There are rumours today that Google may be planning to create a new “metaverse” which will have similarities to Second Life. The major difference will be that google will use it’s already existing real-world data to create another online virtual world.
Watch this space…. sorry…. 
Interesting blog post on Google’s Webmaster Blog which gives an overview of what duplicate content is and how to deal with it. You can view the article here
Here’s some of their suggestions:
Block appropriately
Rather than letting our algorithms determine the “best” version of a document, you may wish to help guide us to your preferred version. For instance, if you don’t want us to index the printer versions of your site’s articles, disallow those directories or make use of regular expressions in your robots.txt file.
Use 301s
If you have restructured your site, use 301 redirects (”RedirectPermanent”) in your .htaccess file to smartly redirect users, the Googlebot, and other spiders.
Be consistent
Endeavor to keep your internal linking consistent; don’t link to /page/ and /page and /page/index.htm.
Use TLDs:
To help us serve the most appropriate version of a document, use top level domains whenever possible to handle country-specific content. We’re more likely to know that .de indicates Germany-focused content, for instance, than /de or de.example.com.
Syndicate carefully
If you syndicate your content on other sites, make sure they include a link back to the original article on each syndicated article. Even with that, note that we’ll always show the (unblocked) version we think is most appropriate for users in each given search, which may or may not be the version you’d prefer.
Use the preferred domain feature of webmaster tools
If other sites link to yours using both the www and non-www version of your URLs, you can let us know which way you prefer your site to be indexed.
Minimize boilerplate repetition
For instance, instead of including lengthy copyright text on the bottom of every page, include a very brief summary and then link to a page with more details.
Avoid publishing stubs
Users don’t like seeing “empty” pages, so avoid placeholders where possible. This means not publishing (or at least blocking) pages with zero reviews, no real estate listings, etc., so users (and bots) aren’t subjected to a zillion instances of “Below you’ll find a superb list of all the great rental opportunities in [insert cityname]…” with no actual listings.
Understand your CMS
Make sure you’re familiar with how content is displayed on your Web site, particularly if it includes a blog, a forum, or related system that often shows the same content in multiple formats.
Don’t worry be happy
Don’t fret too much about sites that scrape (misappropriate and republish) your content. Though annoying, it’s highly unlikely that such sites can negatively impactyoursite’s presence in Google. If you do spot a case that’s particularly frustrating, you are welcome to file aDMCA requestto claim ownership of the content and have us deal with the rogue site.
Interesting…… 
Apparently Google have added a new algorithm that will prevent Google bombing happening again.
According to Google’s webmaster blog, ”By improving our analysis of the link structure of the web, Google has begun minimizing the impact of many Googlebombs. Now we will typically return commentary, discussions, and articles about the Googlebombs instead. The actual scale of this change is pretty small (there are under a hundred well-known Googlebombs)”
The reason they have added this to their mighty search system, is apparently because people were beginning to think that these bombs were Google’s opinions.
I wonder what sort of impact this will have on the generic search results? Time will tell….
It’s been five years in the making and now we finally will have the chance to get our hands on the much anticipated new operating system from Microsoft. Called Microsoft Windows Vista, it will be launched on Tuesday 30th of January. It promises to be feature rich and full of new security features.
For a gizmo freak, there seems to be nothing exciting in this release. Security seems to be the only selling point for Microsoft Windows Vista, but that’s no surprise with all the anti-trust lawsuits that have been taken against Microsoft, how can they be innovative with new products without the fear of being brought to court again!
Either way, I will try and get a copy of it soon and try it out! I’m even that desperate to have a go, that i’ve made my uBuntu desktop look like it’s shiny new interface!
Ever wished those private emails you’ve sent or received could disappear without a trace without having to do a “Shift-Delete”?
Well now you can! According to https://www.vaporstream.com/ emails are totally recordless with their new patented software.
Their website states “VaporStream is different. Messages cannot be forwarded, edited or saved. Once read, messages are gone forever. VaporStream is totally recordless.”
I haven’t tried it myself yet, but I’m sure there are a lot of people that would be interested in using it!
A judge in Texas has found a website liable for copyright infringement because it linked directly to a webcast without permission of the site owner.Supercrosslive.com had links to an audio streams on motorcycle racing.
More about the silly ruling here >>
What sort of precendent does this set for website owners?
It’s only been a month since muslix64 cracked the DRM technology of HD-DVD discs and now he’s suceeded in conquering the latest encrytion for Blu-ray discs!
It was only a matter of time before we witnessed this. The first high definition format movie has been made available on BitTorrent. Movie pirates have ripped the movie Serenity and made it available to all who use BitTorrent.
It was only a month ago that hackers announced that they had suceeded in cracking the new technology used in HD-DVD’s.
Fair play to those who plan to download the movie as it is coming in at 19.6gb!!!
At the weekend I ventured out into Dublin City for a night out with the lads. This week I ended up in Break for the Border.
I have to admit, I was shocked when I bought a pint of Guinness. Typically, I would expect to pay on average €4 for a pint of the black stuff. But no, not in Break for the Border. A pint of Guinness set me back €5.30 - yes €5.30. If you are unlucky enough to be a fan of Budweiser, prepare to fork out €5.80. And god love you, if you like Cider - expect to pay at least €6 for the honour.
It was good to see though, that I was not the only person in the place that was stunned by these prices. A number of people ordering beside me were shocked when they received their bill. Guess where I won’t be going agian….
I booked flights to Manchester with Ryanair just before Christmas - I wrote an article about the experience here.
Today I received an email from Ryanair stating that they will be deducting GBP £20 from my credit card because the UK Chancellor, Mr Gordon Brown MP, announced his decision to DOUBLE “UK Air Passenger Duty”.
Surely there has to be some protection for people in this situation?
Here’s the email:
“Dear Customer,
In his budget speech on 6th December 2006, the UK Chancellor, Mr Gordon Brown MP, announced his decision to DOUBLE “UK Air Passenger Duty”. This tax grab which is applicable to every passenger departing from a UK airport will generate £1bn. in tax revenues for the UK Government, but will do nothing for the environment.
Unfortunately, as you booked your flight - confirmation number I2PEDG before the 7th December 2006 with a travel date after the 1st February 2007 (see the below flight details), we have no alternative, in this instance, but to act as the UK Chancellor’s tax collector.
In accordance, with Article 4.2.2 of Ryanair’s General Conditions of Carriage, the additional tax amount required by the UK government will automatically be charged to the credit card or debit card used to pay for this flight booking. These credit/debit card transactions will automatically take place over the next 2 weeks
UK Air Passenger Duty Rates – applicable per person for each departing flight from a UK airport which was booked before the 7th December 2006 for travel from the 1st February 2007 onwards.
£10*(GBP) per person for each UK domestic flight (£20 on a return UK domestic flight)
£10* (GBP) per person for flights from the UK to an EU/EEA airport
£40* (GBP) per person for flights from the UK to an airport outside the EU/EEA – e.g. Morocco
*or local currency equivalent
Ryanair condemns the UK Chancellor’s unfair and regressive tax on ordinary passengers. And we urge you to write to Gordon Brown MP at ministers@hm-treasury.gsi.gov.uk indicating your opposition to this tax grab which will generate £1bn. in tax revenues for the UK Government, but will not do nothing for the environment.”
