Sheila at Geeky Traveller noted the other day that “Google could put out
toilet paper and I’d use it.” Because the fact is: Google
rules.
But did you know the plain ol’ Google search box you use every
day is good for a whole lot more than you’re likely asking of it?
Forget going to ten different sites to get your
travel
info
quickly. Just Google it!
© Delgoff.
Here are twelve essential Google travel shortcuts you might have
missed:
#1: Get Local Weather
Type: “weather [city name or zip/postal
code]”
Example: “weather 02818″ or “weather
london
”
#2: Check Flight Status
Google automagically pulls flight data from FlightStats.com. All
you have to do is enter the
flight
number.
Type: [flight name and/or number]
Example: “aa123″ or “united 959″
#3: Currency Converter
Type: “[amount] [first currency] to [second
currency]”
Example: “1000 usd to euro”
… or:
“500 yen to pesos”
#4: Find the Local Time Anywhere
Type: “time [city/state/province/country]”
Example: “time tokyo”
#5: Identify People, Foreign Objects, and More
A great tip from Lifehacker:
Google Image search results show you instead of tell you about a
word. Don’t know what jicama looks like? Not sure if the person
named “Priti” who you’re emailing with is a woman or a man? Spanish
rusty and you forgot what “corazon” is? Pop your term into Google
Image Search (or type image jicama into the regular search box) to
see what your term’s about.
A while back, someone told me of a fruit I’d never heard of
called “rambutan”. Plugging the phrase into Google image search
revealed that it’s a bright red, quirky looking fruit that’s not
likely indigenous to the U.S.:
#6: View Airport Conditions
Type: “[airport name/code] airport”
Example: “logan airport”
#7: Convert Temperatures
Type: “[temperature] [C/F] to [F/C]”
Example: “40 C to F”
#8: Convert Distances
Type: “[value] [first distance unit] to [second
distance unit]”
Example: “400 kilometers to miles”
#9: Convert Driving Speeds
Type: “[value] [first distance unit] to [second
distance unit]”
Example: “70 kph to mph”
#10: Find a Phone Number
Find a Person:
Type: “[person’s name], [city or zip/postal
code]”
Example: “john smith, london”
Find a Business:
Type: “[business name or type], [city or
zip/postal code]”
Example: “apple store, manhattan”
#11: Find Local Food and Restaurants
Type: “[food type], [city or zip code/postal
code]”
Example: “pizza, london e1″
#12: Track Your Packages
Wondering where that extra pack of socks Mom was supposed to
forward you is?
Type: [any USPS, UPS, or FedEx tracking
number]
Example: 706479610009807
Voilà! No longer must you login to each shipping carrier’s
official website.
October 29,
2008
Posted
by chandu7002 | google | google |
No Comments
An update to our
recent post on Facebook Connect: Facebook is pushing partners
hard to be prepared for an official November 30 launch.
24 of 26 announced
launch partners have yet to integrate Facebook Connect. We’ve
spoken with a number of them. All say they are still planning to
integrate the product eventually, but complain of bugs and other
issues and wasted development efforts to date. Some, afraid of
policy changes that will make Facebook Connect less interesting,
also say they’re waiting to see the final product before
launching.
A number of new features are being added. One, called
FriendLink, allows a site using Facebook Connect to pass email
addresses to Facebook and get friend recommendations back. This
allows sites to make connections between users that they may not
know about yet (but that Facebook already knows about). It’s a key
feature that is attracting a number of partners, we’ve heard.
October 29,
2008
Posted
by chandu7002 | Internet |
facebook
|
No Comments
A complete list of all major algorithms (300), in any domain.
The goal is to provide a ready to run program for each one, or a
description of the algorithm. Programming languages include Java,
JavaScript and PHP, C, C++ either in direct form or generated from
a Scriptol source.
For more
Information
October 29,
2008
Posted
by chandu7002 | Education |
Algorithms, Software |
No Comments
By Belinda Goldsmith
CANBERRA (Reuters) - The Internet is not just changing the way
people live but altering the way our brains work with a
neuroscientist arguing this is an evolutionary change which will
put the tech-savvy at the top of the new social order.
Gary Small, a neuroscientist at UCLA in California who
specializes in brain function, has found through studies that
Internet searching and text messaging has made brains more adept at
filtering information and making snap decisions.
But while technology can accelerate learning and boost
creativity it can have drawbacks as it can create Internet addicts
whose only friends are virtual and has sparked a dramatic rise in
Attention Deficit Disorder diagnoses.
Small, however, argues that the people who will come out on top
in the next generation will be those with a mixture of
technological and social skills.
“We’re seeing an evolutionary change. The people in the next
generation who are really going to have the edge are the ones who
master the technological skills and also face-to-face skills,”
Small told Reuters in a telephone interview.
“They will know when the best response to an email or Instant
Message is to talk rather than sit and continue to email.”
In his newly released fourth book “iBrain: Surviving the
Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind,” Small looks at how
technology has altered the way young minds develop, function and
interpret information.
Small, the director of the Memory & Aging Research Center at
the Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior and the
Center on Aging at UCLA, said the brain was very sensitive to the
changes in the environment such as those brought by technology.
He said a study of 24 adults as they used the Web found that
experienced Internet users showed double the activity in areas of
the brain that control decision-making and complex reasoning as
Internet beginners.
