Tech & Biz

Tracking Santa with Google Earth, Twitter

by Jordan Yerman | December 24, 2008 at 04:57 am

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NORAD's partner in tracking Santa: Google Earth. The ubiquitous search engine will also be spotting fict-- uh, rarely-seen holiday icon S. Claus, and visitors can get updates via Twitter from the NORAD Santa Tracker. What, exactly, is Twitter's age range?

On second thought, parents and guardians tracking Santa on Christmas eve may find that casually showing a mobile-phone update to your kid will give the whole thing an air of authenticity, and divert attention from questions like "How will Santa get in if we don't have a fireplace?"

Oh, and NORAD added Santa's phone number. Do you think he has a hands-free, or will it just go to voicemail?

Google will be displaying high-resolution "Santa Cam" video of the gift-laden airborne sleigh. For locations without video, photos from Panoramio will be displayed in Google Maps.

And for the first time, people can track Santa's journey on mobile phones with Google Maps for Mobile and follow him on Twitter by adding "@noradsanta."

Also see Military Clears Airspace for Santa Claus

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Paschen

at 05:49 on December 24th, 2008

I am not trying to spoil the mood here, Just curious, why my next question, What did ever happen to Father Christmas and his Green Robe?

I know Santa is Popular and Coca Cola made sure off that he would be, Yet in Germanic and Anglo Saxon cultures as well as Scandinavian it was always Father Christmas and he was dressed in Green. Oh yes and he had Goats pulling his sled not Deer's.

Maybe the oats where not popular any longer and he was fazed out.

Great Post and good to know that some one keeps track of Santa.

Jordan Yerman

at 06:00 on December 24th, 2008

Maybe as the population grew, goats weren't strong enough to pull the ever-larger bag of gifts. In a few years, it'll be Rudolph the Red-Nosed Moose. Just a theory.

(Also, didn't St. Nicholas have a hood instead of a separate hat?)

Paschen

at 07:27 on December 24th, 2008

I like to see that, Moose pulling the Sled and yes he used to have a hood and not a hat, you are right, maybe the fashion trend demanded a change. I do wonder how this will evolve once we have settlements on the Moon and Mars, if we ever do get there though may be another issue.