World66 - Create your map of visited countries

Gosh, I've only seen 3% of the world in 7 countries. Time to get traveling! This is a neat site that allows you to chart the places you've visited:

Pass the Sketch Up

Google has released a free 3D program!

“Google SketchUp (free) is an easy-to-learn 3D modeling program that enables you to explore the world in 3D. With just a few simple tools, you can create 3D models of houses, sheds, decks, home additions, woodworking projects - even space ships. And once you've built your models, you can place them in Google Earth, post them to the 3D Warehouse, or print hard copies.”

No boundaries: The challenge of ubiquitous design

Just a few quotes from a neat, visionary article.

“Sometimes a change in technology has implications that are so epochal that everyone must wrestle with them, accommodate them, or prepare for them. The revolution in information technologies known as ‘ubiquitous computing.’”

“…ubiquitous computing is information processing that has left the desktop behind, and been distributed throughout the built environment: "invisible, but in the woodwork everywhere."

“Since 1997, residents of Hong Kong have been using a single, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)-equipped smart card called "Octopus" for everything from purchasing rides on the tram and snacks at the corner store, to getting in their front door. A Pittsburgh-based startup called BodyMedia offers a wireless biometric monitor little thicker than a BandAid. The data it collects is interpreted using information-visualization software that creates a "physiological documentary of your body," which can be shared with your doctor through a secure website. Meanwhile, companies as diverse as Samsung, Intel® and Apple, sensing unparalleled opportunities in the amorphous area where communication, information, and entertainment converge, are all making a play to own the "digital home."