A few sites are talking about the beta of the updated iPhone 2.x software, of course what is most interesting to our readers is the suggestion of extended GPS functionality. So far it has been suggested that the iPhone will offer speed and direction capabilities, ala navigation. It is a bit odd that folks seem to be more interested in the GPS functionality instead of making the OS a bit more stable/responsive.

App Store wise, this week has seen Platial add their “Nearby” app and the first geocaching app, “Geopher lite“. I like the look of “TapeMeasure” which measures the distance between locations providing lat/long, altitude, and relative accuracy, but I haven’t had a chance to play with it.

IPhone 3G: iPhone 2.1 Firmware Currently In Beta, More GPS Features On The Way

In 2009, the State of Alabama will begin a project to map all of the municipal and rural water systems within the state. As many of us here in the US know, a number of areas of the country have been experiencing moderate to severe drought conditions, and water resources are a contentious issue. Conflicts between various groups and government entities will likely grow, as more and more people move into areas that already have scarce water supplies. Although the Governor of Alabama denied that such issues played a role in the decision to set up the mapping program, Alabama and neighboring Georgia are already arguing about water rights. I expect that we will begin to see more initiatives like this in the coming years, as the first step in claiming the rights to scarce resources is identifying where they are and mapping them.

Via Prattville Progress

For those of you who have listened to our first 6 months of podcasts you will know that we are all rabid fans of Joss Whedon. We will consume basically anything he has a hand in for one simple reason…it is good. So when Sue came across the mention of Joss working on something with Neil “Doogie” Patrick Harris and Nathan “Capt Reynolds” Fillion during the writers strike we were beside ourselves in anticipation (not just any anticipation, but the way that Tim “Franke-N-Furter” Curry said it in Rocky Horror) for the wonderfully titled Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. The one week online video event has a great cast that also includes Felicia Day (creator of the The Guild), Simon Helberg (Howard on Big Bang Theory), and others.

There will be three web episodes of Dr Horrible which will roll out on July 15, 17, and 19 respectively, but they will all go away on July 20th. That’s right you have to watch ‘em all next week to see them online. If you are going on vacation or your network connection is down next week, don’t worry they already plan to release them on DVD, probably in the fall. There is a trailer up on the Dr Horrible site to give you a taste of the action, along with a link to an online comic book about Nathan Fillion’s character Capt. Hammer that sets up a little of the story. And in case you aren’t sure about whether Neil Patrick Harris can hold his own in the vocals, check out this great clip of him with How I Met Your Mother cast mate Jason Segel rock the song “Confrontation” from Les Miserables.

We are really interested in what will come out of the recently announced ESRI video contest. Hopefully, if you are entering the contest, you will think of us and send us a link to your video so that we can take a look at what you are doing in your daily (geospatial) lives. Since they will be up on YouTube or other video sharing site we will link to those that are sent in in a future post. The details are available in our ad copy from this week’s podcast ad below. Good luck!

ESRI is sponsoring a video contest called GIS in Action. Create a short amateur video showing how you use GIS in the workplace, and enter the contest by July 25th, 2008 with a chance to win prizes valued up to $125. Winners will be announced on August 7th, 2008.
Visit www.esri.com/gisinactioncontest to find out more.

According to this CNN, a former lawyer is making a living out of creating Lego structure art. If a lawyer can do it, can you imagine what a person with a GIS background could do. What if there was an ARC or other spatial Lego software? Anyone already doing something using GIS and Legos? You can become one of the few Lego certified professionals in the world! Imagine Greenwich Village, NY Lego to scale. Incidentally, there is a Lego Land near San Diego, if you want to stop by during the ESRI Users Conference. Someone posted in the reply section about L Cad which allows users to create CAD models using Legos. Too cool

Click on the image to the see a larger version…no really, if you like Star Wars even just a little you must see this life size statue version of Princess Leia. But this isn’t your standard bikini clad Leia, it is the re-envisioned for the Clone Wars cartoons Leia. She is in her full Episode IV, A New Hope, original Star Wars my-unknown-father-just-took-over-my-ship-and-I-have-to-hide-these-plans-in-an-R2-unit-that-belonged-to-my-mom-though-I-will-never-know-that-bit-of-info glory complete with buns and white flimsy “dress” and laser gun. Our local(ish) comic store got this in for one of the customers and while the picture does this (5 foot tall) statue some justice…it is still one of those things that must be seen to believe. This may take the title of “coolest statue” from the current holder, a (larger than) life size Hagrid made out of Legos that I saw in London.

Ubisoft, maker of… well… LOTS of video games, is working on Far Cry 2. For those not in the video game know, Far Cry has pushed the limits of PC gaming hardware in the last year. Far Cry 2 looks to raise the bar even higher. The game takes place in Africa and features a game world of over 50 square kilometers, which is the biggest game world I think I’ve heard. There are a lot of innovative features in the engine, like a custom wind engine and the destructibility of everything in the world itself, particularly with the foliage (which doesn’t sound like much, but it’s a MAJOR improvement in gaming technology). Even if you aren’t into games, the possible applications of an engine like this for serious games or real world gaming can’t be ignored. Shacknews features a 20 minute demo video of the game (WARNING: the video is R rated!)

When looking for more information on the world’s biggest cruise ship, I found a great blog on GIS CAD Interoperability aptly called “GIS CAD Interoperability” GIS and CAD are some of the tools used to design cruise ships which are essentially floating cities. When you watch a video of the world’s biggest cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas, being built for Royal Caribbean you can practically see GIS at work. Some sections of the ship even have their own microclimate. You can book your trip at the Royal Carribbean site. Another cool, albeit less luxurious, cruise ship site is POGO-Ocean Cruises which is the International Research Cruise Information tool and website to locate the next ship for your big or small research expidition. It is a little disconcerting to go from the image of the Oasis of the Seas to POGO’s charateristics of research vessels but both of them look like fun.