Helping computers understand language
One of the things that sets humans apart from other animals is our unique ability with language. Even small children seem to have built-in abilities to understand fairly complex linguistic constructions. Understanding how to program computers to understand even the rudiments of a human language is a major problem. It is an area where Google [...]
Google Chrome 4
A new stable version of Google’s Chrome browser has been released. The Official Google Blog says:
Today we’re excited to introduce a new stable release of Google Chrome for Windows, which includes two of the browser’s most frequently requested features: extensions and bookmark sync.
Extensions let you add new features and functions to your browser. Some provide [...]
Apple and Google as enemies?
Unlike Microsoft’s early bare-knuckle, no-holds-barred approach to other companies, Google maintained a pretty friendly relation with many in the tech industry as it grew. For example, there was a lot of collaboration with Apple. Google CEO Eric Schmidt was even on the Apple board of directors until recently. Google was also a big supporter of [...]
Tips for using Gmail
A lot of people are now using Gmail as their email client. Because I began with Yahoo mail long ago, I haven’t personally used Gmail much but I think it’s worth pointing out that Google has a series of pages with many tips for using Gmail. The format is a little cutsie-pie with talk of [...]
Google vs. China
Ever since Google’s announcement about ending Chinese censorship on its search engine and about the hacking attempts on its database, the Internet has been awash in news and posts. Ars Technica has posted a summary of stories to help us all keep up with the ongoing saga.
Added later: A new story from John Markoff [...]
Reaction to Google’s decision on censorship in China
The blogosphere and the press are full of posts and articles about Google’s announcement about Chinese Web censorship yesterday and the extensive hacking attacks thought to be Chinese in origin. I couldn’t begin to post about all the stories but Ars Technica has a representative summary, Google and China: the attacks and their aftermath.
Free online file storage from Google
Want some free space online to place files so they are accessible from anywhere? Google has announced an expansion of its file storage at Google Docs:
We’re happy to announce that over the next few weeks we will be rolling out the ability to upload, store and organize any type of file in Google Docs. With [...]
Google and China
Clearly, China is too important for any search company to ignore. Like other companies, Google has tried to develop a Chinese presence while balancing the Chinese government’s censorship. Google has been criticized for bowing to government censorship demands but now Google says it won’t censor and may leave China. The company has even posted an [...]
Surprise! Most of the news comes from newspapers
For some time now the financial health of printed publications has been declining as advertising and readership dried up. Numbers of newspapers have gone out of business or have become online only. Internationally recognized stalwarts like the New York Times are under severe financial pressure. The cause, of course, is that advertising has moved [...]
Has Google changed the world again?
Writing at Computerworld, Mike Elgan says so. He is referring to two location services that Google calls “Near me now” and “Explore right here”. Elgan writes:
Massive, culture-shifting technologies are almost never recognized as such when first announced. They seem unimportant and peripheral at first, but later we find ourselves relying on them every day.
One [...]
Quickies
Here’s a quick summary of some links that caught my eye this past week:
Tablets PCs Have Never Mattered–and Never WillThere’s been a lot of buzz about tablet PCs lately. At PC world, Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols says forget about it.
What Microsoft can learn from MoblinWindows fan Brad Moczik got a new netbook with the Linux distro [...]
