Web gets skinny 16. January 2009 – 14:58 by Fraser Henderson - ICELE

Google has recently announced the suspension of a number of its services, notably Google Video, in a recent move to de-clutter and streamline during the current economic crisis.  Included among the upcoming closures are: Google Notebooks, Google Catalogs, Dodgeball, Google Mashup Editor, and future development of Jaiku.

Will this start a new trend?  Is your third party service at risk of disappearing in 2009?  More seriously though, can you imagine the wreckage if a mainstream application like Google Maps or Facebook closed overnight?

The real world has is turning ‘unreal’ to save money too.  The ‘Skinningrove’ community in Northern England is refurbishing their local jetty – but only in the virtual world.   The replica will be placed in SecondLife, complete with unveiling by MP Ashok Kumar, or at least his avatar.  Boat trips will commence shortly afterwards.

The idea is not as crazy as it sounds; ultimately it is hoped that this will promote the real refurbishment of the jetty and highlight the new opportunities that regeneration might bring.  Visit the project wiki to find out more.

Tags: inenglish