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The maps of the Web, from Google to Breathing Earth
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Since its debut, Google's "Street View" feature for online maps has set off heated debate over its street-level photographs.
In high-resolution photos, Google provides the ability to digitally stroll down the street, take a 360-degree look around an intersection and point out a landmark.
Just as you can spy on buildings, many also have realized you can spot nose-pickers in San Jose, sunbathers in San Francisco and a number of other people unknowingly photographed by Google's imaging staff or a company it hired for the project, Immersive Media. So far, the maps are limited to New York, Miami, Las Vegas, Denver and San Francisco.
People who don't want their lives put "on the map" see this as a breach of privacy. Blogs have highlighted the funniest and most embarrassing victims of the Street View maps, among them: http://streetviewgallery.corank.com/ and a blog at Wired.com, http://tinyurl.com/2adbo6.
For those inspired by Google's maps for more spying, there are several sites that compile webcams positioned all around the globe. The best is http://www.earthcam.com, which streams live video from picturesque locations.
A strong passion for geography is felt at http://catholicgauze.blogspot.com, a blog that links to maps of all kinds. The opposite feeling can be found at http://www.sprol.com, which charts the "worst places in the world."
One of the more fascinating maps online is http://www.breathingearth.net. Breathing Earth, created by artist David Bleja, simulates in real-time the rate of birth, death and carbon dioxide emission across the globe.
— Jake Coyle, AP
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