It’s that time of year again and hurricane season is creeping up on us fast. It seems as if the storms get worse each year. I heard about TS Hannah threatening us and is supposed to be reaching the Carolina’s this weekend!  If you live in an area that frequently gets hit or if you are just a hurricane fanatic you will love this website I just found called Stormpulse.

No really there are people that watch and wait for this kind of stuff that terrorizes others! Remember the movie Twister?

But I digress…

Google Maps is one of the coolest tools available from Google, and without a doubt it’s the best, most complete and most detailed world map on the internet. I love it and use it all the time. The satellite shots help with orientation in new territory, public transport stations are listed in my area, and when I have to give directions, Google Maps is the place to go.

So here are the three best things about it …

1. Default Location

When you go to maps.google.com you will most likely see a map of North America. Being in Europe this is not very convenient for me, so I made my hometown my default location.

I have not been much of an online mapper up until now (give me a map and I guarantee to get you even more lost than before!) but while I was casually surfing around the other day, I somehow happened to land upon Google Maps.

Since the Holiday’s were recently upon us and many of the readers out there no doubtably got a new cell phone, I wanted to introduce an old friend to your new cell phone. Google Mobile, meet our readers’ new phones. You guys will get along great together!

Google has been really stepping up their efforts in making many of their products usable from the mobile phone. Whether you’re using a regular cell, an iPhone, or even a SmartPhone, Google has you covered. So here at MakeUseOf.com, we’ve summarized all the Google Mobile services here in this comprehensive list.

Have you noticed that phone companies charge an arm and a leg for directory inquiries? Last I checked it was well over a dollar at AT&T and the other big boys. I couldn’t just stand around throwing my money away on frivolous things like information. Money should be spent on fun things like alcohol, partying and the such (unless my wife is reading this then lets replace those with Baby Formula, Gucci Bags and Car Payments).

For my first MakeUseOf post I will be taking you through the wonder that is Goog-411. You dial up 1-800-GOOG-411 (1-800-466-4411) from any (US) phone. After you get a friendly Google hello you follow the voice prompts which are extremely intuitive.

Whether you’re looking for a tool to help you plan out your next road trip or a quick map guide for your local area, it’s all here. Below, you’ll find the most popular mapping services on the web. While all of them are about maps and driving directions, most have something extra to offer.

For instance, Ask City seems like a top choice when it comes to getting around within your city, finding out about movie theaters in your area, etc. On the other hand, Google Maps does an excellent job at providing more flexible features for long-distance route planning. Similarly, Microsoft’s Live Search is the only application that provides free ‘Maps’ software for your mobile. So, Enjoy! (Note: entries 1-3 in no particular order)

Google Earth is one of my favorite web services offered by Google. This application combines satellite imagery, maps, aerial photos and google search engine, producing interesting application that enables anyone to view almost any part of the world and simulatenously get location related google search results. As google states;

“Google Earth puts a planet’s worth of imagery and other geographic information right on your desktop. View exotic locales like Maui and Paris as well as points of interest such as local restaurants, hospitals, schools, and more.” Link