Google Wave truly promised a lot when it first came about. Attempting to copy many of the attributes of Usenet newsgroups and a year of beta servicing later, Google Wave launched only to find that nobody noticed. Google’s experiment to reinvent email apparently failed.
However, while Google has conceded defeat and have noted that Wave would cease to exist a few months down the line, there is good news for developers who have aspirations to build similar services.
Google is planning to release most of the source code behind its Google Wave communications platform to developers in the form of an almost-complete app called ‘Wave in a Box’.
“Wave in a Box” will include a server and web client using the same structured conversation system that appeared in Google’s own Wave service, complete with support for threaded conversations in the web client and a refined version of Wave’s client-server communications.
Google has already made about 200,000 lines of the code open-source, including character-by-character real-time typing.
Who can forget flipping through pages of the Oxford English Dictionary looking for that one elusive word. Looks like the venerable dictionary itself become elusive. Reason?
Just as many on Usenet predicted, the publishers of the iconic tome are mulling ending the publication of the printed version due to its low sales in tandem with the increasing popularity of the online counterpart.
“At present we are experiencing increasing demand for the online product,” reads a statement from Oxford. “However, a print version will certainly be considered if there is sufficient demand at the time of publication.”
Oxford DictionaryThe online version of the dictionary has existed for more than a decade and recieves more than two billion hits a month from subscribers.
The current print edition has sold about 30,000 sets since 1989, while the digital version receives about 2 million hits per month from its subscribers.
Also, the print version of the OED weighs over 130 pounds, so it’s easy to see why smartphone-toting academics might well be more inclined to opt for a subscription to the online-only version in the future.
The first Oxford Dictionary came out in sections from 1884, completed in 1928. Don’t be surprised if the next announcement is that all definitions have to be 140 characters or less.
It’s been rumored, and now it’s here: Google’s implemented direct computer-to-phone calling from within its Gmail service. It’s a small change, but it makes Google Voice more powerful, and challenges the existing phone industry.
Google just revealed the news on its official blog, with the disarming and charmingly low-key line “we thought ‘wouldn’t it be nice if you could call people directly on their phones?’,” referring to the fact that while its existing Google Voice and Video chat service is very powerful, it requires both users to be at their PCs and connected to Gmail.
So, starting today “you can call any phone right from Gmail.” Well, not any phone, as the service is only now rolling out in the U.S., but check out the video below to learn more:
Newsgroup discussions today research and found the origin of one of the most commonly used terms to describe hardcore techies: NERD. The first documented use of the word Nerd is in the 1950 Dr. Seuss story, If I Ran the Zoo, in which a boy named Gerald McGrew made a large number of delightfully extravagant claims as to what he would do, if he were in charge at the zoo. Among these was that he would bring a creature known as a Nerd from the land of Ka-Troo. The accompanying illustration showed a grumpy humanoid with unruly hair and sideburns, wearing a black T-shirt. A fitting image, these days, for a nerd.
The term originated in the 1950 book “If I Ran the Zoo”. From the book:
“And then, just to show them, I’ll sail to Ka-Troo. And Bring Back an IT-KUTCH, a PREEP and a PROO, a NERKLE, a NERD, and a SEERSUCKER, too!”
Experts ‘maintain that Dr. Seuss is the true originator of nerd and that the word nerd (“comically unpleasant creature”) was picked up by the five- and six-year-olds of 1950 and passed on to their older siblings, who by 1957, as teenagers, had restricted and specified the meaning to the most comically obnoxious creature of their own class, a “square.”
It is the first time the word is found in print. Others on Usenet claim the word began as “knurd” (before arriving at its current spelling) by researchers at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the late 1940s. Students who partied, and rarely studied were called “drunks,” while the opposite – students who never partied and always studied – were “knurds” (“drunk” spelled backwards).
In 1957, the Glasgow, Scotland, Sunday Mail defined “nerd” as a square.
