Google Earth product director John Hanke responds in a Q&A to GIS Monitor about a French security consultant’s report on Google Earth (which GIS Monitor previously reviewed).

I hadn’t seen any real value added in the original French report, but Hanke’s responses do. (Via The Grich).

Somebody’s been trying to hack into fellow MemeFirst group blogger and Google Earth user Rob Sterling‘s Google Earth account. Like he asks, what’s the point?

I was rereading the Earthbooker.com press release this morning, and a phrase at the end stood out:

GlobeAssistant, who’s responsible for the creation of Earthbooker and patented integration with Google Earth, believes that within the next 4 years in 50% of all travel arrangements Google Earth and their technology will be used.

It stood out not so much for the prediction but for the word “patented”. I highly doubt a method based on a process that’s only been around for a few months would already be patented. So is it patent-pending? Or is this press release-ese? Or a bad translation from Dutch? What’s so patentable about a method for depicting a database on Google Earth? Am I missing something?

(On GlobeAssistant’s site there is a more detailed description of the patent: “GlobeAssistant BV uses the patented Altitude Ranking Algorithm to filter relevant data before it is published to the Globe.” Haven’t some of Google Earth’s built-in layers done that since day one? Just asking.)

A company called Screampoint now has a utility that coverts Autodesk 3dsMax files to KML.

While converters are getting to be a dime a dozen, (okay, this one’s $30), what intrigued me is the promised upcoming features:

– Screampoint will start to license its extensive library of digital buildings and cities in .kml format

– digital content includes portions of New York City, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Hong Kong and Shanghai

– registered users will be entitled to receive select digital building files

Excellent: Google Middle Earth (Beta)