Google Street View’s Interface Gets a Makeover

By Stephanie Rogers
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

If you’ve used Google’s Street View in the last couple days, you’ve probably noticed some changes to its interface. Google has made it a lot quicker and easier to enable Street View on Google Maps, enabling users to drag the Street View icon, Pegman, from the zoom slider onto the street you want to see. Google has even provided a quick video overview of the changes on YouTube.

The view itself is also larger and of a higher resolution than it was previously, allowing you to see things in better detail. The four-way directional pad has been replaced with a rotating compass, and the lowest zoom level is now Street View imagery, as well. Small changes, but they might help you get to Grandma’s house this Thanksgiving.

CNET reports that there appear to be some bugs when viewing either the mini-map or split-screen view in the latest version of Google’s own Chrome browser, 0.4.154.25.

In a blog post about the changes, the Google Earth and Maps team also share a mini gallery of various Pegman Easter eggs, sketches and prototypes, including holiday themes.

Continuing the Google Street View theme, here’s an oldie but a goodie just for kicks and giggles: Mashable’s Top 15 Google Street View Sightings, which include semi-nude sunbathers and a guy walking into an adult bookstore. Just some entertainment while you’re pretending to work.

[Via CNET]


The Pin Clock

Back when I was a kid, I used to play with those pin art boards, where you could stick your face in, or any other object, and obtain the shape of this object imprinted on the surface of the board.

In remembrance of those good old times, I present: the Pin Clock! This battery operated clock uses hundreds of pins to display the time in 3D. The pins automatically reshuffle themselves every minute to display the current hour and minutes. It retails for $59.95 on Amazon.com.

[Via Coolest Gadgets]

First impressions: Lunascape5 Genesis Browser Alpha Release

Do you have too many browsers installed already?  Well, today I’m test-driving yet another browser from a Japanese startup named Lunascape (I’m not really sure what to call this product, they sometimes refer to it as “Genesis”, but mostly they just call it Lunascape).  Where did they get that name, I wonder?  It sounds like you’re taking Netscape to the moon or something.

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New “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” Teaser Trailer

Yep folks, it looks like that even tough he’s possibly the most unlucky squirrel to have ever lived, Scrat will be still alive in the third installment of the Ice Age series.

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs will feature the return of the franchise’s original voice cast, including Ray Romano, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo and Queen Latifah. It also sees the return of director Carlos Saldanha. It is scheduled to hit theaters on July 1, 2009.

[Via FilmSchoolRejects]

The Guild Teams Up with Microsoft for Season 2

By Casey Lynn
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

The Guild, the MMORPG-themed web series spearheaded by geek goddess Felicia Day, is gearing up for its second season. However, rather than new episodes airing on YouTube, they will be showing up exclusively on XBox Live, Zune, and MSN Video. That’s right, they’re teaming up with Microsoft, which is part of the company’s new strategy to reach across a gaming console, portable media player, and Internet portal for maximum ad revenue. In this case, the twelve-episode run of the new season is being sponsored by Sprint.

The second season of The Guild premiered today on XBox’s new channel, Independent Video, which is devoted to original content. It will eventually offer other gaming-related shows like Red vs. Blue.

Apparently this sort of deal has been long coming, since Day has been approached by a variety of different media outlets trying to get their hands on The Guild. However, she insisted upon retaining all of the intellectual property rights to the series. This seems like a smart move; they get the licensing fees and exposure from Microsoft, but Microsoft doesn’t get any piece of future revenue if the show should graduate to TV or film.

The first episode of the new season is available here on MSN for those like me who don’t have an XBox.

A Laptop Chair to Die For

Designed by Manuel Saez for Humanscale, a popular manufacturer of ergonomic office furniture, the daybed is what I would call the ultimate chair for lazy, laptop-using Web surfers. I mean, look at this thing! It looks so comfortable, I doubt anyone sitting in it would ever want to get up, even after several hours of intensive Web surfing. However, the design of the chair definitely looks like it could prevent unhealthy postures, particularly those adopted when using a laptop. With the upcoming Star Trek Movie on our doorstep, it looks like it could fit in somewhere aboard the enterprise. Unfortunately, there’s no word yet on pricing or availability, but my guess is that as most Humanscale furniture, it’s going to be pretty damn expensive.

[Via YankoDesign]

GEM Introduces the Peapod: A Zero Emission AMC Pacer?

By Will Sullivan
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

The “Peapod,” by GEM (green eco mobility)—financed and designed by Chrysler—is pretty much a preposterous mashup of a Tesla Roadster and an AMC Pacer: zero-emissions electric vehicle meets mobile aquarium! As with the ill-fated Pacer of the ’70s, that vast expanse of glass looks terrific style-wise (well, I’m in a very generous mood today)—until, that is, you look through it from the inside…at the bus about to stomp you at 40 m.p.h. Split-pea soup. Still, it is undeniably cutesy, in a car-toony kinda way. With room for four (spring) peas strapped into its innovative webbed seats, this Peapod supposedly will begin rolling off…ahem…p.-lines…(sorry) sometime next year. Comments, anyone? E.g. check out the total lack of wheel wells! Bump City! Ouch!