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Filed under: Internet, Social Software, web 2.0

Twittearth rips off Twittervision, gives it a prettier interface

Twittearth
Ever wish you could plot Twitter public timeline messages on a 3D map of the world? No use trying to pretend. We know you, and we know that you think of absolutely nothing else all day. Fortunately, there's a cure for what ails you: Twittearth. Or Twittervision. Both web applications do pretty much the same thing: show a rotating globe with the latest public tweets. But newcomer Twittearth is marginally more attractive, and it has cute little icons to represent each messge.

Twittearth also comes in screensaver form. Windows users can download the screensaver and look at the latest tweets from around the globe when their computer goes idle. Not that you're likely to be sitting in front of your computer and reading the screen when it's idle, but the spinning globe is still pretty, OK? A Mac version of the screen saver is in the works.

There's also a module for Twittearth users to login to their Twitter accounts and post tweets, but we weren't able to actually send a message no matter how many times we hit submit.

[via Mashable]

Filed under: Fun, Internet, Photo, Text, Web services, Social Software

Twittervision & Flickrvision: Now in 3D

David Troy, creator of Twittervision and Flickrvision, has outdone himself by adding 3D graphics at both sites so users can circle the globe (literally) to find out what other people are Twittering and Flickring. Twittervision 3D and Flickrvision 3D are simple yet mesmerizing ways to read Tweets and check out really cool photos when you should be, you know, working or something.

Troy used his 3D rendering skills to create an image of the earth that whirls and spins to provide a geographic perspective of where people are uploading their Tweets or pics. Visitors to the site can use the slider bar to zoom in and out to get close-up views of the globe, and quickly switch to full screen by clicking on an icon in the upper right corner (return to regular view by hitting the escape key).

These are really neat sites that highlight the random coolness factor Twitter and Flickr, but I'd like to see a way to slow it down or freeze the screen entirely. More than once, I wanted to read a Tweet a second time or take a better look at a photo but it was gone before I had the chance. Oh, and that dizziness-inducing spinning globe really needs to be slowed down a bit (or maybe I just need to visit the site before eating lunch).

Filed under: Developer, Fun, Internet, Text, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Blogging, Mozilla, Freeware, How-Tos, Social Software

Twitter tips - tools for your tweets



You are reading this post about Twitter. That's what you would answer to Twitter's simple question, "What are you doing?", which is the entire premise of Twitter's existence. Getting people to answer in 140 characters or less, by IM or logging onto Twitter.com, what it is they are doing at that particular moment. Big stuff, right?

Constant stream of consciousness chatter is the lifeforce of Twitter. And this constant feed of the bright and banal is turning a lot of people into Twitter addicts. What makes this so? It could be the sheer ease of use to Twitter. You don't have to construct an entire blog post or for that matter, even a full sentence. Just a thought, a word, an impulse to share and you can Tweet (or post something on Twitter).

To Tweet or not to Tweet
Warning: if you're the compulsive type, you may want to move onto the next post and stop your habit before you even have a chance to start it. (We're not making this up. According to Alexa, Twitter's user reach has increased 526% in the last three months). Now, for those of you who aren't the addictive type or who like to throw all caution to the wind, let's investigate what awaits you in the world of Twitter.

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