Google Earth: Making it Better?

Future Blues

So I'm doing the whole NaNo thing this month (30k words right now, woo; anyway) and I'm using Google Earth to chart my characters' progress as they go on doing the things they're doing...

Now, it's come to my attention that Google Earth doesn't "just work" like a lot of other things on my Mac and I want to know how to fix it, since I'm assuming that the reason it doesn't "just work" is because it's broken.

When I go to Google Maps and type in directions from Painted Desert, AZ to Flagstaff, AZ, I get a result; namely directions as well as a projected time frame for such a trip. However, when I type that into Google Earth, even if I use the built in tools which include Latitude and Longitude into the equation, I get nothing. This is the first thing I'd really like to fix. Are there plug-ins and such that make it work? I mean, I thought that it got it's data from Google Maps and all, but Google Maps is not only more reliable (it has satellite imagery that GE doesn't seem to have sometimes) but Google Maps in my browser is actually functional most of the time where as Google Earth makes it's own decisions as to whether or not it's actually going to work at any given moment.

I downloaded Google Earth maybe 3 days ago, so I'm pretty sure I've got the latest version but I feel like I might be missing a setting or something somewhere... Any recommendations?

Beyond that, it looks like GE has been extended with a lot of plug-ins and layers and whatnot... Anybody have any recommendations as to what to install and what to ignore?

MKR

Future Blues wrote: »

So I'm doing the whole NaNo thing this month (30k words right now, woo; anyway) and I'm using Google Earth to chart my characters' progress as they go on doing the things they're doing...

Now, it's come to my attention that Google Earth doesn't "just work" like a lot of other things on my Mac and I want to know how to fix it, since I'm assuming that the reason it doesn't "just work" is because it's broken.

When I go to Google Maps and type in directions from Painted Desert, AZ to Flagstaff, AZ, I get a result; namely directions as well as a projected time frame for such a trip. However, when I type that into Google Earth, even if I use the built in tools which include Latitude and Longitude into the equation, I get nothing. This is the first thing I'd really like to fix. Are there plug-ins and such that make it work? I mean, I thought that it got it's data from Google Maps and all, but Google Maps is not only more reliable (it has satellite imagery that GE doesn't seem to have sometimes) but Google Maps in my browser is actually functional most of the time where as Google Earth makes it's own decisions as to whether or not it's actually going to work at any given moment.

I downloaded Google Earth maybe 3 days ago, so I'm pretty sure I've got the latest version but I feel like I might be missing a setting or something somewhere... Any recommendations?

Beyond that, it looks like GE has been extended with a lot of plug-ins and layers and whatnot... Anybody have any recommendations as to what to install and what to ignore?

Did you click the "directions to" tab? Google Earth's search thing isn't quite as smart as the one on Google Maps, so it can't tell that "Painted Desert, AZ to Flagstaff, AZ" isn't meant to be an address.

Future Blues

MKR wrote: »

Future Blues wrote: »

So I'm doing the whole NaNo thing this month (30k words right now, woo; anyway) and I'm using Google Earth to chart my characters' progress as they go on doing the things they're doing...

Now, it's come to my attention that Google Earth doesn't "just work" like a lot of other things on my Mac and I want to know how to fix it, since I'm assuming that the reason it doesn't "just work" is because it's broken.

When I go to Google Maps and type in directions from Painted Desert, AZ to Flagstaff, AZ, I get a result; namely directions as well as a projected time frame for such a trip. However, when I type that into Google Earth, even if I use the built in tools which include Latitude and Longitude into the equation, I get nothing. This is the first thing I'd really like to fix. Are there plug-ins and such that make it work? I mean, I thought that it got it's data from Google Maps and all, but Google Maps is not only more reliable (it has satellite imagery that GE doesn't seem to have sometimes) but Google Maps in my browser is actually functional most of the time where as Google Earth makes it's own decisions as to whether or not it's actually going to work at any given moment.

I downloaded Google Earth maybe 3 days ago, so I'm pretty sure I've got the latest version but I feel like I might be missing a setting or something somewhere... Any recommendations?

Beyond that, it looks like GE has been extended with a lot of plug-ins and layers and whatnot... Anybody have any recommendations as to what to install and what to ignore?

Did you click the "directions to" tab? Google Earth's search thing isn't quite as smart as the one on Google Maps, so it can't tell that "Painted Desert, AZ to Flagstaff, AZ" isn't meant to be an address.

Yes, I'm in the "Directions" tab typing it into the To and From fields and I'm still coming up with nothing. In fact, trying it just now with "Las Vegas, NV" and "Reno, NV" also nets me "No Search Results". Am I missing something important here?

MKR

It's working here, so it's probably not a server problem. If you can't get it to work, it looks like they added a link to load up paths in Google Earth from Maps. That might work for now. :P

Edit: I did it like this:

1: Create a new "My Places" map
2: Click directions and put in the source and destination
3: Click "Open in Google maps"

Future Blues

MKR wrote: »

It's working here, so it's probably not a server problem. If you can't get it to work, it looks like they added a link to load up paths in Google Earth from Maps. That might work for now. :P

Edit: I did it like this:

1: Create a new "My Places" map
2: Click directions and put in the source and destination
3: Click "Open in Google maps"

Could it be because I'm in Japan? Would it be pinging google.co.jp and coming up with No Search Results because of my IP address? (I ask because when I clicked "Open in Google Maps" it took me to the google.co.jp maps site and told me that the request was "outside our coverage area."

If this is the case, should I just give up and forget about Google Earth for the time being?