Locked Inside Your Heart Shaped ... Island

Google Earth is full of amazing new discoveries. Aside from seeing kids duel in a ridiculous fashion on a public lawn, there are amazing geographical additions to the world being found by the internets.

The newest -- and, dare I say, sweetest -- addition? A heart shaped island that has drawn the attention of romantics around the globe who are desperate for a stay on the uninhabited piece of terra firma.

The 130,000 square yard islet of Galesnjak came to prominence after its unusual shape was highlighted on Google Earth.

Even the owner of the uninhabited island - now known as Lovers' Island - didn't realise how perfectly heart-shaped the island off the Croatian coast was until he was swamped with requests from couples to stay there.

It's amazing to me that, somehow, this guy has flown over the island at least once or twice and not noticed it's freaking shape. More amazing though, is that he hasn't managed to capitalize on the island's shape and turn it into a honeymoon resort bonanza. It's a cash cow, folks.

Google Earth Sometimes Gets a Little Awkward

Google Earth is probably one of the more overhyped inventions from the software giant. Is it cool that I can zoom into my house and see my car? Yes, it's very cool. But does this superzoomglobe thing remotely help me in any pratical way? No. Not really.

However, the very impracticality of it creates scenarios that are hysterical. Hence, someone managed to create the "Top 10 Moments Caught on Google [Earth] Street View" (via Digg).

My personal favorite, and number one, is above: the two dudes having a Star Wars fight in the middle of a lawn. It's almost like George Michael filming over his grandparents 40th anniversary wedding tape, only with more real people and less embarrassing proof of who they are.

There are some disturbing ones on here as well (the tragic passing of a deer, public urination, a burning house) and some pretty funny ones too (girl flashing Google Earth car, drunk guy asleep on a lawn) but the point is this: you are always being watched. So trust no one.

Actually, the point is that if you see the Google Earth car, put down your Star Wars gear and try to act cool.

EarthAlbum.com: The Coolest Thing You Will See in 2009

Technology is a wonderful thing. Combinations of the googles and the interwebbings have allowed people to write, talk, chat and video from anywhere in the world. And, share pictures. I don't do a lot of picture sharing, but Flickr is a pretty awesome site in terms of finding new, bizarre things to see.

And now, someone has taken Flickr and combined it with Google Maps/Earth to make Earth Album, which is, as noted in the title, the coolest thing you'll see all year.

Basically, here's how it works: you scroll around the map and find a country you want to see. You click on that country. Whatever part of the country you click on (i.e. the states or what-have-you) will generate pictures from that particular region.

North Carolina, for instance, showed me a picture of a giant cake shaped like a triple stack hamburger. Not technically that relevant to the region, but pretty darn close. And pretty darn cool. So, yeah, enjoy the rest of your week (it'll be spent there if you stop once, I guarantee).

Google Earth and a Single Day of United States Air Travel

Yes, it is "Crazy Airplane Graphic YouTube Day" here on Travelin' Light. It's not that we're lazy, we just -- like the rest of the world -- are fans of moving pictures. So, for your further enjoyment, check out this Google Earth mapping of American air travel on a single day.

Hmmm. On second thought, maybe using satellites to try and get rid of airplane congestion is a good idea after all.