Hey, It Is Sunday, Isn’t It?

I’ve recently acquired a GPS unit – a Garmin Nuvi 360 – and I’m having a lot of fun mapping things. Even though this unit lacks the ability to act as a GPS receiver for a computer, and therefore makes creating custom maps impossible, I am enjoying not being lost. It’s a nice change.

I have been spending a lot of time on del.icio.us, looking at sites that have been tagged with GPS, Googlemaps, and maps. While perusing the Googlemaps tag, I came across a site that is sure to appeal to anyone interested in history, religion, or religious history (like me.) Created by the folks over at HeLives.com, BibleMap.org is remarkable in its simplicity. A Google map of Middle East region is overlaid by an unobtrusive pane that contains selected books and chapters from either the King James or English Standard versions of the Bible. Clicking on the hyperlinked place names presents the selected area. Being able to visualize the setting in which these ancient events took place makes them, I find, more tangible.

Another site that may be of interest to religious history buffs is the article Mapping New Testament Networks over at the ESV Bible site. The ubergeeks over at ESV compiled data sets of the many figures in the New Testament and mapped their relationships visually using IBM’s data visualization tool Many Eyes. There’s also a link in the article to a (free) ontology of New Testament names that’s worth checking out.

Well, I’m not sure how this post got sidetracked on to religious reference (it was supposed to be about maps) but since we’re here, be sure to check out EBible.com, a competitor to BibleGateway.com that arms the intrepid researcher with an aggregated search of not just Bibles, but biblical commentaries, dictionaries, and encyclopedias. Finally, there’s also BiblePlaces.com, a pictorial library of Bible lands.

That Dog Will Hunt

One of the things that drives me crazy about having to work (aside from the fact that they frown on wearing your pajamas in the office) is that there’s no way I can surreptitiously pop over to MySpace or Ebay on my work computer. Oh, sure, I can use my T-Mobile MDA, but viewing either of those image-heavy sites on a PDA is tedious, and the mobile version of Ebay leaves a lot to be desired. So I’ve suffered my 8-5 withdrawal pains in silence, stoically gritting my teeth until I can get to my home computer at the end of the day.

But now there’s Mdog, a site that optimizes popular online destinations for mobile devices. I can check my Yahoo email, peruse Ebay auctions, read my friend Emma Sometime’s blog (and even update my own), catch up on the news, and my personal favorite, visit Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com, all using just my humble PDA. Bathroom breaks will never be the same again!

Another Site for Literary Types

Was there ever a site that sucks more than MySpace? I thought not. And yet, I’m there all the time because somehow, it’s become the social site. Who will rid me of this troublesome site? If I see one more error message – that’s being reported to their crack team of support staff, natch – I’m afraid I’ll puke.

In other news, it’s cold here in Houston – and rainy, too. We’re supposed to have ice and sleet tonight, and I find it kind of ironic that here that’s big news, but any Yank worth their salt wouldn’t bat an eye at this forecast. (That salt thing was a pun. You people that get snow on a regular basis understand.) Yet here in Houston, schools and businesses are closing. I believe it’s mostly because hardly any of us know how to drive on this stuff. I know I don’t. By staying home, I’m doing my part to keep my neighbors safe.

Being cooped up in the house gives me the perfect opportunity to visit new sites and write about them, though. (Although, we’ve been having a lot of trouble with our Time Warner Cable connection today. We’re blaming it on the weather.)

I see that the last review I did before my Blogger-imposed hiatus was Myvelopes.com. Sadly, Myvelopes has gone to join – to use one of TechCrunch’s phrases – the dead pool. Myvelopes, an online budgeting site based on the envelope method, had a great idea, but as I mentioned in my review, the payment options left a lot to be desired, especially when you consider the fact that people that take the time to track their money are probably a bit more budget-conscious than their less frugal counterparts.Note: The only thing that’s gone to the deadpool is my brain. Mvelopes.com is still very much alive and doing well. Maybe I should budget for a full neurological exam.

And speaking of frugal, allow me to introduce you to FrugalReader.com, a book swapping site that I was turned on to via LibraryThing. (A fantastic book cataloging site that was reviewed here in August.) Although there are several other book swapping sites (Bookins, PaperBack Swap, Book Mooch, Title Trader, What’s on My Bookshelf) I find I like FrugalReader the best, even if it doesn’t integrate with LibraryThing’s real-time swap status. Part of that is because it’s so easy to use. There are no complicated points algorithms to figure out; generally speaking, paperbacks cost one point and hardcovers two. For example, I currently have ten books on my shelf available for trading – nine paperbacks and one hardcover. This gives me a total 11 points with which to “buy” books. (Plus, if you list at least nine books when you sign up, you’ll get an extra two points.) You can also buy points, or credits, a service that I don’t think any of the other book swap sites offer. This is significant as it allows you to get up and running right away, instead of having to mail umpteen books and then waiting for them to be marked “received.”

Accounts are offered in two flavors; standard and premium. The standard account is free and includes everything you need to get started. The premium account includes extras, like being able to get first dibs on books as they become available, restricting who you’ll trade with, assigning custom points values to your available books, and discounted rates when purchasing credits. For more information, visit their How It Works page.

Note: LibraryThing has another competitor. Shelfari, a slick, Flash-based book cataloging site, boasts a beautiful design and great import features, however, it lacks the depth and friendliness of LT. Still, it’s a site to watch.

I’m back – maybe?

Well, I think I might be back at Blogger. As you may remember, I was having incredible problems with getting Blogger to work. An incredibly busy schedule made it impossible for me to troubleshoot the rather extensive issues, so I took a hiatus.

I’ve recently switched over to their new format, so we’ll see how it goes. In the meantime, I’ll start working on some new reviews of the coolest 2.0 websites and gadgetry available.