Friday Fun with Google Maps

Harry Beck's famous map design for the London Underground must be one of the most copied designs ever. This Under Skin map is a great Human Body Map in the now familiar Harry Beck style.


Google Sightseeing found this giant three headed elephant in the new Thailand Street View imagery.


If you want to break Google Maps try searching for the North Pole. It seems that the Mercator Projection used by Google Maps struggles with the North Pole. If you do want to find the position of the North Pole on Google Maps, you can turn on the Google Earth view.

Friday Fun with Google Maps

A UFO Landing at Laguna

It's a UFO, I tell ya!

All rational explanations that this satellite image on Google Maps just shows a helicopter will be ignored.

More UFO nonsense on Google Maps can be found here.

Have You Got Your Street View Pose Ready?

Nathan Fillion shows Jimmy Kimmel his Street View pose.


Battle Born, Nevada

We've posted a few close-up shots of planes captured in Google Maps imagery before but I think this aerial view image of a plane coming into land at Phoenix Airport is the best yet.

Friday Fun for Petrol Heads

The Daytono 500 takes place this Sunday. To help the drivers in this year's race Jockular has posted the Google Maps driving directions for a lap of the circuit. Basically just keep turning left until you reach the finish line.


If car racing is the kind of thing that pumps your gas then check out this Google Sightseeing post on the Fuji Speedway. The whole track is on Street View so you can take a tour of the famous track from the comfort of your own chair - vroom.


Google also has Street View for the Thunderhill Raceway. This video, shot from the rear of a Fun Cup racing car, shows the street view car in action.


The Laguna Raceway is also on Google Maps. A while ago I created this animated tour of the circuit using the Street View images captured by Google.


Finally, if all this racing talk has whetted your appetite, then you can try racing a car yourself on Google Maps. Mini Maps on Facebook is a great driving game for Facebook that lets you race anywhere in the world on Google Maps.

Pegman Falls in Love on 2nd Avenue

New York singer and songwriter Ramzi has a new song out called 2nd Avenue. The video for the single tells the sweet story of how the Street View guy - Pegman, falls in love on 2nd Avenue.

The video was written, produced and directed by Joe Gabriel

Laser Firing UFO Caught on Google Maps

I don't know how the governments of the world managed to hush this one up. Here Google Maps provides further proof that aliens already walk among us. In 'fact' this satellite view shows the Dutch town of Breda whilst actually under attack from a multi-laser firing UFO.

More proof of little green men found on Google Maps can be seen here.

I Am a Name, Not a Number

Fans of the original cult 1960's TV show The Prisoner will be delighted to hear that the village of Portmeirion in Wales now has Street View. Much of the success of the show was due to it being shot in this wonderfully unique Welsh village.

The village was designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975 in the style of an Italian village and really is a beautiful place to visit. If you can't get to Portmeirion in person you can now at least take a virtual stroll around the village in Google Maps.

A Penny-Farthing Towing a Platypus

One of my life's ambitions was to be the first man to tow a platypus, behind a penny-farthing, around the town of Cottesloe in Australia. I'm sad to have to report that someone has beaten me to it.

Asterix on a Mountain

Street View has captured Asterix sitting on a mountain in France (although it is probably a menhir and not a mountain). You probably won't be surprised to hear that this Street View image comes from an Asterix theme park, Parc Asterix, just north of Paris.

Friday Fun with Google Maps

Don't Lose Your Marbles

By now you must have heard that there is a Google Maps based game coming to Google+ next month. If you can't wait until February then you could instead create your own analogue version of the game.

Pegman's Day

This advert for Wired magazine seems to show what Pegman gets up to after a busy day of guiding the world around on Street View.

Athen's Public Transit Simulation

The developer behind the great Athens Public Transit Planner has created this amazing map simulation of a day in the life of the Athens Public Transport system.

Artistic Google

Artistic Google is a Google+ account that encourages its followers to create artistic images from Google Maps Street View. Every Monday a new location is announced and the account's followers then find an interesting Street View picture and create something a bit more artistic from the image using photo editing software.

