Google+ does a whole lot, but is a little too cumbersome

| July 9, 2011

First Impressions: After a couple of days playing with the new social networking service being rolled out by Google call Google+ (or G+ or Google Plus), it is my conclusion that it is it is far better than the ungainly Google Wave — which really isn’t what most think of as social networking services. Google+ […]

What is an overreaching “Terms of Service” agreement?

| July 7, 2011

Am I the only one questioning how some Terms of Service agreements are chipping away at user’s privacy, or just plain legally taking their posted information? Take for example Google+ project … they aren’t exactly protecting the users while freely offering this new social networking service. Will it be enough to prevent me from using […]

Google to rebrand Picasa and Blogger

| July 6, 2011

Looks like the Picasa and Blogger names are being retired by Google in the next “six weeks” according to Mashable.  “The move is part of a larger effort to unify its brand for the public launch of Google+, the search giant’s social initiative.” Blogger and Picasa aren’t going away, of course — they’re two of […]

Belated Tech Friday Google account and Gmail security advice

| June 11, 2011

Planned on making this a Tech Friday post, but Saturday will have to do. I’ve been talking with a few people who have adopted Gmail as their primary email and semi-forget about security issues. It is increasingly a problem as evident by the concern over government officials email accounts possibly being accessed. Although most of […]

Smartphones and mobile apps are all sharing your personal info

| April 27, 2011

Most of us understand computer tracking cookies and many users (and web browsers) to make easier for users to keep some of their information private. Obviously advertisers and content providers see your online information valuable (just as do physical store offering credit and ID cards for discounts, etc). The latest stories in the news have […]

Google takes another crack at social networking with +1

| March 30, 2011

The next big Google thing? Not wanting to fall too far behind leading social sharing sites (primarily Facebook), Google is rolling out it’s new socially connected experiment they are calling “+1.”  The new “+1” button is an opt-in service and will permit socially connected users to give their stamp of approval to a search results, […]

Browser and Windows 7 upgrades

| March 24, 2011

The DSL connection at the hotel was shockingly fast so I took advantage of the speed to update my Windows 7 with a Service Pack 1 update … and decided to update a couple of Internet browsers too. After installing Mozilla’s Firefox 4 and realizing that several of my add-ons needed to be disabled, I […]

Google Voice and Sprint partnership will benefit cellphone users

| March 22, 2011

Google Voice will integrate with Sprint phones according to recent press releases from both companies. With the new partnership, Sprint customers will be able use their existing number as their Google Voice (GV) number or be able to use their GV number instead of their cell number for outgoing calls. The features of Google Voice […]

Pima Air and Space Museum and the ‘boneyard’ in Tucson AZ

| October 20, 2010

I got sidetracked yesterday while talking on the phone to a fellow aviation enthusiast as he shared with me his impressions of the Pima Air and Space Museum. He knew that the National Museum of the Air Force was in my backyard and remembering me talk about the Martin B-26 Marauder on display that had […]

Google Docs now works much better on the Palm Pre

| June 28, 2010

Thanks for the tip Dieter Bohn – PreCentral.net … Google Docs is much improved on the Palm Pre; it is actually usable now!   Fire up Google Docs on your webOS browser and you’ll find a nicer interface, courtesy of Google finally up and getting Document viewing working for Android browsers. The Google Mobile Blog […]

Questions to test analytical thinking

| June 25, 2010

I was reading in a LinkedIn college group which posted ten questions “often asked at Google job interviews that are designed to test candidates’ analytical thinking.” The list might be worth looking over if you are charged with hiring or planning to interview in the near future. The questions are of the brainteaser type and […]

Digitally reminiscing with Google Maps and Streetview

| February 21, 2010

After reading an article by Kathleen Hughes in this weekend’s WSJ, I just couldn’t help myself in reminiscing about where I grew up … they were wonderful memories for me – I couldn’t have asked for a better childhood. Nevertheless, noting the comment about digitally visiting home, I “re-experienced” memories from my childhood taking the […]

Video: A little “Bossy-Pants, Google” humor

| February 16, 2010

“Google, are you playing nice … or do you need a little parenting?” (WSJ Digits).

Google to Add Social Feature to Gmail

| February 8, 2010

Looks like a little more competition for those carving out their space in social networking? Google Inc. is taking a swipe at Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. with a new feature that makes it easier for users of Gmail to view media and status updates shared online by their friends.Google could announce the new Gmail […]

Previewing Google Wave

| October 28, 2009

A quick thanks to Lee for expediting my Google Wave beta request, although I still feel a bit late to the game in getting a chance to play with this new Google app. Although I’ve talked to a few people about how they foresee using this new web based communications tool, I’m still struggling to […]

Ghost Wars by Steve Coll available at books.google.com

| September 23, 2009

Although I’m not one to read books (especially 728 pages) on a web browser, I did notice that Ghost Wars by Steve Coll is available as a scanned and imaged book on Google. So far I’m finding the history lesson intriguing and fitting with one of my favorite movies, Charlie Wilson’s War. If you’re interested […]

Trying out Google Chrome — just for the fun of it

| November 9, 2008

Although I’ve installed IE7, Firefox and Safari browsers on my Vista OS Notebook, I was curious to see just how Google Chrome would compare. It surely is a simple install and quickly handled a variety of initial websurfing tasks. I enjoyed the out of the box minialist look and feel and loved getting back some […]

Long awaited Google Calendar is here

| April 14, 2006

The long awaited Google Calendar was announced today and so I thought would give it a whirl. (sort of ho-hum) I’m not sure what I was expecting, but its just another place to place and share appointments and schedules. Obviously I’m going to need to tinker with it a bit longer, but so far I […]

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
My Desultory Blog