Find real-time earthquakes on Google Earth...

If you want to find earthquakes happening now anywhere around the world, after downloading Google Earth, open Google Earth.

Under the "Fly to" tab, click "Add Content" and choose "Open in Google Earth" link under the Real-time Earthquakes heading in the bottom window.

That's the only way I discovered there was a 6.3 earthquake off the coast of Oregon on Wednesday.

After You Download Google Earth, Watch this video...

If I would've watched this Google Earth video before playing on Google Earth as a newbie, I might've been spared some confusion.

Heck, watching the video still helped me with a few Google Earth tricks I didn't know, like how to move around and stuff:

Can you use Google Earth to find a cheating spouse?

I thought of a curious thing when I was playing around on Google Earth yesterday, checking out my house and trying to figure out when Google snapped the photo from above.

It looked like summertime -- for we had our patio furniture out and there was no snow on the ground.

I surfed around and looked at my neighbor's homes, surveying the cars parked in their driveways.

That led me to think how folks could -- and probably do -- use Google Earth to check out what's happening around their homes when they're not home.

Cars (or people) that don't belong in certain driveways can be caught at the wrong moment and snapped for all to see on Google Earth -- especially by snooping wives and hubbies.

Do share.

Have you ever used Google Earth to bust somebody doing something wrong?

Make and share maps on Google

Just about everybody's loving Google Earth, and its ability to allow users to create "mash ups" of many things.

This piece is calling the online world of Google Map creation and commenting and sharing akin to the world of blogging.

I like the fact that just about anyone with a PC can do it.

Use Google Earth to search for the lost...

Sometimes Google Earth can be used to try and accomplish a daunting task: looking for the lost.

The search for missing pilot Ron Boychuk has been undertaken online.

Last year, when James Kim was missing, people turned to Google Earth as well. Tragically, Kim did not survive.

I pray that Google Earth can be used in the future to rescue many lost souls.

Wanna know how Google Earth really works? Read Google's newly published patent application...

Okay, if you're the type who likes digging thru patent apps to learn the latest company secrets, you'll love this.

The inner workings of Google Earth can be found here.

Seeing as though I'm not totally the type to dig into patent apps -- I prefer the summarized version of stuff that fascinates me -- I'll let all you Google Earth techie fans have fun!

How to find your house on Google Earth...

I'll admit, the first time I downloaded Google Earth and looked for my own house, it took me a little bit to figure it out.

(No, that's not a pic of my house, but a villa in Florence, Italy -- would love to visit!)

Anyway, the good old Google has pretty good instructions on how to find your house, if I'd only read them first:

Click on "Fly To" and enter the address in the input box and click the Search button.

In the search results, double click the address.

Google Earth flies you to the address you're looking for.