Google Speculation

"The foreman, Mr. Elton Mott, was especially Godless. Momma said that Satan had reserved a special blue corner of Hell for Elt, as he was called at the Blue Ribbon." - Carrie

What did I do to you Stephen King? Coincidentally, a friend of mine in high school calls me Elt sometimes (there's a story behind it, it wasn't just something he started calling me when he met me or anything). Given my bias for Google (sorry, but it's true), I feel bad about making them the main topic again but they just happened to have the best news today. So you've heard about the increase in their stock unless you've been under a rock, so what was it for? They actually have a couple of things in mind. The first thing is a vastly improved Google Desktop that aims to be kind of like Dashboard on Macs but even better. The program affords you much power in searching lots of random areas of your computer for what you need in addition to a Sidebar to keep you informed and that tailors itself to your interests based on how you use your computer. When it acquires more plug-ins I'll probably try it out. And the other thing? It's a mystery for a few more days but we do know that it will be a communications tool of some sort. The first assumption is that it's an instant messenger given the news that they bought Meetroduction though that could be an unfounded rumor and it may be more likely for them to work on a smart phone. I guess we'll know soon enough, and the buzz keeps Google going as a fascinating force in computing (much like Microsoft in the late 80s).

I'm going to start of the techie news with something ironic. There's a podcast out there called "We Hate Technology" and it's just some tech heads ranting about the worst news developments as well as just things that they don't like in general. A good idea if you ask me. Especially since you may actually need a special monitor to view HD content on Windows Vista. That article provides a detailed explanation and I got lost somewhere in the middle of it but it's more complicated than that; maybe you'll understand it. If there was any doubt that Atom will represent the standard for RSS, Microsoft's inclusion of it for Vista makes it surefire. There have been two conflicting studies about the indexing of Yahoo vs. Google and now a blog post sheds some light on the situation. Apparently, their indexing of long documents isn't as extensive as Google's, but they're not lying about the number of documents they cover so that would explain the conflict.

The movie news today isn't too shabby in sharp contrast to the weekend edition. I showed the poster for Saw II a while back and it has now been banned by the MPAA because the severed fingers were a it risque. I agree with their ruling, but the approved one doesn't seem much better. The best news was the international teaser trailer for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire that shows a few more scenes and makes you even more hyped up for it. If you want another video to gawk at there's an interesting trailer up for a movie called The Dark, but it's dubbed in German. Regardless, it's worthwhile for horror movie geeks despite it's visual similarities to The Ring. If you're interested in The Brothers Grimm there are a couple of fresh clips over at Yahoo! Movies, but they're not good enough gauges of how good the movie will be unfortunately. There's a very strange rumor out there that Jessica Alba will be starring in Gurinder Chadha's (of Bend it Like Beckham fame) adaptation of I Dream of Jeannie. Given Alba's inherent beauty I'll be sure to keep you abreast of any concrete developments. Lastly, JoBlo has a couple of shots from Mission Impossible: 3 and Pirates of the Caribbean 2, including this cool-looking one:



Now for a very random Monday Madness:

1. When putting groceries away, do you rotate your food so your newest items (cans and such) are in the back, and older food in the front?
I do that with actually dishes that I cook, but with side items and fruits and such I have certain places where I keep them in the fridge to keep the most important items the most accessible.
2. Do you own a digital camera? If so, how long have you had one? If not, do you plan to purchase one soon?
Nope, but if I get a job next summer that will be at the top of my list.
3. How do you store your precious photos?
In a safe place in my drawer in my parent's Houston home.
4. It's 6:00 a.m. and you've just lost power due to a severe thunderstorm; they say it will probably take at least 12 hours before power will be restored; what do you do?
If I was to follow the advice of one Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott I'd have to lose control. I'd probably suck it up and just go to campus and sleep some more in the NSC office. Luckily I have a battery-powered backup alarm.
5. How many times a year do you (or does someone dear to you) wax your automobile?
I just got my automobile so we'll work on that later!
6. Gas prices; what can we say except they've reached an all-time high. How are you dealing with this?
Combining all my errands into supertrips rather than scattered small ones.
7. Have you ever purchased a book or cd twice, forgetting that you already had it?
I'm not spendthrift enough to do that! If only I had that kind of cash to buy things more than once. I guess I still have enough of my memory left.