Advanced search engine optimization in action.

PlanetInAction.com has released the first version of a fantastic free simulation game which leverages the browser-based Google Earth plugin as the primary graphics engine. The game is called “Ships” and lets you take the helm on ships – barges, cargo ships, container ships, and even a cruise ship (the QM 2). Everything is in 3D, you can drive the ships anywhere in the world, there are sound effects, physical modeling, and realistic visual effects that makes this a wonder to behold. Not only that, but the author – Paul van Dinther – has created some great camera tools to make it easier for people to follow the action and see the sights. This is the best example of the Google Earth API I’ve seen to date.

If you’re not sure whether you would be better off using Google, Bing!, or Yahoo! for your Web search needs, there are a number of ways you could decide. You could certainly try to trade off different engines as you do searches to determine which one gives you the results you’re looking for, or you could visit all three and do a search every time you need to find something. You could also read reviews of the various engines and let them sway you.

Alternatively, you could pit the top three search engines against each other with BlindSearch. BlindSearch is a free Web app that gives you a text bar and will search all three engines and display the top results from each in a window. You choose which set of results you think are the best, and then the site reveals which engine they’re from.

BlindSearch is far from scientific, but it’s definitely useful if you’re curious what kinds of results different engines turn up when you search them. For example, I know so many people who don’t use anything but Google that they imagine that search results from other engines must just turn up garbage. BlindSearch can prove the point that other search engines, other than the one you use, just may be useful.

You can use BlindSearch to look for Web results or images, and the results from each engine are displayed in three columns. It’s specifically useful for image searches, where the difference in quality among each engine is wider than with regular search results.

The site shows you the first ten results from each of the three engines. At the top of each column is a button you can click to vote for your favorite set of search results. After you vote the names of the engines that provided each of the results is shown, and you can see which engine you voted for.

Admittedly, BlindSearch doesn’t give you a feel for what it’s like to actually use any of the search engines that it tests, and since you only see the first set of results, it’s not really an indicator of how helpful one of those engines may be if you’re doing some really deep digging for something.

Even so, if you’re like me and go on frequent image searches and often want to see how blogs and other sites appear when other people search for them, it’s fun to see how your search term appears to users of each of the three major engines, and then see which one’s results are the ones you like the most.

The developer has published the results from the first several weeks BlindSearch has been up, and while Google is still the winner, Bing’s search results are apparently popular as well. Give BlindSearch a try; you may be surprised which engine you think has the best results when you have to pick one blindly.

[ Visit BlindSearch ]

There’s no need to present Monopoly, but did you know that the upcoming online version names Monopoly City Streets is the result of a collaboration between Google and Hasbro? It will be possible to use Google Maps as the game map to trade properties on a real city map. New structures will be added and for example, it will be possible to build stadiums – or even a prison in your competitor’s neighborhood! Monopoly City Streets launches tomorrow (Sept 9).

The image, which can be seen on the satellite mapping program, depicts a large object resembling a sea creature clearly visible beneath the surface of the water.

Jason Cooke told The Sun he spotted “Nessie” while browsing the website’s satellite photos. Mr Cooke, 25, of Nottingham, said: “I couldn’t believe it. It’s just like the descriptions of Nessie.”

[Full Article] [Google Maps Link]