In the beginning there were BBSs (Bulletin Board Systems). In a foreshadowing of things to come, almost immediately following the invention of the Personal Computer (PC) they became communications devices as BBS systems were set up for hobbyists to use to share information and home-written programs. At this time PC
Continue readingTag: Google
Trashy's World: Google freaks me out sometimes…
Check it – I receive ONE email in French and with the word “retraite” in the subject line (retirement, en anglais)… and look at the ad… Trashy, Ottawa, Ontario
Continue readingeaves.ca: More on Google Transit and how it is Reshaping a Public Service
Some of you know I’ve written a fair bit on Google transit and how it is reshaping public transit – this blog post in particular comes to mind. For more reading I encourage you to check out the Xconomy article Google Transit: How (and Why) the Search Giant is Remapping
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: Google Doodle’s Gay Shout-Out
Google has posted a Valentine’s Day video on their home page, and it includes an adorable gay couple near the end. Aw, how sweet! That couple, though, is displayed in a visual collage alongside other “non-traditional” pairings such as a dog and a cat, a cookie embracing some milk, and
Continue readingThings Are Good: Why We Went Down Yesterday
Yesterday you probably noticed that most of your favourite websites were down yesterday or had a notice up warning you about two bills in front of the American government. Those bills are SOPA and PIPA and essentially if these bills pass the internet would be all but dead to American
Continue readingDrive-by Planet: Murdoch tweets target Google, White House and Silicon Valley
Rupert Murdoch has had his hands full of late. He has been exploring his ‘human side’ with a Twitter account. No coincidence of course that he has taken to a Twitter facelift in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal involving News International. Employees in the Murdoch trenches have been accused
Continue readingRed Tory v.3.0.3: Charlie Brooker’s 2011 Wipe
To end the year on a fittingly sardonic note, here’s Charlie Brooker’s brilliant take on the past twelve months as darkly viewed through the pop culture lens of a jaded media critic: If nothing else, you can just skip about half way through the video to enjoy a short documentary
Continue readingThe Skwib: The Tyranny and Creativity of a Word Count
On the other hand, a really specific (short) word limit can force one to be more creative and improve the text. I love the Blaise Pascal quote: “Je n’ai fait celle-ci plus longue que parce que je n’ai pas eu le loisir de la faire plus courte.” In English: “This
Continue readingThings Are Good: USA Can be 100% Powered by Geothermal Energy
Here at Things Are Good we like geothermal energy and countries that use it. The USA could be on the list in the future!
Researchers from SMU that have received funding from Google have released a map that shows the potential of geothermal energy production in the continental United States. The conclusion is that there is […]
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: New Jersey Environmental Group Targets Anti-Environment Legislators With New Ad Campaign
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Environment New Jersey has announced an aggressive new online advertising campaign to hold so-called “environment-friendly” state representati…
Continue readingWise Law Blog: Video: Legal Ethics in an Age of Technology
Legal Ethics in an Age of Technology…
That sounds a wee bit lofty, no?
Some of you are probably thinking, “Ethics? We’re talking about Facebook and Twitter, here, right?” Well as you will see in this video, the more involved a legal prof…
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Lobby Planet report shows Brussels spinning with corporate influence
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THE maxim of the lobbyist is generally to be heard but not seen, although a new report on the concentration of lobbying in Brussels suggests you'd be hard pressed to go any…
Continue readingThings Are Good: See Canada’s Environment in Google Earth
Tides Canada has teamed up with Google Earth to allow the world to see Canada’s precious environment using Google’s technology. Now you can visualize things like the boreal forest and the migration of many wild animals.
It’s one thing to say that the Canadian boreal forest is the largest intact forest ecosystem on earth, Ms. Moore […]
Continue readingRed Tory v.3.0.3: GOP Google/Fox Debate
For those who didn’t watch the “debate” last night on TV or participate online, TPM provides a one minute highlight reel of instantly forgettable soundbites: Aside from the unremitting craziness of the GOP hopefuls on stage, Google and Fox set … Continue reading →
Continue readingeaves.ca: Research Request – Transit Study
After writing yesterday’s post on the economics of opendata and transit I’ve really been reflecting on a research question that emerged in the piece: Does having transit data embedded in Google Maps increase ridership? My hypothesis is that it would… but I did some googling on the topic and couldn’t find anything written on the […]
Continue readingbastard.logic: Why I’m Not Jumping On Board The Google+ Bandwagon
by matttbastard Jillian C. York on why the current corporate backlash against online pseudonymity is misguided: There are myriad reasons why an individual may feel safer identifying under a name other than their birth name. Teenagers who identify as members … Continue reading →
Continue readingCalgaryLiberal: (2) The Challenge: To be seen as having a plan: The Four Challenges to the Alberta Liberal Party
There are challenges to the Alberta Liberal Party forming government in Alberta. In this series of posts I’ll write about some of the challenges that Liberals face in this province and some solutions to them. (2) The Challenge: To be seen as havi…
Continue readingPoliTeching: Patent That Becomes a Tool for Obstructing Innovation Needs to Go
Software patents have become an unnecessary obstruction to innovation. Company that used to oppose software patent are spending billions to acquire them (including Google). Small time developers (which could include open source and Smart-phones/Tablets Apps developer) are now being targeted. Software patent produces opposite effect of what patents are designed
Continue readingsomecanuckchick dot com: Nymwars
I have deleted my Google+ account, as well as my Google profile — in protest and with extreme prejudice. Based on its real name only policy, I cannot in good conscience continue to be a part of Google+. What is Google+? What are the Nymwars? Should Google+ reverse its real
Continue readingeaves.ca: Why I’m Struggling with Google+
So now I’ve been a couple of weeks with Google+ and I’ll be honest, I’m really struggling with the service. I wanted to give it a few weeks before writing anything, which has been helpful in letting my thinking mature. First, before my Google friends get upset, I want to acknowledge the reason I’m struggling […]
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