Posted 10/02/08 at 05:40:54 PM by Andy Salisbury

Video games have always been linked to providing gamers with above average hand-eye coordination, but could video games be linked to making better drivers? Allstate is looking to find out, and possibly give insurance discounts to those that do.

A new program, called InSight, will provide specialized games to 100,000 Allstate insured drivers in Pennsylvania aged from 50-75. While drivers in their 50’s and 60’s have the least amount of accidents, once they hit mid-60’s the rate begins to climb. Tom Warden, an assistant vice president at Allstate hopes that the games will provide brain fitness for these drivers, and “significant benefits … beyond dollars and cents.”

The games, developed by San Francisco’s own Posit Science, include many non-driving specific games such as Jewel Diver. In Jewel Diver you’re required to keep track of jewels underwater that are hidden by fish. The fish shuffle themselves around the screen, and the goal is to select the fishes that are hiding the treasures. As the game progresses, it gets increasingly difficult, adding more fish to the screen.

Allstate will decide next year whether or not to roll out the program in other states, and with any luck they’ll leave Grand Theft Auto IV out of their curriculum (might I suggest FlatOut?).

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gaming, driving, Allstate, Insurance

Posted 10/01/08 at 10:45:05 PM by Mark Edward Soper

This week, Microsoft rolled out major enhancements to yet another member of its Live family: Live Search Maps.

Now, Live Search Maps places the directions in the left pane and the map in the right pane, making it easier to follow your route. Click the number next to each checkpoint to display a detailed map.  And, you can switch quickly between 2D, 3D, aerial, and traffic views and, in a feature borrowed from its rivals, add stops as desired.

In a significant nod to those of us who navigate by landmarks, landmarks in six categories (gas stations, major national hotel chains, restaurants, convenience stores, grocery stores, and car dealerships) are now incorporated into the directions ("pass TACO BELL on the left in 1.1 miles"), and Live Search Maps even warns you if you've passed your last turn ("the last intersection is Main St If you reach Oak St, you've gone too far"). So, whether you're on a cross-country jaunt or just need to fill the inner geek with a quick meal, Live Search Maps has you covered.

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Windows Live, web browser, directions, Live Search Maps, driving