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Satellite Easter Eggs
TheChocolatay writes "Wired has a story on hidden finds in satellite images. They range from sporting events to natural disasters to bombs and firefights in Iraq. Some very interesting and cool pictures." From the article: "Part of it is that we collect so much imagery that a lot of times no eyes have seen a lot of this stuff,...And so (we) go to an area, pop it open, and wow, we didn't intend to capture this icebreaker pushing this submarine."
Hi this is where I'm staying, please send beer. Suite 315, thanks!
That'll teach me to do the bosses daughter outside.
Beep beep.
"It was the Babylonians in 2300 B.C. that first etched the lay of the land on clay tablets. Google will be taking this to a whole new level."
Indeed, the engravers were working so fast that they hardly noticed they had captured one of Sargon's armies on the move.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
In one I saw Italy and Greece kissing when they thought we weren't looking.
All I see are pictures of dirt and fields and water & junk. Not a dammned egg in the bunch! :)
"I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismometer." -Ken Kesey
I could only find that image that when viewed from a distance looks like the Virgin Mary with her arm around Pope John Paul II I'd be an eBay millionare (and prob. have a /. article as well).
and even a 747 landing in Tokyo, something difficult to capture given that the satellite is moving at 17,000 mph.
Yes, I am often amazed that I'm able to jump on Earth while moving at 29.77 km/s*.
*Speed of the Earth in Orbit
Where's Waldo?
The Blaster Master Fighting for Truth, Justice, and Evil Pie since 1979
that this is similar a bit to Google Sightseeing
It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile
Be yourself no matter what they say
Easter Eggs are intentionally hidden objects. How do these qualify as an Easter Egg? Google did not try to hide anything in the images. They just happen to be real life things happening at the time the images were taken.
...Soviet soldiers stationed at missle bases in the USSR used to carve "Fuck you USA" into the tundra and on tarmacs in huge letters with their snowplows.
Here are some google sightseeing sites- mine first, of course!
p s/
perljam.net/notes/interesting-google-satellite-ma
http://www.paulrademacher.com/housing/
www.shreddies.org/gmaps/
cryptome.org/usndc-eyeball.htm
del.icio.us/knodi/google_maps
www.returnofdesign.com/feature.php?article=12
gmaps.nicj.net/
-ted
And the really weird part is that the US military says it doesn't exist.
You have two hands and one brain, so always code twice as much as you think!
Anyone else notice the U.S. Capitol building is intentionally blurred out? For "security"?
I looked up my house on Terraserver, it is not color and not as closely zoomed in as Google Maps. The image was also from 1991, I'm not sure when Google's pictures are from, but I know they are newer by the buildings around. Also, Google Maps makes it easier to scroll around by click and drag than clicking up, left, up, over and over.
Reminds me of the California Coastline Project that got launched a few years ago. The idea behind it was to help people spot environmental crimes, building violations, etc. I wouldn't be surprised if Google's maps will soon be used for similar things - although it would help to have a more frequent update than 18 months, and to be able to browse in the past. While that information is available now (for a fee), it'll have quite a different impact once it's free.
Under capitalism man exploits man. Under communism it's the other way around.
In a dimly lit board room, a man sits at the end of the table with his back to the others. One of his lieutenants is giving a progress report.
"...and our satellites have just gone online."
"How did we hide this from the public?" the man asked still facing away.
"We told them that it was another beta feature being added to Google Maps" his underling replied.
"So everything's on schedule then?" asked another man at the table.
"Yes" the dark figure replied.
The chair slowly turned until it was facing them. His face is barely visible in the shadows.
He smiles as he pets the cat in his lap.
"Our plans for world domination are proceeding nicely."
Coder's Stone: The programming language quick ref for iPad
Not quite an easter egg, but still pretty cool. Here's the CIA. See you guys in guantanamo. http://maps.google.com/maps?q=mclean,va&ll=38.9519 08349990845,-77.14489102363586&spn=0.0068557262420 6543,0.005804300308227539&t=k&hl=en
Tristan Yates
This photo was taken on November 14, 2000. The 60 x 60 meter swastika consisted of Larch trees in a Pine forest near the village of Zernikow (110 km Northeast of Berlin). It was only visible from the air a few weeks in the Spring and a few weeks in the Fall when Larch trees stood out in contract to the surrounding Pine trees.
These trees were planted in the 1930's by a local resident during Nazi times. They were largely forgotten until after the German reunification in 1992 when planes once again flew over the area.
Local forestry officials cut down 25 of the Larch trees after this photo appeared in several German tabloids. Swastikas are mostly outlawed in Germany.. Coins and stamps are exempt from the ban.
"It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
The Keyhole LT Client is kind of fun to play with as well.
For those of us not willing to simply imagine the images mentioned in the Wired story, try the mirrored story over at Mirrordot.
For more sights to see...
Interesting Google Satellite Maps (virtual sightseeing)
highlights:
- Bill Gates' house
- White House- with "erased" rooftops
Google Sightseeing (blog; new sites often)highlights:
You want a high definition sat image of Area 51? Your wish is my command.
The adjacent buildings are colored so as not to reveal the location of the snipers. Yes, there are snipers on various buildings surrounding both the White House and the Capitol building. I've seen em with my own eyes during a rooftop party across the street from the Eisenhower building. They'll occasionally stand up to stretch and look around, sometimes they'll wave back to you.