According to the Seattle P-I’s Microsoft blog a new prototype called Canvas for OneNote is now available from Microsoft’s Office Labs.  It is a way to look at more “natural ways” of interacting with software, says Labs General Manager Chris Pratley.

Canvas for OneNote allows users to see thumbnails of all the pages they have created within the organizing and note-taking program on one screen.  You can zoom in to see a close-up of a page, double click to open OneNote and edit.  Those with touch screens can use their fingers instead of a mouse.

You can make a thumbnail bigger so that you remember to come back to it, if you like.  You can also look at all the pages modified within a certain time period.  Move a slider to the left or right and see the pages highlighted.

Currently the application is up for download on the Office Labs Web site.  “We want to see how people really use it,” Pratley said.  Like the other prototypes on the site, Canvas for OneNote is for now “more science experiment than add-on.”  Learn more and watch videos here.  You’ll need Windows Vista and OneNote 2007 to use Canvas.

Other Office Labs prototypes available include an e-mail prioritizer for Outlook that automatically prioritizes e-mail for you based on information about the e-mail, and pptPlex which transforms PowerPoint presentations into a zoomable canvas, somewhat like the new Canvas for OneNote.

New Google toolbar and handy gadgets
If you haven’t downloaded the new Google toolbar for Internet Explorer or Firefox, you’re missing out on some handy new gadgets.

I was particularly interested in the Google Maps gadget which pops up when you click on it, allowing you to use it without leaving the site you are on.  Find businesses (and reviews) or get driving directions.

While you are at it, you may want to check out the toolbar gadget gallery.  [via Lat Long Blog]

Quick definition search
I saw this post awhile ago and was reminded that I ought to spend some time learning the ins and outs of Google search instead of just plugging in basic keywords that come to me.

The “define:” search command is an easy way to a dictionary function and it will likely give you several options.

In the Google search bar, enter define:[something] and try it out.    

IA released a new web trend map of the 200 most successful websites.  Download a variety of sizes, a clickable map with Snap Shots, or the screensaver.  [via Mashable]

Be sure to check out Technorati’s “State of the Blogosphere, October, 2006.”

Interesting charts show the incredible growth — the blogosphere is doubling in size approximately every 230 days; continued globalization; and some shifts in blog languages.  

The data appears to show both English and Spanish are a more universal blog language than the other two most dominant languages, Japanese and Chinese, which seem to be more regionally localized.  Farsi has moved into the top 10 languages of the blogosphere, indicating that blogging continues to play a critical role in debates about the important issues of our times.