However, there still are, believe it or not, countries in Europe where it has not yet been implemented.

One of these countries is Germany. But now its their turn. Cars with mounted cameras have been driving through the streets of Germany for months on end, and now we are approaching the time where the country is to be googlified.

Paranoid

But, now it has been revealed that 54% of Germans are against Street View – a staggering two-thirds of all women say they will resist their home being shown in the Internet  (as if it wasn’t there already anyway… ever heard of Google Earth ladies?). Apparently they fear for their privacy, and think that prospective burglars could put the information on the web to good use…

So, what’s the solution? What’s to stop me or Mr Jones walking down a street and looking at the homes there? Maybe they should utilize Romulan or even Wraith cloaking technology to make their houses invisible…

One does wonder what Germans have to hide…

What secrets lurk behind German windows?
http://lucienknuteson.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/robot1.jpg

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Or maybe not? First doubts arose when they entered the zany Guildo Horn for the Eurovision Song Contest a few years ago – here’s what Wikipedia has to say about this entry…

“Written by television host Stefan Raab under the pseudonym “Alf Igel” (a reference to prolific composer Ralph Siegel), the song is a tongue-in-cheek parody of the schlager style for which Germany had become known at previous Contests. Horn (whose backing band’s name translates as “the Orthopedic Stockings”) sings about his desire to return to “a time of tenderness/When Caressing and Cuddling and Loving/Were always written with capitals” and “When I daily wrote in a poetry book:/Yoo hoo hoo – I love you”.”

While the song did not win, it is credited with rekindling German interest in the Contest, as well as paving the way for Raab’s own entry two years later with Wadde hadde Dudde da?. Following Austria‘s Boom Boom Boomerang and Belgium‘s Euro-Vision, it is considered to be the third parody song to make an appearance at the Contest.

With the rise of private television in the 80s, a number of comedians have appeared on the horizon to stand in line next to Germanys only previous comedian of note, Otto Waalkes. It is without a doubt that these people have changed the face of German humor in the last 20 years.

And now we not only have these people, but also a TV comedy series Stromberg that has already become a classic. Loosely based on the TV series “The Office” it also happens to be very funny!

But the real climax – which shows how far German humour has changed and developed – comes in a TV commercial, for a VW car of all things. In a blatent reference to the “Towel Wars” of the last few years between german and british tourists (which the respective tabloids “Bild” and “The Sun” made a big issue of), a young man is depicted in a car showroom examining a brand new VW Golf. He opens the door and is about to get into the car, when a couple stood some way behind them fling their bathtowels through the open window. They land perfectly on the seats of the car, and the woman then remarks – “I’m sorry, but this car is reserved for us” … marvellous!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXRKZzPjYV0

Who says they can’t make fun of themselves? 5 stars from me for the makers of this commercial …

Credits:
Guildo Horn Photo: Public Domain, taken by “Schlendrian”