First, we hated Slate V, Slate.com's recently unveiled video magazine that reeks of Infiniti. Then, we found a morsel of worthwhile content. And today? Today we're inching slowly toward adoration, thanks in no small part to "Google Earth's Downside," where filmmaker Scott Blaszak imagines what might happen if the search giant's little software application were used for illicit purposes (read: jealousy-based murder).

The piece also gives us a chance to navel gaze as to what's helping our opinion of Slate's video venture: No talking, background muzak, and zero clip art.