One of those rare moments where I admit Flash does have it’s appropriate uses:
FlashEarth [via Murray, via Digg].
In many ways I prefer the ‘lite’ interface FlashEarth has over Google Earth.
Last weekend Sofia and I were using Google Earth to show her relatives some of the places we’ve been lucky enough to visit recently. It reminded me of the time when my Grandparents bought me an Atlas when I was about 7. I remember the sense of wonder from being able to turn the pages and see where different towns and cities were, and how they all joined up at a country and continent level.
Google Earth is just a fantastic example of how technology can take an already amazing resource – an atlas – and take it to a completely different level. Being able to zoom right onto a hotel we stayed at whilst on vacation, then scroll across to the place we had coffee in the morning, is just mind boggling. And something that 5 years ago I wouldn’t have predicted would be available to the general public today.