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WorldWondersProject.com: Google buys domain for secret new site [UPDATED]

In September I wrote about Google acquiring the domain name OneWorldManyStories.com after the domain name had expired.

Then, in early October, Google unveiled the ‘One World Many Stories’ website that showcases stories of how people use Google Earth to discover more about the world. The site was launched in celebration of Google Earth being downloaded 1 billion times.

Now it appears Google has another secretive project underway called the “World Wonders Project”, that if I had to guess, I’d say has something to do with Google Earth and the Wonders of the World.

Google registered the domain names WorldWondersProject.com and WorldWondersProject.net on October 12 through MarkMonitor.

Here’s a look at the Whois record.

Registrant:
DNS Admin
Google Inc.
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View CA 94043
US

Domain Name: worldwondersproject.com

Registrar Name: Markmonitor.com
Registrar Whois: whois.markmonitor.com

Administrative Contact:
DNS Admin
Google Inc.
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View CA 94043
US

Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
DNS Admin
Google Inc.
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View CA 94043
US

Created on…………..: 2011-10-12.
Expires on…………..: 2013-10-12.
Record last updated on..: 2011-10-12.

Domain servers in listed order:

ns1.google.com
ns3.google.com
ns4.google.com
ns2.google.com

[Update 2, May 31, 2012:. Google is today releasing a new online project that will give users the ability to virtually explore historical sites, including Stonehenge and Kew Gardens, The Telegraph reports.]

[Update 1, Oct. 28, 2012:. It now appears Google has acquired the domain WorldWonders.org [WHOIS] from BuyDomains using the same well-known internet brand protection company MarkMonitor as the intermediary. The name transferred from BuyDomains to MarkMonitor this week. According to web cache, the purchase price was only $2,088.]

(Photo of The Sphinx and the Khafre’s Pyramid in Giza by Ian Sewell)

As Call of Duty: Black Ops sets records, BuyDomains increases prices of Warfare domain names

With Call of Duty Black Ops setting a record for Activision as the company’s best selling game, Warfare-related domain names owned by BuyDomains continue to increase in price.

It’s a safe bet that Activision’s next installment for Call of Duty will take place in outerspace in a Halo-like environment.

As I wrote about on my military gaming blog, Chris Morris, a writer with Gamasutra, first broke the news on Nov. 9 that Activision could be headed towards a future landscape (with space marines) for its next game title. But that wasn’t a big surprise for many Call of Duty fans. The Gamasutra story confirmed what many already thought about the possibility of a futuristic Call of Duty last May, after domains registered by Activision were uncovered by superannuation. The registrations included names such as callofdutyfuturewarfare.com, callofdutyfuturewarfare2.com, callofdutyfuturewarfare3.com, and a number of variations including codfuturewarefare.com, codfuturewarfare2.com, and codfuturewarfare3.com. The company also registered secretwarfare2.com and secretwarfare3.com, as well as spacewarfare2.com and spacewarfare3.com.

Prices of Warfare domains

As reported in early December, BuyDomains upped the price of SpaceWars.com from $50,000 to to $63,200. As of today, the price tag now sits at six-figures: $102,000.

And Spacewars.com isn’t the only War domain that saw a price increase.

In late November, FutureWarfare.com was listed for $3,788. Now the buy-it-now price has risen to $6,000. SpaceWarfare.com, another BuyDomains name and candidate for the next Call of Duty game installment, also leaped in price to $8,000.

Warfare Domains

Warfare domain names are generic in nature, so BuyDomains is doing what many of us might do by increasing the list price.

But amid all the hype of Call of Duty Black Ops, no one has acquired the names, not even Activision.

As demand for Call of Duty Black Ops remains strong, prices for warfare domains look to inch higher and higher, as speculation for the next Call of Duty title picks up in the news and blogs. And BuyDomains owns one of the best lots.

Even I got caught up in warfare domains, hand registering airbornewarfare.com in November.

Odd Warfare names, you may have heard of

Some of the oddest warfare names are “Flower Warfare” and “Cardboard Warfare”.

And if you’ve heard of Freddie Wong, chances are you’ve heard of these phrases. Freddie recently released his “Future First Person Shooter” video, which has already hit 7 million views on YouTube in a week’s time. Here’s a look at “Flower Warfare” in case you have never seen a freddiew film.