Creepy Google streetview comes to my neighborhood
 

So I wanted to check my houses altitude above sea level and flood plain. I went to Goggle and typed in an address on my street, and saw the 'street view' link was active. I clicked on it and found my house, with our cars in the driveway.

I don't live in or near a large city, so I was surprised and a little creeped out. I never cared about the satellite view, but the house view did seem a little bit like stalking.

I couldn't figure a timeline on the photo, since I didn't see my son's car in the picture.

Could you see license plate numbers or anything like that?

A while ago, I checked out my brother's ex-wife's address. I wanted to see a sample of what Street View was, and it was the only residential address I had been to in the past that was in Street View's database. (It was my brother's old house.)

Anyway, I was able to read the name of the roofing company that was re-shingling her roof. They put a sign in her lawn. I could also see how they stacked the new shingles up near the ridge of the roof to have them close at hand.

That is VERY creepy.

I just checked several of my addresses. I seem to have escaped their notice, so far. Just what ARE you doing in that house?

Well, fortunately our cars were parked far enough away that it isn't possible. Our neighbors, who live on the side of the street the camera came up on might not have been so lucky. One car had a plate I could almost read, and might be able to with image enhancement.

The police already use license plate recognition software. I wonder if some private agency could plug into Google's data and do a nationwide search.:eyebrow:

Things don't usually hit the private sector until they are used for quite some time by the military or gov't agencies. Chances are these technologies have been used long before it was bought by google and the real technology is probably more widespread and advanced than the google version. Google is probably doing the reverse, buying into a technology that is already there and a hell of a lot more advanced than what a private company like google can access. Right to privacy is dead in this country.


I checked...An ex lives directly in the line of fire of this thing. Of course I'm creepy enough to figure it out and tell him about it immediately. The view in denver almost starts right at his frickin' front door. It's funny that they chose Colfax Denver as one of the first viewing areas. That street is notorious for ummm...activity. He lives right off it.

I am pretty sure most of this street view has the best resolutions in city and largely populated areas not so much for the more rural areas, correct?

I just looked at my house and the picture is at least 5 years old from the satellite view.

Microsoft's Bird's Eye view (not the aerial view) of its maps is also pretty amazing, and it has coverage of some rural areas.

Check out this house in the rural tobacco fields of North Carolina. I know this person.

Isn't that his buddy's wife's truck?

Using Microsoft the maps of my house is about 3 years old.

You can see my apartment on the Microsoft map, but thankfully Google streetview hasn't found me yet.

When I looked at my previous address on the MSmap, I was able to locate my car in the parking lot, which means that the shot was taken sometime before 3pm.

im not streetviewed yet...

and microsoft's picture is much more current than google's. google's is from before we moved here in 03.

Can someone give me step by step instruction on how to share my map?
It so clearly shows the cool building I work in, and how far I have to walk to work.

Well, if you tell us which map you are using, and give us your work and home address, we can just do the search ourselves.

Or if you want to keep that data private, you can do like I did above, and hit the "print screen" key to make a copy of what you see on your screen. Then go to an image editing program. I use Irfanview, but I think MS Paint would work as well. Click "Paste" once you are in that program, and then you will have a picture of your desktop you can crop and save, and then upload as an attachment.

Print screen never works for me :mecry:
I bang away on it and nothing happens - perhaps because I'm at work.

If I PM you the postcodes (don't want to annoy HM) then can you do it for me? I can then describe which buildings I'm referring to.

Is this right, Sundae? It includes both your house and your work?

Yay! Thanks Glatt.
Now you can all see how early I have to tumble out of bed to make it in on time.

dirty bitch

That's just awesome. I wish my commute was that short.

Sundae's only a couple blocks from the river, which is off to the left. But it appears to be fairly industrialized there and you probably can't get anywhere near the water. Cool though, to be able to say you live on the banks of the Thames and commute less than a block to work.

And I thought my commute was good ... five minutes, if I catch the traffic lights right.

I always thought zabasearch was kind of creepy. You can find pretty much anyone on there.

