Ask.com is launching a new all-in-one local search engine called AskCity that promises to bring together numerous local search services into one site.

From CNET News –

Ask.com is set to unveil on Monday a new local search service that lets people find maps, directions, businesses, events and movies–all through one interface.

The service, called AskCity, integrates data from other Web properties owned by InterActiveCorp, including Citysearch.com for business reviews, TicketMaster for event tickets, ReserveAmerica for campground reservations, Fandango for movie ticket purchases and OpenTable.com for restaurant reservations.

Source: Ask.com unveils new local search

Leet Speak is a form of internet code that teenagers and criminals are using to covertly communicate online. The code replaces letters with numbers and symbols for use in email and online chat.

Parents as well as cyber investigators and computer forensics professionals can learn more about Leet Speak at the links below:

Leet Speak news report – YouTube video link.

Leet Speak entry on Wikipedia.

You can also download a Leet Speak generator and translator software program at Leet Speak generator and translator.

According to TechCrunch.com there is a new video search engine that will revolutionize how people search for video online.

The new video search engine is called CastTV and is expected to launch sometime this fall.

From the TechCrunch post –

CastTV is taking many of the successes of Truveo and building on them. Search itself is significantly better than any other video search we’ve seen, and the user interface, which includes really smart filters (more on that below), makes it easier to find what you’re looking for, fast.

Edwin and Alex won’t disclose all of the technology behind the service, but part of the trick is that they are able to track videos through multiple links on a site, collecting metadata along the way. And they also parse the code on the video files as well, gathering additional information about the content. If tags are available for the videos (such as YouTube tags), these are indexed as well. The final step is actually even more interesting – CastTV will take the data they are able to collect about a video and search the web in general for additional data. If there’s a close enough match, CastTV adds that information to the content metadata. And unlike other video search tools, CastTV indexes movies and shows from iTunes and other for-pay services.

You can read the full blog post from TechCrunch @ CastTV Will Revolutionize Video Search.

Are metasearch engines a better and more efficient way to do people searches, public record research and web searching? A recent story on RawStory.com seems to think so.

The article discusses the advantages of using metasearch engines and discusses some of the web’s best metasearch engines that people may want to try for their online research.

From the article –

Which search engine is better – Google, Yahoo, or MSN? The correct answer is actually “all of the above.” Each of the major seach engines on the Internet indexes and presents information a bit differently. So why settle for the just one when you really need to unearth some important information from the web? With metasearch engines, you don’t have to.

Metasearch engines – which query multiple major search engine sites simultaneously and present you with the results – have become better than ever.

The article goes on to list some of the top metasearch engines available and discusses the features of each. The list includes dogpile.com, metacrawler.com, ixquick.com, vivisimo.com and mamma.com.

Source: Metasearch engines: A smarter way to search?

TechCrunch is reporting on some new improvements to the Yahoo Real Estate Search site.

Among the improvements on the Yahoo Real Estate Search:

1. Yahoo now supports finding and listing a house.

2. Researching the neighborhood (schools and community).

3. Finding a local realtor.

4. Getting a mortgage loan based on local rates.

5. Valuing your property.

You can check out the Yahoo Real Estate Search for yourself @ Yahoo Real Estate Search.