If you take advantage of the free services Google provides at all, I bet you spend a good deal of time on Google Earth, that nifty three-dimensional model of our planet allowing you to zoom in on any address or locale on Earth.

Most of you probably use Google Earth to find your home or addresses in other states, but there are so many more tricks you can do with it, according to the awesome Google Earth Hacks Web site.

The link below provides a complete list of "hacks" you can do to maximize Google Earth's capabilities, but here's a few of them below to whet your appetite for more ...

• Plotting a satellite map from your home to another destination, then traveling that very same route
• Looking at how far or close airplanes fly by your home
• Checking out the strange images distorted by satellite images, like the very weird towers of water piercing the sky north of Pittsburgh
• Reliving history thanks to dedicated users who have added overlays in areas like Little Big Horn and Pearl Harbor
• Watching real-time weather maps