The compound that Osama bin Laden was hiding in and subsequently killed in can be seen on Google Maps and Google Earth.

The compound, located in the city of Abbottabad, Pakistan was basically a million-dollar mansion owned by bin Laden. This stands in stark contrast to the cave in the mountains most had been picturing. Because the compound harbored an international fugitive, security inside was obviously a major concern. The facility is surrounded by 12-foot-high concrete walls topped with barbed wire, and residents burned their trash instead of relying on public sanitation services. Despite the fact that the mansion is valued at around $1 million, it had neither an Internet nor phone connection. These measures once again were taken to ensure the utmost security for Osama. Too bad for him - these extreme precautions only managed to prolong his life by ten years.

Check it out for yourself on Google Maps. You can also learn more about Osama's compound here.

Also, in another example of new media's impact on the Osama bin Laden hunt, there was a Twitter user who scooped all the major news networks about the event! Pakistani Sohaib Athar @ReallyVirtual started tweeting about helicopters showing up around his town as the raid was taking place! He started off with "Helicopter hovering above Abbottabad at 1AM (is a rare event)" and "Go away helicopter - before I take out my giant swatter :-/". He had no idea what was actually going on! Since then he's attracted over 100,000 followers, who he keeps updated with local Abottabad goings-on, and the occasional joke:

"Bin Laden is dead. I didn't kill him. Please let me sleep now."

"Interesting, I didn't think my name would trend on twtter before releasing a couple of rock albums and a few award-winning software...."