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Bing Maps and OpenStreetMap
Aug 3rd
I have long been looking for an alternative to Google Maps, and I have found one: Bing Maps with OpenStreetMap. The OpenStreetMap support is added as layer for Bing Maps and the newest Bing Map App in the gallery. Lots of layers are available.
The solution is absolutely awesome, as Bing combines (mashup) OpenStreetMap and Flickr. On the screenshot you can see photos that I have published on Flickr from Mindszent and Mindszent on OpenStreetMap. I fast opened an OpenStreetMap account and added quite a few streets today.
I have also bought the iPad/iPhone application OffMaps, and it combines maps from OpenStreetMap with information from Wikipedia. So take that Google, one less service I use from you!
So why is OpenStreetMap getting so important? People, like you and me, gather location data across the globe from a variety of sources such as recordings from GPS devices, from free satellite imagery or simply from knowing an area very well, for example the area where they live. Maintaining maps cost a lot of money, so user input is very important to keep maps up to date. I for instance brought my geotracker on my trip to Rondane National Park in Norway, and would like to contribute the data to OpenStreetMap.
For more information, please visit the Bing Community blog.
WordPress 3.0 and a new theme
Jun 14th
Project work at work has come to an end, at least for the summer and I have again found time to work on my blog. I have migrated my department to Windows 7 and I have been working with new webpages for the central computer department at the University. Blogging on days where you have been writing documentation for hours, was not something I wanted to do. Therefor the lack of updates.
First out was an update of WordPress to 3.0 RC3 and second, finding a new suitable theme. My first impressions on WordPress 3.0, is that is yet another amazing update. The developers have done a really nice job, getting this blog tool even easier to use. As they have also managed to merge WordPress with WordPress MU (Multi-User), I am thinking of migrating my Norwegian blog to WordPress. More on that later.
Next out, is an article summing up my experiences with iPad. I have been using it for about 10 days at home and at work, and I am mighty impressed. I have also been testing Boox, an ereader for the Norwegian market, and I am about to finish an article in Norwegian that I’m to publish at frankps.posterous.com.
I hope to be able to blog again this summer, in between sitting out in the sun. At least it is gonna be far easier with an iPad in my backpack!
Who wants Google Maps, after seeing this?
Feb 17th
I have just seen Blaise Aguera y Arcas is an architect at Microsoft Live Labs, architect of Seadragon and the co-creator of Photosynth, demoing augmented-reality functionality in Microsoft Live Maps. I have been using Microsoft’s map service more and more lately, as it works brilliantly here in Oslo. There are some important things that I miss, like being able to embed maps in to blog posts. I partically liked that Microsoft has been working together with the Flickr developers on some of the new functionality, and I hope that Flickr soon start using Live Maps instead of the now outdated Yahoo Maps on their service.
Here’s the TED talk, enjoy:
Microsoft’s Silverlight technology impresses me. It is used in their map service, so I hope that it will be available as plugin/extension for all major browsers soon.
Google Buzz
Feb 9th
Finally an update to Gmail that I am looking forward to:
Google Buzz is integrated in Gmail and is a more social way of communicating than e-mail. My first though was, could this be functionality from the Google Wave project?
Buzz can be used with Picasa, Youtube, Google Reader, Flickr and Twitter, and is one of the easiest way I have seen to share updates, photos, videos and more. You can choose to share publicly with the world or privately to a small group of friends each time you post. What’s more is that you will automatically follow the people you email and chat with the most.
After having read about Google Buzz, looked at some screenshots and a video, I must admit that it is quite so similar to Posterous. Posterous works with tons of Internet services. I have been using Posterous as my blog in Norwegian, and enabled it to talk with Twitter, Facebook and WordPress.
And yes, Buzz also works on your favourite phone: iPhone and Android. Both phones have geolocation support. Now we just have to wait for our Gmail accounts to be upgraded. Google says that they will be rolling out it out over the next few days.
Voddler coming to Norway
Feb 2nd
I have been a paying customer over at Spotify for a few months, and I’m absolutely thrilled about how great the service work. It’s a kind of cloud computing that I like and it completely changed how I listen to music. I haven’t bought a single CD since I signed up.
I love watching movies, and have had Betamax, VHS, DVD and HD DVD systems through the years, and I am currently using Blu-ray as my preferred way of watching movies. I realize that I basically have had all the movie systems released for the consumer market. Now I wonder if Voddler can change the way we watch movies? iTMS still doesn’t sell TV shows or movies in Norway, so Voddler can get most of the market for themselves. And I guess they are going for it, as Voddler is to launch a beta version in Norway later this spring. I have flagged my interest a few months ago, if you also are interested to try it out, then sign up for a Voddler Norway account on Voddler´s website. According to Voddler, invites will be handed out in queue order.
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