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If only there were more hours in the day… I probably still wouldn’t get around to blogging more. But two things kicked me in the backside today and got me motivated. First, the #sm51 tweetchat (guest @johncass with topic Importance of Content and Engagement Strategy in Social Media) and second, Seth Godin’s blog post today, Driveby Culture and the Endless Search for Wow.

Since there aren’t more hours in the day, why do some people and businesses try to boil the ocean?

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class='feedflare' href="http://www.google.com/reader/link?url=http://mashable.com/2010/03/27/chatroulette-piano-improv-merton/&title=Chatroulette Piano Improv #2: Merton Returns [VIDEO]&srcTitle=Mashable&srcUrl=http://mashable.com">The href="http://mashable.com/2010/03/15/chatroulette-piano/">Chatroulette piano improv guy is back — and his lyrics are as good as ever.

Merton, the pianist who wrote on-the-fly songs about people he saw on Chatroulette, has posted a second video today with even more great improv pieces.

Will the Chatroulette fad never fade?

See also: href="http://mashable.com/2010/03/23/exclusive-merton-the-chatroulette-piano-guy/">Exclusive: Merton the Chatroulette Piano Guy Speaks [VIDEO]

For more href="http://mashable.com/video/">web video coverage, follow Mashable Web Video on href="http://twitter.com/mashablevideo" target="_blank">Twitter or become a fan on href="http://www.facebook.com/mashable.video?ref=sgm" target="_blank">Facebook

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Tags: href="http://mashable.com/tag/chatroulette/">chatroulette, href="http://mashable.com/tag/merton/">merton, href="http://mashable.com/tag/piano-improv/">piano improv, href="http://mashable.com/tag/video/">video, href="http://mashable.com/tag/viral-video/">viral video

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class='feedflare' href="http://www.google.com/reader/link?url=http://mashable.com/2010/03/28/ipad-npd-report/&title=Who Will Buy the iPad? [STATS]&srcTitle=Mashable&srcUrl=http://mashable.com">Wondering just who put in a pre-order for the coveted iPad? The NPD Group just href="http://www.npd.com/press/releases/press_100326.html" target="_blank">released a new market research report assessing consumer awareness and interest in href="http://mashable.com/tag/ipad">Apple’s iPad.

Unsurprisingly, current Apple owners are most excited about the product — 24% of Apple owners said they were very interested or extremely interested in buying an iPad, compared to 18% of all consumers.

We spoke with Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at NPD, about the href="http://npd.com/lps/pdf/iPad_Overview.pdf" target="_blank">report, which was compiled from a survey of individuals over the age of 18 from February 24 through March 3. The sample size was about 2,000 consumers.

Those who show the most interest in buying the iPad, per the report, look a little something like this:

Income: More than $100,000/year

Age: 18-34 (27% of people in this age range expressed an interest in buying the iPad — again, that’s compared to 18% overall)

Time of Purchase: In the next six months (9% of all consumers surveyed indicated it was likely that they would be purchasing an iPad in the next six months. While that figure may seem small, consider that that could easily be more than 20 million users, if just applied to U.S. consumers over the age of 18.)

Reason for Buying: A tie among 18-34 year-olds between brand loyalty and the multi-touch screen

Brand Loyalty: Apple (37% of interested consumers as a reason they want an iPad. That figure “really speaks to how well Apple is able to mine its customer data,” says Baker. “Apple owners are willing to try new products and trust that the company will get it right.”)

How They Will Use It: To play music or access the Internet

Of course, there are those who are not as keen on buying an iPad; among tech-savvy 18-34 year olds, 57% cite price as the only reason they aren’t ready to buy, which is interestingly 25% higher than the overall percentage of non-interested buyers. Owning or wanting to buy a netbook was also a popular reason not to buy an iPad for both Apple and non-Apple owners.

With more than href="http://mashable.com/2010/03/12/ipad-preorder-numbers/">130,000 iPad units thought to be pre-ordered in just the first day of availability, it will be interesting to see how this study aligns with sales figures.

Does owning (or not owning) other Apple products affect your iPad plans? Let us know!

