We all carry around a map of our personal geographies, places where memories were formed and personal histories recorded. Platial uses the Google Maps API to make the personal geographies incarnate, and public if you’re so inclined.

Kevin Kelly has some fascinating ideas about where science as a practice is going in the next 50 years. Just the topic headings make for crunchy, futurismic reading: compiled negative results, triple blind experiments, combinatorial sweep exploration, and the list goes on.

One of the more hopeful stories coming out of the Katrina disaster was that the city would open its wi-fi network to anyone wishing to use it for free. As a staunch libertarian, I generally disapprove of the government doing anything that puts it in competition with the private sector, but in this case I’m almost ready to support the government wi-fi program just to see the telecoms screwed. With stories coming out regularly on the email tax and other such shady business practices, I don’t think it’s any wonder that many people harbor ill will against the telecoms and ISPs.

It’s amazing what people are doing with the Google Maps API. I’m really digging the Flood Maps, which show you where the water would be if the seas rise by anywhere from 0 to 14 meters. Looks like 8 meters is the sweet spot for me — so far as I can tell, that puts my condo right on the new beach. (Too bad the new beach will consist primarily of a submerged 101 freeway.) Before you have too much fun with the map, keep in mind that the default setting of 7 meters is how much the oceans will likely rise if Greenland’s ice pack melts completely. Greenland’s ice pack is already melting (albeit slowly).

Interesting article from professional contrarian Cringely, whose reading of the budgetary tea leaves leads him to the conclusion that the boom in Homeland Security funding went to personnel before the IT investment could be made. All those companies who were counting on Homeland Security dollars to kick start their technology projects may be left out in the cold.