New Google Products
Google has launched two experimental products it hopes will change the way users search for pictures and news. A feature known as Similar Images uses a picture rather than text to find other matching images. Timeline presents information already available in Google News but organised and displayed chronologically. Alongside these features is a new version of Google Labs, in which users can take a peek at what its thousands of engineers are working on. Amid past criticism that Google has wasted too much time and effort on projects that have little impact, the aim of the Labs upgrade is to make prototypes available earlier. “The idea we are trying to build here with Labs and the culture of innovation is to close the gap at the point of which a new idea is hatched and the time it takes to get into the hands of users for feedback,” said Google director of product management R J Pittman.
This means engineers can find out at a much earlier stage what does and does not work in a new feature or product allowing them to either reshape it or scrap it altogether. Google said that in the present economic climate this approach made complete sense. Google is the leader in search with nearly 64% of the American market compared with Yahoo, which has just over 20% and Microsoft with 8.3%. By adding new features to enrich the experience, it is undoubtedly hoping to increase its grip on the world of search. Similar Images allows users to sort through the results of an image search more easily by clicking on a link. In a presentation to journalists, Google’s director of engineering Radhika Malpani used the example of Paris to illustrate the benefits of the new feature. Google said another tool to help users find more relevant results was through the Google News Timeline. It is the brainchild of Andy Hertzfeld, a key member of the original Apple Macintosh development team.
Source: BBC
Keeping kids safe on the net
As part of my last job I was required to track down people who had been using their internet connections for bad things, and so I can tell you first hand there are bad people looking to do bad things through the internet.
Some alarming statistics:
– One in four children who use the Internet are exposed to unwanted sexual material – Tommera Press
– 70 percent of sexual advances over the Internet happened while youngsters were on a home computer. One in Five Kids ages 10-17 have been propositioned for Cybersex – Newsweek – Legal Facts Vol. 2
– 21 percent of teens say they have looked at something on the Internet that they wouldn’t want their parents to know about. – Newsweek
There are lots of bad things and people on the ‘net, however, the internet can be and is a valuable addition to our childrens education if we are wise and educate ourselves a bit about it.
So, what can we do? Here are a few ideas:
1. Warn your children of the dangers of the internet.
2. Install a filtering or blocking program on your computer or activate the feature provided on your browser or ISP
3. Keep the computer screen in plain view
4. Keep the logs available, don’t allow them to be erased.
5. If the logs are erased, investigate why.
6. Keep your children accountable to you or someone else.
7. Be careful if using chat rooms.
8. Don’t allow personal information to be given out.
Most importantly I think, talk to your kids. Ask them about what they did on the computer, what they saw, who they talked to, and if they found out anything interesting. Not only will it help keep lines of communication open, but it will help you recognise (and seek help if needed) when something goes wrong. You might even learn something helpful yourself!
If you really are concerned, call a professional. Call your ISP helpdesk (well, maybe not if you are with one of the big ISPs) or a computer shop or repair person, and ask – if they cant help they might know someone who can.
Site Update
I thought it was time for a site update, so here it is. Hope you all like it.
The importance of the internet today
Intel came up with a novel way to show how important the Internet and computing have become in the lives of Americans. In conjunction with Harris Interactive, the company conducted a survey of adults in the United States under the prosaic-enough banner “Internet Reliance in Today’s Economy.” But the first “key finding” from the study is a little more attention-grabbing. According to the study, 46 percent of women and 30 percent of men would opt to forgo sex for two weeks instead of giving up access to their precious Internet for the same period. More broadly, those surveyed said access to the Internet ranked highest among the discretionary spending items they could not live without. Cable television, dining out, shopping for clothes and gym memberships followed in declining importance.
Along similar lines, 61 percent of the women surveyed said they would rather go without TV for two weeks than lose access to the Internet for one week. Using the data as a means of pitching products fueled by Intel chips, the company said: “The survey revealed that 65 percent of adults feel they cannot live without Internet access, and even more — 71 percent — responded that it is important or very important to have Internet-enabled devices, such as laptops, netbooks and mobile Internet devices that can provide them with real-time updates on important issues including the state of the economy.” Harris Interactive polled 2,119 adults on Intel’s behalf.