Fusion media a mix of satellites, Internet, search engines, digital imagery and maps is serving up a superb feast for surfers who double as travellers, property purchasers or nosey neighbours'. The new Earth Google site is just one of the latest services to catch the eye of the public in a big way, and worry a few around the globe about security'. But it is there for the taking. Here's what some of the latest have to offer.

n When Earth Google, http://earth.google.com , hit the Internet, keyboards were busy spreading the word and wondering where does Big Brother' go from here. It makes http://maps.google.co.uk look like the outdated roadmap in the boot of my car. But, while some questioned it, many simply embraced this superior mix of technology at our fingertips. The superior service is brought to you from Google, National Geographic and a variety of digital imaging services, to name a few. It truly is fantastic what happens when a few of the big ones get together.

Starting from a view of earth from space, keying in a location or postal code will take you on a spectacular visual trip around the globe, zeroing in on your destination. But that's only the beginning.

From there, you can look at particulars like places to eat, play golf, sleep or drive. Or, using the game pad-type control icon, you can look at your destination from above or below, giving you superb 3-D views. The immediacy is scary. The visuals are stunning. The combined synergy brings NASA to your screen in seconds.

This is a serious development in Internet services and the package does require some serious capacity on your PC (sorry Mac users they are working on it'). For the basic free download you will need Windows 2000 or XP; 128 512 MB RAM; 3D graphics card and Broadband, for a start. Google is also offering Earth Plus with GPS and more and Google Earth Pro, the presentation and collaboration tool'.

The sky is no longer the limit it's the universe now!

n Closer to home you can use www.upmystreet.com to find out about house prices, policing and personalities of neighbourhoods you are interested in. This site is very clean, had nice autumn visuals and the information is free, once you have registered.

n If streets, not motorways, are your cup of tea, visit www.streetmap.co.uk for a quick and comprehensive look at streets around the country. Did you know there is a Stricklandgate in Penrith and Kendal? Maps are also available for purchase on this site.

n House prices may have slowed down but mortgage lending seems to be continuing at a healthy pace. Today's buyers are more savvy and the Internet is key to helping find out about the historical and current pricing regime of any region. Visit www.myhouseprice.com or www.nethouseprices.com to get a historical prospective of house prices, like how much a property sold for last time, or what a neighbouring property went for.

n Another one to visit is http://ononemap.com - a new property search engine. The site is only as good as the last time the data was updated, and that is not always transparent to the visitor. The latter didn't offer any houses for sale in the area I picked, even though there is one next door, and a number in the nearest village.

Have your postal codes and pen and paper handy. These ARE just the tip of the iceberg of sites ready to help information hungry home-buyers.

There is no doubt that bigger, better and faster' - once reserved for the airline industry now applies to the Internet. Fasten your seatbelts.

n For local information on houses for sale visit Fish4 Homes. To find out what is going on in and around the Lake District visit What's On.

n For views of the Lake District visit our Photo Gallery and Webcams sections on www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk