Studenda Mira

It doesn't seem to be working yet , but it would not be an exaggeration to say that this is something I've been anticipating for years . I'm already wearing out the "Check for Updates" button in Google Earth. Very exciting!

Open up GE and take a trip to Segedunum . I like writing these little placemark blurbs--they force me to be concise, which is one of my weak points. Walking some or all of Hadrian's Wall is on my life's to-do list. What made me think about it this week was a cool travel article in the Atlantic Monthly about doing just that. The tourism industry surrounding the wall's remains is pretty robust, but from what I've read it also seems to be low-key and tasteful. Even the big museum and guest center at Segedunum (visible to the right of the ruins in the link above) seems like a cool place to spend a rainy English afternoon.

One of things I like to do with Google Earth is look at places like London or Rome and try to make out the path of the old city walls. Often, with the help of a period map, you can see where a modern street shadows the old perimeter. Sometimes, though, you can see the "ghost" of an old building by the outline of the street or by the shape of the modern buildings on that spot. One of the better places to see what I'm talking about is the former site of Pompey's Theatre in Rome. Pompey's Theatre was, among other things, the site of Julius Caesar's assassination . Parts of the interior ruins have been excavated and are visible to the public, but most of the ruins are still underground. If you look a few blocks west of the excavated area, though, you'll see a narrow street (or maybe a pedestrian walkway) and modern buildings that follow the path of the theatre's great, round facade. After you launch GE, take a peek at this photo to get a sense of ...