And they call me an Engineer

I’ve always wanted to go to Italy.  It don’t know what it is exactly, but the place just seems cool.  Rome intrigues me with all the history and amazing sites.  I’ve always dreamed of a month-long European trip with at least a week in Rome.

But now I don’t have to go.  I’ve already been there.  Recently, Google updated their Street View feature with images of Rome.  And now with additional features just released today, Google allows me even more of a feeling of “being there.”  The only thing better than this for exploring Rome is to actually go there (which I must admit, I still dream of).

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Remember to view the original post if you can’t see the above embedded Google Maps Street View.

Have you ever wanted to see what Rome was like in ancient times?  Time travel would be nice, but until that happens, you can use Google Earth.  Google recently announced a new layer in Google Earth that allows you to “go back in time” to see what Rome was like in 320 AD — in 3D.

Check out the Colosseum or the Roman Forum or any number of ancient structures.  For you architects, this is a great opportunity to see what these old buildings really were like.  They even have full interior on some buildings.

View the following video for a fly-by as well as more details on the project.

In celebration of the Olympic Games that start today in Bejing, China, Google has created a widget that contains a medal tracker as well as event and venue information. All built on their mapping technology. 

And here it is:

[If you don't see the embedded map, view the web original post on the site]

Be sure to come back often to see how the medal tally plays out.

Have you ever been on vacation and wanted to know where the closest LDS Church is?  How about moving to a new area and wondering to which ward you belong, to which building you should go and what time are services?

The IT team for the church has just released a beta version of their new mapping application.  This will eventually replace the current “Meetinghouse Locator.”

Check it out.  It’s nicely done.  Even if you don’t know an address, you can “Place a Marker” (click the icon on the top left of the map and then click on your desired location) and it will figure it all out for you.  It provides surrounding meetinghouses and all the wards that meet at each location as well as contact information.  It will also identify to which ward that location is assigned (even gives you language and YSA wards).

Under the hood, it can either use Google Maps or Microsoft’s Live Maps.

Well done guys!