While on vacation, I took no computer, had no internet and didn't blog - this was all good. However, sitting on the beach (just like swimming laps or dozing in the bath) is often when the best thinking gets done. Here are some of the things that came up:
- How can one use mapping applications to help with getting a good snorkel? I looked at Google maps a little and found that it is actually hard to tell coral from turtle grass in many cases - especially close to the beach. I've done some searching and found some resources that I'll write about later on the topic of remote sensing and coral.
- How can one make a better selection of a hotel or other accommodation? I want to be able to visit my accommodation in a SketchUp form, look out of the window, see the view, walk to the beach.
- How can search mix data types? For example, why can't I search for 'a beach near a marina and near good coral' and have the results come from text and image data - this requires inference, something which search engines don't touch.
- When you meet people on vacation, there is a good chance that there are plenty of similarities - where are the online tools that can continue these relationships of trust so that one can visit other spots on the planet that you are very likely to enjoy? I actually have a good answer to this, but it will be a while in coming...
I'll try to explore these topics over the next few days (or weeks or months...).