Fish from space
On the 40th anniversary of the first moon landings, there had to be at least one space-related story, but rather than dwell on the Sea of Tranquility, let's turn instead to the fish ponds of Hull.
Humberside Police think koi carp rustlers are using "satellite" images on Google Earth to spot ponds on people's properties following twelve night time raids over the course of three weeks during which both fish and filtration systems were stolen. The basis for pointing the finger at Google seems to be that at least one of the properties targeted has an eight foot fence and the pond cannot be seen from the road.
But that certainly doesn't prove the thieves have scoped out the ponds on Google Earth. Isn't it just as likely that they could have got hold of the mailing list of a koi carp enthusiasts newsletter, or simply checked out who is selling koi in the small ads section of the local paper? Equally they could be raiding gardens at random, and where they find nothing of interest, leaving again. Is it in the least surprising that only people who have ponds have reported koi carp kidnapping? For the police to suggest these are high-tech criminals using Google aerial views is nothing more than a snappy sound bite.
A Google spokesman sensibly replied to the implication that Google Earth was aiding thieves by saying "Criminals could use maps, phones and getaway cars but no one would argue that these technologies are responsible for the crime itself; that responsibility lies with the perpetrator."
22nd July 2009