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The Globe and Mail reports that geography professor Jon Corbett of the University of British Columbia is putting his years of mapping experience into the world’s first online fire-mapping network. Wildfires continue to burn throughout British Columbia, with residents submitting their experiences online via social media. But, there wasn’t a way to actively chronicle the scale of fires in the region until now. The network involves an application which rests atop a Google map of the area. Known fires are indicated by icons on the map. Fire data from as far back as 1984 has also been loaded onto the map, providing viewers with a history of the region’s fires, and Corbett hopes the application will assist firefighters in the future.

While I don’t consider myself an expert on weight loss, I do consider myself a success story.  I have some tried and true tips that helped me, and if they can work for this suburban housewife and mother of five, maybe they can work for you.

• Make yourself a priority — if you are hurting, get some help; if you are needing some stress relief, find some “me” time; if someone is bullying you, learn to set some boundaries
• Consider exercise the master stress reliever — vigorous exercise releases hormones that are as chemically potent as anti-depressants
• Nourish yourself — healthy food choices make you feel great and help you fight disease
• Get enough sleep — research has proven the powerful connection between sleep deprivation and obesity
• Find some buddies — camaraderie can help you hold it together
• Celebrate little victories, and forgive yourself for your failures

Through new innovative ideas, Google’s proven it’s full of creativity to make your online experience worthwhile by launching it’s new beta Social Search.  You can test this service by signing up in Google Labs.  If you have a Gmail account, utilize Google Reader, have a completed Google Profile, or any of the other Google services like RSS feeds and alerts, plus take advantage of social networking like blogs, Twitter or FriendFeed, then personalized results of your searches will enhance your search results to be more relevant and personal.  Google scours your personal habits and those of your social network to get input about your preferences, tailoring results to you.  It’s easy to establish a social circle and share information with it, further ensuring that the information will be socially relevant to you.

Have you gotten in on the excitement of video streaming yet?  There are so many options available for different types of media outlets online – radio, television shows, movie downloads from video-sharing services, listening to music, and seeing sporting events or concerts live – all with the click of a mouse in the comfort of your own home! There are different free and paid services which enable you to join in on the fun. And music downloads have turned the music industry upside down. Before streaming, if you downloaded a large file off the internet you had to wait a long time – sometimes hours – before being able to access the file. Streaming eliminates these download wait times. With streaming capability, the stream is continuous and can begin being played immediately.

According to Direct News, a specialist news content division of Adfero in the UK, online shopping habits have shifted dramatically due to widespread access of high speed internet. The internet is viewed as an effective way to conduct research and to comparison shop. Companies have taken this new market seriously by directing a lot of marketing effort to reach out to this new breed of shopper. Many retail industry firms use blog sites to communicate to their audience and offer information about their products and services. The fastest growing groups of online shoppers are women and people entering their golden years. As people become more comfortable with technology, this new horizon of shopping should continue to offer great resources for consumers.

More and more savvy consumers are turning to the internet to find the best deals.  The internet is a no-brainer for easy comparison shopping.  What value can you place on your time as the internet eliminates driving time when comparison shopping?  And retailers are getting the message.  Coupons and coupon codes are available as an incentive for online shopping, and deals such as free shipping are becoming commonplace.  Internet sites such as our site, which are dedicated to helping you find online deals, can be helpful in your search process.

The traditional Black Friday shopping frenzy the day after Thanksgiving now shares the spotlight with internet sales, as CNN recently pointed out.  Online shopping makes sense in the busy world we live in today.