Google launched the Street View program in select cities around the United States in 2007. The initiative has since gone global to help us swiftly navigate our highways and byways, and even map pollution. Needless to say, with a fleet of camera-equipped vehicles patrolling and photographing our streets, someone or something is quite literally always watching. From angry villagers chasing one of the cars out of their hamlet to a regular phantasmagoria of human photobombings, there have been plenty of notable interactions between humans and the conspicuous camera-equipped vehicles. Fortunately, these gems are peppered throughout Google’s panoramic mapping platform. Over the past decade, the program has snapped some rather perplexing images around the globe and here are 10 of the most bizarre photos from Google Street View.
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Baby’s day out
Although there are myriad approaches to parenting, keeping the baby in your general vicinity is normally a solid rule of thumb. Perhaps the baby had already gained the trust of his tribe and had merely opted to follow through on that impulse Gucci baby stretch denim purchase. Who’s to say? You do you, baby. Stay flossy.
Not a good day for this man
To paraphrase Heraclitus of Ephesus: The only constant in the universe is change. Thankfully, with a roving fleet of vehicles trekking this space rock, there are plenty of opportunities for this change to be documented and uploaded to the interweb — even if the change happens to be your VW bus being engulfed in flames and slowly reduced to carbon. You certainly have to appreciate the stoicism of the shirtless man stage left.
Masked muchachos
This image was captured deep in Sonora, a state of northwest Mexico. Little did we know that, in the land of the ruthless Los Zetas, roamed a lesser-known, motley crew of masked muchachos featuring the Scream mask and a werewolf with a penchant for patterns.
Someone has some explaining to do
Nothing to see here, folks. Just a naked middle-aged man beginning to enter or exit the trunk of a convertible seemingly out of his own volition. Based on the pure apathy of the pup, it has most certainly seen this sort of behavior before.
A dead dude?
This image caused quite the stir when it went live a few years ago. A pair of locals staged this crime scene when they caught wind of the Google cars driving through their town of Edinburgh. It was all fun and games until the police came across the photo and questioned the individuals involved. The gentlemen later apologized for their hijinks.
The struggle is real
Dust yourself off, young blood.
Snoozing superheros
Some would argue that the short-lived Big Bad Beetleborgs television series was simply ahead of its time. Needless to say, when Fox decided to finally pull the plug on the show after a prosaic sophomore effort, a regular panoply of masked vigilantes were left high and dry. Depicted above, we witness an outwardly despondent Red Striker catching a few winks between jaunts on the Thunder Dolphin.
Oh yes, this is real
Although the penny-farthing may have fallen out of fashion over the last century and a half, some anachronistically minded individuals still prefer the outmoded means of transportation. Thankfully, watching people fall off tall bikes never gets dull, unlike the people who choose to ride them.
Meanwhile… in Russia
There’s nothing to see here, folks. Google captured this true gem of a man casually strolling down the boulevard touting a rifle while presumably reaching for another handgun behind his lapel. There’s a proverb here somewhere.
Norway
Little known fact: Urban scuba diving is the unofficial sport in the Land of the Midnight Sun. These industrious souls had seemingly been camping out in lawn chairs with a parasol waiting for the right moment to pounce on this golden opportunity. We are all now forever indebted to the duo for their indefatigable doggedness.
Humans have a rather love-hate relationship with technology to say the least. For further proof, you can check out our full list of best literal Man vs Machine moments.
