And I'll forgive that without you even asking

Browsing Slashdot today led me to discover the Microsoft alternative to Google Maps: MSN Virtual Earth. Always keen to see the competition, I looked at it. Certainly an alternative to Google Maps, but it lacked any of the Google warmth. You're greeted with a cold, MSN interface, that while using transparencies and interesting effects on a basic web page, it still felt like I was using MSN Messenger. Which I hate.

It lacks detailed photos of anywhere but America, which is typical of an American product. And while perhaps it hits American soil with a higher resolution than Google Maps, the images are black and white, and at a slightly lower level of zoom, each satellite or aeroplane photo looks blocky and slightly the wrong colour when compared to the photos that surround it. It does have the map overlay feature for aerial photos, so you can plot a course and look at the landscape from above, but the same thing will be available at Google soon anyway.

If you like, try it out. It's chunky and cumbersome, and I feel no match for Google Maps.

http://virtualearth.msn.com
http://maps.google.com

But if you want something truly breathtaking...

http://earth.google.com

Back to Japan: Aren't you all shocked that I didn't update last night? I know. Shocking. Anyway, yesterday led me to another lesson, and being Tuesday, it completes two weeks of lessons since I've been here. I think this is my halfway point, and it has come very fast, and if I have another one of these whirlwind two weeks again, I will consider myself lucky. But as the schedule demands, I think I am in luck, especially given the company I will be taking the next two weeks with.

It being a Tuesday tradition, so it seems, the classes of yesterday all went to an izakaya again, with the newly introduced Kiwi teacher. This time I tried new delicacies, like deep fried chicken cartilage, and heart. As I promised to write... I <3 HEART. Though in reality, it tasted more like liver than I expected. In every lesson, the biggest part I play is in the free conversation time, where I just talk to the students about anything, and I try to adapt my English to their level of understanding.

I am disheartened with the number of comments I have received lately. Even Adam has stopped. The line of zeros all the way down isn't quite what I enjoy seeing each time I check back. I know you're angry, and I'll forgive that without you even asking, but I think it's time I had a little bit of feedback.

--Now I had typed a ton more, but stupid Blogger somehow logged me out during typing, and I lost most of my post, so that was a good wasted 20 minutes.--

You'll notice I also added a new link; Ryan's Blog. After following an obscure link on Bash, I found his blog, and I since I'm not on my computer and ca't add it to my favourites, I just edited my template instead. He seems smart. And I'm sure Hap's happy to not be on the bottom anymore.

I'll see you people online later. Peace.