Celebrity look-alikes
I'm taking a class this week on new technologies and education, which has been a little mind-blowing. I've learned how whole companies are being formed to trade in tools in online games--a multi-million dollar industry. They employ people who play the games, win the tools, and then sell them on ebay. The growth of multi-player online games is also astounding--Everquest is one example.
I'm also learning about ways that tools like Flickr, YouTube, blogs, etc. are transforming the web landscape. For example:
-At MyHeritage.com, you can upload your picture to see what celebrities look like you. (My top 3: Kathleen Turner, Howard Dean, and Carson Daly)
-A mashup (page using multiple web services) called Spell with Flickr allows you to spell any word with pictures people have uploaded to their Flickr sites.
-Another mashup--www.chicagocrime.org--allows you to type in a Windy City address and see recent crimes in the area. It will locate it on a helpful Google Map.
Fun stuff!