Google « Thoughts of a [wannabe] librarian

Riding High Amongst the Waves*

Google Wave seems to be just about the hottest thing on the internet at the moment. People have been eagerly waiting that magic invite dropping into their inbox just so they can get onboard the Next Big Thing. Fortunately for me, I was lucky enough to receive an invite care of a fellow Tweeter (Twitter certainly has its advantages!). So what is Google Wave actually like?

Google Wave - The Next Big Thing?

Well, to be honest, I haven’t spent a great deal of time on it so far so I’m not really in a position to give a full and fair appraisal. That said, I’m still going to share some initial thoughts on it. The first thing I feel I should point out is that it is quite bewildering when you first start playing with it. When presented with the homepage (see image above), it took a little while to work out how it was supposed to work. That is maybe why Google recommends you watch a ridiculously long video before you even contemplate diving in (do you see what I did there?!). However, I did find this handy little video that talks you through some of the main features of Google Wave:

Although it is a little confusing to start off with, there is potential there for it to be a very useful collaborative tool. By inviting others to join you on a ‘wave’ you can work together on a shared piece of work or just communicate in real-time (a bit like MSN Messenger but you can actually see what they are typing as they type it). There are a number of gadgets that can be incorporated into ‘waves’ including Sudoku puzzles and chess. It is also possible to embed Google Maps which enables people on the same ‘wave’ to collaborate on a map (which is quite useful and very easily done). I think Mashable’s description of Google Wave sums it up quite nicely:

It combines aspects of email, instant messaging, wikis, web chat, social networking, and project management to build one elegant, in-browser communication client.

So pretty much all the best elements of Web 2.0 rolled into one.

It will be interesting to see how Google Wave develops over the coming weeks and months as more people get onboard. It certainly has great potential to be a very useful tool, as long as people are prepared to overcome the initial hurdles. I’ll certainly continue to play around with it and share more thoughts on it as time goes by. Hopefully I’ll be able to share something a little more comprehensive than this effort!

There is also a Complete Guide to Google Wave available that may also help with getting to grips with it.

* I have been wondering how I would incorporate my love of Pearl Jam into one of my blog posts….looks like I managed it!

Computing in the Clouds

July 29, 2009 at 8:56 pm | In web tools | Leave a Comment
Tags: cloud computing, data, Google, internet, microsoft, privacy, Yahoo!

Couple of things have got me thinking about cloud computing. First the announcement that Microsoft 2010 will include online versions of Word, Excel etc. This is obviously intended to compete with Google Docs (it would seem Microsoft are belatedly attempting to up their game what with cloud-based services and their recent deal with Yahoo!), and is another step towards a future where a hard drive is no longer required. Which brings me to the second reason I have been mulling this one over recently.

I have recently been in the unfortunate situation of having my desktop computer die before my very eyes. A deeply depressing and stressful moment. What made this all the more stressful was that that, despite promising myself to maintain a rigorous back-up routine, I had failed to back-up data for several months. Of course, this meant I lost loads of photos of our daughter, documents for my course and lots of other bits and bobs that would make my life meaningless without their existence (I exaggerate very slightly). Anyway, as a result of this catastrophe, I began considering the benefits of using Google Docs for my assignments and pdf files. It certainly made quite a difference as I could access my documents at home without needing to carry round a USB stick. However, whilst there are a number of benefits (storage space, access from any computer etc), there are some things that are a concern.

When storing documents online, who do they really belong to? Are they your property, or the property of the company that is storing them? We’ve seen numerous attempts by some networking sites to claim personal data as their own, what would stop them from doing the same with your documents? Not a lot I guess. The other problem that springs to mind is what happens if the company storing your documents closes down? Although this is pretty unlikely with Google or Microsoft, it is still a concern. What happens to your documents then? Are they lost forever? Also, as we have recently seen with the Kindle/Orwell debacle, there is an issue with privacy and security. What is to stop an organisation accessing your online data and removing it as it deems fit? What if it decides that the material you store is inappropriate and removes it from their servers? This would be a disturbing move, essentially putting your data in the hands of a corporation. At present I am torn between the immense benefits cloud computing would provide and concerns about privacy. It will be interesting to see how these concerns are addressed (if at all) in the move towards computing in the clouds.

Ebooks – It’s All Going On…..

March 19, 2009 at 8:36 pm | In eBooks | Leave a Comment
Tags: Amazon, e-book reader, e-books, EPUB, free download, Google, Kindle, Sony Reader

There have been a few interesting developments of late regarding ebooks. Firstly, there was the announcement by Faber that they would be publishing an ebook that would work on the same principle as Radiohead’s In Rainbows. The book, entitled What Price Freedom?, will be available for download six weeks prior to the publication of the paper edition and will give readers….

