March 2006 – woowoowoo

confirmed – Ballmer is a nut!

As if we needed confirmation – last week we had a blogger from inside M$’s Vista testing team saying that it was a complete load of garbage and that Ballmer should be fired. We’ve all heard about him chucking chairs in a google inspired tantrum, but this latest piece “Microsoft chief forbids his kids from iPods“, really made me chuckle.

His kids are banned from using iPods and Google!

…but there is more – he goes on to talk about an ‘innovative proposition’ – rolling music and communication devices into one – whoah! that one came from left field! Way to go Stevie!

m2006 Mashup

As inflatable Koalas bounced around the MCG, I was putting the finishing touches to my first Google Maps mashup – The Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games.

Most of the features from the Melbourne 2006 KMZ have been incorporated, and though I still prefer the stand alone app, I’m quite proud that my mashup uses decent css layout and goes within a single warning of validating strict xhtml, (these are things that matter to a nerd!).

Oh, and thanks to Google Maps Mania, who blogged about it even before I did!

Melbourne 2006 on Google Earth

It’s my first attempt at a Google Earth file, so I’m ready for criticism. All the same, I think it’s OK. Along the way, I learned how to make a network link, and how to draw a path, I’m sure that’ll be useful one day!

I’ve tried to cover as much as possible of the venues to be used in the Commonwealth Games starting here in Melbourne in just over a week. I’m also keen to hear any suggestions, and there are a few details I’d love to fill in, such as exactly where the Mountain Bike Trail is – even though the satellite image is only low res. So if you do download it – refresh it from time to time – there will hopefully be updates and I hope to add a few more flickr links to it.

Download The (unofficial) Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games kmz file now!

Oh, boy! I’ve been picked up by the Google Earth Blog!

On a lighter note…

Tonight I joined the latest internet bandwagon, creating a public transport map with all the names scrambled into anagrams. There’s a heap more here at boing-boing.

I want to print off a few hundred and give them to visitors at the Commonwealth Games!

another rant!

As a long time BigPond Cable subscriber, I’m used to receiving their self promotional emails. Usually shopping specials I’m not interested in and promotional guff about their content.

You see, they have quite a bit of video and music content, but I’ve never used any of that either. Not that I wouldn’t like to, some of the sport video I would love to see. No, the reason I haven’t used any of their content is because I have a Mac, and their system is only compatible with Windows, that’s it.