Now here's an example of Google Maps actually changing the world. If you'll head over to 32.403419, 117.92758 on the site you will come across the National University Naval Base in Coronado, California, which from above has an unfortunate visual similarity to a swastika. Either the architect had a bad sense of humour or nobody was paying attention, because before getting a bird's eye view of the building the Navy had no clue they were heiling Hitler. Which, considering it was built in the sixties, they probably weren't considering the possibility of being photographed by a satellite and put online. Now the Navy say they're spending $600,000 to mask the shape. It'll still be online, though.
18. Graffiti
There's plenty of rooftop graffiti to be found on Google Maps and Earth alike, those space cameras picking up all sorts of criminal damage done on people's private property. Our favourite can be found in Long Island, New York along the coordinates of 40.744438, -73.954394, a heartwarming marriage proposal that we hope was better taken than, say, that infamous "I LOVE U WILL U MARRY ME" graffiti that became an iconic part of the Sheffield skyline for a decade, drawn across a block of flats and visible for miles around, which ended with the couple in question splitting up just three months after tying the knot. Oops. If this proposal disappears during later updates we'll assume the worst.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
