Google Maps For Bicycle Riders
Google has launched bicycle directions on Google Map in 150 US cities including Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Portland and Washington, DC.
From Google Blog: …we wanted to include as much bike trail data as possible, provide efficient routes, allow riders to customize their trip, make use of bike lanes, calculate rider-friendly routes that avoid big hills and customize the look of the map for cycling to encourage folks to hop on their bikes.
Source: Google Map Biking
YouTube Adds Video Auto-Captioning For Deaf
YouTube is making all it’s hosted videos accessible by adding auto-captioning. Currently it only works for English language and it is ideal for the deaf and also when watching videos in noisy environment. Users can also upload a non machine translated caption for the video.
Google Acquires DocVerse For $25 Mil
Google has acquired real-time editing and sharing of Office documents, DocVerse, for $25 million.
From Google Blog: With DocVerse, people can begin to experience some of the benefits of web-based collaboration using the traditional Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint desktop applications.
A huge “welcome” to the DocVerse team and their customers! Current DocVerse users can keep using the product as usual, though we’ve suspended new sign-ups until we’re ready to share what’s next. Stay tuned!
Google Buys Picnik
Online photo editing application, Picnik has now been acquired by Google. You can use Picnik to crop, do touch-ups and add cool effects to your photos, all without leaving your web browser.
From Google Blog: We’re not announcing any significant changes to Picnik today, though we’ll be working hard on integration and new features. As well, we’d like to continue supporting all existing Picnik partners so that users will continue to be able to add their photos from other photo sharing sites, make edits in the cloud and then save and share to all relevant networks.
71-Year-Old Wins $10,000 iTunes Prize
Country music fan Louie Sulcer, 71, won $10,000 for downloading from iTunes a 1958 Johnny Cash 1958 song, “Guess Things Happen That Way.” He was the 10 billionth downloader.
Microsoft IE6 Will Die On March 13
First YouTube will and support for Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 on March 13. A Denver web design firm, Aten Design Group, has announced offered a short obituary and invite you to the wake.
From the IE6 Funeral website: Internet Explorer Six, resident of the interwebs for over 8 years, died the morning of March 1, 2010 in Mountain View, California, as a result of a workplace injury sustained at the headquarters of Google, Inc. Internet Explorer Six, known to friends and family as “IE6,” is survived by son Internet Explorer Seven, and grand-daughter Internet Explorer Eight.
Asian Couple Wed At NY Apple Store
Both Ting and Ling, married inside the Apple Store at Fifth Avenue, New York. This ceremony has not been approved by Apple. The priest was dressed just like Steve Jobs.
Microsoft-Yahoo Search Deal Gets Green Light
Antitrust regulators in the U.S. and European Commission have given the green light to allow Yahoo to use Microsoft Bing search for a slice of ad revenue. Yahoo will focus on attracting big advertisers and share the revenue with Microsoft.
Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz said, Yahoo gets to do what we do best: combine our science and technology with compelling content to build personally relevant online experiences to our users and customers.
Pilot Deliberately Crashed Into IRS Building In Texas
The small plane that crashed into the IRS building in Texas belong to an unhappy man, Piper Cherokee PA-28, who has grudge against the US Internal Revenue Service.
His suicide note states: I am finally ready to stop this insanity. Well, Mr. Big Brother IRS man, let’s try something different; take my pound of flesh and sleep well.
Google Gives $2 Million To Support Wikipedia
Google has given Wikimedia Foundation a $2m donation, to allow Wikipedia to grow. EBay founder Pierre Omidyar has donated $2m too a few months ago.
The donation from Google was announced on Twitter by a member of the Wikimedia board. Jimmy Wales tweeted: Google has donated $2 million to the Wikimedia Foundation! Formal announcement tomorrow…
