I know that some people are starting to think that Google might be evil (a la Microsoft), but for the moment I think it is the coolest company ever. Not only are they working on making the world's great libraries available for free to everyone, but now they've given us Google Earth. If you haven't seen it yet , Google Earth is an extension of their mapping/satelite imaging that lets you view any spot on the earth in three dimensions and "fly" from one place to another. It is too cool for words.

Warning: Using Google Earth requires that you download a fairly large program to your computer, it requires massive bandwidth, and it requires a pretty new/powerful computer to run it. But if you have disk space, bandwidth, and a newer computer, it is awesome to play with.

Last night, I had trouble finding the Grand Canyon with it. So I found Las Vegas (easy) and then found Lake Mead just to the east. From there I found the Colorado River, and then I "flew" up the Colorado all the way from Lake Mead to the Grand Canyon, with the river just below my "altitude" and the canyon walls soaring above me. Awesome! (Just turn on "terrain")

It takes some playing around to figure out what it's capable of, but once you do, it's the coolest free software ever. But be warned: It's also a potentially dangerous time waster.