Um...wow. This MS pic blows away anything Google offers by an enormous margin. There's even two views of my place, one from the South, looking at the back, and one from the North. The arrow is a little out of place...my house is the two story brown one with the standalone Barn and a camper in the driveway. I'm estimating these pics were taken about 14 months ago since the construction of the old folks' place is underway, but my anemometer isn't yet up on the roof.

I'm amazed that I can even say that...

I've annotated a version of the back to help give you some idea of how much I love my yard. Still lots of room to plant, too...and party.

SOOOO much better

funny....i was making my map while spode was posting his....i swear it. didnt see it until i refreshed. great minds.

Yeah, but I've got fruit trees and you have poop molecule vents.

Oh THIS is creepy. Here's our house from one angle:

http://cellar.org/2008/ourhouse1.JPG

(It's our cars in the driveway, but the fig trees have yet to be trimmed, putting this picture at somewhere between 7 to 10 months old.) Now, here it is from another angle:

http://cellar.org/2008/ourhouse2.JPG

Look closely. You can see us getting into or out of the minivan.

Is it because I live in nowheresville that I don't get a very close aerial shot of my place? I can find it, but if you get too close there's no picture.

I can get mine, but I don't know how to post it. Hm.

Get it on your screen, the hit the "Print Screen/SysRq" or some variation thereof. Open a picture program (even Paint will do), select "paste" and the pic will be inserted into your program. Crop, save, post.

you have no idea what level of cluelessness you're up against, pat.
...i dont know which one it is....

hey! cool, lj! It's the one circled in black but taken almost 6 years ago as that is NOT my car(s). Before I moved in in 2001 my dad had rented this house out for nearly 25 years. It was a MESS when I moved in.

That's my little barn out back.

Wow - check you all out with your big houses and land!
I'm beginning to see why US and Aus visitors think we all live bumping elbows :)

Here's ours.

My humble abode:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y10...ther/house.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y10...her/house2.jpg

Found mine! Hey, someone had to do it.

Shawnee, it looks like you have some drainage problems around your foundation.

You have no idea, glatt. :blush:

Is that Leeds Castle...?

No, it's Mee's Castle.

I don't know, got it from google image. :)

It's Caerlaverock, of course.

What a clever Glatt!
I looked back at Leeds Castle and it is in fact set on a lake, not surrounded by a moat at all. I really need to work on my cultural history!

Shawnee, why is the garage so far from the house?

Zoning.

LOL

Never heard of a stretch Limo?

In the heart of the city. :angel:

I'm still rural enough to be in the dark ages...photo is at the youngest 2 1/2 years old, and at the oldest, 5 or 6 years old.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7...3/UfC/maps.jpg

I have now pinpointed the location of the land of the dodads, and it is 1 (one) mile from where my first wife grew up and 3 (three) miles from where my next wife spent early childhood.

I do not know what this means.

You could have Google Earthed the address on the checks. :rolleyes:

Google had a picture of a crack deal going down in Chicago, but the image has been removed

here is a famous Jersey resident who happens to own alot of banks.....
any guesses??
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y76...h/commerce.jpg






i live too far in the sticks to get a fancy sat-a-light foto...

This guy?

Tony Soprano?

The removed images can be seen here.

Commerce Banking

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernon_Hill

Bruce, you are far enough from civilisation that no-one will be able to hear you call for mercy at 04.00 when I come after your doo-dads :yum:

Re Microsoft bird's eye - I've just checked my parents' postcode and wondered what time of day it was taken. Scrolled across to Grandad's bungalow and there is their car in his off-road, gated garden/ parking slot. So it's fairly current - they park the car there every night in order to reduce the car insurance.

I was actually looking for my favourite pub/ restaurant when I lived in Bucks, one which my bro & SIL still frequent. It has amazing views over two counties. But there's only a distant overhead view still - probably because it's out in the country - part of it's appeal of course.

Not as far out as you of course Bruce. Ah - full circle!

My neighbors are afraid to respond to strange noises... or backyard hole digging in the middle of the night.
If someone tried to rob me, the sight of me naked, would send them screaming. ;)

Fighting back...More from the smoking gun

Good for them.