Why the map?
Of all the distractions on the internet, the biggest one is Google Maps to me. Many times a day, I just want to look up a town or find a distance. As soon as I found my location, the itch to click on the 'Satellite' button becomes overwhelming. I always click on that button with the disclaimer: I will just check out the terrain around the city. I think deep down, there are several desires, which cause the '3D-compulsion': Being able to fly over the landscape Marveling over the resolution of houses, trees and bridges. Imagining the 96 uni-shaders in my graphics card processing those millions of vertices The sheer awe that I feel as I am rendering Planet Earth to 10cm precision on my screen. The Explorer Instinct This compulsion has good and bad sides to it: Wasting time Reducing productivity Leaving me feeling useless Replacing wanderlust Discovering places Adding knowledge about geography Learning: stumbling upon cool features of our planet Satisf