Mapping the California fire zone.

I'm seeing a lot of TV and web news coverage of the California wild fires and, not having had the privilege of ever being in that State before, was wanting to put it all into perspective. It was timely that while I was listening to Buzz Out Load this morning the Buzz crew spoke of an interesting Google Maps mashup that maps the area of the fires and pinpoints some major points of interest. It's amazing to see the area affected by these fires and truly brings into scope the magnitude of this tragedy! There's also something much more compelling about being able to click on the map and move the image around as opposed to just seeing the area represented by a static image on TV. Though the video and stories presented by mainstream media is also very overpowering!

Halo fans rejoice!

If you are a Halo fan, and who isn't, you are probably doing thumb presses and finger stretches in preparation of some marathon gaming when Halo 3 releases in a few days time! Heck, even Buzz Out Loud's Molly Wood says this is the game that makes her want to by an Xbox 360. Well if you're dying for a Halo fix check out the virtual fly through. Move around in the 3D space, click hot spots and take awesome screen shots of your favorite scene. It will keep the edge off until the game releases!

Potter finale leaked online, pirate not too bright

The news world has been having fun chasing this one. Someone apparently, in a process which must have been brutal, photographed every page (784) of the yet to be released US version of the J.K. Rowling title "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". One slashdotter posted that the quality leaves little to be desired, apparently he's viewed the results. The story was covered in the latest CommandN (episode 97) and on Buzz Out Load (episode 520) and it appears that the perpetrator didn't realize that digital cameras embed meta data into their files which may help authorities round up the culprit. Ever upload pictures to flickr? that's how the site knows the type of camera you shot the picture with... He/she better not have registered their camera or take it in for repair! I wouldn't rush to bid on that Canon Rebel 350 just posted on e-bay either!

Veronica Belmont leaving CNet's Buzz Out Loud

One of the podcasts that I try to listen to on a regular basis is CNet's Buzz Out Loud. I've been tuning in to BOL for more than a year and one of the reasons I continue to listen is the on air personalities. In episode 514 the BOL crew announced that rumors of Veronica Belmont's departure were true. I am not however saddened by the departure, not that I don't enjoy Veronica's commentary! On the contrary, I was actually pleased to hear Veronica say she is starting a new video podcast for Mahalo.com, Jason Calacanis' human-powered search engine that I discussed in a previous post. The only difficulty will be in finding the time to catch all of the shows. Good luck Veronica, we'll miss you on BOL but look forward to the new show!