Wikipedia Updates now Live on Google Maps

WikipediaVision is a cool Google Maps Mashup which shows you where on earth WIKIPEDIA articles are being updated from.

Check it out. This one is a A+. (Warning: This Google Maps Mashup might be addictive).

The World's Creepiest Places

Just in time for Halloween, here's a Google Maps View of World's Creepiest Places. The list includes:

Bhangarh, India. Quoting Concierge.com

Legend has it that after a convoluted series of events involving a princess and a jar of enchanted oil, a massacre occurred and the town was never repopulated.

Mütter Museum, Philadelphia. Quoting Concierge.com

From the sliced human head floating in a glass case, à la Damien Hirst, to the gruesome collection of preserved presidential tumors and a plaster cast of Siamese twins Chang and Eng (as well as their actual conjoined livers), Philadelphia's Mütter museum is a must-see, especially for those who found the movie Dead Ringers oddly compelling.

More at Concierge.Com

America's Most Expensive Cemeteries

Forbes has just published (10/26/2007) a list of America's Most Expensive Cemeteries. Hmm! Interesting why they chose late October to publish this list.

(Check out the Google Maps View of "America's Most Expensive Cemeteries")

Burial costs in these cemeteries run into thousands of dollars. Quoting FORBES:

Don't expect prices to come down. Though technically real estate, unrelenting demand helps cemeteries avoid the kind of market swings afflicting housing right now. About 2.4 million people in the U.S. die each year, with most buying property beforehand, according to Bob Ward, founder of Finalrestingplace.com, a Web site that provides a secondary market for cemetery plots. Also keeping prices high: Family purchases of burial plots and funeral services aren't done rationally, given the stress levels involved.

"People worry that they did the right thing, not 'Did we spend too much money?,' " says Ward, who thinks the lack of new cemetery building will keep prices rising for the foreseeable future.

Updated Google Earth Imagery for Detroit, MI

Google Earth Imagery for Detroit has been updated. I have not seen the update in Google Maps yet. Some of what I have seen...

Ford Field - (Home of Detroit Lions), now with FORD logo on the roof of the stadium.


Campus Martius Park (Lunch time crowd enjoying music in the park)


Detroit Princess Riverboat


Detroit TV Anchors on top of Detroit People Mover

Google Maps and Google Earth updated with high-res imagery

Google LatLong Blog reports that Google Maps and Google Earth have been updated with high resolution imagery. Google Earth Blog has a list of some of these updated locations.

Here are some of them:

Niagara Falls
View in (Google Earth, Google Maps)


Crater Lake, Oregon
View in Google Earth


Derby, United Kingdom - "Ghost Capital of Great Britain"
View in (Google Earth, Google Maps)

Best (Unknown) Retirement Tax-Havens

Forbes has a list out there for Best (Unknown) Retirement Tax-Havens. For a change my home state Michigan fares so much better in this list compared to any other "best lists" I have seen so far. Factors which were figured into this list were (Tax Exemption on Social Security income, Exemption of State Income Tax on Pension Income (includes IRA account withdrawals), No Estate Tax, Additional Personal Exemption).

(Note: The Forbes article came out before the recent tax increase in Michigan. Not sure how this would have affected Michigan's ranking).

Here's the Forbes Map of "Best Places to Die (TAX-WISE)"

Wildfires in Malibu, California

CNN is reporting that wildfires in Southern California has

shut down the Malibu section of the Pacific Coast Highway and damaged or destroyed at least 23 buildings, including a church, across 1,200 acres, officials reported.

Flames consumed Malibu's landmark Castle Kashan, a fortress-like hilltop home with turrets and arched windows.

Chunks of brick fell from the exterior of the burning building overlooking the coast. The house was not directly in the fire's path, but the powerful winds carried embers to the building. Castle Kashan is the home of Lilly Lawrence, a Malibu philanthropist.

Google Earth View of Castle Kashan: (Click here for Google Maps View)

American History, Geography, Trivia and...Americana

Here's a great Mashup I bumped into at GoogleMapsMania. It is...quoting the map creator

The most interesting pieces of American history, geography, trivia and .. Americana. To be visited if one has excess time, money and inclination

Google Mapping Expensive Zip Codes in United States

The most expensive Zip Code in United States according to Forbes is Alpine, NJ where 2006 Median Sale Price of Home was $3,400,000. Who is ranked 100? It is Danville, CA where the 2006 Median Sale Price was $1,005,500.

