I can see for miles and miles
My current novel project has a large portion set in 1865 India. At the moment the characters are in Madras (Chennai), and a tumultuous event happens near the original train station built in 1856. Now I've seen photos of the station, in both a dilapidated and restored state, so I know what it looks like, but the perspective in the photos didn't tell me if the train ran through the middle of the station, or alongside it. So I jumped on Google Earth, and in a few seconds I'd zoomed in on the station and could see the path of the tracks, how far the station is from the beach, and other nifty details.
I've used Google Earth many times before, to look at my house, to look at a friend's house, to look at houses for sale, so I should have been inured to the gee whiz aspect. But somehow, looking at a specific building on the other side of the Earth with just a few clicks left me completely astounded.
I've used Google Earth many times before, to look at my house, to look at a friend's house, to look at houses for sale, so I should have been inured to the gee whiz aspect. But somehow, looking at a specific building on the other side of the Earth with just a few clicks left me completely astounded.