Posts Tagged ‘google’
why I need Flock like a hole in the head
So the other day I tumblred about Flock, this fancy-schmancy Firefox-based browser which makes Web 2.0ing even awesomer.
Sounds, sweet, right?
I remembered I needed to (yesh, needed to) (yes, I meant, ‘yesh’ — isn’t it a great word? I heart it) check this Flock thing out when I was reading about Steven Colbert’s fabulous five-word Webbys acceptance speech and they mentioned Flock’s, too:
No sh**, we beat Facebook?
How can you not love that?
I downloaded it last night and had a play around. I added my Fb profile, my Twitter account, my Digg account, my Flickr profile… The thought of having all those babies linked up and rightthere seemed like the best. Thing. Ever. Add Gmail, add my RSS feeds, then flick and swish and I’m Flocked!
Right?
Wrong.
The more I worked on setting it up, the less interested I got. Maybe it was being all slow and stuff because I was using my mobem (mobile as modem, geddit? I’m awesome. Someone’s probably already said it, whatever, I can’t be arsed googling it), but Gmail would not load (still won’t, btw) and the thought of going through to add my Google Reader feeds, which have been neglected for ages and are all spiderwebbing all over the shop, highly bored me.
Guess what? I don’t think I am as addicted to Web 2.0 as I thought.
Sure, I try to post here as often as possible, but that’s mainly ’cause I like writing stuff, I check my Fb regularly, but that’s ’cause I fricking love Facebook, but aside from checking my Reader occasionally and scanning Twitter and Gmail via iGoogle throughout the day, plus a ThisNext update once a week or so… that’s about it.
Is that a lot? Probably. And in any event… I do not have time for much else.
I am so over Plurk, cause it takes way too much time to interact with people (two of whom I know, and have also not posted since they signed up) and you know what? Eff Karma, I don’t care if it goes down if you don’t plurk, I don’t have time for that crap, I’m way to freaking busy in the real world.
And the thought of being online with Fb/Flicker/Twitter/Digg/whatever blaring me in the face at every moment? Blergk.
I’m trying to streamline my life and sure, I’m not going to be a Zen Habits master any time soon, but whatevs. I’ve started doing my own version of PTO’s Inbox Heaven, I’m happy with Facebook to keep in touch with my friends, Twitter to follow cool interweb people I admire, my Tumblr to add fun pics and links and schtuff to if I happen to have the time to find them, and that’s enough for me, I reckon.
That is, of course, until the next shiny new thing comes along…
Stay tuned, chickens.
Update:
I hereby assert my rights to intellectual property ownership of the term mobem, i.e. a mobile phone being used as a modem, subject to the following conditions — I allow people to copy and distribute and use the term provided they give me credit, don’t change it and don’t make any money out of it. Thanks Grendel 😉
“mobem” by Sunili Govinnage is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License. Based on a work at sunili.wordpress.com.
Update to update:
Damn, apparently I can’t CC a word. This is what happens when I choose to to hippy law units (eg Indigenous Law) instead of commercially ones (ie Intellectual Property). Does anyone know how to apply for a trademark? 😛
your bus, in your pocket
Just got an email from Transperth telling me that I can now plug 136213.mobi into my mobile’s browser for access to timetables, SmartRider balances and Transperth news.
Looks pretty good!
You’ll need to know the 5-digit number of the bus-stop you want to catch a bus from (which you can look up before hand), or, if you get to the stop and can’t see the bus coming, you can use the service to figure out exactly how long you have to to browse Facebook ’til it gets there.
The train departure times feature is pretty handy too — especially if you’re halfway to the station and wondering whether you can afford to keep strolling or should do some butt-wiggling power-walking so you don’t miss your ride.
To save your mobile browing quota, you can check out the feature online first.
Kudos to Transperth. While their SmartRider system had delays and stuff, they were part of the national launch for Google Transit and little-by-little they’re making using public transport a lot easier by embracing the capabilities of new technology.
Now, if only they could get a few more buses and trains on at peak times, we might be able to shrink our Fair City’s carbon footprint and say goodbye to the St Georges Terrace gridlock.
stat fun
Bloggers have a thing about checking their stats, and I’ll freely admit to being partial to checking mine (it was one of the — many, may I add — reasons I moved over here to wordpress.com) but, since my stats are always boring (seriously) I’d never thought I’d be posting about them.
However.
On one’s wordpress dashboard, they list the top searches on google which have resulted in people clicking through to your site. A few blogs list the funny ones they get on a regular basis (will go find the links later, I have deadline work to do, but I just REALLY wanted to post this…) but yeah, I neeeeever have any fun ones.
