Google is currently experimenting with its monolithic homepage to make is just that little bit more useful for the likes of you and I.

Not only does it look a little bit cooler with the "Chrome/Wave blue" it has begun to use elsewhere, but the search interface is more consistent. Users will be able to flip between different types of search result using the toolbar on the left of the screen (see above), which is especially useful for any kind of marketing research or cyber stalking. All results are delivered in a clean and consistent style.

To play around:
Visit Google.com (not .co.uk or any other regional site), log out of your Google account if you have one and paste the following into the address bar:

javascript:void(document.cookie="PREF=ID=20b6e4c2f44943bb:U=4bf292d46faad806:TM=1249677602:LM=1257919388:S=odm0Ys-53ZueXfZG;path=/; domain=.google.com");

BREAKING: Leaked UK government plan to create "Pirate Finder General" with power to appoint militias, create laws

A source close to the British Labour Government has just given me reliable information about the most radical copyright proposal I've ever seen.

Secretary of State Peter Mandelson is planning to introduce changes to the Digital Economy Bill now under debate in Parliament. These changes will give the Secretary of State (Mandelson -- or his successor in the next government) the power to make "secondary legislation" (legislation that is passed without debate) to amend the provisions of Copyright, Designs and Patents Act (1988).

What that means is that an unelected official would have the power to do anything without Parliamentary oversight or debate, provided it was done in the name of protecting copyright. Mandelson elaborates on this, giving three reasons for his proposal:

1. The Secretary of State would get the power to create new remedies for online infringements (for example, he could create jail terms for file-sharing, or create a "three-strikes" plan that costs entire families their internet access if any member stands accused of infringement)

2. The Secretary of State would get the power to create procedures to "confer rights" for the purposes of protecting rightsholders from online infringement. (for example, record labels and movie studios can be given investigative and enforcement powers that allow them to compel ISPs, libraries, companies and schools to turn over personal information about Internet users, and to order those companies to disconnect users, remove websites, block URLs, etc)

3. The Secretary of State would get the power to "impose such duties, powers or functions on any person as may be specified in connection with facilitating online infringement" (for example, ISPs could be forced to spy on their users, or to have copyright lawyers examine every piece of user-generated content before it goes live; also, copyright "militias" can be formed with the power to police copyright on the web)

Mandelson is also gunning for sites like YouSendIt and other services that allow you to easily transfer large files back and forth privately (I use YouSendIt to send podcasts back and forth to my sound-editor during production). Like Viacom, he's hoping to force them to turn off any feature that allows users to keep their uploads private, since privacy flags can be used to keep infringing files out of sight of copyright enforcers.

This is as bad as I've ever seen, folks. It's a declaration of war by the entertainment industry and their captured regulators against the principles of free speech, privacy, freedom of assembly, the presumption of innocence, and competition.

This proposal creates the office of Pirate-Finder General, with unlimited power to appoint militias who are above the law, who can pry into every corner of your life, who can disconnect you from your family, job, education and government, who can fine you or put you in jail.

More to follow, I'm sure, once Open Rights Group and other activist organizations get working on this. In the meantime, tell every Briton you know. If we can't stop this, it's beginning of the end for the net in Britain.

Sony has some screwed up distribution strategy, with the PS2 launching in Brazil 9 YEARS after most of the world. What's worse: It will be priced at USD$465, more than the PS3 in the US!

As a user candidly pointed out on a Kotaku post about the story:
Asbestos_Underwear: "FedEx overnight from the U.S. is cheaper than that. Not even taxes can explain that price increase. Somebody is getting screwed here."

It seems as though retro gaming the only way of life for many South Americans.

So the cat's out of the bag - The Almighty Office 2010 is now downloadable in all its beta glory.

You can download it at the following links or just visit http://officebeta.microsoft.com/ if you have a MSDN or TechNet account.

I'll update the x86 link as soon as it comes through! 

Download Office 2010 Beta x86

Download Office 2010 Beta x64

Download Office Web Applications Server 2010 Beta x64 

Thanks www.redmondpie.com!

Disclosure: Microsoft is an Edelman client.

I'll keep it short and sweet rather than bore y'all with an in-depth review:

Pros:

• Cleaner interface than Tweetdeck
• Efficient synching with the Twitter API (doesn't max out your limited API calls)
• Great in-line "post update" text field - link shortening and photo uploading are seamless
• Search function works well
• Native Twitter list support

I had a good play around with Google Image Swirl yesterday and I can't help feeling a little disappointed with it.

Right now, the service looks like just a flashy (but very cool) interface for something Bing has offered for a while.

When I used Image Swirl yesterday "groups" of photos of the Eiffel Tower seemed pretty incoherent - with each resting on a very loose theme or weak visual element that only slightly differentiated one group from another (if at all).

But that's not to say it won't improve over time though - Google will no doubt refine its algorithms between now and the end product (it is in Labs, after all).

LEGO goodness returns to the blog in some style, with the LEGO Digital Camera.

Now all the fun of LEGO bricks is engineered into a real digital camera. The LEGO Digital Camera looks like it is built completely from LEGO bricks, but it can not be taken apart. LEGO bricks can be added to the top and the bottom so kids can integrate it into their building creations. But this is not a toy. Its a full functioning 3MP digital camera featuring 1.5″ LCD screen, built-in flash, fixed focus and digital zoom. The camera holds up to 80 photos at a time. Let your imagination go wild.

[via Random Good Stuff]

Absolute genius - now I just need to work out who to buy this for as a Xmas present...

An awesome visualisation that appeals to the history/anthropology nerds out there. The circles are directly proportional to the size of each empire, tracking data from 1800 to the present day. As the empires lose states, they break away in a lava-lamp-esque fashion. Thoroughly recommend a ganders (or "look" to you non-British out there)...

Originally sited on Mondeguinho and BoingBoing

Seemingly each day a new Twitter client blots out of the stable door to the world of social media nuts, most of which I ignore/disregard/can't be bothered to download. But having had great experiences with Seesmic's Twhirl Twitter app, I've decided to give the new Seesmic for Windows a while - so far it looks good!

I'll continue playing around with it today and share my thoughts in a follow-up post. No direct download link is provided on the official website yet (as you have to sign up) so visit http://d.seesmic.com/swin/setup.exe to grab a copy for yourself.

Also, take a look at my impressions of the Android version at retroid.com "Seesmic: The best Android Twitter client?"