I’ve been off my feed a bit this past week, so I’ve got some catching up to do. I’ll start with a few random links from here and there about this and that.

From the Google Blog: “Not only have we added extensive 6-inch imagery for many parts of the U.K., but we’ve updated the Google Local database to match the coverage we have in Google Earth, and (drum roll, please) … we’ve added two more zoom levels in Google Local’s Satellite mode!”

Alan Glennon asks if Microsoft is planning a competitor to Google Earth that combines satellite imagery with the Flight Simulator engine.

A controversial Mexican map for illegal migrants, aimed at reducing the death toll and showing highways, rescue beacons, water caches, and the distance a person could travel in a day, has been suspended due to concerns that it would help anti-immigrant groups pinpoint migrants (via Cartography).

Software MacKiev’s Mac-only applications, which include 3D Weather Globe and Atlas (see previous entry), are now available as Universal Binaries, which means they’ll be able to run natively on the new Intel-based Macs.

Rich has been reviewing a number of GPS receivers on his blog; here he outlines the differences between PDAs with integrated GPS and standalone units: “The bottom line is that [PDAs] can be a good solution for automotive navigation or paperless geocaching, but they aren’t a good choice for backcountry navigation.”