Many on-line mapping systems exist, but Google Maps is by far more impressive than most when judged by its speed and ease of use. One can scroll/drag the map in real-time (the page is Java-reliant), search by location reliably and expect a short response time. There are no advertisements either so the screen is used to its full capacity (see below, click to enlarge)

The down-side: only northern America is included, as in the case with Google Local (also in its Beta phase).

Pictures are much stronger than words, so here is a presentation of the spherical Longhorn (the next release of Windows) interface versus a Linux equivalent. These desktop environments provide an illusion that the user is ‘surrounded’ by the workspace. Click the images to enlarge.

On the left: Screen-shot of Metisse for FVWM

On the right: Screen-shot from a Microsoft meeting/demo in Chicago

Selection of a film that suits you best can be difficult task. It is also a very time-consuming one. The Internet simplifies it greatly.

Firstly, many reviews need be collated and summarised. MetaCritic does exactly that. I have used it exclusively for years.

Secondly, a cinema and show times must be discovered effectively. Use a bookmark (favourites) or a portal to quickly navigate to the listing (programme) of each local cinema. Once you enter the listing, run a search (Edit > Find in most browser) for the film’s title.

A self-tailored films portal

One of the notable pioneers of modern computing and mathematics died in February 8th 48 years ago. I found writings relating to his death quite mystifying:

… his mind, the amulet on which he had always been able to rely, was becoming less dependable. Then came complete psychological breakdown; panic, screams of uncontrollable terror every night. His friend Edward Teller said, “I think that von Neumann suffered more when his mind would no longer function, than I have ever seen any human being suffer.”

Von Neumann’s sense of invulnerability, or simply the desire to live, was struggling with unalterable facts. He seemed to have a great fear of death until the last… No achievements and no amount of influence could save him now, as they always had in the past. Johnny von Neumann, who knew how to live so fully, did not know how to die.

As already said, if you are not familiar with syndication and aggregators, now is a good time to discover them. Information will reach you, rather than being looked for.

There is an excellent index of RSS services from all over the world. It can help you become almost hyper-text-independent. All information that is of interest to you will be aggregated. This is probably the next generation of Web exploration.

Changes are expected in the way high-bandwidth entertainment is delivered. It sounds as if M¥¢ro$o£t have concrete plans of entering the world of television and maybe even broadcast. It might, of course, take us some time to discover if TV will absorb the PC or vice versa. In either case, it’s unlikely that the two will remain separate for the next decade to come. Time will tell.

From Slashdot:

…Verizon joins other baby bells SBC and Bellsouth in choosing Microsoft to provide TV content over high speed internet. IPTV, whose technology will deliver TV content in much the same way as VOIP delivers phone service, relys heavily on fiber optic speeds. According to SBC, Microsoft’s IPTV technology will allow a home to receive 3 standard TV signals, 1 HD channel, and high-speed Internet access all at the same time…

Quite arguably, the number of links pointing to a Web site indicate its popularity. The Google PageRank system is somewhat controversial, but here are some of the most popular sites on the Web, as viewed by the PageRank machanism:

Title:	PR	Backlinks
Adobe	10	82,500
Adobe Acrobat	10	306,000
World Wide Web Consortium	10	117,000
Macromedia	10	27,800
Energy.gov	10	40,200
Intel Corporation	10	38,100
Apple – QuickTime	10	43,300
Yahoo	10	581,000
Keio University	10	3,470
Elsevier.com	10	29,600

See Search Engine Genie for full listings.