Icons indicate trouble spots.

If you've got travel plans, here's a Web site that you'll want to consult before you hand your bags to a Skycap.

The concept of GlobalIncidentMap.com is disarmingly simple: Take a world map and put a flashing icon wherever there are "terrorism events" or "other suspicious activity."

Because it's a Google-based map, you can scroll around from country to county, zooming in where you see something that looks interesting.

The icons indicate a range of events, including these:

• A bomb scare in Los Angeles

• Suspicious packages in Alabama and Connecticut

• Shots fired at a bus in Boston

And that's just a sampling of the dangers in the U.S.A. GlobalIncidentMap.com covers the whole world.

Clicking on an icon brings up a screen with details of the report, including a brief summary as well as the source of the information.

The map defaults to display events over the course of the last seven days. You can adjust it for the last 2-3 days for a glance at the most recent events. And if you really want to get scared, try the "last 12 months" setting!

GlobalIncidentMap.com takes raw data, marries it with an easy-to-use map, and results in a fascinating, interactive way to look at the impact of terrorism.

Looking for something? Or someone?

Statistics from comScore show that Google was the search tool of choice for more than half of all Web users as of August.

But wait a minute, says Yahoo. Take a look at our new take on finding stuff.

It starts out the same as same as all the other search engines: a blank box waiting for you to start typing in what you're looking for. But that's where the similarity ends.

Let's say you want to go see a movie in Dallas. Enter the words "Dallas" and "movies" and Yahoo Search pops up a box right below your query that narrows down your original selection to what it considers your best options, based on what others have already been looking for.

The handy results feature the names of popular theaters in the city. Neat.

The new Yahoo Search is also great for more scholarly searches. Doing a school project on John F. Kennedy? Type in the name and scroll through the pop-up list, which includes a reference for "quotes." Perfect.

Yahoo's Search Assist option (which can be turned off, by the way) is quite addictive, and the company also boasts that photos and video clips are also part of the results.

It all makes Google's excellent and reliable search seem rather boring.

Microsoft is finally launching an online version of its ubiquitous Office software.

Office Live Workspace—which is free—will let you access and modify Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents from any Web-connected computer, using most popular browsers.

You won't need a copy of Office.

You can sign up now to be part of the beta test for Office Live Workspace.

While you're waiting check out Google's version of the same thing, Google Docs.

It's simple but solid (and it's also free). I've been using Google Docs for months now without a problem, primarily for text documents, but also to maintain a simple spreadsheet documenting my gas mileage.

Microsoft

Zune's first-generation player, right, will get the same features as the two new models.

We've been talking a lot recently about iPods and iPhones, but on Wednesday, Microsoft quietly introduced its second-generation of Zune music players.

The lineup includes smaller 4 gigabyte ($149) and 8 gigabyte ($199) flash-drive models in pink, green, black and red. There's also a redesigned version of its hard drive model, with a capacity increase to 80 gigabytes and a price tag of $249.

And if you are one of the Zune pioneers with a first-generation 30 gigabyte model, here's a nice touch: Microsoft is going to give you a software upgrade so your unit will have the same features as the newest models, including:

• synchronizing content with your home wireless network

• downloading TV shows you've recorded on your home computer

The new Zunes will be available starting next month.

I've not seen the new models yet, but I have had a chance to try out the original Zune. It's a solid piece of equipment with easy-to-use features that stack up well against Apple's iPod (at least as of a couple of generations ago).

But these newest Zunes don't seem to pack the pizazz of the latest iPod models. Some of it, certainly, is showmanship—Apple has it, Microsoft doesn't.

Some of it is in the design—Zunes look like iPods.

But there's stil more Microsoft could do to using the Zune hardware platform to have a more exciting product. Since all models have built-in Wi-Fi wireless capability, why not add a Web browser and give them the power to surf the Web? Why restrict Zunes to the Zune Marketplace for content (the same way iPods are limited to the iTunes Store)?

I think a more open platform, coupled with the ability to use Zune to accomplish more tasks, could help Microsoft win converts.

Watch Computer Corner every week on News 8 Midday at noon, or online any time.

E-mail askwalt@wfaa.com