Web 2.0 … The Machine is Us/ing Us

Be sure to watch the current featured video: Web 2.0… The Machine is Us/ing Us. It’s an interesting perspective on how the net is being built and fun to watch.

Crime Reports

Every so often a new tool comes along that makes you say “wow, the internet is awesome!”. Crime Reports is such a tool.

Using Google’s powerful mapping engine combined with input from local law enforcement agencies Crime Reports gives residents nearly real-time reports of all crimes reported in any geographic area selected in their neighborhood (or a relatives for that matter). If you’ve ever used Mapquest or Google Maps then you can use this with ease.

Did I mention it’s FREE?

Here’s why the Utah based company put together this great tool for us and law enforcement:

“CrimeReports.com was created to help law enforcement agencies put crime data in the hands of those who care about it most—citizens. While crime statistics in a specific city may be available, they may not be accessible. CrimeReports.com standardizes the way law enforcement agencies communicate crime data to the public, down to the specific neighborhood or block they live on.”

Crime Reports

Cuil Versus Google

The ultimate David and Goliath scenario began to unfold on the battlefield yesterday as Cuil began offering it’s search engine to the public. What makes this battle more interesting then some of the others we’ve heard about is the fact that Cuil (pronounced “cool”) was started by several former Google engineers and Google has tried unsuccessfully to buy them out. Must be something to this Cuil then, right?

The short video below covers some of the buzz that’s making it’s rounds across the net and in Silicon Valley and is worth the few minutes to watch.

Our initial impression is not very favorable as the search results included a lot of “clutter” and instances where the same site consumed high percentages of search results. Having said that, we understand that a lot can change over time and they’ve only been turned on for one day!

Google Keyword Tool Now Offers Search Volume

Google AdWords announced they’ve added keyword search volume data to their Keyword Tool.

Now, when you use the Google Keyword Tool to search for your relevant keywords, you’ll be able to see the approximate number of search queries performed on Google and their search network for these keywords. This gives advertisers a better idea of where they’ll get more mileage for their money and will help in budgeting.

Google Sued Over ‘Street View’ Photo of Private Property

The Smoking Gun posted an interesting article about a Pittsburgh couple suing Google for “intentional and grossly reckless invasion of their privacy” by making a street view photo of their house available on the web for all to see. In their complaint they refer to the ‘Private Road’ sign posted at the entrance to their property.

This case could prove to be very interesting as we are afforded some basic privacy rights in America although it’s not clear that a birds eye view (a high flying bird) of the top of our property constitutes an invasion of that privacy.

For kicks I viewed our home using Google’s satellite mapping tool and I must admit I was relieved that the satellite image is a few years old and taken when the pool was closed so my unflattering bathing suit shot didn’t become an online viral sensation.

APRIL 4–A Pittsburgh couple is suing Google for invasion of privacy, claiming that the web giant’s popular “Street View” mapping feature has made a photo of their home available to online searchers. Aaron and Christine Boring accuse Google of an “intentional and/or grossly reckless invasion” of their seclusion and privacy since they live on a street that is “clearly marked with a ‘Private Road’ sign,” according to a lawsuit the couple filed this week in Allegheny County’s Court of Common Pleas. A copy of the April 2 complaint can be found below. According to the Borings, they purchased their Oakridge Lane home in late-2006 for “a considerable sum of money,” noting that a “major component of their purchase decision was a desire for privacy.” But when Pittsburgh was added last October to the roster of cities covered by Google’s “Street View” feature, the Borings allege, their “private information was made known to the public,” causing them “mental suffering” and diminishing the value of their home (which cost the couple $163,000, according to property records). The Borings are seeking in excess of $25,000 in damages and want a court order directing Google to destroy images of their home. Click here for some photos of the Boring property, which is now even easier to locate via Google Maps, since the plaintiffs included their home address on the lawsuit’s first page. And while they are litigating, perhaps the Borings should consider suing Allegheny County’s Office of Property Assessments, which includes a photo of their home (which was built in 1916 and sits on 1.82 acres) on its web site.

Warning Fake Hallmark eCards

I received a Hallmark card a short while ago and was within a keystroke of “opening” the card, which turned out to be an executable file. The email looked so real and I just couldn’t believe it was a fake so I went to Hallmark.com and sent one to myself just to double check before I opened the “card”.

The ecard I received from Hallmark bore no resemblance to the one I had received earlier so the email I almost opened was a virus. Ecards are a great way for a hacker to gain access to your computer. Be wary of any and all ecards.

Hallmark and all other ecard companies I’m aware of will send you to their site to view the ecard. If you don’t recognize the URL as being from the company the ecard is from I just wouldn’t open it as it’s not worth the risk of a virus.

Online Graphical Dictionary

Visuwords is 30 years too late for me, but if you have kids they’ll love this cool dictionary that’s unlike any other I’ve ever seen.

On the homepage you just type in the word, any word, and like a cell it begins to multiply into new words all related in some way to the original word entered.

School English teachers could make great use of this as it’s far more interesting to explore words with this then the traditional methods used since I was a school kid.

Here’s how they describe it:

Visuwords™ online graphical dictionary — Look up words to find their meanings and associations with other words and concepts. Produce diagrams reminiscent of a neural net. Learn how words associate.

Enter words into the search box to look them up or double-click a node to expand the tree. Click and drag the background to pan around and use the mouse wheel to zoom. Hover over nodes to see the definition and click and drag individual nodes to move them around to help clarify connections.

• It’s a dictionary! It’s a thesaurus!
• Great for writers, journalists, students, teachers, and artists.
• The online dictionary is available wherever there’s an internet connection.
• No membership required.

Visuwords™ uses Princeton University’s WordNet, an opensource database built by University students and language researchers. Combined with a visualization tool and user interface built from a combination of modern web technologies, Visuwords™ is available as a free resource to all patrons of the web.

Enjoy!