I was going to do a post about Google’s +1 but anyone who cares probably already knows what it is and how it works. The rest of you… just click the little button below each post if you like it. That will make that post more like to show up in relevant Google search results. Just click the fucking button.
Tag Archives: google
Shareaholic
For me the web has always been about discovering and sharing interesting stuff. That was a big part of why I started this little blog. The web is now much more than pages like this and sharing has gotten a lot easier, thanks to tools like browser extensions (sometimes called plug-ins). Little bits of code that allow you to do something from within your web browser.
My menu bar might have have a dozen of these little widgets. But I’ve found one that combines some of my favorites and I had to –that’s right– share it with you. Shareaholic.
Let’s say I come across an article and want to share a passage. I can email it; post it here; create a tweet; save it to Instapaper to read later; add to my Google shared items; or just create a short url for that page.
Shareaholic makes my browser (Chrome) just that much more valuable.
Discussions in Google Docs
Google Goggles
While browsing Barnes & Noble today, I spotted a book written by Nicole Richie. (Nichole Richie writes books?)
I decided this would be a good test for Google Goggles so I snapped a photo of the cover and within seconds had all the info, including links to stories about the book. And, yes, I could have ordered on the spot.
This is still “white-man-make-fire-from-stick” magic for me but I’ll get over that quickly.
Scott Adams: The “I Wonder” App
Posted in 2010
“You’ll be wearing your Bluetooth earpiece – a future version of it – most of the day. And it will be listening to everything you say. When it hears you say, “I wonder…” it will fire up a search engine and wait for the rest of the sentence. The software will know you’re using an earpiece, so the answer will be delivered as a brief verbal summary, like a smart friend whispering in your ear.
In the first versions of this service, you’ll ask simple questions, such as “I wonder what ingredients go into a margarita,” or “I wonder where the nearest Starbucks is.” In later versions, as search engines and content sources evolve, you’ll have access to more complicated answers, all with whisper-friendly brevity.
Now imagine that your earpiece has a camera. Google is already working on a search engine that will identify an object from a digital image. Someday you will be able to look at a flower and say, “I wonder what type of flower that is,” and the answer will be whispered in your ear.
Now here’s the cool-spooky part. As the technology improves, the voice in your ear will become more natural, and smarter, and it will be like your invisible friend. It will learn your preferences in a way no human ever has. I think it will be able to keep you company and make you less lonely. The whisper-in-your-ear aspect of this technology has the potential to feel like human contact but without the inconvenience of an actual human.”