Holy Cartography! It's Flying Swindon-Man & An Evil Laser!

With a 3D 'flying map' of Swindon having just been launched, the technology behind it has been touted as groundbreaking.

Involving complicated techno-speak of a plane flying over the town while firing a laser to map the town in three dimensions, the actual method of recording our town in the all together was far more interesting.

'' We did an initial test flight, we turned on the laser when we were above Regent Street and once it passed over a shopper there was a red glow and puff of smoke and she was gone. Before we could change course, a young guy, I guess in his early twenties was zapped and vapourised. We turned the machine off and headed back in for a brainstorming session.'' That quote from Giles Feaneyton of World Mapping Company.

Happily, local super-hero, Swindon-Man (our own cheaper version of Superman, he's faster than a speeding Honda Civic, about 105mph) took out most of his morning yesterday to fly back and forth over most of the town centre with a new digital camera strapped to his utility belt to do the mapping. He was due to fly across to Southern California to help out with the Los Angeles brush fires, but was unable to get the correct work permit or a landing slot at Los Angeles International and instead helped out WMC.

Rumours that WMC have vapourised a coachload of pensioners outside Gala Bingo at Greenbridge in an unauthorised test last week have been strongly denied.

Swindon Centric Says ; Perhaps we could use the office laser pointer to heat up that scone in the kitchen?