In case you missed it, Houston and parts of Galveston have joined the cutting edge of privacy invasion.
Earlier this year, Google caused a stir when it introduced a “street view” tool to its map function, allowing users to view actual street scenes from any location within selected cities. Some of the shots included glimpses of guys furtively leaving porn shops, so there was a predictable hue and cry about Big Brother and so on.
Houston and Galveston weren’t part of all that, but now they are. Or at least part of them are.
If you go to Google maps and hit the “street view” button, you’ll see a bunch of Houston streets (mostly within the Loop) outlined in blue. Click on any location along a blue-lined street and you’ll be able to see a photograph of it, and you can do a full 360-degree sweep around.
A quick run-through before boredom set in revealed nothing much but a bunch of blurry photos (the Houston Press building, for instance, is buried in shadow), but if you want to see your house – or if your significant other is furtively leaving a porn shop – now’s your chance. – Richard Connelly
This article appears in Aug 9-15, 2007.
