The following link is pretty neat if your computer can handle it. Probably not good for a dial-up connection, though. The photos are recent and the detail is pretty amazing.

http://earth.google.com/

Minimum configuration:

Operating system: Windows 2000, Windows XP
CPU speed: Intel® Pentium® PIII 500 MHz
System memory (RAM): 128MB
200MB hard-disk space
3D graphics card: 3D-capable video card with 16MB VRAM
1024x768, 32-bit true color screen
Network speed: 128 kbps ("Broadband/Cable Internet")
Recommended configuration:

Operating system: Windows XP
CPU speed: Intel® Pentium® P4 2.4GHz+ or AMD 2400xp+
System memory (RAM): 512MB
2GB hard-disk space
3D graphics card: 3D-capable video card with 32MB VRAM or greater
1280x1024, 32-bit true color screen
Network speed: 128 kbps ("Broadband/Cable Internet")

Down loaded Google Earth the other day.
Went and found the house that I owned when I was 18 years old.
Pretty cool.

its addictive.....you can fly right up your favorite river

Can't wait until it will work with my MAC. Iwant to check out all the lakes around Monroe.

Is there any way to get a sharper focus on close-ups?

I don't know about a sharper focus. Best to ask the folks that set up the program. I suspect that the satellite photos used don't have the fine resolution necessary. They might equivalent to 1 meter resolution on a lot of stuff. Looks okay from a few hundred feet up, but loses focus as you move in.