2nd September, 2008

The Day With Shiny New Chrome

Will you be downloading Chrome today?

I won’t be . . . but then I have an iMac, so I can’t right away. That said? Even if the Mac version was available (and it’s my understanding that it’s not), I’m not entirely sure I’d jump to it straight away. While I pretty much love Google and all that it stands for – clean, easy interfaces and a true example of how anyone with a decent idea can Make it Big by Thinking Big – I don’t actually use Google as my go-to search engine. Yeah, baby. Got you intrigued now, eh?

Truth is, I use Yahoo! I don’t use Yahoo! because OMGITZAWESUM but merely because I can search safely as a Guest[1] (well, providing I’m signed out of my Flickr account). Logging out of Gmail each time I want to use Google is beyond tedious because I check Gmail forty-five thousand times a day and I don’t want RSI.

The one thing that makes me vaguely suspicious of Google is how all the different services tie in together. For loads of people I can imagine that this is nothing but a bonus, but for me? Not so much. I’m not happy that my email provider knows my search history. So while Gmail is still one the only incorporeal thing I’d like to dry-hump (other than Solid Snake, perhaps) and Gchat makes IMing-secretly-from-work oh-so-easy, I think knowing my search history is just a tad too far. If I want to search for Naked Photos of Solid Snake, or Genital Wart Removal, I like to think that I can do that with my email account knowing about it [2]. For Gmail to know this kind of stuff, I’d expect it to take me to dinner first. Or in the very least, buy me a drink.

So until I hear a little more about how it all works I’m simply going to check it out from a distance, peering over the top of my sunglasses and its ass and making kissy noises from afar. How about you? What do you make of the Google Empire? Do you use all of their products/services? And are you happy to dump FireFox at the first sign of the new kid on the block, or are you too keeping a respectful distance? (if you’re still using IE – 6 or 7, I don’t care, they’re both crap – please note that even sensible/interesting comments may be invalidated by the fact you still utilise MSIE. Seriously.) Are you going to be contributing to the download count today?

[1] and [2] We all know that true browsing is anything but anonymous, Pendantic Pedro, but you know what I mean. :p

Posted: September 2, 2008 at 9:22 am | Comments (15)

18th August, 2008

The Day I Possibly Went Crazy

There’s something within me, something buried down deep beneath the cynicism and sarcasm, that
secretly covets Singstar.

I know. I’m ashamed of me too.

Posted: August 18, 2008 at 9:31 pm | Comments (9)

18th August, 2008

The Day I Was Back. No, REALLY

Apologies for being MIA? Promises that I won’t do it again? Lather, rinse, repeat the last fifty-nine billion times I’ve said this and then move on.

In my defense, I came back to the UK with a chest infection that I carried around with me in excess of a week, and I’ve been trying to occupy my son during my stint of the childcare over the summer holidays. That said, I AM now back, and will updated accordingly over the next few days. Scouts Honour.

The reason I can be so certain of this pledge? We’re fucking skint and I cannot afford to leave the house until payday on Friday. Heh.

Posted: August 18, 2008 at 9:53 am | Comments (7)