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Why You Should Care About Google+
That trendy new social-media doodad you’ve heard mutterings about? It’s Google+, and it packs privacy settings that trump Facebook’s, and it integrates Google technology to tailor content based on your interests. Although it’s still in beta format and not everyone’s free to roam around yet, we infiltrated Google’s not-so-top-secret platform. Here’s what we’ve found:
Privacy That’s Not an Afterthought
Google+ stands out with its Circles feature, which allows sharing of your information, pictures or posts with exactly who you want. You might have three different Circles, for example: friends, family and co-workers. And because you don’t want to inundate family with nerdy tech talk, you can share your iPhone post just with co-workers, rather than Aunt Sue, who still prefers rotary dial.
Google+ ‘Sparks’ Your Interests with, Well, Google
Obviously, you love squirrels like we do. So you type it into your interests, and Google+’s Sparks feature sends you blog posts, website links and even YouTube videos, all centered on your love for the nutty creatures. See an irresistible squirrel video? Use the Hangouts feature of Google+ and watch the video live with anyone in your Circles.
The Long Road Ahead to Nearly a Billion People
Google+ has a long way to go before we’re talking about it synonymously with Mark Zuckerberg’s blue empire. More than 750 million people peruse Facebook daily, while Google+ is still invitation-only. But for now, unique features like Circles, Hangouts and Sparks make it a serious contender for sucking your time in the future. Learn more on the Google+ Project Website
Collar Cam Sniffs Out Your Pet’s Habits
Ever wondered what Scrappy really does while you’re at work? Spy on your dog or cat with digital cameras that mount right on their collar.
Our favorite? The Pet’s Eye View Camera that records hours of video of whatever your pet does best. Whether it’s napping for most of the day, or taking care of business on the nearby fire hydrant, this camera sees all.
There are others that take photos at timed intervals, but where’s the fun in that?
Odd Numbers: Stop Blinking
Here are some oddball Internet and tech stats to wow your co-workers over morning coffee:
- 7: The number of times the average computer user blinks. A normal eye rate is 20.
- 7 Trillion: The number of SMS text messages that will be sent in 2011. That’s a lot of “LOL.”
- 1: The number (out of eight) of last year’s married couples that met online.
- 1.73 Billion: The current number of Internet users.
- 17 Billion: The number of devices connected online.
- 81%: The percentage of all emails last year that were spam.
- 3,000: The number of words under the ‘set’ entry at dictionary.com, making it the word with the most entries.
Bernie Madoff Mentors Santa
• Bag the reindeer and get a Hummer
• Shorten route, and narrow focus on on neighborhoods where idiots still believe in Santa.
• Fire the elves and move all toy production to China.
• Climbing down the chimney is inefficient. Just drop the gifts and run.
• Better yet, stop lugging that silly bag around. Dole out Gift Cards that must be redeemed by EOD on Christmas.
• Eliminate the competition. Send all the Mall Santas to Third World Countries.
• Start a Santa Licensing Group and make millions from everyone who uses your image.
• Copyright “Ho, Ho, Ho” and hire lawyers to sue for copyright infringement.
• Make kids pay a dollar to sit on their lap, and tell them you’ll give them $100 back on Christmas Eve sometime..
Feel free to add your suggestions below!
Head Banging: Death by Their Own Inventions
Danger has always been associated with creativity, but death? These bright minds were done in by their own inventions.
Marie Curie: The first person to win two Nobel Prizes, Curie pioneered cancer treatment with radioactive isotopes, which she toted around in her pockets. Whoops. She died from aplastic anaemia in 1934 by being exposed to radiation in her research shed. Her research papers from the late 1800s are still too dangerous to handle because of their radioactivity.
William Bullock: Body parts and machine gears don’t mix. Bullock revolutionized the printing industry in 1863 when he invented the efficient and fast web rotary printing press. Though a brilliant inventor, Bullock was no genius as a handyman. After kicking a belt onto pulley in 1867, his leg was crushed by his own printing press. He died days later of gangrene.