Some Google Maps Friday Fun

The Wax Museum, Fisherman's Wharf

The Google Street View guy has taken a trip to San Francisco's Wax Museum. Unfortunately he only made it into the lobby, but you can still see models of Mariah Carey, President Obama and Johnny Depp.

New York in the Summer

Zachary Goelman found this evocative scene in Google Maps Street View in New York.

Street View Stereographic

I love Street View Stereographic. Someone else obviously does as well, as they went to the trouble of creating this fun video of the app in action.

The Song Lyrics Map

This map in the style of London's A-Z Maps is made up entirely of song lyrics. If you like it you can even buy a print from We Are Dorothy.

Google Maps can Take You to Warp Drive

Google Maps on Warp Drive

Some lucky folks in Turlock, California actually get to live in Warp Drive. Their neighbors, on nearby streets, live on roads called Picard Lane, Ryker Court and Crusher Avenue. I think I spot a theme here.

Google Maps Carpets

David Hanauer is making carpets with designs inspired by Google Maps satellite views.

Not to be outdone Ben Seven came up with this great idea for a map design for a lampshade.

Some Street View Friday Fun

Street View Exercise Bike

Since the arrival of Street View a number of people have had the idea of connecting exercise bikes to computers to create virtual bike rides.

Instructables show you how you can hack your own exercise bike so that it controls Google Maps Street View

The Street View Camera Rig

If you've ever wanted to have a close look at the Street View car's camera rig luckily Street View can provide.

How Many Brides?

The gardens at the Royal Palace of Caserta are truly stunning. So stunning in fact that they seem to have been invaded by a horde of wedding parties.

Via: Street View Funny

Friday Fun

One Does not Simply Walk into Mordor

The Google Maps team have a history of hiding little Easter eggs in the directions service of Google Maps.

In the past these Easter eggs have taken the form of suggestions to either jet ski (step 42) or kayak (step 15) across seas and oceans.

This latest Easter egg however takes the form of some handy advice that 'One does not simply walk into Mordor'.



Google Maps is Watching You

Funny or Die have created a cautionary video warning of the dangers of the Google Street View car. It tells the tale of one man's unlucky experiences of being caught out by Street View every time he decides to do wrong.

Make Your Own Heat Map of the World's Airports

OurAirports.com has created a Fusion Table of airports worldwide. If you open the Fusion Table you can visualise the data on a Google Map to create this nice heat map of airports around the world.

Friday Fun with Google Maps

Album Covers in Street View

Can you guess which album cover these four lads are about to try and recreate?

If you need some help with the answer then check out Buzz Feed's collection of Google Maps Street View images of where famous album covers were shot.

You can also find the locations where hundreds of album covers were shot on the World Magazine Album Covers Map.

I Love Candy!

The Google Street View driver decides he needs a sugar rush and heads into the nearest candy store.

Warlight

If you love maps then you will probably love Warlight. This game will also appeal to all fans of the board game Risk.

Warlight is a world conquest game which includes an option for players to create their own maps to play on. Consequently there is a never ending supply of new world's to try and conquer.

Even More Google Maps Friday Fun

xkcd: Map Projections

xkcd explains what your favorite map projection says about you.

Address Is Approximate


Aaron Hobson's Cinemascapes

Photographer Alan Hobson has taken a series of Google Maps Street View images and enhanced them in the same way that he would his other photographs. The results are pretty stunning.

The Wrong Trousers on Street View

Some Street View Friday Fun

The Monet Shot

Last week's release of Street View imagery of parks around the world included this beautiful shot in Richmond Park, London.

Travel the World with Street View
Google's promo videos are getting better and better. I like this one promoting Google Maps Street View.



Street View Bookshop

I keep finding more and more in-store examples of Street View. This one comes from a book-shop in London. Ever mindful of privacy Google have blurred out the faces of the authors on the book covers.


Street View Funny this week found the car park in Mountain View where the Street View cars come home to rest. There are quite a few. There are also a number of colourful bikes just lying around.

