These are intersting. In case you didn't notice, now if you go to maps.google.com you can see a satellite as well as a really nice map. I know I've looked around my area and have found interesting things.

For example, the parking lot at the Mall of America when they took the map is empty. I mean empty. And the Ikea to the north isn't finished yet, so that makes it sometime in early 2004. Yet, just a couple blocks, the shot of my high school has a full parking lot. Must be early in the morning.

In this Wired article, they talk about these interesting and timely anomalies. Google maps has captured festivals, full stadiums, and even the tsunami in Asia.