Walking is fantastic exercise. But while American suburban sprawl doesn't naturally lend itself to walk-happy travel, $4.00/gallon gas is sparking some to slip on their sneakers to complete nearby errands.

Conveniently, Google Maps recently added a walking directions option to its website. Pop in your to/from and it'll spit out route, mileage and estimated time to walk to your destination.

Cool! According to Google Maps, my neighborhood grocery store is 1.4 miles away and should take 27 minutes to walk there. Ha -- I can walk faster than 3 mph! Maybe Google should add a 'jogging at X-mph' option, too. Now if only Americans could live in European-like villages with fresh, organic food markets scattered on street corners. Nothing wrong with Big Suburban dreaming, right?

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Hey moms! Was your child invited to a play date with that neighborhood kids who's always sick? Or did your neighbors -- just fresh from the stomach flu -- invite you to a BBQ? Now you can check out who's sick in your neighborhood with a click of the mouse.

Whoissick.org uses Google maps to record reports of illness in an area. You can punch in your zip code to see who's coughing and sneezing or report your own symptoms. In my own town, it appears there's a case of the sniffles going around, but nothing too serious.

Maybe in a major metropolitan area, this would be more practical. But on a personal level, I just don't know. Obviously, unless there's some sort of major flu outbreak, I'm not going to curtail my activities because some guy across town has a headache. And I can get a lot more information about a bug that's going around by chatting with the other mom's in my daughter's playgroup than online. But the idea is that when you're going into an area where a lot of people have reported symptoms, you can take measures to avoid catching the bug yourself.

(via Lifehacker)

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Would you like to be alerted the next time your ex enters the gym where you're working out? Or be alerted when you're running through a neighborhood full of unleashed dogs just waiting to chase you? InsideOutside wear can't do that just yet, but they're on the right track.

The idea of this highly sophisticated and sensor-filled clothing is that users can pre-program it to tell them when they're getting near situations that make them uncomfortable. Right now, the website uses a combination of Google maps and GPS coordinates for users to highlight locations they don't like. When you come within range of your chosen targets, the clothing heats up or cools down to send you a warning.

InsideOutside hasn't gone retail yet, but the possibilities really are endless...for high-tech enthusiasts, anyway. I'm not sure that the practical applications of sensor-laden clothing would translate for the rest of us, or would it? What do you think?

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