“The brain is very specialized in its circuitry and if you
repeat mental tasks over and over it will strengthen certain neural
circuits and ignore others,” said Small.
“We are changing the environment. The average young person now
spends nine hours a day exposing their brain to technology.
Evolution is an advancement from moment to moment and what we are
seeing is technology affecting our evolution.”
Small said this multi-tasking could cause problems.
He said the tech-savvy generation, whom he calls “digital
natives,” are always scanning for the next bit of new information
which can create stress and even damage neural networks.
“There is also the big problem of neglecting human contact
skills and losing the ability to read emotional expressions and
body language,” he said.
“But you can take steps to address this. It means taking time to
cut back on technology, like having a family dinner, to find a
balance. It is important to understand how technology is affecting
our lives and our brains and take control of it.”
October 29,
2008
Posted
by chandu7002 | Uncategorized | brain | No
Comments
There have been voices raised that we are running out of IPv4
addresses for some time now. So who has taken them? After
discussing this at a coffee break here at Pingdom, we were curious.
Are there are any “big spenders” who have allocated a huge share of
the IP space for themselves?
For More Information
October 27,
2008
Posted
by chandu7002 | Internet |
Internet, IP address |
No Comments
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a beta is “a nearly
complete prototype of a product.” In other words, a
not-yet-finished product.
Google is known for keeping their products in beta (much) longer
than most other companies. But exactly how many of their products
are in beta? When we here at Pingdom investigated this, it
turned out that out of the 49 Google products we could
find, 22 are in beta. That’s 45%!
Note that we didn’t include any Google Labs products since they
can be considered to be a “playground” for future products. If we
had included those, the percent of beta products would have been
much higher (57%).
Notable Google beta products
Some products you can understand why they are in beta, like
Knol, Google Alerts, Custom Search, Google Chrome, etc. However, a
lot of products that you wouldn’t really expect are still labeled
as beta.
Here are a few notable Google products that are still in
beta:
- Gmail
- Google Docs
- Orkut
- Google Finance
We’re so used to seeing the little “beta” tag next to the
various Google product logos that we almost don’t register it
anymore. We even had to double-check that Gmail really still was in
beta. 
What are Google’s criteria for keeping something in beta?
We honestly don’t know. Perhaps Google is redefining the word
“beta” itself.
Normally the beta label is only used for products that are not
considered fully tested or that still lack important functionality.
Gmail, to name a prominent example, has been around since April
2004. Orkut has been around since January 2004. And yet they are
still in beta, after more than four years. There is no indication
that they are unstable or lack functionality. Quite the opposite,
people seem happy with them.
Is Google just playing it safe, keeping some products in
perpetual beta? Will Gmail ever get out of beta?
There are also seems to be inconsistencies in how Google judges
what products should remain in beta. Why is for example Google
Finance in beta, but not Google News?
Charging money for a beta product
Google has paid options for Gmail and Docs (via Google Apps).
So, how does that rhyme with these products being in beta? A beta
product is by definition an unfinished product, which is usually
not something you charge money for.
Is any other company getting away with this? We don’t
know of any.
Google, the beta company
If anyone is aware of Google’s motivation for keeping for
example Gmail and Orkut in perpetual beta, please let us know.
As far as we know, no other company keeps such a large portion
of their products, especially ones that are used commercially, in
beta. Google seems to be immensely fond of that beta label.
Perhaps we are seeing a small break in how Google labels its
products, though. The newly released Google App Engine is not
labeled as a beta, but is said to be a “preview
release”. How that differs from a beta, we’re not quite
sure…
List of Google beta products
For those interested, these are the products we found that
are in beta.
October 27,
2008
Posted
by chandu7002 | google | gmail, google, software
development |
No Comments
A comprehansive index of logos of the latest web 2.0 sites,
applications and services. Find what you need. Discover what you
don’t…
For
more information
October 27,
2008
Posted
by chandu7002 | Technology |
web2.0 |
No Comments
Bill Gates has started a
mysterious new company, called bgC3, possibly to be focused on
creating catalyst business ideas to spin off to Microsoft, the
Gates Foundation or elsewhere. Little is known about the company,
which doesn’t appear to have a public web page, but a fair number
of details have been ferreted out by the Seattle area tech
reporters Todd Bishop, Eric Engleman and John Cook.
The three well-known tech and venture capital writers
posted the story to launch their new tech blog TechFlash. It’s
a sweet scoop by a group of former mainstream reporters bravely
striking out into the blogosphere.
TechFlash says that “whatever the ultimate role of the company,
the circumstances surrounding its creation provide a
behind-the-scenes glimpse into the new era of Gates’ life.” The
company has a federal trademark as a think-tank and is
classified under broad terms that include “scientific and
technological services,” “industrial analysis and research,” and
“design and development of computer hardware and software.”
Sources told Bishop that the small office near Gates’ home is
filled with high-tech Microsoft paraphernalia, including one of the
touch-screen tables used as a guest book.
We’re excited to see what Gates does with the company and we’ll
be watching these top-notch reporters’ coverage as it unfolds on
their new site.
October 27,
2008
Posted
by chandu7002 | Technology |
bill
gates, microsoft |
No Comments
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