Gamer Speak

I'll admit that there was a time when I played quite a bit of multiplayer online gaming (LAN games of Age of Empires when I was in college) but I've never gotten into this whole MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) thing that has exploded in the last couple of years. Obviously the forefront of this has been World of Warcraft, which has 11.5 million monthly subscribers. I'll admit, it looks fun. What I didn't realise was the short code language that has developed around the game.

This NBC Bay Area report highlights the oddness (sorry gamers) of how conversation has developed around the game.



Admittedly this guy is clearly hamming it up, and exaggerating the whole thing, but I have no doubt when he doesn't have his girlfriend in the room he becomes incomprehensible.

Temperature Sensite Glass

Paper, plastic and textiles that have colour-changing dyes aren't a new idea, but this is the first time I've ever seen something similar in glass. Available in numerous colours and sensitivities, these new glass tiles change colour based on ambient temperature, body temperature or water temperature – basically whatever they’re touching.

Blizzard in Ringsend

Zumba Phone

The BBC recently reported on what it calls "the world's first fully accurate voice recognition system for mobile phones." Without doubt that should get anyone's attention. The device, known as the Zumba Phone, is currently in development by IA Technology, a 40-person strong ejector-seat technology company from Hereford England.

An odd story altogether, but the optimist in me (and technofile) hope it gets made.

Think - Road Safety Campaign

This is one intense ad, like some sort of cross between a Japanese horror movie and Eastenders. I think Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO (the agency behind this) have done an incredible job for the British Department for Transport.

Jim Fitzpatrick, the British road safety minister said: "We now want motorists to consider the consequences of speeding for them: what is life like for the driver who kills because they are in a rush to get home and how does that split second decision affect the rest of their life?

Business Card

Even in an online world most of us still have business cards, and I thought this was definitely worth sharing.

New Google Earth Updates

Looks like there’s a whole plethora of new Google Earth features that have just been launched. First up is the Ocean. Seriously. Although Google Earth did display some texturing to indicate depth and undersea features, it has now been dramatically expanded. It will now feature a detailed bathymetric map that will allow you to actually drop below the surface and move around the various trenches and ridges of the 3D seafloor. There is also a large collection of video and image data points of ocean life and surf spots, and logs of real ocean expeditions.

Next up is the new Touring function. With this you can create your own fly-through tours to share with other people.

Google Earth has also expanded the extra-earth destinations it has available with Mars 3D. In collaboration with NASA, Google Earth now gives you the option to fly to the Red Planet and view stunning high-res 3D terrain and imagery. They’ve also included various info points regarding the landing spots that have seen earth explorers touchdown on.

Finally is Google Earth’s new Historical Imagery. Up to now it was only possible to view a single image from a given location. With this new function you can move backwards and forwards through time, viewing images from various decades. Watch as a city explodes with growth.

So if any of this tickles your fancy, get over to Google Earth 5.0 and download yourself a copy now.