Monopoly is a beloved board game classic that's sold plenty of copies thanks to licensed city-specific editions of its game board, and there are also various electronic and online versions of the game, but none of that compares to Monopoly City Streets. For City Streets, Parker Brothers has used Google maps to create a live, global game of Monopoly with real cities as the game board. Yes, that means that you can own (almost) any street in the world.
The building possibilities are also beefed up, with castles and skyscrapers. Chance cards have changed a bit, too: now they're used to build hazards on your competitors' property. To counteract hazards, you have to get a bulldozer card. With all of this building and demolishing, Monopoly City Streets sounds more like a hybrid of Monopoly and Sim City than a straight-up Monopoly game. Maybe, as the game's website claims, this will be epic fun. If nothing else, this is one time Google can be glad to hear its name in the same sentence as "monopoly."
As we strolled down Woodward Ave. this morning shooting all the the wild and wacky machinery idling along, we spotted a little gray Chevy Cobalt on the opposite side of the street. While everyone is welcome to participate in the Woodward Dream Cruise, this was no ordinary Cobalt. It sprouted an absurdly tall rig from its roof that instantly gave it away as a Google Street View machine. It's not clear if the driver was just enjoying the ride or actually collecting data that will appear in Google Maps soon, so we'll be checking frequently in the coming weeks to see if the Woodward Dream Cruise has gotten the Google treatment.
Man, the Google Street View Driver got an eyeful the day he drove by this Maranello Moment. And he captured it all for posterity (and Google Maps) to boot. The gaggle of F430 Scuderias and 360 Challenge Stradales is impressive enough. Throw in the five F40s, three Enzos and a lone F50, and you have yourself a proper stampede of prancing horses. The Street View photos do two things. First, they reinforce our belief that the F40 is infinitely cooler than both its hyper-exotic successors. Second, they have us thinking that on this particular day, Rome's Piazza Santiago del Cile was probably the best-sounding place on planet Earth.
Some motorsports fans fly a team flag just beneath the good 'ol red, white and blue, and the lucky/dedicated ones have a project car in the garage. One speed freak has taken his velocity fetish to the next level by foregoing the typical driveway for a front yard racetrack. We're not talking about a deformed circle drive, folks; this is a large course equipped with FIA curbs at every corner. The posh Florida home is right on the water, and features what appears to be a very large detached garage. We're not sure what he races here, but if you check out the lawn right next to the track, it looks like someone was doing donuts after winning the race. Now we know where we want to live when we grow up.
BMW Assist -- essentially the Bavarian's version of GM's OnStar -- has made BMW Search using Google Maps available on the 1 and 3 Series. Previously, it was only available on BMW models from the 5 series up. If you subscribe to the BMW Assist Convenience Plan, you can use BMW Search to find businesses, then input the information directly into the navigation system, or call with your Bluetooth phone over the service's AT&T Mobility Network (you don't need to have AT&T, though). BMW Search joins BMW's MyInfo service, which allowed customers and businesses to send listings and street addresses directly to the car. BMW Assist is standard on 5, 6, and 7 Series, and included in the Premium Package or as a stand-alone option on all other models.
Thanks to inventions like GPS Navigation and online directions, it's getting harder to get lost by the day. Google Maps has been a big hit for folks trying to navigate to new destinations, and the free service just got cooler with the integration of Street-View into driving directions. Now when you enter a destination and get step by step directions, you can also click on a camera icon on the map to get a street-level view of the roads you'll be traveling.
Street Maps allows you to rotate the view, click arrows to virtually travel the route, and even check out landmarks that you'll be passing along the way. That way you'll have a distinct visual to look out for when you're going to turn, instead of seeing the tiny street sign at the last possible minute. The photo resolution is so clear, you can check out where there are one-way streets, read parking signs, and even keep tabs on speed limits on your route. The only draw-back is that you need to be within one of the 44 regions of the US to use the feature, but most metropolitan areas have the feature.
