Daily Dispatch: Bar codes on the rise; Google Earth explores the ocean floor

Combing through hundreds of blog posts and news articles daily, Dirk Klingner, our technology-trend watcher, sifts through the noise to bring you the tech news most important to consumers. If you have a tip on a story you want to share, leave a comment below.

Bar codes are getting hip. For decades, retailers and manufacturers have used these patterns of black dots, lines, and squares to encode pricing and other data onto products and supplies. Now, bar codes are gaining currency as an easy way for cell-phone users to view ads, coupons, and other information instantly.

Siri: Make Artificial Intelligence Your Slave (GIGAOM)

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic," said Arthur C. Clarke. And that's what Siri, a new virtual personal assistant that's finally going live in the App Store after some sneak peeks last year, is going for. At the least it will be an excellent party trick.

Google Maps To Add "Google Store Views" (Search Engine Land)

...Google Store Views will allow people to essentially walk into the store, off of Google Street Views. So imagine you are looking at this store, and then you can click on the door to enter it, all on Google Maps. Then when you enter the store, you can wall through it.

British Toast New Shatterproof Pint Glass (NPR)

Soon Britons will be able to get smashed at the pub while their pint glasses won't. The shatterproof pint glass was proudly unveiled by the government on Thursday. Officials swore the country would save billions in health care costs by coming up with a glass that doesn't double as a lethal weapon.

Sensorly aims to keep coverage maps honest (Engadget)

...If French firm Sensorly has its way, you'll soon be able to answer the latter thanks to the deployment of an app for your phone that continuously measures cellular and WiFi signal strength at your location and silently reports it back to the company's servers where it's compiled into color-coded maps predicting your ability to connect.

Kidney transplant first for sisters (BBC)

...However, doctors in Coventry used a technique called "cryofiltration" to remove the immune molecules that cause rejection.

Google Rolls Out Ocean Showcase: It's a Multimedia, Underwater Street View (ReadWriteWeb)

..."Anyone can be a desktop Cousteau," writes Googler Jenifer Austin Foulkes. The Google Earth browser plugin allows users to browse through a selection of highlighted tours. Users of Google Earth 5 can go on to explore more, downloading tours and viewing photos and videos by checking the Ocean folder in the left-hand layers panel.

Scientist profiles cat who predicts death (MSNBC)

The scientist in Dr. David Dosa was skeptical when first told that Oscar, an aloof cat kept by a nursing home, regularly predicted patients' deaths by snuggling alongside them in their final hours.

Lighter side: New Heinz Ketchup packets (iJustine)

The blogosphere seems especially excited about these new Ketchup packets. Even iJustine blogged about them.