Search engine giants Google have become so big they have started work on rebuilding damaged areas of the planet or so their Google Earth program would have us believe. Their pictures of New Orleans have changed back overnight to pre hurricane Katrina according to an Associated Press report.

Locals are not impressed with this feat it would seem, as Ruston Henry, president of the economic development association in the city's Lower 9th Ward, explained: "Come on. Just put in big bold this: 'Google, don't pull the wool over the world's eyes. Let the truth shine'."

Henry speaking of the Lower 9th Ward, now visible in all its undamaged glory: "Everything is missing. The people are missing. Nobody is there."

Spokeswoman for Mayor Ray Nagin, Ceeon Quiett said that as far as she was aware, "the city did not request the map change". She said: "My first reaction was that's a bit problematic."

"Is Google part of the conspiracy? Why these images of pre-Katrina? Seems mighty curious." Ruston Henry irately continued.

The product manager for Google satellite imagery Chikai Ohazama explained he didn’t know when the change had happened and that he wasn’t “personally” asked to change them. He added that "the maps now available are the best the company can offer", and explained that Google used "numerous factors" to decide what's selected for the databases - "everything from resolution, to quality, to when the actual imagery was acquired".

Local Fisherman Pete Gerica, who said he'd used Google images of his flooded waterside home "in his arguments with insurance adjusters", suggested: "I think a lot of stuff they're doing right now is smoke and mirrors because tourism is so off. It might be somebody's weird spin on things looking better."

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What about Kevin Bankston who got himself removed off Google's Street View?!
He learned that Google's quite happy to remove you from their map as long as you provide them with info about yourself, including a photo of your driving license!

Story here:
Get me off Google Street View!

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::burning my teeth in the sun::

Street view is amazing. I see that people have been finding all sorts of things on there...!

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/05...t_view_advert/

Ingenius marketing!

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::burning my teeth in the sun::

Awesome!

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Basher!

How easy would it be to stage something like this and get caught by the google-cam? Say, like a giant orangutan climbing a rather large building for example?

Great article on google maps and the 'airbrushing of history'

How google maps is changing the way we view the world

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::burning my teeth in the sun::