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Posts with tag predictions

Filed under: Internet, Web services, Google, Microsoft, Search, web 2.0

Google Maps adds traffic predictions

Google Traffic predictions
Just a few days after Microsoft rolled out a new traffic prediction feature for Windows Live Maps, Google has followed suit with traffic predictions for Google Maps. Both services use historical traffic data to predict likely congestion points and travel time in the future. But there are two major differences:
  1. Windows Live Maps will suggest the best driving directions for avoiding traffic, Google Maps will not
  2. Google Maps lets you choose the day of the week and time of day to see projected traffic patterns, Windows Live Maps will not.
While both services are pretty useful, what we really want is a service that will combine both of these features. Mapquest, we're looking at you.

[via Google Operating System]

Filed under: Fun

What are your software predictions for 2007?

Lifehacker's 2006 roundup
What will happen in 2007? Who knows what the future holds, right? I am willing to bet that you already have a good idea what will happen next year. Care to share? I want to hear what you are most looking forward to this year, are there any apps that you think will go critical and be the next big thing? Also, what was your favorite app of 2006? Let me know. In case you can't remember your favorite app, you can consult LifeHacker's roundup of the best apps of 2006. It is a good chance that their favorites were some of yours. Many of mine are on the list. Let me know what your favorites are!

Filed under: Fun

Next Year in Review: 2007 Predictions

Crystal BallI'm not much for my prognostication myself--which is to say that I'm terribly bad at it--but it seems like everyone else in the tech industry can't get enough of it. The LA Times has predictions from Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, paidContent's Rafat Ali, Wired editor Chris Anderson, and other industry notables. Ali predicts that talents bred on the internet will start breaking out, getting their break on YouTube and making it in the mainstream. Anderson says, "2007 is the year that somebody figures out how to make video advertising work in a YouTube world. And if I'm right, the TV industry is going to get very rocky, very fast." And Ballmer? He says "2007 will be the year that unified communications technology helped us regain control of our information and our lives." Uh, Steve.. we might've stayed in control all along if it weren't for Microsoft's marriage to the movie and music industries.
Web 2.0 blog Mashable has its own list of 2007 predictions, which includes the explosion of online contests, widgets hitting it big (but RSS staying on the back burner), and the triumph of YouTube over MySpace, among others. And the Washington Post's Brian Krebs makes predictions regarding cybersecurity in 2007 which paints an unpretty picture of scammers and malware. Finally, Searchblog writer and FM Publishing chair John Battelle hasn't made his predictions for 2007 yet, but he has done a retrospective of his 2006 list. The verdict? Not too shabby.

Filed under: News

Best and worst predictions for 2005

Crystal
BallNo, not predictions for the coming year; predictions for the past year: Wired News' Joanna Glasner has written a piece in which she collects the tech predictions pundits made about 2005 and determines whether their crystal balls were, to mix metaphors, loaded or shooting duds. The winners are Robert Cringely and Rob Enderle, and the losers Michael Robertson and IDC. It's a short article, but a fun read for those who like to see a pundit deflated now and then.

Filed under: Internet, Web services, Apple, Microsoft, Yahoo!

Google predictions for 2006

GoogleSo far I've avoided the predictions-for-'06 lists just for sheer volume (if you've spotted any particularly good ones, though, please hit up our tips form) but Philipp Lenssen's mostly Google-centric 15 Search Predictions for 2006 at Google Blogoscoped is pretty good. He gives a probability for each of his predictions: Web-wide Google video search? 80%. Graphical ads on Google.com? 40%. Google releases revolutionary web translator? 50%. Yahoo! and MSN unclutter themselves? 20%. Head over to Google Blogoscoped for the full list or post your own predictions in the comments below.

Featured Time Waster

Forumwarz - a potentially offensive time waster

I pwn UAfter spending the better part of an hour on Forumwarz I still can't decide if it's just sick or if it's kind of fun. It's a bit like a car wreck on the highway. I know I shouldn't be looking but I can't quite turn away.

It's sick, it's twisted, it's the internet on it's worst level and darn it, it's kind of fun. At least for a little while.

Forumwarz is a parody role-playing game that takes place on the internet - or at least the Forumwarz version of it. Your goal is to complete missions that are given to you through a mock up of GoogleTalk called Sentrillion.

Your first "friend" is ShallowEsophagus who begins giving you missions to pwn various forums by being a troll. Depending on the character type you are assigned at start up, you have tools like drooling on the keyboard or bashing your head on the keyboard that you can use to destroy forum threads and eventually, pwn a forum.

Future missions involve buying illegal software from the Russians, pwning more difficult forums and other internet oddness.

Completing missions gives you cash, called Flezz in game, and items that you can pawn or use in other missions. The game is NOT for those easily offended. It's crass, coarse and there are frequent f-bombs in the fake chat sessions.

This is also a game for a more mature audience as it requires you to shop at the Drugs R Fun store to get various concoctions to improve your playing, engage in certain cyber activities to get more Flezz and just generally use a more adult perspective.

If you can get past that, here are the more enjoyable and time-wasting aspects.

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