Google Street View: At Least Penguins Can’t Sue

As you’re well aware, most bodies of authority aren’t terribly thrilled with Google’s Street View these days, looking down upon the service as an invasion of privacy, etc, etc, you know how it goes. I, for one, forgive Google of its trespasses – quite frankly, Street View is an incredible tool, and – surprise! – Google tends to agree. “We often consider Street View to be the last zoom layer on the map, and a way to show you what a place looks like as if you were there in person,” explains Brian McClendon, VP of Engineering for Google Maps. “Whether you’re checking out a coffee shop across town or planning a vacation across the globe.” Now, those possible vacation spots have been expanded yet again, this time to include Ireland, Brazil, and Antarctica. Google Street View is now enabled in Antarctica. I’m not lying about this bizness. Go check it out. I’ll wait. Isn’t that the raddest? It’s rad-ish, right? It’s a radish. Anyway, Street View is now officially available on all seven continents, and, ironically, Antarctica is the only one where Google isn’t taking legal guff from a government/law enforcement/citizens. Says Ed Parsons, Google’s geospatial technologist: “It’s called Street View, but there aren’t many streets in Antarctica!” I bet he totally laughed as his own joke.