Google Maps Adds Webcam View

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picture-1I was just checking out the new webcam feature on Google Maps.  This seems awesome.  You can really get a level of detail about a place that you just couldn’t before.  It would be really cool if the would mix this with something similar to Microsoft’s Seadragon software and synthisize photos in three dimensions too.  I’m sure that’s coming down the pipe.  Anyways, check out the image to the right or check it out yourself.  You don’t actually see video on the map (because I’m sure it would be a bandwidth hog), but it links to the cam and shows the last cached image from the cam.

Just go to Google Maps and look up a location.  Make sure you click “More” and select the checkbox for Webcams.  Do you have a webcam on Google Maps yet?  Post a link in the comments.

What do you think they’ll add to their maps feature next?

Streaming the Super Bowl

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I had a hell of a time finding a place where I could live stream the Super Bowl.  I’ve finally found one and want to spread the word.  Check out this site:

URL

http://www.justin.tv/ppvmaniadotcom

Quality

Audio: 7/10

Video: 7/10

Feedback?

If you have a better suggestion, please leave a comment and I’ll check it out and post it.

Affiliate Summit West 2009 Bonus Video

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Ok Everyone, I told you I’d get you some great shots from the Affiliate Summit Triathlon, and they’re here.  I’ll let the video do the talking.

Printing, Picas, Points, and Pixels: How’re they related?

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imageHave you ever wondered why fonts use points, or what that unit of measure is in Photoshop - the Pica?  Did you know that pixes and screen fonts are very much related to old school printing?  Here’s the place where I can bring it all together for you.  First the definitions:

Points

There are 72 points in an inch.

Picas

There are 12 points in a Pica.

Printing

Standard printing methods use points and picas to measure the size of fonts and paper or other objects on the print.  For instance a newspaper may use a 12 point (1 pica) font on a peice of paper.  Try dividing a regular 8.5 x 11 peice of paper into thirds.  It’s much easier to say 11 inches is 66 picas, so it’d be three 22 pica folds instead of every 3.66 inches.

Pixels and Screen Typography

It’s interesting to see the correlation of old school typesetting when looking at modern day computers.  The standard resolution is 72 pixels per inch, which means each pixel is one point.  That makes things easy.  Did you ever wonder why the largest font size in Word is 72?  It’s because that font should be one inch high on you screen - and who would want to go bigger than that?

I just learned all of this from a customer of mine recently.  Have anything to add?

Polar Plunge 2009

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So I was a part of the Polar Plunge put on by the Morrisville Rotary Club. It was a fund raiser for transitional housing for the United Way. Yes I’m wearing a ShoeMoney.com shirt.