Features

7. WATCH LONDON SKYSCRAPERS GROW

London's skyline has changed dramatically over the past 50 years, and this eye-opening 3D animation illustrates exactly how. Lower the perspective to ground level, press play on the animation slider at the top of the screen and watch as landmarks such as the Gherkin and Tower 42 erupt from the ground.

8. TRACK FLIGHTS

Want to know why Al Gore is getting a little hot under

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the collar about global warming? Switch on this real-time fl ight tracker, which amazingly only shows fl ights leaving from fi ve US airports, yet still manages to almost fi ll the globe. It's of little practical use, but it is an environmental wake-up call.

9. TOUR CORNISH NATURE SPOTS

The Cornwall Wildlife Trust has put together this guided tour of the county's wildlife reserves. The highly detailed satellite photography across the UK allows you to hone in on the more spectacular sites, such as the Fal-Ruan Estuary and Tresayes. Well worth a virtual visit before an actual one.

10. GIANT ADVERTS

There's no advertising in Google Earth - apart from the giant tarpaulins people lay down in the hope that Google's satellites will snap them. US magazine Maxim attempted such a feat to celebrate its 100th issue, although it took nine people 15 hours to lay the 110ft print out in the Nevada Desert. They couldn't hang around long enough for the Google satellites to arrive, though, so they took the aerial photo themselves.