It's A Small World in Google Maps

Have you checked this out yet? Another of Google's prodigious beta tools: Google Maps.

As an Australian, my first urge is to find my home country. So I click away from the States, left a bit, then down a bit, left a little more, then some more again... and soon realise that there is simply not that much ocean on planet Earth. We've been excluded from the first round, as usual.

So, for the interim, let's try getting directions to "pizza", as the Google Maps home page suggests.

My first attempt gave no results, so I reloaded the web app. by clicking on the Google Maps logo. This time, I find that there are multiple hits for "pizza", the first being "Casey's Carry Out Pizza" in Coffeyville, Kansas, 2.1 miles south-east of where I am apparently standing.

Ah, so Google have put Coffeyville as the default dead centre of the United States, and all hits until you move the map, are listed by the distance from this point. This is quite cool indeed. More info on Casey's Carry Out Pizza is given in a pop up, including the ability to get directions to Casey's from your nominated address, and vice versa.

It's easy to see this is already rather useful. Better yet will be when this is available in a low-res format via handheld devices.

And closer still, we all come together, huh.

2005's Best April Fools Joke

The Mac Observer noted this year that Apple was going to license Microsoft's Windows Media platform for its iTunes and iPod players. The article accompanying this announcement was so seriously good that apparently even respected business institution Forbes was duped.

Here's a taste:

Sources close to the company admitted [to TMO] that Microsoft had also hit Apple where it hurt with its Six Tips for Buying an MP3 Player with Flash Memory tip sheet for consumers.

"That was just genius," said one source, who requested anonymity. "You'll notice that they didn't even mention the iPod once. Once a potential customer sees that, they're sold on an iRiver, a Dell DJ, or whatever. We couldn't compete with that, but thankfully Microsoft was willing to help us out."

Installation - Make Your Own 3D Playground

Wow. Amazing. Virtual blobby things, drawn with a pen into the air through a "window". You need to go and check this out.

Actually, I'm a bit behind the times here. Simon Greenwold at MIT Media Labs debuted Installation way back in 2001 and won a few awards with it in 2002, including a bronze in the 2002 I.D. Magazine Interactive Media Design Review. He was also personally invited to demonstrate the system to Intel for the Intel Corporate Research Fair of that year.

Apart from Installation, Mr. Greenwold has been amassing a fascinating collection of experiments and developments in spatial and graphical areas of human-computer interaction for the last 15 years or so. Does that sound wordy? Well, man, take a look -- he's just way cool.

You'd Think I'd Learn

...after the first time. But no. I did it again. And worse in the second round.

*sigh*

Brad and Jen Split Over Politics?

Could it have been Brad's political ambitions that pushed the couple apart?

The Swift Report seems to think so, quoting "sources close to the couple" [aren't they all?] who say Mr. Pitt hasn't yet determined how big he'll make his political empire, but he is interested in running for an office of some sort.

The World's Strongest Man [that's Arnie, duh] vs. The World's Sexiest Man. Wonder who'd get the votes?