maps.google.com

Mapquest was an old standby for me for a long time. Then msn came out with one I liked better. Now today I find that google has released a beta version of their own spin on web mapping and directions. Needless to say I am impressed enough to blog about it. This service seems to go where other services have needed to go for a while now. First, this one is not quite so picky about your syntax, (anyone who has used mapquest has probably experienced this). Second, you can search for restaurants, grocery stores, even beer stores (see below) near your location. Then just click it and get directions. I guess the fact that it accepts a line like "Beer stores near place address here", or "great sushi near xxx" and boom there you go, is what I like. The other map services are going to have some catching up to do.
maps.google.com

Mmmmm ... Beerrrr...... (Drewl)

Katamari Damaci

Sara got me a playstation2 for Christmas (you rock baby!), and one of the games I got was Katamari Damaci. I haven't really had a current game console for years now, so I guess I'm just catching up. So far out of all of the games we've played this one is the undeniable winner.
The basic concept: The king of the cosmos got drunk and destroyed all of the stars while partying too hard. The prince (you) help re-create the cosmos by collecting stuff from earth using you're Katamari, a ball that can pick up anything about the current size of your ball. You can start out by grabbing dice while grabbing buildings by the end of some levels. The king takes the stuff you collected, and if there's enough he makes a new star or constellation.
Couple this fun game play with a really catchy Japanese sound track with songs I guarantee you'll be humming later, (take a listen here), and some good old Japanese visuals that make you think you're on illegal drugs (just watch the opening alone) and you've got a great game. I suddenly feel like I'm writing an ad. Try it today!

Starting Out.

Getting Big

The King of All Cosmos