Google recently announced new capabilities for Google Earth that will change the way you look at Chicago. Michael T. Jones, chief technology advocate for Google, was in town this week so we sat down with him to check out some of the new tricks they created, and what Chicagoans can look for now. Besides roving the land, you can now also cruise water, space, and even time. more ›

Londonist are starting to think their city is getting just a little bit too expensive, when even Christian Slater can't afford to go out there. And there's no escaping, as local singer Lily Allen discovered when she was barred entry to the US. The British mapping agency caused further bad karma, by blocking a 3-D representation of London in Google Earth. But the smiles returned to Londonist's faces as they interviewed Baroness von Reichardt,... more ›

There's so much going on across the Ist-a-Verse that it's almost impossible to keep track these days. Fortunately, we do it so you don't have to! Londonist took a walk through Oliver Twist's London, thanks to a gorgeous map layer for Google Earth. They also caught up with modern-day fictional London, with the Fantastic Four and 28 Weeks Later. It was a week of insanity over at DCist. They started the week off with... more ›

Like millions of other digerati across the globe, Chicagoist gives mighty props to Google. The folks at Google constantly amaze us by what they come up with next, including but not limited to Google Earth, patent searches (new!) and spreadsheets. (Trust us, it’s a big deal for those of us who refuse to install MS Office Resourcegobbler at home.) We’re also extremely attached to Google Maps, forsaking all our old tools in favor of being... more ›

Thanks to the tip from Palla Palla, Chicagoist has been browsing around the new and improved satellite imagery on Google Maps. Palla Palla pointed out how nice the detail on Marina Towers is and we're quite fond of it too. Google's official blog says that they've updated the Google Local database to match the coverage they have in Google Earth and they've added 2 more zoom levels to Google Local's Satellite mode. Now you... more ›

Keep those golden overheards a'comin' this-a-way: overheard at chicagoist dot com. more ›

A few years ago, Chicagoist wrote a thesis on how Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology could change the way people work and play. While the thesis was largely speculative at the time and only produced a few workable prototypes, Chicagoist was excited this last week to discover that one of the world's coolest companies has taken the ball and run with it. Google Earth is the latest of free services offered by the search engine titan Google. While Chicagoist instantly fell in love with the satellite photos available in Google Maps, Google Earth makes Google Maps look like that girl you see at your high school reunion who makes you wonder, "I got all bent out of shape about her?" while sipping a martini with your new wife who speaks six languages, runs the marathon, and models underware on the side. While Google Earth is Windows-only, it is one of those killer apps that all Chicago residents should own. more ›