…..the freedom to set their own price, or even download it for free.

Whilst this offer differs slightly from that offered by Radiohead (the download was compressed so there was still a reason to then go on to purchase the ‘hard copy’), it is an interesting development and certainly worth keeping an eye on come the release date. Although one wonders whether this model will ultimately succeed as there is no actual incentive to own the hard copy, other than for presentation value.

Sony and Google Make Ebook Agreement

Exciting though that news was, today came some even more exciting news. Google and Sony have announced an agreement that will see all of Google’s scanned public-domain books available to read on the Sony Reader. This means that Sony Reader owners will now have access to a further 500,000 books – free of charge¹. The following is taken from Yahoo! News:

NEW YORK – Google Inc. is making half a million books, unprotected by copyright, available for free on Sony Corp.’s electronic book-reading device, the companies were set to announce Thursday.

It’s the first time Google has made its vast trove of scanned public-domain books available to an e-book device, and vaults the Sony Reader past Amazon.com Inc.’s Kindle as the device with the largest available library, at about 600,000 books.

The scanned books were all published before 1923, and include works like Charles Dickens‘ “A Tale of Two Cities” as well as nonfiction classics like Herodotus‘ “The Histories.”

The books are already available as free downloads in the Portable Document Format (PDF), which works well on computer screens but not on e-book readers. Google will provide the books to the Sony Reader in the EPUB (electronic publication) format, which lets the lines flow differently to fit a smaller screen.

Google spokeswoman Jennie Johnson said the company wants to make the books available as widely as possible.

“Really our vision is: any book, anywhere, any time and on any device,” she said. “We want to partner with anybody who shares our vision of making them more accessible.”

This is really quite an exciting development and really ensures the Reader is a viable alternative to Amazon’s Kindle, particularly as the Kindle relies on books produced in Amazon’s proprietary format (AZW). Although EPUB formatted ebooks can be converted using special software to enable them to be read on a Kindle, it is a big advantage point for the Sony. It is especially advantageous given that the Kindle is currently unavailable in Europe and unlikely to be available for sometime due to its reliance on Whispernet, which is not currently compatible across the region. At this rate, Europe is going to be a tough nut for Amazon to crack, particularly given the widespread adoption of EPUB as the format of choice for ebooks.

These really are exciting times for the ebook. As predicted, the format is really moving at quite a pace in 2009 and there is no telling where the format will be come December. Maybe, just maybe, widespread adoption of ebooks is just around the corner.

1. You can download the software to enable access to Google’s public domain books here.

Organising RSS Feeds

March 10, 2009 at 10:05 am | In web tools | 4 Comments
Tags: blogs, Google, Google Reader, iPhone 3G, iPhone applications, RSS, syndication

For a long time I was not particularly bothered about organising RSS feeds, or even the feeds themselves for that matter. In my ignorance I could barely see the point for them. Not really sure why, probably just a case of not really spending much time looking into why they might be useful. However, I have recently ’seen the light’ and started checking RSS feeds regularly through the use of a feed reader. And it has certainly made a difference in terms of how I read blogs.

I guess before I go any further, I ought to explain exactly what an RSS feed is. The following definition is taken from Wikipedia:

RSS (abbreviation for Really Simple Syndication) is a family of Web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format….they benefit readers who want to subscribe to timely updates from favored websites or to aggregate feeds from many sites into one place. RSS feeds can be read using software called an “RSS reader”, “feed reader”, or “aggregator”, which can be web-based, desktop-based, mobile device or any computerized Internet-connected device.

Essentially they help keep the reader up-to-date with the latest posts from their favourite websites. Most websites have an RSS link on them, usually indicated by a little orange button similar to the one in my sidebar.

Before I started using a feed reader, it was very much a case of browsing through all the regular blogs I read and trying to find posts that were of particular interest. This could be a rather arduous process as there would be many blogs that I would regularly read (most of the ones on my blogroll for a start). As my blogroll continued to grow, so did the amount of posts I would plough through and the amount of time that I wasted. It was at this point that I decided to look into RSS readers to see if they could help manage this process.

After looking at several readers, I decided to plump for Google Reader. This decision was mainly based on a post by Joeyanne on weeding RSS feeds on Google Reader. I liked the way that Google analysed trends and provided statistics on what blogs you had read in order to weed out unnecessary feeds. This seemed particularly useful as I could then identify which blogs were actually most of interest to me and which were not. It is easy to make assumptions on which blogs you think are most worthwhile before discovering that you hardly ever read them at all.

