Filed under: Business, Design, Fun, Internet, Web services, Microsoft, Social Software
Keeping an eye on crime in Oakland with Crimespotting
Crime is an ugly thing, but the folks over at Stamen Design have turned the tables and made something beautiful to track it in the Oakland California area.
Microsoft Virtual Earth was the tool of choice when it came to skillfully building out this Oakland Crimespotting mapping creation. The interactive map tracks crimes that users can subscribe and receive updates about them via RSS and email, from aggravated assault, murder, robbery, arson, burglary, and disturbing the peace. The map pinpoints and highlights the area in which the crime occurred, time, date, and stamps it with an official crime case number. All data is pulled from the Oakland CrimeView Community map.
Stamen hopes that this tool with encourage local governments to use this visual data model and release more information to the public about tree planting, new schools, and other information that matters most to community members.

So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do.
Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game.
The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...
