The Improved Googlescope

I woke up this morning to a pleasant surprise: I have an A+ in CS 315! Causey is being lazy and won't put up grades for Philosophy until Friday, but I'm sure I did fine there as well. Tomorrow I push on to Latin, which should be fine. So should I be talking about Google yet again? Probably not. It's a disease I tell you! Regardless, I wouldn't make it my main topic if it wasn't really intriguing. It turns out that about a month ago they filed a patent that would improve their search engine against the perils of link inflation. It really led me to wonder: how did they come up with all this criteria now for how a page is fresh or how legitimate a domain name is? If I took the Downing approach I may be inclined to just say "magic", but the more likely case is that a bunch of smart bastards that work there just started brainstorming ideas. It's just funny because it really means that now the best way to stay highly ranked in Google is to keep your pages consistent, themed, and regularly updated to maintain your credibility for the Googlescope. They'll also take into account burst link growth, which will count against your credibility, and they're also moving forward into analyzing web site statistics. It sounds pretty balanced to me, but I'm sure they'll find ways to improve it once they've had it out there for a while. I like how all their changes kind of happen under the covers.

The other news in technology is pretty good as well. It turns out that Firefox does have some pretty serious holes now, namely with respect to Javascript. It's dangerous enough that they've warned users to disable it until they put out a fix, and it would allow sites to run malicious code on the host computer. So there you have it, it's not perfect. If you're really interested in cryptography by the way, check out this interview about the current trends. It's an interesting read if you're tech savvy and he even links to an article where you can find out more about becoming a cryptographer. It turns out that Apple has been granted a patent for a Tablet Mac, and I only hope that you don't have to be a transparent man to use it like in the picture. No details yet, but exciting nonetheless to see what they do with this. Apple has also quietly been playing around with offering videos on iTunes. Meanwhile, Bill Gates has ceded some details on Windows Mobile 5.0, which is supposed to be a Blackberry killer because of its persistent memory storage and Office. You can read a propaganda interview here, but I can't really give thoughts until it's available for retail. Lastly, I thought it was worth noting that the creator of BitTorrent has Asperger's Syndrome, which is a form of autism characterized by a sophisticated state of certain mental faculties while also having certain problems with social interaction. It's a gift and a curse in many ways, and he's really made it a gift.

Once again, the movie news pipe is rather dry. However, we do now known that writer extraordinaire David Goyer has plans to do not one, but TWO sequels to Batman Begins! It sounds like they'd revolve around the Joker, but I'm sure he's not going to reveal everything so early. It sounds like the original cast would return though, which would be sweet. In sadder news, Natalie Portman has finally shaved her head for her role in V for Vendetta. Hair really takes a lot away from a girl's appearance, and I hope she doesn't keep it off like she says she'd like to. Cate Blanchett, or Galadriel for the hardcore geeks, has signed on to be in Notes on a Scandal, which I mention because the movie sounds like it could be really good. It follows a teacher who is arrested for having sex with a 15 year-old student and also features Judi Dench as a horny colleague, so it should be good family fun. Lastly, there's a bunch of publicity shots available for Revenge of the Sith to whet your whistle until next week. I know who I'm seeing the movie for...



Now it's time for some Ten on Tuesday fun:

10 Plans for this Summer
10. Possibly make some money babysitting and mowing the lawn.
9. Go to Schlitterbahn this year!
8. Learn how to cook more things.
7. Read some more Stephen King.
6. Advance my skill level for classical guitar!
5. Hang out more with my friends.
4. Get the Latin program I want to do in an alpha stage.
3. Get my driver's license and a new car with it.
2. Learn C++.
1. Get 9 hours of credit so I can register as a junior for the spring.

Oh, and I thought this was pretty funny:

Your Penis Name is: 100% All-beef Thermometer

Get your own Penis Name