Posted on to search engine related newsgroups, new articles of Eric Schmidt have made a rather astounding assertion. He said that in the future young people should have the right to change their name legally in order to escape association with unwise things they may have said or done online in their youth.
“I don’t believe society understands what happens when everything is available, knowable and recorded by everyone all the time,” he said. “I mean we really have to think about these things as a society. I’m not even talking about the really terrible stuff, terrorism and access to evil things.”
He’s predicted that every young person one day will be entitled automatically to change his or her name on reaching adulthood in order to disown youthful hijinks stored on their friends’ social media sites.
He also predicted that in future Google will know so much about its users that the search engine will be able to help them to plan their lives. Using profiles of it customers and tracking their locations through their smart phones, Google will be able to provide live updates on their surroundings and inform them of tasks they need to do.
It’s already a serious problem: a daily glance at the news reveals regular stories of people fired for disrespectful Tweets or Facebook (News – Alert) posts (it’s probably not a good idea to keep your Faceboook status as “My Job Sucks” when you are Facebook friends with co-workers) and even arrests for posted photos depicting illegal activities. Even blogging at work can be risky: time-and date-stamped personal blog posts can be used as evidence that employees are doing personal work on company time and equipment.
Schmidt seems to contradict himself when he says there is no need for regulation, because he agrees that few people know the sheer volume and intimate nature of the information collected about them. “I don’t believe society understands what happens when everything is available, knowable and recorded by everyone all the time”
“We are trying to figure out what the future of search is, I actually think most people don’t want Google to answer their questions. They want Google to tell them what they should be doing next,” he added.
Most Americans are not in favor for the government to prioritize affordable high-speed Internet access, based on a study publicized by the Pew Internet & American Life Project on Wednesday.
Pew researchers asked 2,252 adults in a national phone survey if increasing broadband access’ affordability to everybody in the nation should be a main concern for federal authority.
Whether it is because of anti-government reaction, a change in priorities in a strong economic atmosphere or the Internet’s unsure benefits, about 53 percent of those people surveyed stated that the extension should not be pushed by the government or it was not a significant concern.
Aaron Smith, author of the Pew Internet Project’s report said that a dispute has taken place about the position of the government in intervening to guarantee the accessibility to high-speed Internet access for all Americans.
Smith also stated that the majority believe not, and the shock is that people who does not use Internet are the least disposed to feel government has a role in the extension of broadband.
Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) National Broadband Plan is responsible for extending reasonable high-speed Internet access to all Americans.
In February, the FCC said that 80 million Americans have not known to use Internet access whether because it is not available to them, the costs is too much for them or they do not know the significance of broadband.
The FCC outline makes more than a few short-term to long-term proposals to increase broadband approval rates in metro areas and boost access for low-income and countryside families.
FCC spokeswoman Jen Howard said that they are more enthusiastic as ever to lecturing Americans about the methods the broadband can offer to enhance their lives. She also adds that businesses, education, health care and governance can take advantage from the Internet.
U.S. regulators proposed easing restrictions on satellite companies in a move aimed at freeing more airwaves to feed the growing demand for wireless broadband services.
The Federal Communications Commission voted unanimously on Thursday to seek comment on a plan to let satellite companies partner with other business seeking to build land-based networks or to lease their spectrum to other companies in a secondary market.
The FCC also sought public comment on allowing satellite companies to relinquish spectrum in return for proceeds from future airwaves auctions.
The plan could affect about 90 megahertz of spectrum, held by companies such as SkyTerra Communications Inc, TerreStar Corp and Globalstar Inc, that is particularly suited to broadband delivery.
The FCC’s National Broadband Plan aims to open up 500 megahertz (MHz) of airwaves by 2020.
The FCC is also trying to persuade broadcasters to relinquish about 125 megahertz of spectrum under a voluntary plan.
The satellite move comes after the FCC in late March approved an application by Harbinger Capital Partners to acquire SkyTerra, a mobile satellite services company.
