A few days ago, Google released Google Earth beta for Windows. This is an incredible program, if you're using a Windows PC, you should download it and give it a try.

http://earth.google.com

Google Earth allows you to browse 3D earth, generated from satellite images taken of the entire planet. You can zoom in on any location (though some areas have higher resolution images than others). Mountains are rendered with their natural curves, and some buildings are drawn in simple 3D shapes. There are overlays you can toogle, which tell you where various types of locations are. It has locations of restaurants, banks/ATMS, bars/clubs, coffee houses, malls, retail stores, movie rentals, grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations, golf courses, stadiums, parks, hospitals, schools, churches, and a few other things.

An interesting feature is the ability to display information posted in the Keyhole community BBS. This allows Keyhole users to post their own icons on the globe, which are linked to a message board. There are seemingly endless amounts of locations marked with trivia related to locations in the world. You can also make your own placemarks.

There are many other features to explore. Get Google Earth and find familar landmarks. If you've got a Mac, Google is still working on the Mac version.