If you haven't done so already, you have to download at least the free version of Google Earth. This is an incredible tool. It is the ultimate globe. You can spin the earth around and then zoom down to the surface and see your house. It's funny -- I looked at my parents house, and I could see my car in the driveway. The satellite must have taken that picture when I was visiting them. It is not the case that the whole surface of the globe is detailed, but msot of the important cities and features are mapped out in detail using satellite photos.
You can also tilt your point of view. So instead of always looking straight down, you can look up, so to speak, toward the horizon. This is good because many US cities have their buildings rendered in 3D. So if you tilt your point of view (so that you can see the horizon in the distance) you can view the cityscape and the buildings as if you were flying in an airplane. The buildings recede into the distance. You can fly over them or even between them. It is amazing. Further, the terrain is mapped out so one can look at mountains and other land features. One can go to the Grand Canyon, tilt the persective, and fly into it.
It is a fantastic educational experience. See the Sphinx and the Pyramids. See Paris, Tokyo, and the Alps. I always wondered what Havana looked like. All roads can be marked, too. Other things can be marked on the map, like restaurant locations.
It doesn't require too much in terms of system requirements, but you need to have broadband.
