"Murphy was an optimist!"
Knoxville is on the map! June 12, 2008 11:22 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Technology, Transportation, TravelGoogle has updated Streetviews to include Knoxville and 36 other new places. Pictures were taken around October. Expect to see Chattanooga added soon. Read more at KnoxBlab.
I’m a little disappointed at the zoomed in views. They seem intentionally blurred. I guess Google is trying to avoid those incidental upskirts (okay, that’s a thong showing not an upskirt), revealing marijuana plants, and preemptively avoiding privacy complaints of people claiming the car looked in their windows.
Things that will no longer be seen in Street View are:
Hi-resolution imagery
People’s faces
Previous Street Views of hi-resolution Street View.Those things were giving Google lots of trouble, so all imagery is now lower resolution.
That’s a shame. I hope the complainers are happy now. I really liked the high resolution zooms and Google had a process for fixing any "embarrassing" captures. I feel like the end-product is a little devalued now.
Update: John McNair says the servers are pretty loaded right now.
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Streetview Sighting! March 9, 2008 10:49 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Of Interest, Privacy, Touchy Subjects, Transportation, TravelGoogle Streetviews car spotted in Chattanooga!
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CONFIRMED! Google IS mapping Knoxville. November 1, 2007 11:02 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Communications, Gadgets, Of Interest, Technology, Transportation, Travel
I wasn’t sure if it was Google or a competitor driving around with the camera on the car. It is confirmed! That is a Google car!
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Knoxville Street Views Happening Now October 30, 2007 10:15 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Gadgets, Of Interest, Privacy, Technology, Touchy Subjects, Transportation, TravelNarration with additional commentary (note: since this was ad libbed I misspoke and called the antenna on top of the car "a satellite" when I intended to say "a satellite uplink" or "satellite antennae):
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Put your best lawns on! A California company is driving around Knoxville taking pictures of your neighborhood for Google Street Views or a competitor. I saw one of these cars zoom through my cove a few weeks ago and I wasn’t quick enough to strike an interesting pose. 
I was also unhappy with the state of my lawn and porch but oh well. So, will Google catch you peeing on the side of the road? Getting a ticket? Breaking into a house? Growing pot? Or just showing off your favorite thong? (see also). Concerned about privacy?
Better picture:
Update: Confirmed! That is a Google car!
Update: The WebUrbanist presents 10 urban snapshots from Google Street View including one implying that the google camera van ignores traffic blockades. Mashable asks Should Google offer to blur Street View imagery for people requesting privacy? And get my cat off your website! If you are enjoying these links then you will also enjoy http://www.streetviewfun.com/, some bizarre splicing issues, and Wired’s voting system to find the best Street View pictures.
Update: Jon Hickman asks, "Where do you actually see the pictures they take?" I am pretty sure these will show up in Google maps and Google Earth. Mashable suggests that they will be accessible from http://www.googlestreetview.com/ and two others but those domains aren’t live yet. Ah! Here is Google’s video explanation of Street Views and a direct link to where Street Views are available.
Of course Microsoft has Windows Live Street View.
Update Feb 6, 2009: Top 10 Moments Caught on Google Maps Street View (link to the flasher – she’s just a blur of pixels now)
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