Google Earth Getting Street View?
Webware reports that they’re hearing Google will add Street View, its popular novelty feature in Google Maps that lets you see street-level photographs of businesses, making it available in the Google Earth desktop software. Their source is very non-specific, but the rumor does sound very believable, since there’s no good reason for Google Earth users to lag behind Maps users for this long. Webware says the addition could come in the next few weeks.

Barack Obama Rendered in Google SketchUp
Someone used SketchUp, Google’s 3D modeling software, to create this model of Barack Obama’s head. The whole thing is 400 polygons of rendered facial features, and I gotta say, it creeps me out. At least Obama’s a decent looking guy; I can’t imagine how creepy a 3D rendering of Ted Kennedy or Hillary Clinton (with giant eyes!) would look.

Download it here.

Sync Google Talk With Twitter
Timothy Broder wrote a script that takes your latest Twitter message and makes it your Google Talk/Gmail Chat status message. It’s a simple thing, perfectly useful and good, just like a baby angel.

Crack Deal in Google Maps?
Is this really what this Digger thinks it is? Well, there are plenty of legitimate reasons to conduct a business transaction through your car window with a guy standing in the street. I think.

On some level, it seems like Google is always expressing an "I want you to want me"-type feeling. The volume got turned up a little, however, with the release of Google Maps API Premier. read more

On some level, it seems like Google is always expressing an "I want you to want me"-type feeling. The volume got turned up a little, however, with the release of Google Maps API Premier. read more

OK, not literally, but Google’s Street View mapping crew could face the might of the U.S. military–should they ever try to take photos of its bases again. According to the LA Times, Google’s vehicles were allowed on to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, provided they didn’t take any video or photographs. read more

The Pentagon asked Google yesterday to remove some photos it had taken of a military base for its Street View service, which appears on Google Maps. read more

The Pentagon has banned Google from driving their mapping vehicles on military bases after detailed street views of Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, appeared on Google Maps. The views have since been taken down by a cooperative Google. An official at Fort Sam Houston allowed the vehicle on the premises after promises from the driver that no videotaping or photographing would be allowed. Google insists the images were loaded in error and should never have been taken in the first place. The driver of the vehicle apparently violated Google's own mapping policy which prohibits its vehicles from driving on military bases and private property.