Crash, Boom, Bang?

If you haven't heard by now, Microsoft has re-named its Web search engine from Live Search to Bing, in an attempt to make it more "user-friendly". However, this "new" search engine got into a little trouble recently when it was found to be selective of the type of results to show depending on the search being queried. Want to know more?

In particular, it was sensitive towards searches that would highlight the "bad" side of Microsoft. This came to be known via here, and a screen capture here proved the point, especially since it has now been changed to reflect no "censorship", as seen from here. Just to be fair, Google was put to the test as well, as seen here. Well, it's good to see Microsoft redeem itself than to deny!

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Google Earth, Sky, Ocean, Moon, Mars

Most people would have heard of Google, primarily for searching for information on the World Wide Web (Web), a part of the Net (Internet), via Google Search. Some may know Google has some other interesting ways to search for other information, like locations via Google Maps (maps.google.com). But did you know there's more to this?

2D Web Google Maps (above) and 3D desktop Google Earth (below)

Google Earth (earth.google.com) is the desktop version of G-Maps, with the main difference being the program is in 3D while the Web version is in 2D.

2D Web Google Sky (above) and 3D desktop Google Sky (below)

Did you know G-Earth also progressed from just searching the land to space as well? It was called Google Sky but it's actually a part of G-Earth. You can also use the 2D version via the Web at sky.google.com

Then Google Ocean was added in G-Earth. However, unlike G-Sky, it's not available on the Web.

3D desktop Google Moon (above) and 2D Web Google Moon (below)

In the past, when you maximum zoom in 2D Web Google Moon, you'll see cheese, based after the phrase "The moon is made of cheese".

Now, there's Google Moon in G-Earth. Like G-Sky, G-Moon is also available on the Web in 2D at moon.google.com. There's also another nearby planetary body available from Google - Mars.

2D Web Google Mars (above) and 3D desktop Google Mars (below)

Google Mars is also incorporated into G-Earth, and you can also get it in 2D on the Web via mars.google.com

Venus is the same size as Earth, but it's too hot for life

So, will there be Google Venus at venus.google.com soon? Going by how Mars is heavily being explored as the next possible habitable planet after Earth, there's a chance Venus won't be mapped anytime soon in the near future.

Past (left) and present (right) satellite images in Google Earth

Instead, there's a higher chance G-Earth will incorporate a Future Time Slider in the not so distant future to enable a Temporal Database of what you're looking at - be it G-Maps, G-Sky, G-Ocean, G-Moon, or G-Mars. With this, you'll not only be able to search for past information as you now can in G-Earth, but also future predictions based on historical and present information.

This was what Vinton G. Cerf (the Father of the Internet), the Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist @ Google said during the 2008 WCIT (World Congress on Information Technology), held at KLCC (Kuala Lumpur City Centre) Convention Centre (KLCCCC or KLC4?). The WCIT is organised by the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA).

To get G-Earth (which comes with G-Sky, G-Ocean, G-Moon and G-Mars in the latest version 5), visit earth.google.com

images from Wikipedia

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