I pretty much gave up on the general local directory sites a long time ago. There wasn't many features and search always felt outdated. Who uses a phone directory anyhow these days? With the ease of calling 411 on my mobile or Google local, why would I bother. Well the new Canpages.ca might change your mind. They have a load of features integrated into their mapping tool to get you the information you want. You can have it delivered to your mobile, or share it with your friends on Facebook, or save it as a document for future reference. It's actually quite impressive. 

But the real asset here is that they have started to add Street View, which is only available in specific areas of BC right now. Looks like Google Local will have some competition in Canada. In addition, Canpages offers access to traffic cams in realtime so you can get a snapshot of what to expect on route to your destination. You really have to try it for yourself as there are a lot of rich search features that helps you to narrow down your request. However, I think the big hit is their iPhone app which I've been playing with earlier today. It's got a simple interface, it's quick and it has speak recognition built in so you don't have to type your request while on the move. Great job!

I was sitting around reminiscing about the infant days of the web. Remember the days before Google came and changed the game forever. Does Excite ring a bell? Maybe you were all about Alta Vista, InfoSeek, WebCrawler, or Lycos....ah yah, Lycos...I was a Lycos guy myself! So I decided to check out Lycos.com and was pleasantly surprised that it was still up and running. Not only was it up and running but I noticed a section called Lycos Cinema, a movie sharing experience, or as their tagline reads "Bringing people together...One flick at a time."

It's an interesting concept. The idea is that you can invite up to 10 of your friends to join you as you watch a movie online. It allows you to chat along side the movie in a clean and intuitive interface. If you feel like meeting new folks you can always join an existing party in the "Social Scene" section and share the experience with others on the network. 

There are plenty of pay and free movies, although many of the titles are either older classics, or aren't very recognizable at all...have you heard of Brainiac, Baron Blood, Elephants Dream, or Affair in T'Sien Cha? They do however some obscure documentaries such as Burning Man: Beyond Black Rock, A Tribute to Sam Kinison, and an absurdly large collection of National Lampoon titles.