confirm that the subcontractor did a really nice job locally. There are some strange edits; I found a large clock with the figures blurred out, while gas prices were proudly displayed. There are also some odd artifacts from the edits; I found a virtual whirlpool at one large intersection (the better to dispose of pedestrians).
I can’t wait to see “my house”. Will the dog be watching from the window? Will the lawn have been mowed recently? That’s a hint to son #3, who thinks I’ve forgotten.
