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.

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)

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.

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)

Think College is expensive? How about $30,440 for Preschool

Forbes has come out with a list of "Most Expensive Preschools". The Tuition ranges from $30,440 to a mere $13,169. Quoting FORBES:

If you're like many new parents, nothing's too good for your little genius, including $30,440 for preschool so your 4-year-old can occupy a few hours each day playing with blocks and finger painting in an organized setting.

Here's a Google Maps View of "Most Expensive Preschools".

Alcohol Related Traffic Fatalities in United States

Hawaii led the nation with highest number (52%) of Traffic Fatalities where Alcohol was involved. Utah was at the other end of the scale with 24% of Traffic Fatalities which were related to Alcohol.

Here's Google Maps view of how the other states ranked. (Source NHTSA).

Star Studded Zip Codes

Forbes has published a list of Star Studded Zip Codes in America. Here's a Google Maps View of those Zip Codes with a link in the pop up window (above the red marker) to my local news mashup where you can find out more about that zip code (news, restaurants, traffic, weather, golf courses).

Visual representation of distributed IT network via Google Maps

Zenoss an open source management software provider provides a complete suite of software and services for monitoring corporate IT infrastructure. They have now added a new feature where one would be able to utilize Google Maps in order to have a geographical look at what’s going on with the network. Updates are reflected on Google Maps in real time. (via)

Impact of Climate Induced Sea Level Rise on Coastal Cities in United States

Architecture 2030 has undertaken a study which shows the probable impact on Coastal Cities in United States starting with a 1 Meter Sea Level rise (induced by climate change).

The flood maps generated by the study were

superimposed over Google Earth images to illustrate in detail how localities will be flooded on a calm, rain-free day at high tide at various increments of sea level rise

Here's a Google Maps View of the coastal cities mentioned in the Architecture 2030 Study. On clicking the marker the current image of the city along with a after (sea level rise) image of the city is shown.

Northwest Passage fully navigable

Thanks to Global Warming, Northwest Passage (The most direct shipping route from Europe to Asia) is fully navigable now. In just over a year the ice cover has dropped by about 386,000 square miles. Quoting BBC:

"We have seen the ice-covered area drop to just around 3m sq km (1.2m sq miles)," Leif Toudal Pedersen of the Danish National Space Centre said.

He said it was "about 1m sq km (386,000 sq miles) less than the previous minima of 2005 and 2006".

"There has been a reduction of the ice cover over the last 10 years of about 100, 000 sq km (38,600 sq miles) per year on average, so a drop of 1m sq km (386,000 sq miles) in just one year is extreme," Mr Pedersen said.

Google Maps adds 54 new countries

Google Maps has been updated to cover 54 new countries. This includes all the countries surrounding my birth country India which includes Pakistan, Nepal,Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Mynmar (Burma), Bhutan. (For a complete list of countries added visit Google LatLong Blog)

Sultanate of Oman (the country I worked in for couple of years before I came to United States) has also been added to Google Maps.
Note: Sultanate of Oman is a country in the South East coast of Arabian Peninsula which borders Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

The World's Most Polluted Cities

Time Magazine's list of 10 most polluted cities in the world, mapped out on Google Maps. Leading the list is Linfen, China followed by Tianying (China), Sukinda (India), Vapi (India), La Oroya (Peru), Dzerzhinsk (Russia), Norilsk (Russia), Chernobyl (Ukraine), Sumgayit (Azerbaijan), Kabwe (Zambia).

25 Hottest Universities in United States

Here's a Google Maps Mashup of Newsweek's 25 Hottest Universities.

These Universities are Hot..Hot in...

• Hottest Ivy (Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.)
• Hottest for Sports Fans (University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.)
• Hottest Men's College (Morehouse College, Atlanta, GA)
• Hottest for No SAT or ACT Needed (Bates College, Lewiston, Maine)
• Hottest for Science and Engineering (California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif.)
• Hottest Liberal-Arts School You Never Heard Of (Centenary College of Louisiana, Shreveport, La)
• Hottest for Rejecting You (Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass)
• Hottest for Election Year (Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, Calif)
• Hottest on The Rebound (Tulane University, New Orleans, LA)
• Hottest for Free Tuition (Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, New York, NY)
• Hottest Mega-University (University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Calif.)
• Hottest Catholic School (Fordham University, New York, N.Y.)
• Hottest Big-City School (Georgetown University, Washington D.C.)
• Hottest for Pre-Meds (Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD)
• Hottest in the War on Terror (New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, N.M.)
• Hottest Small State School (State University of New York at New Paltz, New Paltz, N.Y.)
• Hottest for Liberal Arts (Princeton University, Princeton, N.J.)
• Hottest for First-Generation Students (Queens College (City University of New York), Queens, NY)
• Hottest for Loving the Great Outdoors (St. Mary's College of Maryland, St. Mary's, Md.)
• Hottest Women's College (Smith College, Northampton, Mass.)
• Hottest Music School (Eastman School of Music, Rochester, N.Y.)
• Hottest for Saving America's Schools (University of Texas-Austin, Austin, TX)
• Hottest Big State School (University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI)
• Hottest for International Studies (University of Richmond, Richmond, VA)
• Hottest for Business (Babson College, Babson Park, Mass)

Steve Fossett Still Missing

As of this writing there is still no trace of Adventurer/Aviator/Sailor Steve Fossett who took off on September 3rd, 2007 at 8.45 AM from a private airstrip known as Flying-M Ranch, near Smith Valley, 30 miles south of Yerington, Nevada, near Carson City and the California border. For the latest in rescue effort check out (CNN, BBC).

Here's a Google Earth View of Flying M Ranch (South View) from where Steve Fossett took off. Click here for Google Maps View.

Nuclear development, Testing and Dump sites in United States

Here's a Google Maps Mashup from folks at Peace Action West which shows Nuclear Development, Testing and Dump Sites in United States. Click on the markers on the map to learn more.

Big Mac's Nutritional Values

McDonald's Big Mac Sandwich celebrated its 40th Anniversary last month (August 23rd, 2007). Big Mac was invented in 1967 in Uniontown, Pennsylvania by Jim Delligatti, one of McDonald's franchisees. By 1968 it was being sold all over United States.

Today Big Mac is available in over 100 countries. But Nutritional Values do differ from country to country. Here's a Google Maps View of Big Mac's Nutritional Value in some of the countries.

Related: Obesity in America, World's Fattest Countries

Obesity in America

Mississippi leads the nation in obesity with 30.6% of the adult population which is obese (Percentage of adult population with a body mass index of 30 or higher (2004-06)). (Source TIME Magazine dated September 10th, 2007)

Take a look at this Google Maps Mashup to see where your state compares with other states in obesity.