Cooler than Google Earth?

It looks like Microsoft has finally created a content feature that out googles google in terms of aggregating and displaying massive information in a totally compelling interface. It's the WorldWide Telescope project, found here.

This interface promises to have aggregated the photographic artifacts from both the Hubble and the best of land-based telescope-captured photograhy. As Microsoft puts it on the WWT site, " bringing together imagery from the best ground and space-based telescopes in the world for a seamless exploration of the universe."

Like Google Earth, Microsoft has created a 3 dimensional environment that allows users to explore in three dimensions the universe around us. The only problem is that you need a very advanced computer to view it, my MacBook Pro just isn't up to the task (ideally viewed on a PC with Vista, a .net framework installed, etc, etc, blah blah blah). At least give Google credit for making the old Keyhole technology both browser and OS agnostic. I'm sure MS will get there eventually, but I can't believe they think that this will sell more copies of Vista.

Assuming you don't have a .net framework on your computer, there is a pretty good overview here, showcasing it's introduction at TED earlier this year.