Tags: href="http://mashable.com/tag/apple/">apple, href="http://mashable.com/tag/ipad/">ipad, href="http://mashable.com/tag/npd/">npd

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class='feedflare' href="http://www.google.com/reader/link?url=http://mashable.com/2010/03/27/must-see-google-street-view/&title=10 Must-See Google Street View Sightings&srcTitle=Mashable&srcUrl=http://mashable.com">While we brought you 15 amusing href="http://mashable.com/2007/05/31/top-15-google-street-view-sightings/" TARGET="_blank">Google Street View sightings when the service launched back in 2007, in the last few years Google has expanded its coverage around the globe, which also means expanding the chances of humorous photo captures.

Here we bring you ten more funnies from around the world — from the amazing (a three-legged man!), to the cute (Paddington Bear!), to the downright odd (scuba-suited sunbathers!).

Have a browse below of the small selection of strange imagery that can be viewed via Google’s ambitious photographic project to snap the world, and do let us know which ones are your favorites in the comments.

1. Three-Legged Man

A three-legged dog walks into a bar and says, “I’m lookin’ for the man who shot my paw…” While you’re groaning at that, check out this tripedal Sicilian taking an extra-limbed stroll down the street.

href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&sll=45.610237,7.745037&sspn=32.598022,67.763672&ie=UTF8&hq=&layer=c&cbll=37.501839,15.07931&panoid=f0QY9UBrlypaFf2e5OFSZw&cbp=12,293.31,,2,5.5&ll=37.511632,15.08337&spn=0,359.922752&z=14" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map

2. Paddington Bear

Waving endearingly at the camera, British children’s favorite href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddington_Bear" TARGET="_blank">Paddington Bear makes an appearance in London outside the British Museum. He looks pretty happy, greeting passersby curbside, and he is most decidedly not giving anyone one of his trademark “hard stares.”

href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&sll=51.618017,0&sspn=167.722725,360&ie=UTF8&cd=1&geocode=FeobEgMdUxX-_w&split=0&hq=&layer=c&cbll=51.518426,-0.125686&panoid=qfaucfavd14R46PEBfkuvQ&cbp=12,1.67,,1,17.64&ll=51.518442,-0.125613&spn=0,359.995172&z=18" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map

3. Shark Attack

Anyone browsing around Headington, Oxford, UK in Street View will get a surprise when they turn onto New High Street (as would anyone doing the same in real life) thanks to the 25-foot long fiberglass shark sticking out of the roof of number two. Locals will note it is in fact a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headington_Shark" TARGET="_blank">well-known landmark originally created as a statement about nuclear weapons.

href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=51.758980,+-1.213177&sll=50.823577,-0.133578&sspn=168.244834,360&ie=UTF8&layer=c&cbll=51.75909,-1.213208&panoid=eh55zE6qcQVy_M1Hmnc-RA&cbp=12,195.96,,1,-13.42&ll=51.7646,-1.208925&spn=0.029269,0.077248&z=14" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map

4. Marching Band

This too-good-to-be-true scene is in fact just that. Part of a href="http://www.streetwithaview.com/" TARGET="_blank">project from artists Robin Hewlett and Ben Kinsley in conjunction with the Street View team and residents of Pittsburgh’s North Side, this marching band is one of a few tableaus set up to introduce some fun fiction into the service.

href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&sll=40.45657,-80.011848&sspn=0.009127,0.016544&ie=UTF8&hq=&t=h&layer=c&cbll=40.456891,-80.011964&panoid=zHdES6mj-vBrH2nF-K9ROQ&cbp=12,260.71,,0,10.1&ll=40.456597,-80.011861&spn=0,359.999397&z=21" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map

5. Thieving Sea Gull

Although there are plenty of birds captured on Street View, this image of a sea gull in Brighton, UK has amused plenty of browsers, as it looks like it’s just managed to steal a tasty morsel from some poor unsuspecting passerby.

href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=&sll=50.823577,-0.133577&sspn=0.00122,0.002304&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=&layer=c&cbll=50.823577,-0.133578&panoid=bZ_zx1I3Jno2dGPdkkVZjg&cbp=12,221.76,,1,-2.67&ll=50.823492,-0.133638&spn=0,177.890625&z=1" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map

