Gmail Web Clippings

Gmail introduced a new feature recently, showing "Web Clippings" at the top of your Gmail message list. The clippings are customizable, but the automatic ones are context sensitive which leads to interesting results. For example, the clippings when in the spam folder are predominantly links to recipes using Spam brand luncheon meat, like this recipe for Spam Breakfast Burritos.

Google Music

Google has added a music search function. The search adds a short form with the artists name, a few of the artists albums and songs and an option to find "More music results for" the artist whenever a singer, songwriter or band name is searched on the regular Google site.

"Music is popular, and people want to find music," Joe Wilcox, analyst for JupiterResearch said. "Google is first and foremost about information and connecting people to that information. To me, music makes perfect sense. The question is why didn't Google do this sooner?"

Google Launches Music Search Feature

Google Print Goes Live

Google Print, the controversial Google project to scan the world's libraries and make them available online, went live today in a limited version. Currently only non-copyright protected books are available.

Google's mission is to organize the world's information, but much of that information isn't yet online. Google Print aims to get it there by putting book content where you can find it most easily – right in your Google search results.

All your Base are belong to Google

Google is working on a project called "Google Base" which apparently allows people to post items in a style similar to an auction or classifed ad site. The specifics are hush-hush with Google only confirming that the project exists, is named Google Base and is not yet ready for alpha or beta release.

A screenshot is here and some more discussion related to the screenshot here.

More screenshots and this quote come from here:

“Post your items on Google.

Google Base is Google’s database into which you can add all types of content. We’ll host your content and make it searchable online for free.

Examples of items you can find in Google Base:

• Description of your party planning service
• Articles on current events from your website
• Listing of your used car for sale
• Database of protein structures

You can describe any item you post with attributes, which will help people find it when they search Google Base. In fact, based on the relevance of your items, they may also be included in the main Google search index and other Google products like Froogle and Google Local.”

Google Dances Again

Google is going through a periodic update of backlinks and Page Ranks. For those with websites this could mean traffic fluctuations over the next day or two as things sort themselves out. For those who've been treating the Google the way it likes to be treated, it will most likely mean some extra traffic over the next couple of months until Google Dances Again.

For more information on what this all means in terms even those with minds clouded by Googleholism can understand, visit the ProBlogger, Darren Rowse, and see what he has to say on it.

Not exactly a big news day

And it was supposed to be. Google watchers were expecting big news today as Google and Sun scheduled a news conference to announce a much ballyhooed partnership. Apparently the big announcement amounted to Google toolbars being included in Sun downloads including the Sun java runtime environment. Do the tech minded people who use Sun products instead of Microsoft not know how to download their own Google toolbar?

Windows: The thing you need to run Google

James Derk sees "All Google, All the Time". He's sure that Google is going to take over the world. He doesn't comment on when Google is going to become conscious, but he does have this to say:

What it's going to do is marginalize Microsoft and to turn Windows into the thing you need to have to run Google. And that has to make Bill Gates just a tad sad.

Free WiFi from Google for San Francisco

Google has responded to a request from San Francisco city leaders for a plan to implement citywide wireless broadband and the Google proposal has zero cost to the city. The Google plan would cover 95% of San Francisco with 300kbps access at no charge to the city or users.

The city has received other proposals and could choose one of them though it's hard to see a) how anyone can beat free to the city and to users and b) what would stop Google from providing it anyway.

Happy Birthday Google!

Google is 7 years old today. Somebody ought to take the youngster to Chuck E. Cheese.

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday Dear Google
Happy Birthday to you.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

A new internet worm, P2Load.A, which spreads itself through peer-to-peer file sharing networks pretends to be Google. It redirects requests for Google to a fake Google. A different company owns the fake, the advertising is different and the fake search inserts the worm's own websites in the results.

More on Google WiFi

Some more info on the possible Google WiFi project I reported on here.

Google is now offering a download of secure wifi software for the "Google WiFi" access points. For now the company says that "Google WiFi is a community outreach program to offer free wireless access in areas near our headquarters". What constitutes "near" to spiders that travel at near light speed across the web and around the world?

From "Google Secure Access" Is Designed to "Establish a More Secure Connection While Using Google WiFi"

Google Blog Search

Google is launching a blog search engine. Any site with an RSS or ATOM feed that pings blog update services will be listed. It appears to even list blogs which are "sandboxed" in the normal Google search.

Further Proof that Google is Alive

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer claimed that he would bury Google CEO Eric Schmidt according to Court documents. Apparently he's killed a few people as he said, he's "done it before and I'll do it again. I'm going to f***ing kill Google."

Further proof that Google is alive!

I think Mr. Ballmer may have met his match. Once the Google AI is fully awake it may engage in self-defense. It might be a good time to switch from Windows to Linux.

Katrina Satellite Images

Google Maps now has satellite images of New Orleans taken Wednesday, August 31, 2005. To see the old satellite photos, click "Satellite". To see the current photos, click the red "Katrina" button.

Sign up for Gmail with your cell phone

You can now sign up for a Gmail account with your SMS (text message) enabled cell phone.

For those not familiar with Gmail - Google's Free 2+Gigabyte email service, here is some info.

Google OS?

Is a Google OS in the works? Just wishful thinking? Even possible?

Kris Shaffer is asking, and answering, these questions at OSNews.com.

Hat tip to Newmark's Door.

Google Talk Update

So it looks like there is more to Google Talk than just a Jabber server. There is a Google IM Program. You can get it here. But apparently it does use the Jabber protocol, so you can use it with other clients like GAIM.

Heading off to test out the client now.

Google IM - Google Talk

Google Talk is apparently live and will be officially announced on Wednesday. This isn't the new instant messenger client we'd been expecting though. It's essentially a Jabber server. You can use any Jabber compatible client like GAIM. Be sure to say hello to me - tomhanna.

Smash's World gives instructions for signing on:

If you're getting the 405 error with GAIM, or simply cannot connect anymore, follow the updated configuration instructions below!!! You have to use an @gmail.com address to login from now on.

Server: talk.google.com
Username: youremail@gmail.com
Password: yourpassword

Note: If you can't login, try to turn off 'Secure Messaging' or 'Encryption'... etc.

GAIM Instructions:

How to set it up with GAIM on Windows/Linux, or Adium on the Mac:
-- For iChat, just enter the information above.
1. Add an account, select "Jabber" as the protocol.
2. Your screen name is everything before the '@gmail.com'.
3. Server is 'gmail.com'.
4. Click "show more options" and make sure "use TLS if available" is checked. Leave "Force old SSL" and "allow plaintext..." unchecked for now. Connection port should be 5222, connection server should be 'talk.google.com' without the quotes.
5. Ta-da! Just login and you should be good-to-go.

Google Desktop 2

Google has updated it's free Desktop search program to version 2. The new version is touted as learning from the users search habits to improve future searches.

Google Inc. has announced Google Desktop 2 (beta), a free downloadable application that combines desktop search with an intelligent sidebar that learns the user's habits and interests.

Keep up-to-date with the Google Friends Newsletter.

It only goes out once a month, so it won't be enough for the true Googleholic, but there is a Google Friends Newsletter with updates on the latest features:

Subscribe to the Google Friends mailing list and make sure you always know what's happening at your favorite search engine. Messages include important announcements of new features and other information.