If you haven't seen this already, then take a moment to checkout Google's newest addition to their ever-so-ubiquitous Googlemaps tool - Street View.

I won't try to describe the experience for you, as I'm sure you can find out for yourself by going to tool and checking it out for yourself.

I will however address a few of the issues that surfaced as a result of the added functionality. As with any new web tool that allows users to see themselves in real-time, which apparently is more real than real-time, the issue of security and accidental exposure arises. A co-worker of mine, a few actually, who had yet to experience "Street View" immediately questioned whether or not the tool was streaming the images or if they had been taken from a bank of images. One would think that the "streaming" quality of the image is an important factor in interpreting the whether or not this new tech is acceptable; if it is streaming, then perhaps "they" could really catch one in the act of doing something, or even more so, reaffirm the 1984 tendencies that are brought along with new technologies that expose human behavior. However, the dynamically stitched imagery is pulled from an array of images that have been captured by a multi-lensed camera device that is driven around by a black-VW bug (note my cynicism). In turn, the static quality of the images transforms the experience of using "Street View" into viewing an ongoing document that is "safe". However, is it only a matter of time before we begin to see similar cases, such as those taken from Youtube, of situations that happen to be "found" by the unknowing viewer of crimes being committed, and if so, how is this possible given that the images have been taken from a database? Is the big "G" taking it to far? Again, the issue of responsibility comes to mind; but hey, who cares? I can see my reflection in the window of Macy's...Cool!

<3google