Playing God

What is it about maps, and even better, aerial photographs? Why do I have such a passion for them? I think it's because it makes me feel I control the whole world. One summer when we went to stay with the Burnetts, Ali showed us Google Earth. Oh what heaven! In those days I imagined it really was live satellites spying on what was happening down below. I'm a very nosy person. I wanted it, badly. But at that time we only had dial up. It was one of the deciding factors that made me think we really must get broadband. This time last year we took the plunge. Great! Download Google Earth... check out Oxford, and our house... Oh no, nothing but a horrible blur! So when somebody mentioned it on the Romantic Novelists Association newsgroup, I replied with ‘Huh to Google Earth’. But Stephen Bowden (of the RNA University Challenge Team) has now pointed me to an alternative, called Live Search: www.local.live.com. It’s absolutely wonderful! You can see our house, our car, our old shed! (I have a posh new Writing Shed now). I can play God again.