Here's a Google Maps View of Forbes 100 most expensive zip codes with a link (inside the pop up window above the marker) for latest news, traffic, weather and much more from each of these zip codes.

Locating Panoramic Views in Google Maps

viewAt.org is a site which lets you add your panoramic image and relate it to a place where it was taken. Some of the images are just good..very good... just unbelievably good. (via)

This quote from viewAt.org website:

we aim to take web surfers to almost real spaces. Unlike traditional photography, the panoramic image creates a wrap-around sensation which we have tried to exploit to the full, thanks mainly to Shockwave Flash player, which allows us to include multimedia elements on the webpage and to fantastic developments such as Flash Panoramas and Google Maps.

Colleges Nostalgic for Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton

Want to know which colleges are most nostalgic for Ronald Reagan or Bill Clinton? If you do then check out this Google Maps View of those College Locations. (Source: Princeton Review)

New 7 Wonders of the World in Google Earth with YouTube videos

Google LatLong Blog reports that now you can view YouTube videos in Google Earth. So I wanted to give it a try...

Some time back I had created a Google Maps Mashup of New 7 Wonders of the World (with YouTube video). I have translated that mashup (manually) into Google Earth KML file. Here it is...

Google Maps Street View expands to more cities

Google Maps Street View now has expanded to Portland, Tuscon, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Chicago.

Here is Sears Tower, Chicago, IL



Here is a Google Maps Street View look at Rocky Steps (nickname given to front steps of Philadelphia Museum of Art)



Here is a Google Maps Street View of "The Boneyard" in Tuscon, AZ

Google Maps and Censorship

Looks like this strange looking multi colored object from outer space is about to attack the Dutch Village of Noordwijk aan Zee which happens to be the location of European Space Research and Technology Centre headquarters.

No there is no attack, it is Google Maps censoring the ESA Headquarters. (via)

Top Rated Pediatric Hospitals in United States

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia tops the list of "Best Hospitals for Kids" in United States. This list was compiled by US News.

Here's a Google Maps view of "Best Children's Hospitals in United States".

Canadian Universities Mapped

Here's a great Google Maps Mashup of Canadian Universities. A nice feature in this mashup is that you can "Zoom Way In" and take a look around at the campus. Learn more about each of the Canadian University by clicking on the University Link and/or Wikipedia Link. (via googlemapsmania).

Click here for more Educational Mashups

Michigan State University campus in Dubai

Now students in Dubai can earn Michigan State Diploma without stepping foot in United States. Classes will start sometime in Fall 2008 in the new MSU Campus in Dubai International Academic City.

Michigan State becomes the 1st North American University to have a presence in Dubai International Academic City.
Tuition has not been set yet. Wonder if it's going to be cheaper to go to Dubai and get a diploma then to pay exorbitant tuition fees here.

Quote from this Michigan State link

MSU will have full academic authority and quality control over courses and programs, and MSU’s regular course, program, degree, admissions and accreditation requirements will be maintained. Diplomas will be standard MSU diplomas.

International Cleanup Weekend (October 13th & 14th) - Locations on Google Maps

Google is promoting International Cleanup Weekend (October 13th and 14th) by plotting cleanup locations (supplied by Googlers/Friends/Families/Anyone) on Google Maps (via). This from Google Maps International Cleanup page:

Together, we hope to have a global impact, and make a real difference in how lots of people view themselves and their communities.

Google Maps Sights - Alluvial Fan in China

Quote from Wikipedia (Today's Featured Picture):

A vast alluvial fan (Google Maps View) blossoms across the desolate landscape between the Kunlun and Altun mountain ranges that form the southern border of the Taklamakan Desert in China's Xinjiang Province. The left side of this satellite image is the active part of the fan, and appears blue from water currently flowing in the many small streams.

Myanmar Protests - World Reaction and Protest Locations

Here are couple of Google Maps Mashups related to anti-government protests in Burma.

1. World Reaction to Burmese Anti-Government Protests


2. Burma Anti-Government Protest Locations (via Programmableweb)