If you’re looking to waste a little time (and possibly learn something in the process), the Discovery Channel has a new game/promotional website that enables you to track sharks. The cool part? While the boats may be virtual, the sharks and their positions are real, thanks to the wonders of GPS tracking and the internet. I just created my profile (I’m digivation if you’re looking for a rival), set some waypoints, and now I’m waiting for my first sighting.

Players are given a virtual boat and virtual crew. They use it to track real-life sharks that have been tagged with a GPS recievers. When a boat encounters a shark the player is alerted via email and/or SMS. The player has three hours to select how to try to collect data about the shark and its behavior. The goal is to gather as much data about sharks as possible. (from here)

Apparently after a “sighting,” you earn virtual cash and information on the particular shark you encountered. The cash can be used to upgrade your boat, purchase new items, or hire additional crew. These things are used to complete certain “achievements” as you play the game. A really neat feature of Sharkrunners is the persistent, always playing nature of the game – you don’t have to sit with your browser open 24/7 to catch a shark. Simply set your boat’s course via the way point system, then wait for an email and login to take action. Oh, and you can apparently “challenge” your “rivals” to create a little friendly competition. (found via Boing Boing)