Page 4
Globe ExplorerThe Weather and News Channels were disappointing considering the obvious missed tie-in possibility with Google Earth. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that Google Earth is nothing more than the world's biggest globe. Once you get over the fact that you can see your house (if you're lucky enough to live in a hi-res city), there isn't much point to it given Google Maps is much more practical and functional.
But what if you could have a small application that allows you to quickly pan around the world and see the most prominent buildings and landmarks. The Statue of Liberty, the Great Pyramids, Mount Fuji, the Himalayas, the Mariana trench, the Great Wall, Ayer's Rock, the CN Tower. The user could spin the small globe, seeing all the sites appearing to jet up larger than life. Zooming into the planet would help to decongest some of the denser areas of interest. Clicking on a particular landmark of interest would pinpoint its exact location on Earth and provide a simple description of its historical and geological significance.
Little planet, big landmarks
Also included would be a simple game where you have to find a given landmark's location on the planet, or if you're given a location, choose which landmark belongs there.
There are obvious educational benefits to such a channel, but given a large database of places to visit, such a channel could be fun just to explore. Maybe you could even take a "picture" of a Mii in front of a particular spot of interest, then use in the Photo Channel and send it to your Wii friends.