6. Scuba Dudes

Why these two fellows sat bathing in the Norwegian sun in full scuba gear is anyone’s guess, but they didn’t stay seated for long after the Google Street View car passed — if you head East on Rugdeveien and turn the camera around, you can see the two take chase after the vehicle, complete with pitch fork. Maybe that’s just how they roll in Bergen.

href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&sll=40.456891,-80.011964&sspn=0.000285,0.000772&ie=UTF8&t=h&layer=c&cbll=60.360882,5.369247&panoid=0JCPeE6vZt195sDiXZaCsw&cbp=12,27.31,,1,18.89&ll=60.360893,5.369353&spn=0,359.995172&z=18" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map

7. Doc Emmet Brown

From the same folks who brought us the marching band, here we see what looks like Doctor Emmet Brown (of Back to the Future fame) tinkering away in his garage with — could it be — the flux capacitor? Of course it’s not, but you could certainly use this to win a bet with a gullible friend.

href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Sampsonia+Way,+Pittsburgh&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=61.328812,113.203125&ie=UTF8&t=h&layer=c&cbll=40.45696,-80.011596&panoid=C4I-QLkZJoT1SHXslK5f7Q&cbp=13,132.65,,1,19.53&hq=&hnear=Sampsonia+Way,+Pittsburgh,+Pennsylvania+15212&z=16&ll=40.457196,-80.010351&source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map

8. Sherlock Holmes

How did fictional detective Sherlock Holmes end up waving to the Google Street View car in Cambridge, UK? Elementary, my dear Watson, he was apparently one of Google’s secret Easter eggs planted for the occasion.

href="http://maps.google.com/maps?source=embed&hl=en&channel=2PSP&ei=WcanS-rvJYj00gTo0NnCAQ&ved=0CAsQ8gEwAA&layer=c&cbll=52.20379,0.117557&panoid=TKMJX3ZhpQrbC80cR1Jyvw&cbp=12,198.73,,1,16.75&t=h&ie=UTF8&ll=52.20364,0.117553&spn=0,359.997586&z=19" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map

9. Trip Wire

These mischievous kids were caught red-handed by the Google Street View voiture as it cruised through France. While we suppose there could be an innocent explanation, it seems more likely some unwary monsieur is about to land face-first in the street.

href="http://maps.google.fr/maps?cbp=12,335.68,,1,14.9&cbll=45.482475,4.574609&layer=c&hl=en&ie=UTF8&panoid=RTyoni6DQymyQwsJI9qxow&source=embed&ll=45.482473,4.574607&spn=0,359.991728&z=17" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map

10. Google Photocall

A suitable image to end on, Google staffers hit the streets to celebrate as the Street View vehicle came rolling past their offices. You can pan down the road to see crazy costumes, banners and props all dragged out street-side for the special occasion.

href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=amphitheatre+parkway,+san+francisco&sll=52.20379,0.117557&sspn=0.001756,0.004136&ie=UTF8&hq=amphitheatre+parkway,&hnear=San+Francisco,+CA,+USA&ll=37.598464,-122.250069&spn=0.423517,0.406432&layer=c&cbll=37.42309,-122.084705&panoid=UYtxNu4fU5JIWlPWTo82gg&cbp=12,189.36,,0,10.59" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map

For more href="http://mashable.com/tech/">technology coverage, follow Mashable Tech on href="http://twitter.com/mashabletech" target="_blank">Twitter or become a fan on href="http://www.facebook.com/mashable.tech?ref=sgm" target="_blank">Facebook

More Google Resources from Mashable:

- href="http://mashable.com/2010/03/13/google-easter-eggs/">5 Must-See Google Easter Eggs

- href="http://mashable.com/2010/03/20/non-profits-google-buzz/">4 Ways Non-Profits Can Use Google Buzz

- href="http://mashable.com/2010/03/19/small-business-google-apps/">The Small Business Guide to Google Apps

- href="http://mashable.com/2009/12/15/surprising-google-wave-uses/">4 Surprising Google Wave Uses

