Google Maps 3D Hack - get down to eye level

I had an enoyance while browsing the new 3D landscape feature on Google Maps regarding how close I can zoom in. Histon now has the 3D view thanks to it's proximity to Cambridge and it's rather lovely to be able to see my neighbourhood in stunning graphics (yes, I realise this will be outdated in a few years time and you dear future reader will chuckle at how impressive we though this was). The manual controls (ctrl+click) allows you to drag the view round freely and zoom in and out with the mouse wheel. But it seems that you can zoom in and tilt only so far, and less than I think you used to be able to. I did some brief googling to see if there was a way around this (or indeed anyone talking about my observations) but nothing came up. One lifehacker site mentioned that you used to be able to manually edit the URL of an old version of the website. This inspired me to check out and have a play with the new URL. Low and behold - success, if somewhat fiddly.
Take the URL: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.2509106,0.1046145,94a,20y,25.28h,60.55t/data=!3m1!1e3.

Look at all those interesting numbers in the URL: @52.2521678,0.1056801,5a,20y,135h,83.59t/data=!3m1!1e3, here's what I think they mean:

@52.2509106,0.1046145

this is the latitude and longitude in a North East postive system (-ve values are South or West).

94a

this a is for altitude, I assume it's in meters. Setting 3 gives a good eye level view, below that and the screen starts to clip the terrain. Large numbers take you off into space.

20y

this I can not yet work out. It's something like the zoom level, but the API converts it into a change in elevation.

25.28h

h is for heading taking a value from >0 to 360 (north, default).

60.55t

this is the view angle with 180 being straight up (mostly sky), 90 is horizontal and below is tilting down. Above 180 gets reset.

Red Lion pub in Histon from Google Maps

The Boot pub and Coop in Histon from Google Maps
2015-06-25

Cambridge by bus: at the very best it is much slower than by bike.

This afternoon we have had an impromptu trip to the Rosie hospital in Addenbrooks, which from where we live is highly inconvenient to reach. The bus took 45 minutes and that was with also zero traffic. By bike it is in the region of 30 to 35 minutes (even when 37 weeks pregnant). We are here for a repeat blood test and hoping that they will not recommend inducing the delivery. Fingers crossed.
2015-04-04

Solar Eclipse Not

In line with tradition, Britain put on a fabulous show of cloud for the eclipse today. I tweeted that if it had not been for Patrick Moore I would probably have lost interest in astronomy due to the repeated times that cloud got in the way of astronomical events. Meteor showers, eclipses, conjunctions. You name it, thick cloud always made viewing highly impossible.
Today with the eclipse was no different. Cambridge was under cloud all morning. It did at least go gloomy and Dr K and I wandered outside to "watch" the maximum occlusion of 85%. The birds went all funny and started signing and there was a nice odd atmosphere. But no fabulous view to behold. Then about an hour later, just after the eclipse ended what did I spot but a shadow.
Slow hand clap to the clouds there for their almost remarkable timing. A glorious sunny and warm day then unfolded.
The event did remind me fondly of the 1999 eclipse. For that I went to Munich in Germany to view totality. We were having a family holiday in Austria and mum drove me north for the day especially. It was quite exciting as we darted round the roads trying to track breaks in the cloud in which to observe. We met fellow observers lining the route. A totality neared the cloud thickened and we were driving madly around trying desperately to find some visibility. In the end we just had to screech to a halt and enjoy the cloudy moment as totality came and went. It was impressive none the less, but no diamond ring or Bailey's Beads for me. One day perhaps.
well done clouds, very drole
2015-03-20

Tall grasses on an otherwise not tall landscape

Just a photo from our walk at the weekend taking advantage of the sunny weather. It's flat round here. Really flat. I'll try not to moan too much and just leave you with this picture of some tall grasses that were glowing in the low sunshine reminding me of the 'Tall Grass Mountain' in South Korea

tall grasses in the sun
2015-02-10

Building snow clouds overhead in #Histon, #Cambridgeshire

The radio is abuzz with reports of snow in the North. I checked the radar and apparently there was rain everywhere, but I looked outside and could optimistically describe the ground a mildly damp at best. But looking up I spotted this rather lovely cloud underbelly like globules of Malachite. A few flakes of snow were drifting down but not enough to worry about here in the flat lands.

snow cloud overhead in Histon
2015-01-29

Autumn light on the some of the few trees in Histon, Cambridgeshire

I took the opportunity of being at home in the afternoon while it was actually sunny to nip out and enjoy the delicious sunlight sifting through the nearby beech trees. There's not many trees round these parts - we are the least wooded county in England, so you take what you can get. These beautiful trees used to have a companion, but the Council seem intent on deleting as many of the few remaining trees as possible (it's almost as if they fear the trees somehow, Ents perhaps?).

low sun in autumn

lighting up the beech trunks

shining through the leaves

silhouetting the leaf fallen

the village of Histon
2014-11-17

Fireworks at the Red Lion

Last year was our first year in our new house and we were only really getting used to the area around bonfire night. We watched a rather impressive display from our lounge window, not sure where it was comming from. This year when a stragenly familier display started up we decided to get out and find out where it was all coming from.  Next year we'll be prepared and get ourselves down for a pint before hand.

 

 

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Cambridge Sunsets

A couple of sunset shots from last year.