Build Your Campus Google 3D Competition

Sent to me by the every ready How2, GoogleBlog is hosting a competition for 3D models of university campuses.

“Today the Build Your Campus in 3D Competition begins. This spring, you and your (presumably equally artistic) friends can honor your campus turf as you hone your 3D design skills just by modeling your school's campus buildings in Google SketchUp, geo-reference them in Google Earth, and submit them through the competition website to earn lasting online glory.”

It’s not insignificant that the competition does bundle all Google properties:

Google SketchUp
Google Earth
and the prize is an all-expense-paid trip to…Google

But the public value of Google’s ability to create free and shareable tools is profound. Perhaps this should also be kept in mind when assessing their ability to generate money from the branding and amplification of their applications or their forays into search censorship and DRM. Appalling ubiquity, yes. Evil empire, not yet.

Ok kids, got out and make cities.