earth.google.com/

You have to download a 10.6MB client side file, and once installed there is some initial information streaming as you visit areas but HOLY SMOKES, its pretty darn incredible!

I'd suggest dialup people avoid this but DSL or better connected people will probably find this map software pretty amazing.

3 weeks ago I bought Delorme TopoUSA v5.0 so I could see topo maps in 3d... this new google software blows it away... totally. If you have a connection fast enough to get and use it I highly recommend this.


-DallanC

What's the full address of this site Dallan? Looked for it but must have screwed it up! Thanks mate. Del

Holy Cow.....is that ever awesome. I too bought DeLorme and was very disappointed. This is more than incredible. The only draw back is that is my area up here in Maine the detail is limited except at the towns. I would love to see my wood lot, but it is pretty general. I also go to www.terraserver.com but it has not been updated in our area since 1994. This program is something, though. I hope they add data to it as they go along. Thanks for the tip Dallan. I'm going to enjoy playing with this.

Blaine

Komando.com recomends not trying to use it if your computer is over 4 years old. Your old system just won't have what it takes to process the information in the program.

i just got around to downloading and using the google earth thing, and my god, it is downright scarey to see just what is on there!! i could identify the wifes car sitting in the driveway!! shame is it was wrecked a year ago, but could still see it.. and the hunting grounds i own shows up so well i can see the one guys dog i always make mad walking along the edge of his property!!

popgun wrote:

Komando.com recomends not trying to use it if your computer is over 4 years old. Your old system just won't have what it takes to process the information in the program.

I built my computer about that long ago and it works just fine, I've ran it on computers much older then that, ran it on a 300Mhz computer before, sure its alittle slow but it worked well enough for me.

Dimitri

I have been looking for some land to buy. I use GoogleEarth to look at the dirt once I get a description from a broker. If you watch close, as you move the mouse across the surface and it reads elevations. They are about 4 ft off, but still close enough for you to tell what is what. So you can go to a photo and track low areas, ridges, etc. This is a real help in the swampy state.

You can also go to the measure drop down in Tools and track the distance something is to a given point, by road or by crow flight. I use the feature to figure new property road miles to places like a hospital, etc.
Ed

Wow Ed...I see you finally entered the 21st century.. ..Good on you...I assume you have downloaded to your computer by now...

Yep, the ladies in my office are amazed as well. They keep trying to get me to also use my cel phone, so they can call me on theirs, but it stays in the truck, turned off. I require them to be avaliable, but, I get plenty communication when I am in the office.

I have a large sign on my front door, NO CEL PHONES..... One of my customers just said the other day that I need to come up to the 21st century. But I figure that if Warren Buffet can do without a cel phone so can I.

My first computer was an IBM PC, no hard drive, and cost $11,000. The same year I bought the brand new wonder machine, the AT, with a monster 10 meg hard drive. Salesman said I would never need more memory, he lied. We have come a long way baby.... My current home box and setup is a real wonder. Over the past 25 years I think I purchased and furnished a room in Bill's house and was hosed at every step... The used car salesmen need to take lessons from computer and computer software sales folks....
Ed

Yup...No cel-phone here at all. My view is about the same. If it's that important you will find me either in person or on the house phone that has a message center...

I had a custom PC put together for me in 2001 by an outfit called AT+(plus). It's been running ever sense. My wife is Mormon (I'm not) and she stores all her geneology on this computer plus what I store on it for reloading. We still have 62% free space left on it. In 2001 the CPU cost me $1,400. Because it's custom made the internal components can be up graded. So far we haven't felt the need to do so. I guess I'm a piker compared to you as I have only $2,000 invested in my system...

Between Google Earth and Map Quest. Getting lost is a thing of the past IM(not so)HO...

One of the items that I really do enjoy and use a lot is my cheap FUJI digital camera. Illiminating the middle man (the drug store) and having instant gratification in getting my photos down loaded to the computer is one of the neatest things of the 21st century. This damned cheap FUJI camera is a tough little dude. It's fallen onto concrete floors and from the saddle on many occasions and still works. Most of the finish is worn off...

Shoot no, my old 1984 system was mucho denaro. Thank goodness they have come down a lot. I started out with IBM, figured out fast that I was an IBM patsy, Switched to another brand, don't recall the name, same story. Then I went to Dell, lasted for 3 change outs (every other year) then I went total custom for all but my laptops. But I buy a dozen or so computers at a time, so I have a service/ tec company build and warranty the boxes. Owner is Network Editor for PC Magazine (he married the Boss' daughter.... The Editor of PC also lives in Destin) and has written several books on networking. His #2 has also written books on networking, so they are good folks to have in your corner when the balloon goes up…. Like a small wind event from the Gulf.

My current box at this home desk is going on two years and is a whiz-bang. In addition to fooling around on this board, I fly, so I had them build me a flight sim computer built to fly on, and not stutter, at highest settings. Some of this stuff I will get wrong cause I am not the Tec guy. It has a high speed scsi ultra wide controller, two 80 G 15K spin Cheetah scsi HDs in a raid configuration, an Nvidia 900 series vid card, an Audigy 2 Z5 sound board and several gigs of Dual DDR 400 speed ram all setting on a Intel D865 Perl board with an Intel P4 processor. It is hooked up to a wireless network for the laptop and a hard wire network for the wife's computer in another part of the house. The networks run on Linksys boxes through 100 meg cards. I also have the stepped up high speed cable for office and home. I watch my P poor typing on a large Samsung FS. I run Uncle Bill's XP pro on all of my machines and Windows server on my servers at work, which are hot raid machines....They backup to 6 portable hard drives with an alternating days program and one full system per week. How about that for 21st century?

I also do Gen work. Interesting stuff that... I have three full pages of single spaced Confederate veterans in the family so far, no Union folks. Am a member of the SCV. I use Family Tree Maker. I published a 900-page book for the wife on her family.

That little Fuji camera is pretty stout stuff. My hunting buddy (now deceased) owned a land clearing and paving business. He carried a Fuji with him everywhere. Took pictures when discussing a job, made notes with photo program right on photos. When a problem came up like, you took out the wrong trees, out came the photos with notes. He swore by the little Fuji and he beat them up real bad, going through several per year… funny they do not like being run over by a front end loader or dropped into a ditch or pond.

I use the Sony cameras in my business because they were the ones with the good floppy drive cameras to start with. I have just stuck with them.
Ed

SwampFox,

Never played with a IBM PC but I did play with a IBM PCjr. once. It was pretty interesting, I got its processor sitting in my electronics rack on my workbench, a old 8088 I believe.

My worst "investment" in computers though isn't the computer system that cost me quite abit to built (used all just relased brand spanking new componates, it still runs like a dream with anything I do on it. And I built it summer 2003) The biggest was buying one of thouse USB pen drives when they just came out and spent 150$ for 128Mb of memory, now they can barly give them away at that size.

Bushmaster,

Any computer can be upgraded, they are all the same inside, motherboard, CPU, RAM, HDD, Vedio Card, etc. Only thing is if you wait 2-3 years by the time you want to upgrade you find out they released a new type of Graphics card slot, a new CPU chipset which uses a different incomptable pin configeration etc. and to upgrade it invovles changing out the motherboard as well.

Myself my cellphone is always "Silent All" all the time I check it maybe 2 times aday if I get a message but thats about it.

Dimitri

Yep D, pretty much.

I also understand that my tec guys are trying to keep beans on the table, doors open, etc. and I like a voice on the other end of a phone when I have a burp on a program. So after a few questions to keep the cards on the table and all the chips in play, I just order, pay the freight and go on with making enough money to pay them next time we change out. Then, I donate the old computers to churches and tax exempt service groups like the boy's and girl's clubs. I buy them as individual computers on a schedule and my CPA writes them off 100% the first year, then we take a donor credit when we donate them, plus we get goodwill and word of mouth advertising. It works out well for all involved.

However, were I a young, new, college graduate I would build the Cr-p out of my own computes and refresh them as well. Who needs a tax credit when you are trying to get started and have little or no jingle in the Levis?
Ed

Well...I was alright and with you until you went past the "Like a small wind event from the gulf" ...From then on I was wondering if I could follow you better from Google Earth...But that's O K...I can make this one sing...

Dimitri...Not quite the same as you discribe. This one can be upgraded. even to the new pins...And a mother board is nothing...

Swampfox,

You know whats better then building up and upgrading computers ?? Getting yourself a 2Ghz laptop from your uncle for free.

Bushmaster,

As I said all can be upgraded, even to the new pin/port configurations just they require changing out the motherboard as with todays multi-layered electronics you cant just simple solder in a bunch of parts onto the motherboard anymore like was possible with the first early personal computers that came in kit form etc. Its a shame really would have enjoyed soldering in new componates myself.

Dimitri