Google Sightseeing takes you on tour of the world as seen from satellite, using the free Google Earth program, or Google Maps in your web browser. Each weekday your guides James and Alex present new weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.

The editors: James & Alex

Google’s Street View Welcome Party

Posted by James Turnbull, Tuesday, 5th August 2008

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As the Street View car passed Google’s California head offices, the Googleplex, hundreds and hundreds of Google Employees came out to form a huge welcoming committee for the passing camera car.

There’s loads of things to see, as many employees have clearly prepared for the event! For example, here’s a life-size yellow Street View guy:

Elsewhere, in a clear nod to our very own discovery of a fight on Street View, a couple of Googlers are engaged in a slight altercation.

In another self-referential move, a couple of people are taking part in a tiny Tour-de-France!

The in-jokes don’t stop there either - one Googler took the opportunity to make a “Web 2.0″ marriage proposal! See his website to find out if she accepted.

There’s tons more silliness all up and down the street, as it seems the entire Googleplex came out for the event - so have a browse and share your best finds in the comments!

Thanks to GmapsMania.

27 Responses to 'Google’s Street View Welcome Party'

  1. Google Sightseeing Admin
    1. Alex says:

    Here’s a guy holding a sign that says “compiling”, who is watching another man swinging a large branch at a third man, who appears to be defending himself with a very small plastic sword.

    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

    No, I couldn’t really explain it either…

    I’m getting a errors just now too, saying “We’re sorry, street view is currently unavailable due to high demand”…

  2. 2. Nas says:

    That’s a reference to xkcd!

  3. Google Sightseeing Admin
    3. Alex says:

    Here’s the guys from Google Analytics with a very, uh… *statistical* presentation:

    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

  4. 4. dr.R. says:

    This must be the Wally of Google: Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

    (now why would this comment not pass the spam filter?)

  5. 5. Glenn says:

    here’s a cyclist partially buried in the road — must be some hard pedaling!

    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

  6. 6. Glenn says:

    who’s this?

    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

  7. 7. Tim says:

    I like this group of four people doing “Y M C A”.
    YMCA!

  8. 8. Tim says:

    And these folks doing a Rockettes style line leg kick.

    Rockettes!

  9. 9. nova72 says:

    Here is another street fight.
    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

  10. Google Sightseeing Admin
    10. Rob says:

    I haven’t spotted anyone flashing yet.

  11. 11. me says:

    the fight scene looks like what hollywood calls a pulled punch -fake punch-

  12. Google Sightseeing Admin
    12. Alex says:

    Big purple teddy bear:

    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

  13. Google Sightseeing Admin
    13. Alex says:

    I didn’t actually realise the frivolities continue right around the other side of the complex too. Here’s a man in a dressing gown with a towel on his head:

    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

  14. 14. J. Peterson says:

    Hmm…so much for the automatic face blurring…

  15. Google Sightseeing Admin
    15. Alex says:

    Here’s a human pyramid of 6 people:

    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

    And here’s a more impressive one of 10 people:

    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

    Which is right beside somebody, uh… murdering a Linux Penguin.

    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

  16. 16. Andreas says:

    INVISBL TUG OV WAR

    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

  17. 17. Shae says:

    Muggles!

    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

  18. 18. john says:

    Someone wake me when they find girls sunbathing.

  19. 19. Steve says:

    Hey look everyone magically disappeared!

    The $100 laptop!

    I’m linking to Link!

    This guy just looks hilarious

    So that’s where she was!

    A bicycle built for six?

    A drug deal!?

    Coming to a street near your, Firefox Portable!

  20. 20. cookie monster says:

    Arh - bless!

    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

  21. Google Sightseeing Admin
    21. Rob says:

    You do have to wonder who was manning the phones…

  22. Google Sightseeing Admin
    22. James says:

    @Steve: All excellent finds! I think the hilarious guy looks like a vampire from “I am Legend”.

    The re-enactment of Street View’s alleged drug deal is the best thing in this whole thread, as they’re all totally distracted from their own joke by a madman with a yellow thing on his head. Hilarious!

  23. 23. koen says:

    It seems that there are quite a few hot chicks working at google. Perhaps I should plan a career change. Or perhaps I’m desperate…

  24. Google Sightseeing Admin
    24. Rob says:

    @Steve - Thanks for your great finds!

    The ‘drug deal’ one in particular led to a small pang of pride in Google Sightseeing! Would be great to think they maybe had discovered some of these things from the site. :D

  25. Google Sightseeing Admin
    25. Alex says:

    I ♥ Streetview:

    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

  26. 26. dr.R. says:

    Amazing, isn’t it? Finally something to see in Streetview!

    Now it’s up to the Google Sightseeing employees to come up with something even better… ;)

  27. 27. cookie monster says:

    @rob - never mind the phones - who was looking up all those websites when you type something in the google box (thats how it works isnt it?)

    @koen - i too couldnt help noticing all the ‘hot chicks’ (we call them ‘fit birds’ round my way) and also noticed the large amount of very nerdy very unattractive men who work for Google aswell - so i would say that you probably wouldnt have to try too hard in ‘copping off’ (as we also say round my way)

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