Chromebook Deal

Lifehacker says this $149.99 (free ship) re-furb Acer C720 is a steal of a deal if you are in the market for a Chromebook. Obviously being a Chromebook, it would push me toward Google Drive.

Google Drive-ing Down Prices

Good news!

google We've lowered the cost of our @googledrive monthly storage plans, so you can save more goo.gl/cpO91W pic.twitter.com/cGswUBzqi7

Google's Next Acquisition

Google's Next Acquisition: Skydrop - the Nest of irrigation systems. Time for someone to create an open-source controller!

Via Uncrate

Google's Business Plan

Google's Business Plan

Step 1: Control your thermostat
Step 2: Control the weather
Step 3: PROFIT

Chromecast

Some have complained that the Chromecast is too limited, but I bought it to stream Netflix. If it does anything else, than that is just gravy.

I hooked it up this morning. It took about 10 minutes. Like my thermostat, it advertises a wireless network that you connect to from a laptop/phone/tablet. Once you've connected, you supply the information for your home network and the Chromecast will connect to it.

Once I got it on my network, I opened Netflix on my iPad and told it to send the stream to the TV. It worked like a champ!

The only thing that is a bit clunky is that you have to plug the dongle into a USB charger for power. That keeps it from being 100% wireless all the time, but that's a minor quibble in my book.

Chromecast Humor

Check out the model numbers on Chromecast and its charger.

Chromecast Teardown

Chromecast Teardown

(So this is how you take something apart without trashing it.)

Chromecast

Chromecast - a $35 (plus shipping/tax) HDMI dongle for streaming video to your TV. It will stream from Chrome, Youtube, and Netflix. They same more to come - Amazon maybe? You can control it from a PC or tablet. Buy now and you get 3 months of Netflix free. I have a Wii for Netflix in our living room, but the TV in our bedroom isn't connected at all.

I'm in for one.

harrymccracken Now Google’s unveiling Chromecast, a tiny HD-streaming gizmo you plug into a TV’s HDMI. Yup, another Google approach to Net-enabling TVs. Wed, Jul 24 12:51:50 from Tweetbot for iOS

Why did Google Reader die?

I figured Google Reader wasn't making any money, but maybe it died because it was costing a lot of money.

It's Dead, Jim

Google Reader:

Thank you for stopping by.

Google Reader has been discontinued. We want to thank all our loyal fans. We understand you may not agree with this decision, but we hope you'll come to love these alternatives as much as you loved Reader.

Sincerely,

The Google Reader team

Frequently-asked questions

1. What will happen to my Google Reader data?

   All Google Reader subscription data (eg. lists of people that you follow, items you have starred, notes you have created, etc.) will be systematically deleted from Google servers. You can download a copy of your Google Reader data via Google Takeout until 12PM PST July 15, 2013.

2. Will there be any way to retrieve my subscription data from Google in the future?

   No -- all subscription data will be permanently, and irrevocably deleted. Google will not be able to recover any Google Reader subscription data for any user after July 15, 2013.

3. Why was Google Reader discontinued?

   Please refer to our blog post for more information.

And I'm using Feedly for now. Although someone pointed out Inoreader in the comments and it looks good, too.

RSS Alternatives - At this moment

I like the Digg Reader iPhone app the best, but hate the web page (buggy, won't hold settings).

I really dislike the Feedly iPhone app (too many swipes). The web page is okay. [UPDATE: I didn't realize I could swipe to the side to move to the next item. That moves is up the list.]

I like The Old Reader, but there is no iPhone app and the web page is cumbersome in the mobile browser.

Change is hard.

RSS

I'm playing with Digg Reader, The Old Reader, and Feedly. No winner yet. Importing was painless on all three and surprisingly quick.

RSS Feeds

I've still not settled on a Google Reader replacement, but I just thought to check my subscriber numbers. There are about 240 of you who follow the blog via RSS. Eighty of which use Google Reader. I see several other readers in the list - but "unknown" is second to Google Reader.

Let's see what happens after July 1.

15 GB of Google Storage

google 15 GB of storage now shared between @googledrive, @Gmail & Google+ Photos goo.gl/dyZFo Mon, May 13 13:43:13 from web

Google TNG

google The destiny of Google Search is to become that Star Trek computer. @Slate looks at how we're getting it done goo.gl/12gGF Thu, Apr 11 20:29:14 from web

 "What does it mean that Google really is trying to build the Star Trek computer? I take it as a cue to stop thinking about Google as a “search engine.” That term conjures a staid image: a small box on a page in which you type keywords. A search engine has several key problems. First, most of the time it doesn’t give you an answer—it gives you links to an answer. Second, it doesn’t understand natural language; when you search, you’ve got to adopt the search engine’s curious, keyword-laden patois. Third, and perhaps most importantly, a search engine needs for you to ask it questions—it doesn’t pipe in with information when you need it, without your having to ask."

Google Inactive Account Manager

google Plan your digital afterlife with Inactive Account Manager goo.gl/FJNQ9Thu, Apr  11 14:29:30 from web

"You can tell us what to do with your Gmail messages and data from several other Google services if your account becomes inactive for any reason. 

For example, you can choose to have your data deleted — after three, six, nine or 12 months of inactivity. Or you can select trusted contacts to receive data from some or all of the following services: +1s; Blogger; Contacts and Circles; Drive; Gmail; Google+ Profiles, Pages and Streams; Picasa Web Albums; Google Voice and YouTube. Before our systems take any action, we’ll first warn you by sending a text message to your cellphone and email to the secondary address you’ve provided."

First Google Reader, Now Bye-Bye YouTube

Blogger

Is Blogger next on the chopping block? Since it is easy to monetize (at least more so than Reader), I don't know that it would be at risk. However, who knows. When you don't pay for something, then you can't complain if it goes away. I use it because it is simple and cheap. My only real expense is registering the domain name. I wondered if FeedBurner might go, too. Of course, it can run ads as well so maybe not.

Google Reader - Google Takeout

Google Takeout of your Google Reader data:

"If you'd like to download a copy of all your Reader data before then, you can do so through Google Takeout. You'll receive your subscription data in an XML file, and the following information will be downloaded as JSON files:

• List of people that you follow

• List of people that follow you

• Items you have starred

• Items you have liked

• Items you have shared

• Items shared by people you follow

• Notes you have created

• Items with comments"

Google Keep Retirement Date

Based on Google's history, it's brand new Evernote competitor, Google Keep, is expected to be retired in March 2017. That's why they didn't call it EverKeep. Ha!

Via Slashdog.org