Move the cursor in any other direction of Streetview to look at the same building, and you get this:

Yep, a jeans factory outlet store.

You have to wonder what it was in that original photo that required Google to send the Streetview car back out there to take that single image, don’t you? Feel free to add your own conspiracy theory in comments.

[Streetview – Thanks Tim!]

Google has overhauled the navigation system entirely, so that you don’t have to use the slow, unintuitive arrows to make your way down the street. Instead, your cursor is mapped on a rough 3D model of the scene, with a convincing sense of depth. Just click where you want to go, and Street View takes you there, making the transition with an unexpectedly convincing pseudo-3D effect

It also works for off-road sights, like storefronts or distant scenery. These items are mapped as well, so if you lead your cursor to, say, the front door of your house, Street View will automatically take you to the best possible viewpoint. The above video explains it all pretty well, but the upgrades are live, so you may as well just try it out. [Google via PC World]

Here is a simple and funny way to make your still photos look like they are part of Google Streetview or an internet video, ready to be played. It only takes some tape, cardboard, and acrylic, plus a bit of genius when you frame the photo.

As you can see, the effect they achieved looks almost exactly like the real thing on your computer. screen. I have to admit that I’m going to try doing a few of these, with really weird settings. [Dialy Nifty—Thanks Kumiko!]

Google’s gotta reshoot every Street View image it’s taken in Japan from a height 40cm lower than Godzilla’s ankle after people complained the photos peeked over their fences.

The current photos—which cover 12 cities—were taken by cameras mounted on sticks stuck on the roof of a car, placing them over the height of most people’s fences (seriously), so Google Japan has agreed to lower them by exactly 40cm, as well as to blur any licence plate it comes across.

Given that addresses are essentially useless in Tokyo, you’d think they’d complain less and just be happy Google is making their lives easier. I mean, privacy’s, like, dead or something anyway, and I’ll gladly trade corpses for convenience. [Japan Today via Daily Tech]

The trike features a number-pad in the centre of the handlebars, presumably to control the cameras (dangerous while riding!). We’re not really sure what advantages the pedal-powered vehicle would have over a car, besides possibly a smaller footprint, allowing it to reach alleys or park paths. Mostly, we’re just impressed that anybody short of a Tour de France competitor has the strength to pedal it; it must weigh a ton! [Thanks, Jason!]

Just don’t take the little guy and his mum anywhere questionable, which has been known to happen with Streeview from time to time.

And because it was so epic, check out this completely off topic video from SNL that aired last night in observance of Mother’s Day. [Google Maps, SNL Digital Short - Thanks, Chase]