- href="http://mashable.com/2010/02/28/android-apps-drop-iphone/">6 Free Android Apps That Will Make You Drop Your iPhone

Reviews: href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336650-Facebook" target="_blank">Facebook, href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336661-Google" target="_blank">Google, href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336651-Twitter" target="_blank">Twitter

Tags: href="http://mashable.com/tag/google/">Google, href="http://mashable.com/tag/google-maps/">Google Maps, href="http://mashable.com/tag/google-street-view/">google street view, href="http://mashable.com/tag/list/">List, href="http://mashable.com/tag/lists/">Lists, href="http://mashable.com/tag/tech/">tech

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Yesterday, Google product manager James Kellyposted a blog post stating that 600 communities applied to be a guinea pig for the search giants experimental fiber network. And 190,000 individuals wrote letters of support for their communities to be chosen. But the post was written with 5 hours until the deadline, so it was expected that more cities would apply to be chosen by the end of the day on Friday. Yesterday night, Kelly updated the post with the final tally: 1100 communities submitted applications, and 194,000 individuals posted letters of support for their communities.

Google also posted a map showing the locations of the applications and letters of support. Each small dot represents a government response, and each large dot represents locations where more than 1,000 residents submitted a nomination. It appears that applications centralized around both coasts, with a few of the central areas of the U.S. noticeably lacking in participation.

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class='feedflare' href="http://www.google.com/reader/link?url=http://mashable.com/2010/03/26/friday-poll-twestival/&title=FRIDAY POLL: How Did You Celebrate Twestival?&srcTitle=Mashable&srcUrl=http://mashable.com">Yes, it’s that time once again, folks — time for the href="http://mashable.com/tag/lunchtime-poll/">Weekly Poll!

Yesterday, thousands of people in more than 175 cities got together to celebrate the second annual Twestival, an event that has (at the time of this posting) raised $311,696 for href="http://www.concern.net/" target="_blank">Concern Worldwide, an organization that works to provide an education to millions of children without access to one.

Last year’s event raised $250,000 for a charity that brought clean water to 17,000 people, and set a precedent for social media philanthropy. Not only did participants register and donate money on the href="http://twestival.com/" target="_blank">Twestival website, they also promoted the event via tweets.

As our own Pete Cashmore said in his href="http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/03/25/cashmore.twestival/index.html" target="_blank">CNN column yesterday, “Twestival’s impact, then, is threefold: Its cash haul is significant, it raises awareness of the cause on a worldwide scale and it provides the framework for future campaigns.”

This year’s event no doubt surpassed last year’s in terms of giving. Here’s hoping for another awesome turnout for Twestival number three.

The Mashable staff was out in full force at New York’s event, where we not only contributed to a stellar cause, but also met a ton of interesting people and celebrated into the night. So, for this week’s poll, we’re asking you, our readers, to tell us how you celebrated Twestival? Did you attend an event? Did you tweet your support? What did you do to make a difference?

Let us know in the comments!

For more href="http://mashable.com/social-media/">social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on href="http://twitter.com/mashsocialmedia" target="_blank">Twitter or become a fan on href="http://www.facebook.com/mashable.socialmedia?ref=sgm" target="_blank">Facebook

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Tags: href="http://mashable.com/tag/social-good/">social good, href="http://mashable.com/tag/social-media/">social media, href="http://mashable.com/tag/twestival/">twestival, href="http://mashable.com/tag/twitter/">twitter

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Trying to control, or even manage, your online reputation is becoming increasingly difficult. And much like the fight by big labels against the illegal sharing of music, it will soon become pointless to even try. It’s time we all just give up on the small fights and become more accepting of the indiscretions of our fellow humans. Because the skeletons are coming out of the closet and onto the front porch.

We’ll look back on the good old days when your reputation was really only on the line with eBay via confirmed, actual transactions and LinkedIn, where you can simply reject anyone who leaves bad feedback on your professional life.

Today we have quick fire and semi or completely anonymous attacks on people, brands, businesses and just about everything else. And it is becoming increasingly findable on the search engines. Twitter, Yelp, Facebook, etc. are the new printing presses, and absolutely everyone, even the random wingnuts, have access.