Google Maps helped me and my near-estranged brother bond. (pic heavy)

[expatriot]

on edit: the reason why this is in gd and not the lounge.... er. let me think. becaused this is a very insightful comment on technology and human relationships.

My brother nine years my senior called last night (we hardly ever talk) and asked me what I wanted for christmas (he had drawn my name) My wife and I just bought this house and we are moving in in a few weeks so we sat down and looked at the house on Google Maps Satellite pictures and then we looked at his house in Ohio and then started looking at other things. Japan was all in high res and then we just started typing in cities to see if they were high-res. We spent like an hour and a half on the phone. We hardly ever talked. Our relationship was strained when I went to the hard left of the political dial around the age of 20 and always brought up politics when we were together (I couldn't stop) (nine years ago). But we talked for like an hour and half! It was great. Thank you, Google Maps! But he had a lot to do it with it too. When he asked me what I wanted for Christmas I was like "I don't know, if you just want to get me a gift certificate to Barnes or Noble or somewhere that'd be cool." To which he replied. "Gift certificates... now that's an idea. Do you have a Wal-Mart close to you?" He was trying to be funny and it worked. I laughed.

I can't believe how much of the world Google has in hi res satellite. They have Fallujah, Baghdad, Ramadi, (most of central Iraq) in hi-res! the first image is of the trailer park we currentyt live in. (yeah, yeah, don't tell Google)



forbidden city, beijing




Saddam's palace in the greenzone

[Celebration]

1. I love Google Maps

I've been to Sedona for a vacation (speaking of Arizona) but never made it as far as the Grand Canyon. But I have taken the Google Maps tour of the Grand Canyon several times. But I have made my own tour down the Tennessee River, looked at my old high school, places where UFOs are supposed to be buried (haha) and basically expanded all my horizons virtually. I used some Google Maps pictures on a presentation that I gave. Glad it helped you guys relate.