John P.

One Mans Blog

Specialization is for Insects.

Top 10 Highest Paid WomenThis is an interesting application of Google Maps and mashup technology, which is basically the concept of taking information from multiple sources and blending them together.

So, here they are:
Read the rest of this entry »

Presidential BirthplacesThere is a great little site which graphically illustrates the birthplace of all US presidents as well as all of their spouses.

When you get to the site just click on any of the little red push pins in the map to get a pop up which includes a photo of the president, date and place of birth, spouses and interesting facts.

Holland Tunnel Under WaterSo, after all my talk about Global Warming, including the movie An Inconvenient Truth, wouldn’t you like to know what’s going to happen to your piece of real estate if (and when) global sea levels rise over the coming decades? For example, just look at the image here… if seas rise just 10 feet the Holland tunnel in New York will be under water! :-)

Well, Alex Tingle now brings us the Flood Maps Website which allows you to see a visual representation of what will happen at varying levels of rising sea.
Read the rest of this entry »

WeddingMapper Google Maps Mashup

Wedding MapperWeddingMapper, enables couples who are tying the knot an easy way to map the festivities for guests.

The user can add various markers to an online map — such as “ceremony,” “reception,” “hotel,” or “airport” — to show where the locations are in relation to one another and then can supplement the marker with web links, uploaded photos and custom descriptions.

Read the rest of this entry »

My 51 Favorite Freeware Apps

Favorite FreewarePeople routinely ask about my favorite software so, I’ve decided to gather all my top picks in one place to make every one’s life a little easier.

All of the software listed here is free for personal use, meaning:

  1. Any of this software can be installed and used at absolutely no charge, forever. There is no nagging, spyware, or anything else nasty.
  2. Because it’s totally free, sometimes there is very little support. You either figure out how to use it, or just get rid of it.

So, without further ado, here is the list categorized by type of application:
Read the rest of this entry »

Have you ever come across a link in a blog post or from a Google search to a Web site that essentially wanted you to either register or pay to access the content? Well, it just so happens that most of the sites that make you register allow Google to come right on in because they want their content indexed so that people will find it, come to their site, and register!

Given that information, all we need to do now is convince the Web site that we are Google. The way to do that is to change a setting, called the User Agent, in the Windows registry which gets fed to the Web server in question.

I’ve put together an easy way to do this for myself, and I’m sharing it with the world in case anyone else would like to do so as well.
Read the rest of this entry »

There is a very interestBid Nearbying new site called Bid Nearby which is a mashup, or combination, of eBay and Craig’s List auctions overlaid onto a Google map in a given area.

Simply go enter the item you’re looking for and the site will display a map showing clickable pins which pop up descriptions of the items for sale at each location.

You could use this service to help cut down on shipping costs by purchasing items that are local enough to drive over and take delivery.

Mapping Botched Police Raids

Botched Police RaidsDid you know that even if you’re an 80 year old god-fearing woman, if the police kick your door in at 2am and kill you, you have no recourse so long as some criminal drug using informant previously swore that there were drugs in your home?

And that’s not just a hypothetical situation. It actually happened. And so did a whole bunch of other shocking examples just like it.
Read the rest of this entry »

Online MS Office Competitors

There is a new breed of online service providers all trying to gain position as the office document system of choice. Big players like Google and Microsoft have already announced their intentions, and small upstarts such as ThinkFree and Zoho have also thrown their hat in the ring.

I previously posted my review of Zoho.com so I won’t duplicate that work here. However, here is some information regarding other online services.
Read the rest of this entry »

Love Beer? Check Out the Beer Maps…

Beer MappingJonathan Surratt launched beermapping.com last October.

The site uses Google maps, to mark beer destinations (breweries, brewpubs, bars, and stores) across the country.
Read the rest of this entry »

Simple Distance Mapping

GMap PedometerThe Gmap-pedometer is one of the best little Google Maps mashups I’ve seen yet.

Say you want to determine how far you’re walking or jogging on a given route. Well, just head on over to Gmap-Pedometer.com, hit the “start recording” button and double click on points along the path you follow.

The program will keep up with the distance and even give you the option of computing the calories you’ll burn as a result.

ToEat.com Restaurant Finder

ToEat.com Restaurant FinderIf you’re new to an area, traveling, or just want to find some new places to eat, ToEat.com provides an interesting and different type of restaurant search engine.

What makes this site different is that it combines a Google Maps mashup that overlays restaurant locations. In addition to being able to choose a specific area by city, state or zip code you can also select the type of food you’re in the mood for. So, if its Mexican you’re after, that’s all you’ll get.


I use the "No Adverts for Friends" plugin by Donncha O Caoimh