You've probably seen one or another of the various maps of the Internet, the ones that look like a cross between a galaxy and a spider's web? If not, check the link below for a colourful example, and the second link for some more.

Mapping the whole Internet is a bit of a tricky project, but an altogether simpler task (says he, the non-programmer) would be for your web browser to create and update a personal map of 'your Surfiverse' based on your browsing history, showing the websites you've visited.

Webpages would appear as nodes, links as links (well, duh). The map could be coloured in several ways: for example, recentness of last visit to that address, number of visits to or length of time spent at that webpage, geographic location of website, and so on.

Ideally you'd be able to use this map for navigation - zooming in on a particular area to see more detail, pointing your mouse arrow at a node to see its URL, and clicking on the node to go to that webpage. More fun than just selecting a bookmark - with this you really feel you're journeying through cyberspace!*

But even aside from its usefulness for navigation, it would just be pretty and interesting to look at. And it might encourage people to widen their browsing habits to expand their Surfiverse, rather than sticking to the same few sites every time.

"Wow, what's that massive, white-hot star in the centre of your Surfiverse? You must visit that site a lot!"

"Um, that's the Halfbakery..."

*Reality described is a serving suggestion only. Your reality may differ from illustration.
-- imaginality, Apr 28 2007

Map of Internet http://images.googl...mages&ct=image&cd=1
This is the sort of thing I mean [imaginality, Apr 28 2007]

More examples http://www.opte.org/maps/
[imaginality, Apr 28 2007]

The End of the Internet http://www.endoftheinternet.com/
[nuclear hobo, Apr 28 2007]

The old IBM Web Explorer used to do that. It was really useful. I wonder why no one has copied it.
-- Galbinus_Caeli, Apr 28 2007


Maybe you could use it to find out where all those missing emails went?
-- nuclear hobo, Apr 28 2007


[bigsleep] Luckily the amount of pink matter on the Internet balances out the dark matter.

Someone told me about a FireFox plugin that tells you where other people went after they were at the site you were currently on. It must therefore create the kind of map you are talking about.
-- marklar, Apr 28 2007



random, halfbakery