Here's PC World's list. I'm looking forward to the much-needed security overhaul and improved desktop search functions. I'm ambivalent about the Aero interface, because it might mean buying new computers -- not to mention taking another Windows UI programming class. And Firefox made Internet Explorer irrelevant a long time ago.
His argument is similar to one I've been making for years. If Apple sold Windows machines, it would become one of the top-selling PC makers overnight.
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Chantico, we hardly knew ye.
Google has been busy lately.
The search giant has released version 3 of its desktop search software with a couple of intriguing new features:
- Search across computers. Basically, this lets you search for files on multiple computers. Basically, it creates a searchable index that is synchronized among all of your computers, letting you pull up copies of files on another machine. All the computers have to be using the software and signed in with your Google account, but the syncing takes place in the background, and unlike services such as Microsoft's FolderShare, they don't all have to be online at the same time. Privacy issues aside, this would be pretty handy in my line of work, where information is often scattered across multiple PCs.
- Integrated contact info. This integrates the desktop with Gmail and Google Talk instant messenger into the search sidebar, making it easy to share info with your IM buddies. And like the Google Toolbar, desktop search now suggests alternative spellings for your queries.
Speaking of Gmail, desktop search now makes a searchable index of your Gmail messages so you can find old e-mail even when not online. Apparently, this is an older feature I didn't know about until now. At any rate, it eliminates Web-based e-mail's biggest weakness, offline access to your messages. Suddenly, Microsoft Outlook isn't such a must-have.
Another soon-to-be-unveiled Gmail feature will integrate Google Talk with e-mail, letting users strike up IM chats with e-mail contacts and archiving copies of old chats.
Because of these and other nifty features, I would love to use Google Desktop as my main PC search tool. I love the fact that a Google search can pull up info from the Web, my e-mail and past stories I've written -- all on one page.
But alas, I am sticking with Windows Desktop Search. First, the Google version still doesn't index Microsoft OneNote files, which contain much of the information I need access to regularly. It's only second to e-mail in that respect. Second, the new Google Desktop requires 256 megs of RAM, which unfortunately is too much for my ancient laptop. The software is still in beta, so maybe that will change.
On the bright side, looking at Google's new offering did spark me to reexamine the Microsoft product. I'd forgotten how powerful it is, with tons of options to narrow searches. One of my new favorites is real-world terms I can use in queries, such as "sent: last week" or "received: December." Nice.
Intersting crtitique of most daily newspapers and what they need to drop to survive.
Uh oh. Looks like there might be a possible problem with Skype, the otherwise excellent IM/VoIP service. And it would explain why my router, a normally reliable Linksys unit, keeps crashing.
Missing Netflix? The mailman did it! - Cinematical
I swear this happened to me when I was a Netflix customer. The discs would turn up only when I sent them from Andrea's old neighborhood.
I'm not too impressed with this, especially after the big buildup. One conspicuous absence: OpenOffice, which Google and Sun were touting just a few months ago.
After more than a couple weeks of cramps, lethargy and diarrhea -- with no improvement after a doctor's visit -- Tati finally ended up in the hospital all weekend with an extremely inflamed colon. As it turns out, was caused by an antibiotics-resistant bacteria called Clostridium difficile that's made headlines in recent weeks. Basically, this little bug is usually a normal part of the digestive system. But it can go out of control in people being treated by common antibiotics. The medicines kill off all the competing bacteria, leaving the Clostridium difficile free to thrive uncontested in the gut.
The funny thing is, just a few days ago I was just reading this article to Andrea, wondering aloud whether it's what Tati had. She was already taking antibiotics for other reasons when she arrived here. And her symptoms were almost exactly the same as the woman mentioned in the opening paragraph.
But because Tati wasn't taking the specific antibiotics mentioned in the article (fluoroquinolones), I dismissed it and didn't think to ask the doctor later.
The good news: we now know what it is.
The bad news: this can be very tough to treat.
Moral of the story? Don't be afraid to ask the doctor about something you read on the Internet. Learning about health, disease and medicine doesn't make you a hypochondriac.
Along with a few other things, Google says:
Biased results? No way. Providing great search is the core of what we do. Business partnerships will never compromise the integrity or objectivity of our search results. If a partner's page ranks high, it's because they have a good answer to your search, not because of their business relationship with us.
In my future niece's defense, the picture on the container did look sort of like a dishwasher. Sort of.
I got an "A" in my computer programming class! Of course, it was an introductory-level course at a community college, but still.
This may be a first: The New York times has created an interactive graphic that ties into Google Maps. I've seen Google Maps mash-ups before, but never from a mainstream media outlet.
Will this be the start of a trend?
Microsoft more ethical than Google?
From the NY Times:
Google will also make a special effort to incorporate AOL video programming in its expanding video search section and it will feature links to AOL videos on the video search home page. These links will not be marked as advertising.The article doesn't say whether Google does this in other cases, but if money is being exchanged for links, clearly those links should be labled as advertising. Google is a media company, after all, and transparency with users is a hallmark of media ethics. You'd think that Google would have more appreciation for the value of user trust.
An executive involved in the talks said Time Warner asked Microsoft to give AOL similar preferred placement in advertising and in its Web index and that Microsoft refused, calling the request unethical.
There's something seriously unbalanced in the global economy when the U.S. can afford to outsource video game-playing.
This guy obviously has a lot of time on his hands and perhaps a very understanding wife.
Nice. This may be the feature I need to start using this nice little service as my primary instant messaging client. If only it had Yahoo interoperability.
Update: With video, Skype's memory usage has shot way up on my machine (to about 25K). Now I see why Yahoo Messenger hogged up so much memory compared with the old Skype. Of course, Skype 2.0 is still in beta, so we'll see.
