Today there is more to learn about our planet, the solar system, and the universe, and ourselves. These programs can be mind boggling simply from a visual point of view. If you use them enough, what they reveal is stunning. Buckle up and explore new frontiers.
- Google Earth: April 2008 Update - The folks at Google just keep on their relentless march to improve their software and services. This month they've released Google Earth version 4.3.719.6508 (beta). Each version includes more and more features that will certainley captivate your free time and more. Here are just a few of the new features:
- Night view
- Flight simulator
- 3D buildings with more photo realistic appearance
- Street view - you may have seen this in Google Maps, but now it's on your desktop.
One thing some people are complaining about is the default methond of delivery Google is now using by offering their Google Updater. Google Updater will install Google Pack, a collection of several Google programs and others along with Google Earth. If you don't really want to install:
- Northon Security Scan
- Google Desktop
- Firefox with Google Toolbar
- Adobe Reader
- Skype
- StarOffice
- Google Toolbar for IE
- Spyware Doctor
- Picasa
- Google Photos Screensaver
- Google Talk and
- RealPlayer
then get on over to their "Common Errors" page where you can download only what you want without having to install the Google Updater.
Get the rest of the story and much more info on all the new features in this release of Google Earth from the source.
- Stellarium: Have you ever wondered what that star is in the southern sky at dawn? Ok, so your not awake at dawn. How about that star above the horizon at dusk? Stellarium is a free, open source planetarium for your computer. It shows a realistic sky in 3D, just like what you see with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope. It is being used in planetarium projectors. Just set your coordinates and go. Find a planet and zoom in to see the details. Identify all the constellations. This is a sweet little program.
- World Wind: Explore the entire planet in 3D by zooming in from space. NASA produces this program for educational purposes. The lastest version was released in October 2005 and is a pretty large download at about 55MB but what an amazing tool. With version 1.3.3.1 you can now explore the Moon. As you zoom in, it downloads higher resolution satellite and aerial photography.
- Celestia: Explore the solar system and beyond. Beam me up, Scottie!
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