Cat Street View: The Internet taken to its logical conclusion
The Internet is cats, so why isn't more of the Internet for cats? One Japanese prefecture is righting this wrong and perhaps writing the perfect denouement for our entire online experiment.
- Finalist for the Nesta Tipping Point prize and a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Check your allergies at the door...
If you really want to get a sense of a place, like from the street level, it makes sense to be closer to the street itself.
In Japan's Hiroshima prefecture, arguably no one has their (really cute little) ears closer to the ground, sniffing out the local scene, than the area's famous cats.
Understanding this, as well as the status of felines as the elite ruling class of the Internet, Hiroshima has launched an online Cat Street View, showing off the area from a slightly different perspective.
"You can enjoy and experience the hidden charms of the backstreets and the scenery of Hiroshima from the perspective of cats which know them well," explains a press release.
Cat Street View highlights a few dozen shops, sights and scenic views in the area of interest to both human tourists and local cats. It also introduces 11 of the region's most famous cats. It goes beyond just streets, following popular pathways for the smaller sightseer that even leads onto a rooftop at one point.
Cat Street View goes beyond Hiroshima's streets... to its rooftops.
At launch, Cat Street View features a few sections of Onomichi city, which is apparently the nexus of cat activity in Hiroshima, but there are plans to add new areas in October.
There is, of course, the problem that Cat Street View's target demographic has a hard time operating a touchscreen and, as for using a mouse, well... let's just say it leads to confusion. Fortunately, there is a cat scratch laptop out there that can help your kitty finally get to visit Japan virtually.
And with that, I think we have finally brought this multi-decade MMORPG called the Internet to a satisfying conclusion. Go ahead and shut 'er down. Hopefully you didn't throw away all of your books, because it's going to be a little boring until the next big thing comes along.