earth

Get quick Google Earth access with Quick Earth

Anyone who's ever played around with Google Earth knows exactly how addictive it can be, jumping via satellite from your house to the Grand Canyon to your old elementary school to the pyramids of Giza. Quick Earth is an extension for Google Chrome that puts Google Earth at your fingertips, launching the popular satellite map service within your browser. It's a must-have for geography nerds, travel buffs, and anyone else who enjoys flying around the world from the comfort of home.

Like most Chrome extensions, Quick Earth installs without issues, but it does require the Google Earth plug-in … Read more

Artistically censored Google Earth pix -- the Dutch way

Leave it to the Dutch and their famous flair for design to come up with a way to put a little panache into the censoring of Google Earth.

As Granta reports, Dutch artist Mishka Henner has discovered the remarkable way in which the government of the Netherlands has censored Google Earth's satellite views to block out certain military, political, and other sensitive sites.… Read more

One Day on Earth is a stunning global snapshot (Q&A)

Today is Earth Day, and to celebrate it filmmakers Kyle Ruddick and Brandon Litman have released "One Day on Earth," a remarkable snapshot of our planet that was shot in every country of the world on October 10, 2010.

More than 19,000 filmmakers, professional and novice, contributed more than 3,000 hours of footage to the project, which has the support of the United Nations and 60 nonprofit organizations. The archive is being hosted by Vimeo, with Ning hosting the related social network.

The project is said to have been the inspiration for Ridley Scott's "… Read more

The skinny on gadgets' growing energy appetite

Here's something you can thank Steve Jobs for: a fatter electricity bill.

A dive into the data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) spells out what many of us intuitively know: the explosion in the number of computer gadgets and TVs has dramatically shifted the balance of household electricity over the years.

Even the rapid technology change of the Internet revolution can't compare to the always plugged-in lifestyle that's crept up on us through iPods, e-books, smartphones, DVRs, and the like. Electronics represented about 7.2 percent of household electricity use in 2001 and are … Read more

View from space shows Earth in a state of flux

The Earth's appearance has transformed over the course of millions of years. Obviously, for much of that time scientists weren't around to track the Earth's shifting face. But with the advent of the space age in the second half of the 20th century, it became possible to view the planet from afar and get a sweeping perspective. Indeed, an updated NASA gallery published in conjunction with Earth Day 2012 features more than 160 comparison views demonstrating in sharp relief the very real changes that have taken place during the Earth's recent history.

Find out how much electricity you use with iPad app Verde

Concerned about the Earth or just your electric bill? Verde is an iPad app that has you tally up the electrical appliances in your home, from your refrigerator and HDTV to iPods and lightbulbs. The app costs $4.99 but is being offered for free until Earth Day, April 22.

Launch the app, select your climate zone, and then Verde will either estimate your electricity rate or let you enter your own per kilowatt hour (kWh) figure, which you can find on your electric bill. After settling on a kWh number, you'll then want to walk through your home … Read more

Sprint touts ecocentric LG Optimus Elite

Apple likes to boast about its Earth-friendly products that it strives to build with minimum impact to the planet. Sprint's new LG Optimus Elite, however, could give the iPhone a run for its money -- at least in the green department.

LG claims the Optimus Elite uses a casing that's crafted from 50 percent recycled plastic and is ULE Platinum-certified, the most stringent label awarded by the UL environmental body. The company also says the handset doesn't contain harmful materials such as PVC plastics, phthalates, halogens, or mercury. … Read more

Striking views of Earth captured in time-lapse video

The scientists aboard the International Space Station "have the best view in the solar system," videographer Alex Rivest says. Maybe that is why he created this time-lapse video of exactly what the scientists see so people around the world can also gaze at the same view.

Hovering close to Earth and completing 15 orbits per day, the ISS provides dozens of photos and videos of the views it records -- the same stunning scenes captured in Rivest's video. The habitable satellite tracks rolling scenes of the multi-colored planet with images of long winding rivers, high mountain ranges, … Read more

Man uses Google Earth to find long-lost mother

Sometimes Google Earth can help you find your way home after decades of not knowing where home is.

That is what apparently happened for an Indian man who was separated from his family as a 5-year-old. Saroo Brierley tells BBC magazine that he was accompanying his older brother on a train trip in 1986 when he fell asleep and awoke 14 hours later in the notorious slum of Calcutta. Without his brother.

At first, he lived on the streets, joining legions of children begging for their livelihood. Brierley would eventually be taken in by an orphanage and adopted by a … Read more