But.
Over the last couple of days, my stats have gone through the ROOF, and people have been coming after searching the following phrases:
- “celia hammond record”;
- peter tannock; and
- Professor Cecilia Hammond [sic]
Hrm. I should right about regime change more often!!
But I actually do worry why this has caused so much traffic… cause I’m neurotic and I have previously mentioned that I hate the to-be-ex-VC of Notre Dame Au and because I generally like being alive and having a job and stuff, I really hope no-one over there is pissed off at me. I’m just writing about my own bumbly thoughts on my own bumbly time (it’s 6:40pm people! I should be at home!!), but you know… Thems Catholic Mafia still scare me.
That’s all.
Right-Wing Barbie
Last night I read a post on Ann Coulter, written by an anonymous (hah) Big AC Fan, detailing an apparent example of the ‘hypocrisy’ of the left. The logic of the ‘column’, what little I can garner from it, goes something like this: Ann Coulter is a woman who says some stuff. People (aka Those Mean Lefties) criticise her, but they only point out things about her appearance. Therefore what she says is valid.
Ann (can I call her Ann? I like to keep things a little less formal over here, unless it’s completely necessary) has every right so say whatever she wants to say. It’s in that old Constitution thingy those Americans are so proud of (right after that apparently inconsequential part about separation of church and state, y’know, the First Amendment). And I totally agree that people who just sit in front of their laptops and say “She’s a whore” are not helping anyone.
The thing that confuses me is this: how can people actually read or listen to what dear Ann has to say honestly be able to defend what she says (rather than her right to say it)?
The purveyor of Defend Ann 2004 listed down a bunch of quotes berating dear Annie on the basis of her gender, appearance and sexuality as proof of why the Left Wing is sexist.
If that was the point, then I’d have to agree that that’s just not on. But, kids, let’s not forget context. Maybe we should be able to see if those Ann-haters had something meaningful to say as well? (Subtitles: what are your sources?)
But what about looking at Ann’s work itself and telling us why she should be so admired and revered? What about defending her instead of bashing her critics? “People say mean stuff about her so she should be given a medal” just doesn’t cut it for me.
So, in my dedication to rational debate, and in flagrant violation of context (because these things should not be said no matter what the context), I pulled up another random Coulter-bashing page off Google and I will reproduce some little Annie pearls of diplomacy, wit and wisdom which were reproduced in it…
“God gave us the earth. We have dominion over the plants, the animals, the trees. God said, ‘Earth is yours. Take it. Rape it. It’s yours.'”—Hannity & Colmes, 6/20/01
The “backbone of the Democratic Party” is a “typical fat, implacable welfare recipient”—syndicated column 10/29/99
To a disabled Vietnam vet: “People like you caused us to lose that war.”—MSNBC
“I think we had enough laws about the turn-of-the-century. We don’t need any more.” Asked how far back would she go to repeal laws, she replied, “Well, before the New Deal… [The Emancipation Proclamation] would be a good start.”—Politically Incorrect 5/7/97
“The presumption of innocence only means you don’t go right to jail.”—Hannity & Colmes 8/24/01
“I have to say I’m all for public flogging. One type of criminal that a public humiliation might work particularly well with are the juvenile delinquents, a lot of whom consider it a badge of honor to be sent to juvenile detention. And it might not be such a cool thing in the ‘hood to be flogged publicly.”—MSNBC 3/22/97
And as for gender, appearance and sexuality…
“Anorexics never have boyfriends. … That’s one way to know you don’t have anorexia, if you have a boyfriend.”—Politically Incorrect 7/21/97
“Women like Pamela Harriman and Patricia Duff are basically Anna Nicole Smith from the waist down. Let’s just call it for what it is. They’re whores.”—Salon.com 11/16/00
“I think [women] should be armed but should not [be allowed to] vote.”—Politically Incorrect, 2/26/01
“Clinton is in love with the erect penis.”—This Evening with Judith Regan, Fox News Channel 2/6/00
“[Clinton] masturbates in the sinks.”—Rivera Live 8/2/99
And, my favourite Ann quote of all time, detailing her anti-terrorism policy at her old job on National Review Online* on 13 September 2001:
“we should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity.”
You go, girlfriend.
‘[L]ogic in Miss Coulter’s arguments’ indeed. That’s all I have to say, I’m supposed to be learning about Breach of Trust. But, the moral of the story:
___
*Sorry, I’m not including hyper-links because those Right-Wing Arses get enough hits, but here’s Google to give you a headstart. Or better yet, go read The Nation. The blogs there are quite excellent. I highly recommend The Daily Outrage and Editor’s Cut.
because I said so 