Interesting Internet Tools and Toys - from the GTBP.org

Since I have a lot of flexible time on my hands and don’t have a day job, I spend a good amount of time searching the Internet for new technology.  So here are a few things that I found and a couple of things that folks sent me over the last month.

 

First of all I am floored how many of my friends and contact, many who are not_technically_oriented, picked up an iPhone and then linked to me on LinkedIN and Facebook using their phone.  I am impressed. 

 

Now I am going to give WINOs the reason to run out and buy an iPhone today.  It is a little $5 program that is worth much more, called Cor.kz.  It gives you access to the largest database of wine tasting notes by regular wine enthusiasts, like yourself, from Cellartracker.com .  It is awesome.  In your hand is a tool that will save you from buying a bad bottle of wine based on the label or a Mormon wine rep.  In the first week, it has paid dividends on my iPhone.  There are many other great features like tracking your own cellar and pricing guidelines.  GOT TO HAVE IT!

 

Google Earth has added so many features, that it could consume all of your time while collecting unending unemployment benefits.   Recently they have unveiled the underwater view which some users think they have located the lost city of <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 />Atlantis.  Also, added by NASA, you can see a carbon dioxide map of the United States.  It displays fossil fuel emissions by the hour, geographic region and fuel type.  And you will love this last one.  You or your loving and trusting spouse, can add a GPS tracker to the iPhone which allows users to not only see where you are but where you have been and how fast you are traveling.  The new GPS tracker is called iLeash.

 

How about a map of every newspaper front page in the US?  You can from the Newseum.com .  http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/flash/   Neat little toy, not sure what applications you can apply to this but thank you Bill O’Keeffe for sending it.

 

Go look at the News Feeds on the GTBP.org.  I have been adding feeds as I come across interesting information.  A couple of my favorite feeds are under the sub-title New Inventions.  I check the Bits and Science Daily just about every day.  I even placed a bookmark to the page on my iPhone.  It is always interesting reading while sitting and waiting in airports. 

 

Looking at the news feeds, I also see the coolest new toy for the gadget geeks.  It is the computer pen called Livescribe.  Yes it converts what you write to text but it also does audio recording where you can hear the playback in the recording from the point in your notes that you tap the pen.  It also can translate your notes to Spanish, and it is a calculator and it can play the piano.  Really, I’m not kidding. 

 

Have you come across anything interesting?  Share by sending an email to me or posting it in the comments below.