links for 2007-05-01

• How Google Earth gets its images
  Software engineer Mark Aubin explains on Librarian Central some of the behind-the-scenes at Google Earth: "we have more than one source for our imagery. We collect it via airplane and satellite, ... hot air balloons, model airplanes – even kites".
  (tags: google googleearth technology photography)
• Built to shrink
  Andy Hobsbawm has some well-thought reservations on the possible takeover of bank ABN-Amro, the biggest takeover ever: "the larger an organisation gets these days, the harder and more expensive it becomes to coordinate people working together".
  (tags: takeover merger globalization small)