President Barack Obama has backed Genachowski’s plans to boost spectrum to support the wireless industry, as more and more consumers drop their landline connections for smartphones and other wireless devices.
The White House has said some estimates suggest that the next five years will see an increase in wireless data of between 20 times and 45 times 2009 levels.
Large on the minds of those on Usenet is the beginning of Summer. June 21, 2010 is the Summer Solstice in the parts north of the equator which is the longest day in terms of daytlight. Although many consider June 1st as the start of summer, the solstice marks the official meteorological start of summer.
As some newsgroups point out, two solstices takes place every year with both a summer and winter solstice taking place. The summer solstice is the longest day of the year. The angle of the Earth means warmer temperatures and more daylight for the northern hemisphere. It also marks the peak growing season between the spring planting of crops and the fall harvest.
In some parts of the world the summertime solstice is celebrated and is considered a sign of new life and fertility. The long and warm summer days also mark the peak vacation time for families, especially with school children out of school for the summer.
The winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year and falls in December for those in the northern hemisphere and marks the day with the least amount of daylight. The good news for those who hate winter is that at least the amount of day light you receive beings to increase slowly each day after the winter solstice.
Have some Usenet with that Frappuccino you’re drinking? You can now. Starbucks will begin offering free Wi-Fi in July, allowing you the option and convenience to access newsgroups with any purchase.
The service will be offered through AT&T Inc., but will no longer require a Starbucks loyalty card, which entitled registered customers to two free hours of access.
“Just visit your neighborhood Starbucks, open your browser or mobile device and click to connect. It’s our way of providing you with a great digital experience to go with your cup of coffee,” the company said in a press release.
Less than two years ago, Starbucks rolled out a program to offer free Wi-Fi for AT&T mobile devices (such as the iPhone) and customers of AT&T DSL. It was a nice perk, but customers who wanted to use Starbucks Wi-Fi with a laptop or a tablet have had little recourse but to log on through an AT&T Wi-Fi account that offers two hours of free Wi-Fi access per day and costs $4 for every additional two hours after that.
Starting early of July, the coffee bar chain store will offer the free internet service to its valued customers for 6,700 shops state wide aiming to gain back its customers. Later this fall, Starbucks will launch its Starbucks Digital Network, which was created in partnership with Yahoo! The Starbucks Digital Network will offer free access to exclusive content, community news and local volunteer opportunities on your laptop, tablet or smart phone. This content will only be available in its stores.
From the sounds of things, this ‘Starbucks online experience’ will include a homepage that pulls content from the Wall Street Journal and other sources (like Zagat and Foursquare) and pools them all in place, providing access that way. The attraction for content providers is that people reading at Starbucks might decide to subscribe so they can access the content outside of the coffee chain’s stores.
Starbucks’ move also comes after a decision by McDonald’s six months ago to offer free Wi-Fi at 11,500 U.S. locations. The companies have been at odds since McDonald’s launched its successful, and less expensive, McCafe line of coffee beverages last year.
As we move into more dependence into the online world, there are casualties that can happen. A Utah woman is suing the search engine Google, claiming its maps function gave her walking directions that led her onto a major highway, where she was struck by a car.
The lawsuit seeks more than $100,000 in damages.
Lauren Rosenberg sought directions between two addresses in Utah about 3 kilometres apart. The top result suggested that Rosenberg follow a busy rural highway for several hundred metres. The highway does not have sidewalks. One stretch is blocked by a noise barrier that pushes pedestrians closer to the roadside.
After walking on to the highway, Rosenberg was struck by a car. The driver, Patrick Harwood, is also named in the suit.
Google has pointed out that the directions Rosenberg sought come with a warning of caution for pedestrians. Rosenberg claims that she accessed the Maps function on her Blackberry mobile device, where it did not include the warning.
Others have pointed out that Rosenberg might have been best served by her own eyes after she reached a T-junction and found herself confronted with a patently unsafe walk
