Pretty much every celebrity photo – save for the unflattering ones on gossip sites – is so heavily touched up nowadays that this bit of ad-busting from Germany is freaking genius as far as I’m concerned:

I don’t know about you, but all the detail that they put into this (like the Photoshop layer list) really makes me wish that I’d see stuff like this pop up in the US more often.

Today, Google announced that the enterprise version of its Google Earth product is available in mobile form “immediately.” What does this mean? You can look at your enterprise’s own Google Earth data out in the field when not connected to the enterprise network.

I’ve never used this product, but the idea is great. According to Google:

Google Earth Enterprise lets customers build globes with their own data that can be accessed with the same fast, easy-to-use technology as Google Earth. Previously, Google Earth Enterprise customers could only access their private Google Earth globes when connected to the network. Sometimes, when working in the field, limited or no network connectivity prevented our customers from accessing the full potential of the geospatial data.

The portable version of Google Earth Enterprise allows organizations to distribute geospatial data to their employees where bandwidth is limited or unavailable — such as emergency workers responding to a disaster. Customers can deploy the portable solution for a single individual, or for a multiperson team.

This version is also appropriate for situations when users are away from their desks and need to access an organization’s geospatial data. Data collected in the field can also be transferred to the primary system when network connectivity is available.

I can imagine many uses of this product on the enterprise level. Think about your field force workers, or emergency response teams. For those who travel regular routes, or need to take down survey data or need access to other geospecific information, having remote access to this tool can be highly beneficial.

Google says that the software is loaded on a customer-supplied USB drive or a large partition on a user’s laptop using VMware. In this case, mobile means accessible via a laptop, and not a mobile phone. Google didn’t say that Google Earth Enterprise will be available on any mobile platforms, but that would be the pinnacle of mobility.

The consumer version of Google Earth is available for the Apple iPhone.

Thanks to my friend David for pointing out this video to me. I can always use a good laugh. Bill Gates of Microsoft and Steve Jobs of Apple square off in the clean-white virtual world of the iconic Mac ads:

Just in time to help you with your holiday shopping, Google on Monday said that it had added a lightweight to-do list called Tasks to Gmail.

Google engineers Jonathan Terleski, Michael Lancaster, and Brett Lider have published a blog post with the details:

To enable Tasks, go to Settings, click the Labs tab (or just click here if you’re signed in). Select “Enable” next to “Tasks” and then click “Save Changes” at the bottom. Then, after Gmail refreshes, on the left under the “Contacts” link, you’ll see a “Tasks” link. Just click it to get started.

Adding a new task is just a matter of clicking inside an empty part of one’s list, typing, and hitting return. E-mail messages can also be converted to Tasks using the menu More Actions/Add To Tasks.

Google has been throwing new features at Gmail with abandon recently. In June, it opened Gmail Labs. In October, it launched seven features for Gmail: Gmail Gadgets, emoticons for messages, Gmail for mobile version 2.0, Canned Responses, contact manager improvements, advanced IMAP controls, and Mail Goggles. Last month, Gmail got Themes, Video and Voice Chat, and stickers.

Frankly, I wish they’d slow down a little. Every time I open Gmail, there’s something new to learn about.

Google has long been known to spare no expense when it comes to perks for employees. Looks like the slowdown in ad revenue is having an impact on Google, and the company is looking for ways to trim costs. In addition to staff reductions, Google is also cutting back on Googlers’ 20% time on pet projects and has reduced the availability of its free cafeterias.

The Wall Street Journal posted an extended story today on what Google is doing to curtail costs in light of the current economic climate. The laundry list is very long. It includes:

• Running ads in services it previously provided ad-free.
• Shifting engineers from pet projects to those that are more likely to succeed.
• Cutting back the number of hours its cafeterias are open.
• No more afternoon tea for Google’s NYC office.
• Killing off services that aren’t succeeding.
• Office closures.
• Merging overlapping services into one unit.
• Slowing down the rate of hiring new staff.
• Reducing current staff levels by up to 10,000 people.
• Delaying the production of new data facilities.

What I think is most significant is the way Google is going to manage its engineers. Google CEO Eric Schmidt told The Journal that it is shifting its engineering and sales resources to areas and projects that show promise, and reducing the number of engineers working on projects with less promise.

This represents a pretty big change in Google’s thinking. It has always offered Google employees the opportunity to work on projects and services that they wanted to for 20 percent of their time. Google didn’t say that it was taking away that 20 percent, but it is going to manage it differently.

SearchMash has already been killed off by Google, and Lively will be shut down at the end of this month. Other services on the brink of elimination include Google Notebook (which I use and happen to like) and Google Audio Indexing. If there are any other services that Google might pull the plug on, they haven’t yet been named.

In all, Google is taking the economy seriously and making the appropriate shifts in its business practices to meet these uncertain times.

Homer, Marge, and the kids visit the Mapple Store at the mall and admire the MyPods and MyPhones. The segment includes a parody-in-a-parody of the famous 1984 Apple “Big Brother” commercial, featuring Comic Book Guy instead of an athletic woman with Eurythmics hair.

For those who haven’t seen it, here is Apple’s 1984 “Big Brother” Macintosh Commercial:

Enjoy while you can as I’m sure YouTube will pull down the parody video any day now.