More fun with maps
We've seen Google Street View do some pretty crazy stuff, but this takes the cake. You can now use the tool to cruise Antarctica, according to Information Week:
"We often consider Street View to be the last zoom layer on the map, and a way to show you what a place looks like as if you were there in person -- whether you’re checking out a coffee shop across town or planning a vacation across the globe," said Google Maps engineer Brian McClendon in a blog post. "We hope this new imagery will help people in Ireland, Brazil, and even the penguins of Antarctica to navigate nearby, as well as enable people around the world to learn more about these areas."
In other cool map news, MapQuest has released an atlas that draws on the CIA World Factbook to provide data about countries as you click, according to Mashable.
And finally, Kottke offers this entirely politically incorrect map of Europe, according to Americans.
Social climber
Trying to get your name out there? Want to be more Googleable? Mashable has tips about how to climb the search rank ladder.
Get shorter
Google is now in the URL shortening game, according to TechCrunch. Goo.gl joins the ranks of Bit.ly and TinyURL, offering Twitter-friendly links with the promise of permanence.
The three Ps: poverty, polling and posture
- The Rust Belt rules! At being poor that is. Rust Wire points us to a Cleveland Plain Dealer article about post-industrial cities being the poorest in the nation. Detroit is king, but Buffalo comes in third.
- Mashable has a link to an infographic that breaks down what Americans think about various issues, including energy and the environment, the economy, and culture and media. The data comes from a Yahoo poll.
- Technology Review has a different take on a vibrating chair. This one is pretty bad at massage actually - it's designed to buzz when your posture declines, reminding you to sit up straight. No thanks. If I wanted that feature I'd pay my mom to sit next to me at work.
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