Becoming Green, literally (or, the upside of constant satellite surveillance)

I find it easy to forget that there are little machines orbiting the earth taking photographs of everything all the time. Sometimes you can see them on a clear night, star-like but moving quickly through the sky. Is it a tiny UFO, you think? Hopefully, you think. But more likely, you then think, it is a IFO or a CFO or a GFO (Identified, Corporate and/or Government Flying Object).

These ICGFOs are not all working for Google Maps, but a whole lot of different gov’t/corporate projects taking photos for a whole lot of different reasons. And probably storing the images on Amazon’s cloud (listen to this, then this, then this for more info on the Cloud). I am not sure what the purpose of the particular machine that took the photos in this slideshow of the Farm intermittently from 2012-2015 is, but it has provided a nice little from-space perspective on the changes that have occurred at the Farm in that time. Craig put this together for our enjoyment!

As well as showing, among other things, the radical greening of the front yard, these images have revealed to us just how many swimming pools there are very near to our house. And how these pools have remained constantly blue and inviting since we moved in. This has created a deep wish for someone to invite us over for a swim on a hot day. Or even, let’s be honest, moderately warm day. Please share the pooly love, neighbours! We covet thy neighbours’ pools. We can swap spinach and strawberries for swims! We promise, as far as is possible, that Stanley won’t muddy those clear blue waters with poop!

ef-2015