Thanks to DS, I downloaded the program WorldWide Telescope.  This is similar to the idea of , but a little better put together.  For those taking Astronomy in college, like I did, then this program is just like that one you had to buy, you know, Starry Night.  Starry Night is $150 and lacks real Hubble images, so that is how they are set apart.

The WorldWide Telescope (WWT) is a rich visualization environment that functions as a virtual telescope, bringing together imagery from the best ground and space telescopes in the world for a seamless, guided exploration of the universe.

Link

Obviously I played with the program for a little before I wrote this, so I’ll tell you a bit about it.  It has every constellation that you could ever think of.  It also has images of all the planets and moons in case that’s all you fancy.  Their easy tab system makes it so even an inexperienced astronomer can maneuver around this program and learn a thing or two.

There is a Guided Tours tab that takes you through a tour of nebulae, galaxies, planets, black holes, star clusters and tons of other good stuff.  You can search by name if you want or just wander the skies with your mouse.

Go check it out for yourself and you might just learn something.

Wow, that is quite the video there. This reports on Chrysler’s offer to cap gas prices, which have skyrocketed to a whopping $3.63 in my area recently, to $2.99 a gallon. Of course they have their stipulations, but who doesn’t.

Microsoft has signed a world wide deal with Kia and Hyundai so their customers will have the ability to use voice commands to control a number of different features with the use of their in-car software. For already is in the contract with Microsoft, but theirs will expire in November.

T-mobile has already launched their 3G network in New York, but now they have announced that Seattle is the next lucky city to get their 4x faster download speed. The new network launch will take place this fall, so get ready you Seattleites.

I don’t know many Zune people, but there are some out there, and this should excite them. Microsoft Zune fans will soon have the ability to download popular t.v. shows directly to their Zune!! At $1.99 each you can get shows like South Park, Battle Star Galactica, Heroes and my favorite The Office.

Webby Awards took place and guess who are the winners! That is correct, buzz travels fast, but Colbert is the Webby Person of the Year for connecting to his fans using the Internet. Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas won Webby Artist of the Year for his music video supporting Barack Obama. A few others are

Best Political Blog - Huffington Post

Best Cultural Blog - Post Secret

Best in the Politics category - FactCheck.org

Best Community - Flickr

All that in one video, how informational! Enjoy!

I like these “who’s playing” commercials pushing World of Warcraft.

I can’t stop thinking of the E3’s Leroy Viral Release anytime WoW comes up, that we posted here in 2005, and a follow up in 2007.

The original Go Leroy was just so damn funny. I do like the strategy here of showing who is behind the character and what type of character the celebrity is.

Of the ones I have seen, the Mr. T version is my fav.

Verizon has done some very good commercials over the years (many posted here just search Verizon in the upper right) but it’s about time they did something outstanding with the mobile business model…open it up .

I’m not sure what this will end up doing to the mobile market but it’s over due that a large carrier like Verizon made the move.

They sell time and service, why restrict that to just the people that buy your plan and discounted phone. That is short sighted and will end up the same way as long-distance service, dead.

The pony commercial has nothing to do with the story but it’s another good spot from Verizon. Just like mobile service, be careful what you ask for, you might just get it.

More on Miniature Horses here at: L’il Beginnings Miniature Horse International

I don’t have a zune so I can’t say it cool or crap but these latest commercials are very artistic and totally out of character for a Microsoft product.

I have another one lined up that is just a trip, I will post it later today.

American cars are hard to buy, I wish I didn’t feel that way but I do. The exterior design of the cars are usually average but it’s the interior and cheap looking materials that turns me off before I even start thinking about the technical quality and longevity.

This new 2008 Ford Focus has sparked my interest. The design seems solid (inside and out) and the gas mileage is good.

I just got back from a business trip and was given a Chrysler Sebring. The car itself was okay but the interior was total crap. In fact the interior was damn right plastic and hurtful. The armrest between the front seats had a hard plastic top that followed the angular design of the car style which ended with a point (made of the same plastic material of the rest of the car) that was positioned directly behind the automatic gear shift.

Every time I shifted, my elbow hit the point of the hard plastic point of the armrest, jabbing into my elbow. I even asked a business partner to sit in the car and see if it was me, it was not. It just reaffirmed my opinion of American auto making.

This view might be too judgmental. I shouldn’t base my opinion on one car, I have not been in the new 2006 Ford Focus but from the interactive elements I have seen online tonight, it looks far better than other American cars I have driven or sat in. They have also added the Microsoft SYNC technology which is damn cool.

So, I will give Ford and American cars a chance based on what I have seen in commercials and these interactive promotional spots pulled from Yahoo.

The design inside and out seems to be better than most American designs. The 2008 Ford Focus web site does a very good job of showing off the car and its new design (inside and out).

Not sure why I like this commercial for Guitar Hero 3 but I would guess it’s the children signing:

Don’t need nothin’ but a good time
How can I resist
Ain’t lookin’ for nothin’ but a good time
And it don’t get better than this

It’s a really interesting mix of glamrock from Poison sung by a bunch of kids. Odd but kinda cool touch.

Below is the video of Poison’s Nothin’ But A Good Time.

Yes that’s $2.25 billion with a growth rate of about 20% annually. 

As if that wasn’t enough, the “casual” online gaming community is more than 200 million strong.

That’s about the entire population of the United States in 1967 or current day Brazil.

If you think about that, if all the online gamers organized and moved to an island, they would be the 6th largest country in the world.

Check out for the full story:

Apple is to release the new Macintosh operating system, Leopard, on October 26th. The release of Leopard OS X was delayed to make sure that the iPhone was released on time. With the new operating system comes 300 new features. Even with all of the new features, the previous Apple users will still be able to adapt to the new OS. “Boot camp” is one of the new features, although this feature was introduced previously for testing in their Intel-based systems. “Boot camp” allows you to install Microsoft’s Windows to your Macintosh. Now with “boot camp” being on all the new systems it opens the market up to Windows users.

Mac revenues have hit record highs for the past year, and Apple’s share of the PC market has grown. Analysts expect Apple’s strategy of introducing products that work with Microsoft’s Windows software to further boost computer sales.

The original article was on CNN.

At first my response is I hate texting anyway but now I can talk my text, that is doubly stupid, or is it.

I understand the “want and reason” for texting, I also understand that I’m not the demographic that has adopted it as a main staple of quick communication.

So I decided to read on and see if I can educate myself of why Hands-Free Texting is needed. Well, it certainly isn’t needed but the application from Yap could be useful to texting fans.

Instantly send text messages…just by talking!

Why did we create this? Did you know that 66% teens text while driving? How does it work? Yap9?, our very lightweight client, connects to Yap’s advanced server platform where we do all of the speech recognition magic. One day (soon) you’ll be able to “yap” all your friends without hurting yourself because of your cell’s tiny keypad. Please register and we’ll let you know as soon as it’s available for your carrier/mobile. Thanks!