<p class="quote"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; line-height: 19px;">Google Maps&#160;<a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&amp;source=s_q&amp;hl=en&amp;geocode=&amp;q=argleton&amp;sll=53.800651,-4.064941&amp;sspn=11.2274,39.550781&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;ll=53.559277,-2.91275&amp;spn=0.088098,0.30899&amp;t=h&amp;z=12&amp;iwloc=addr">show an imaginary place</a>&#160;near to where I live: a town with the ugly name of Argleton. This has been&#160;<a href="http://blogs.edgehill.ac.uk/webservices/tag/argleton/">commented on elsewhere</a>, with theories that they have simply got the name Aughton wrong (though Aughton appears as well), or that it is a deliberate mistake, designed to catch out unauthorised users of the maps, like a&#160;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trap_street">&#8216;trap street&#8217; inserted in an A-Z map.&#160;</a>However, Argleton does more than just sit there as a hidden feature: it shoves its way into people&#8217;s attention in many ways. Various software packages use Google&#8217;s geographical information, and Argleton seems to have primary claim on the surrounding postcodes &#8211; one can rent property there, or read inspection reports for its nurseries, at least according to the internet</span></p> Walking Home to 50 google maps, imaginary places, argleton, ghost town the-feed 0 2009-11-03T14:08:58-05:00 <p>What happens when Google Maps invents a town?</p> 6 6342 destination-imagination 2009-11-03T14:10:06-05:00 true false false false false Destination Imagination 2009-11-03T14:10:06-05:00 http://walkinghometo50.wordpress.com/2009/02/22/destination-argleton-visiting-an-imaginary-place/ 84 0