Google has lifted the lid on its first major upgrade to its global mapping software, Google Earth.
Google Ocean expands this map to include large swathes of the ocean floor and abyssal plain.
Users can dive beneath a dynamic water surface to explore the 3D sea floor terrain.
The map also includes 20 content layers, containing information from the world's leading scientists, researchers, and ocean explorers.
Al Gore was at the launch event in San Francisco which, Google hopes, will take its mapping software a step closer to total coverage of the entire globe.
In a statement, Mr Gore said that the update would make Google Earth a "magical experience".
"You can not only zoom into whatever part of our planet's surface you wish to examine in closer detail, you can now dive into the world's ocean that covers almost three-quarters of the planet and discover new wonders that had not been accessible in previous versions."
Approximately 70% of the world's surface is covered by water, which contains nearly 80% of all life - yet less than 5% of it has actually been explored.
Google Ocean aims to let users visit some of the more interesting locations, including underwater volcanoes, as well as running videos on marine life, shipwrecks and clips of favourite surf and dive spots.
Conservation organisations hope the tool will improve awareness of issues facing undersea life.
"With this, everybody can see the unbelievable beauty of our marine life and how incredibly threatened it is," said Carl Gustaf Lundin, head of the global marine programme at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
"We hope this major technological innovation will get the public more involved in marine conservation and encourage governments and businesses to stop driving ocean species to extinction."
Coloured worlds
The new features were developed in close collaboration with oceanographer Sylvia Earle and an advisory council of more than 25 ocean advocates and scientists.
Sylvia Earle, the National Geographic Society's explorer in residence, said the new features would bring the blue planet to life.
"I cannot imagine a more effective way to inspire awareness and caring for the blue heart of the planet than the new ocean in Google Earth.
"For the first time, everyone from curious kids to serious researchers can see the world, the whole world, with new eyes," she added.
There are also updates on the terrestrial side, including GPS tracking, virtual time travel (where users can observe changes in satellite images, such as the 2006 World Cup stadium or the desertification of Africa's Lake Chad) and narrated tours of imagery and content in Google Earth.
There are also updates to the Mars 3D section, so if users have had enough of the blue planet, they can always look at the red one.
NOW I AM INTRODUCING IN MY BLOGGER WEBSPACE
(Today's Webspace)
That Websites Which could be very useful for u........
Finerday
www.finerday.com/
Everyone is talking about social networking sites. There are oodles and oodles to choose from, but for some people the internet is a complicated and sometimes frightening place. If you know someone who feels that way about the online world, then perhaps this site is the place for you to connect?
After logging in for the first time you'll be prompted to invite your family or friends to join your closed network. There's a very clear video tutorial to help you do this.
All the buttons and text are presented in large contrasting fonts, making it super easy for those with poor eyesight to find their way around. In fact the whole website concept was designed by a qualified care home worker who wanted to provide an online networking service for older people to enjoy and feel safe in.
It's early days for the site so some of the services are not yet available, but you can send emails and share photos, simplifying the family communication tools into something that even your great grandmother should feel comfortable using.
And the site has already been translated into Welsh, Polish and Punjabi.
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AutoHotkey
www.autohotkey.com/
RSI is a common complaint for regular computer users. In the case of computing it's caused by repeating the same keystrokes or mouse movements over and over again, which is where this natty little tool comes into play.
At this site you can download a custom macro script writer which sits in your system tray and overrides Windows' default hotkeys so that you can design your own.
At first glance this looks incredibly complicated, but once you've stepped through the quick start tutorial you'll realise it's really not that hard at all. By loading up your script files with instructions to do pretty much anything you would want to do regularly, you can not only preserve your body from the strains of RSI but you can also save valuable time.
Want to open your favourite search engine? Write a macro so that you can do it on one keystroke. Need to write your signature and contact details in an email or on a letter? Yet again you can easily create a hotkey that performs this task at the press of a button.
There's actually a lot more you can do with this tool, especially if you're into customising your UI. But I won't blow your mind with too much now; just take a look and see what you think.
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Samurize
www.samurize.com/modules/news/
Talking of customising your desktop, anyone who is that way inclined will be most interested in Samurize.
This is one of those must have tools if you're a gamer, overclocker or desktop modder. Samurize provides all the information you need about all your computers in one central location in the form of a 'config', similar to a widget or gadget, that can be placed anywhere on your desktop.
To this you can add information such as CPU usage, disk utilization, network traffic, system temperatures, top processes, memory information and loads more.
There are scripts or plugins which can display weather reports, news headlines, music controllers - you can even use the scripts to create a text file to be displayed on your desktop, for example a to-do list.
Combine this with an autohotkey command to update the list when you think of something new to do and you're well on your way to calling yourself a serious desktop modder!
I will warn you that this is for total tech heads only. It's designed for use on Windows XP and 2000, with Vista fixes due out in the next build.
If you fancy having a go and need more help than the rather dry text tutorial on the website, check out YouTube as there are plenty of great visual guides if you search for Samurize.
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Uniqlock
www.uniqlo.jp/uniqlock/
Uniqlock displays the time in Tokyo, Japan on their web page, interspersed every five seconds with short bursts of modern dance interpretations performed by dancers in woolly jumpers and gloves. All this is accompanied by some funky music which changes in mood depending on the time of day.
This is actually a viral advert from a clothing company, so the dance segments will change as the new season of clothing is released. It's very stylish and artfully done, and oddly compelling after a hard days web surfing.
If you like it enough, you can download it as a screen-saver or embed it in your website or blog. You can even change the time displayed to your home location, which is a really nice touch that has already made this a very popular viral.