👀 Do you want to draw a line?

#138 | Drawing ain't no Drag

Hi there,

Are you a ’90s kid? Did your school have a computer lab? Remember taking your shoes off before entering the “computer room”? The thrill of writing silly commands in MS-DOS? Or the pure artistic satisfaction derived from making the “two hills and a river” illustration in MS Paint? Yeah? You’re going to like today’s Just One Thing.

One of the first things my generation was fascinated by when Internet connections became ubiquitous in computer rooms everywhere was Google Earth. If you were one of the fascinated, or even if you weren’t, Land Lines is a Chrome Experiment that builds on Google Earth in the most fun way. You can explore Google Earth imagery through gestures. Draw to find satellite images that match your lines, and Drag to create an infinite line of connected rivers, highways and coastlines.

The experiment runs efficiently on both desktop and mobile web browsers. It uses a combination of machine learning, optimized algorithms, and graphics card power and doesn’t need backend servers. But, of course, to experience Land Lines at its best, you need Google Chrome (sorry, Dolly).

Yours,
Nikita