When Looks Were Fond and Words Were Spelled With Satellite Photos

Here’s a fun mashup of Google Maps: GeoGreeting. You type in a message, and the program matches each letter with an appropriate image of a building or other man-made structure somewhere in the Maps data. Propose marriage! Send endearing Christmas greeting to loved ones! Declare your 2008 presidential favorite! The possibilities are endless. (Well, not technically. There’s a 40-character limit, and you only get 53 characters at present, so the possibilities actually number 53⁴⁰. But you go ahead and tell me that’s not good enough for you, you prima donna.)