Google Maps Friday Fun

Global Fires Observation
This visualisation from NASA shows a 10 year sequence of global fires as seen by NASA's MODIS instruments.


Comic Shop

Google is continuing to add Street Views taken of the inside of stores. The latest additions to Google Maps include this comic store in California.

Google Earth Board Surfing


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Friday Fun with Google Maps

The Nyack Sketch Log Versus Google Maps

Bill Batson has decided to take on the Street View car. However, rather than use a panoramic camera Bill is using just a sketchpad and pen to create a streetscape of his village.

I really hopes he makes enough sketches to be able to use the Custom Street View function in the Google Maps API. How cool would it be to view a custom Street View tour created in pen and ink.

Mandelbrot Viewer

The Mandelbrot Viewer , believe it or not, lets you view a Mandelbrot in Google Maps. Just zoom in to see the magic of maths in action.

Dudes from Views

Dudes from Views has set itself the rather dubious task of finding the hunkiest looking guys in Google Street View imagery around the world.

I guess that it does slightly offset the other websites that collect Street Views. It has to be admitted that they do seem to regularly feature pictures of scantily clad women.

Refraktionen im Wassertropfen

Markus Reugels has created a beautiful collection of photographs of globes viewed through water droplets. Check them out!

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Friday Fun with Google Maps

Google Maps Print Ad

This clever print ad by Russian agency BBDO shows how Google Maps Street View can be very useful when booking a hotel. The hotel advertises itself as being a great place for a family holiday. The Google Maps Street View of the hotel however reveals a different story.

The tagline for the ad reads 'Google maps - Know before you go".

Map of Mark Twain's America

This Google My Map explores the life of Mark Twain. The map provides an introduction to the life and travels of one of America's greatest writers.

Piece Together for Peace

This art work reorganises the countries and continents of the world to create images for each of the Japanese animal signs of the zodiac. In the artwork a map of the world animates through each of the twelve animal signs of the zodiac.

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Friday Fun with Google Maps

The Electric Street View Acid Test

Asheville, North Carolina never really recovered from the 1960's. If you visit Asheville in Street View you can see how the whole town is still stuck in a weird psychedelic time-warp.

Average Breast Cup Size Map

Earlier this year Target Map released the Worldwide Penis Size Map. They have now released the Average Breast Cup Size Map.

I'm not going to comment on this map, as I know anything I say will just get me into trouble.

How to Make a Map Quilt

Robin Camille made a map quilt of Providence, R.I. with a little help from Google Maps. If the idea of having a map quilt inspires you then you can read all about how she made the quilt on her website.

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Friday Fun with Google Maps

Then Turn Left at the Moon

If you ask for directions between Jarsy and Meylan in France you will eventually come across this Google Maps glitch. If you follow the blue suggested route in Street View Google tries to send you to Meylan via an intergalactic detour.

Running the Alphabet

Running the Alphabet is a website devoted to, well, running the alphabet. This project by the designer and runner Joan Pons Moll aims to create a complete typeface by using a GPS unit and two quick feet.

UFO in Finland

Street View Funny has found another glitch in Google Maps Street View. Or is a glitch? Maybe it is the final proof that we are being visited by aliens.

Google Map Rugs


Las Vegas designer David Hanauer creates beautiful rugs based on Google Maps satellite views.

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Some Friday Fun with Google Maps

The Art of Running - A Tribute to Steve Jobs



Apparently someone called Steve Jobs got a new job this week, news of which seemed to send the world reeling. The news certainly seemed to have a strange effect on Joseph Tame.



Using his iPhone and RunKeeper Joseph set out to create a giant geoglyph of the Apple logo by running around Tokyo.



Don't Pass Gas



City Slogans is a Google MyMap of witty slogans that towns in the U.S. have invented to try to entice you to visit.



Amongst the gems on offer is Hooker, OK with "It's a location, not a vocation" and Algona, IA with "Home of the World's Largest Cheeto".



So Long and Thanks for all the Fish



The Google Maps Street View trike has taken a visit to Seaworld Orlando. On his visit he took a number of photographs including this shot of the performing dolphins.



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