Never take technology for granted.

[Guest]

I am currently 'reading' an audio book, "The Phantom Major" about David Stirling and the setting up of the SAS in North Africa in WWII. I am currently getting as much info and feel about this amazing period of the war as possible. While looking for maps of the campaign on line, I discovered a short piece about the Memorial Statue of David Stirling (or Sir David Stirling as he became in the last year of his life) which is situated in Scotland.

I managed to get a rough idea as to where it was from this piece and dropped into Google maps to have a look at the area. On the B824 running West from the end of the M9, I could see nothing that indicated the site while zoomed right in. So I decided to use the Google 'Street View' to run along the road to see if I could spot anything that way. After a short while, I found the memorial just off the road indicated by a brown tourist rout sign, further study of the satellite view made me realise I would never have spotted it from there, not sure if it was built after the satellite picture of the area was done, but it looks nothing like the street view.

I know that this is not really modelling related, well it is to me because of a project I have planned, but I sat there for quite a while amazed that I was able to locate this amazing monument by maps and the incredible Street View, I can see it on screen just as well as I could from a car window passing by. It is so easy to take technology like this for granted but it never ceases to amaze me.

Rough link should you want to take a look.

[Guest]

Glad you found what you wanted Graham google earth is fantastic I`ve used it many times myself , as you say technology is taken for granted now , just this sunday gone I was taking my little lad to football for an away game using a satnav and he asked how does it know where we are , I said its a satalite in space looking down on us but apart from that I don`t really know , again as you say it amazing stuff I`m only 43 and it baffles me also , god knows what technology gonna be like in 20 yrs

Richy

[Ian M]

Having spent five hours with no contact with the out side world; no internet or tv I must say at the moment I am not to impressed with the techno world we live in.

Twenty years ago I would of just sat down and read a book. Made me realise just how much of a media junky I had become.

Nå! Google earth. yes great fun, I have found all the family houses on it. The sat pictures are just way to old and its even more apperant with the new street view photos. Give it fifteen- twenty years and you will be able to se live satelit pictures. Now that would be fun.

Sat nav? Last time I used one it kept showing my position as being 100 meters in a field next to the motor way. Update your maps I hear you shout. The motor way I was driving along has existed longer than sat nav.

I have also been so luck as to be sent to the wronge place. TWICE. Told to turn onto the motor way the wrong way, and the best of all, while driving up a motorway and passing my exit, got the wonderfull message; "you have missed your turn, please make a U turn!!!! Fortunatly common sence prevailed and I did not follow the advice, but I can suddenly undestand where all the Ghost drivers ( wronge way on the Motorway drivers, do you call them that to?) are comming from.

[AlanG]

I use google earth for looking at sea fishing marks. You can sometimes get to see where the rocks and weed are so know what to avoid. Also i check up every so often to see if they've updated the pic of my cottage lol