The God-like ability to inspect the planet is only half the appeal of Google Earth, affectionately known as GE. Since every square foot of the planet is available digitally, GE is essentially the Age of Discovery all over again on a micro scale. Google Earth aficionados have put so-called "placemarks" everywhere. These take the form of lowercase i's that identify such important locations as Anna Kournikova's mansion, a car crash outside Rio, a local pancake house, the project where Jay-Z grew up, the Eiffel Tower, etc. Some of these are pointless—this slide shows a placemark of my office window—but some placemarks are deemed important by other Google Earthers and viewable by all who use the program. Thus, like an explorer, being the first to spot something in Google Earth earns the discoverer a measure of fame.