Monthly Archives: June 2005


The Earth on Your Desktop! …..Slowly

I am still excited about the new Google Earth application I mentioned in the last post. However, after spending way too much time playing with it yesterday some concerns and caveats:

1. I’m not sure it really needs the computing power claimed. It never seemed to use more than 3-5% of CPU on my laptop which is hardly a speed demon (Pentium M 1.6GHz).
2. The above might be because it is currently interminably slow uploading data. Individual locations seemed ok at first but then became very slow and if you try to do anything really interesting like tilt and scroll (like driving down the highway) it is just not ready for prime time.
3. There are a lot of gaps in the satellite images and some are pretty old. I’d like to know they are making a concerted effort to fill the gaps and update the old pictures.

On the other hand, I am really excited for the future of these type of applications. Microsoft, Yahoo, etc., will have to respond and then Google again, and, will, just let your imagination run wild. We think there is cool stuff on the web now. It will seem like horse and buggies in a few years.
Update: With somewhat faster data loading this morning I did see CPU spikes up to 52%. Also, testing some local directions I discovered that Google does not yet know about a major new local freeway interchange that was completed about 6 months ago. They definitely need to work on their updating.


The Earth on Your Desktop!

Barry has the goods on Google Earth.
This is too cool! Never mind playing games to dribble away time. If you’ve got the bandwidth and the system go now and play.

  • Watching the earth spin as you swing from the US to, say, Fallujah is pretty nifty.
  • Even though I’ve seen the shot before it is still a bit unnerving to be able to identify my car in the driveway of my house!

Warning: Broadband and computing power needed. You will not want to play with this if you are a dial up user! Well, you will want to, but it will be really, really slow.


Mafia Numbers Game Is Alive and Well

Governments show their true colors by operating lotteries to generate revenue. Dan Gilmour nails it in this 6/22 post:

At the top of Page 1 today in the SF Chronicle is a story about the “Mega Millions” lottery that Californians will soon be able to enter. It’s unfortunate governance for states to be in this rancid business, but it’s irresponsible journalism to promote it.
State-run lotteries are slimy. They run advertising that I suspect would get other people sued for deceptive practices. They convince people who can least afford it to gamble. They shift tax burdens. No one forces people to gamble, true, but gambling addiction is a very real thing.
States should not be in the business, period. But rather than honestly deal with revenue needs, they con their residents into “games of chance” that entice stupidity, or worse.
For states to promote this practice is shameful enough. I wish responsible media organizations would just refuse to join the parade.

Dan is right. States should not be in lottery business and responsible journalists should be making clear to their readers that throwing away their money on lottery tickets is not a good thing.
But, then, states shouldn’t be in the business of doing most of what they do.