After finally signing up to Google to enable access to their Reader (and thus gain yet another email address!), I have to wonder what took me so long to do so. Now, instead of hunting through loads of blogs for valuable posts (and inevitably missing posts that would be useful due to time constraints), I can simply scan through my reader and see in an instant which blog posts I am particularly interested in. Given the lack of time I have with my studies at the moment, the ability to condense the amount of time spent scanning blogs is a real bonus!

This facility has been further enhanced by the addition of a feed reader to my iPhone. There are a number of different feed applications available on the iPhone and, after reading a number of reviews, I decided to go for the aptly named ‘Feeds’. The advantage of this is that it syncs directly with your Google Reader account therefore allowing you to check your feeds on the go. This, again, saves time as I can simply scan through the feeds on my tea break at work and quickly identify posts that may be of interest. No more having to rely on logging onto a computer and accessing Google Reader, now I can do it at the touch of a button. And, as it does sync with your Google account, any posts that you do read are reflected in the trend statistics for your subscriptions. Furthermore, the time it takes to sync is ridiculously quick. It really is a matter of seconds before ‘Feeds’ updates and displays how many unread posts are on each of your subscribed feeds.

So is a feed reader worth bothering with? Most definitely. It has made it far easier for me to manage the blogs I read and enabled me to go straight to the blog posts that I find most interesting without having to plough through dozens of posts on dozens of websites. I just wish I had come round to the idea earlier!

The iPhone 3G

February 8, 2009 at 8:44 pm | In Technology | 8 Comments
Tags: Apple, Facebook, Flixster, Google, iPhone 3G, last.fm, mobile phone, RSS, Twitter

The iPhone 3G

As followers of my Twitterings will know, I have finally given in and bought myself the new iPhone 3G. I had been thinking of purchasing a smartphone for a little while now, although it was the Blackberry Storm that I was giving more serious consideration (mainly because it was on the same network that I was already on). However, after reading a lot of negative reviews of the Storm (especially when it was compared to the iPhone), I decided that probably wasn’t worth the outlay. It was only after having a play around on a neighbour’s iPhone and seeing what it could do, that I gave it serious consideration (that and the new price plans that were on offer). With a baby on the way, I knew it was now or never (when will I be able to afford things like this again!?), so I took the plunge and signed up for the contract (something I never thought I would do!). I have to say, I have not regretted it one bit. It really is an amazing piece of equipment and has quickly become my favourite gadget (beating even my beloved e-book reader).

Of course the first thing that strikes you with the iPhone is the interface. The touch screen is really quite amazing, as is the accelerometer (the mechanism that detects the orientation of the phone and adjust the display accordingly). However, the 3G model has a number of new features. Firstly, and most obviously, it has the addition of 3G technology which enables faster data speeds. It also had the addition of assisted GPS, enabling the phone to pinpoint your exact location. This can be used in conjunction with a number of applications. For example, with ‘Location Services’ switched on in the Settings menu, you can access Google maps and at the press of a button the phone will highlight your location. Using the search bar above the map, you can search for anything you fancy. Enter the word ‘cafe’ and it will search for all the cafes in the area, highlight them with a red pin and provide a link to contact information (including phone number, address and website). Not only does it locate your search terms, it can also give you directions to your chosen destination, giving you distances and times by foot, car or bus (including the time of the next bus!). Should you be on the move when you have requested directions, it will act as a sat-nav and follow your progress in real-time (and pretty accurate it is too). A pretty nifty little tool.

There are a whole host of other functions on the phone, including the ability to play films (I recently purchased Tropic Thunder which came with a digital copy, and was promptly transferred), view photos, watch YouTube clips and sync the phone’s calender with Outlook. There are also a host of other functions that are available from the App Store, a fantastic innovation that allows developers to create software that utilise the iPhone’s unique control system. I have already downloaded a number of applications (some free, some at a small fee), including:

Facebook- Obviously links the phone to your Facebook account
Twitterfon – Probably the best of the Twitter based applications available
Last.fm- Links to your last.fm account and enables you to stream music from your last.fm playlists
Flixster – Works with the location function to locate local cinemas, display listing, watch trailers and, depending on the cinema, book tickets
Feeds- Links to Google Reader account to display RSS feeds
Google Earth- Google’a amazing application for the iPhone.

Of these, only Feeds required a small payment (£1.75), the rest were totally free.

So far, I have been totally blown away by what the iPhone has to offer. A number of the applications are truly superb and it has been a very worthwhile purchase. The only real drawback so far has been the battery life. For the first week I was charging fairly regularly (almost daily in fact). But I have a feeling this was more down to the fact that I was using it a lot to get used to what it could do, rather than the fact that it runs out absurdly quickly. I have since discovered a number of ways to minimise battery wastage, and I have certainly noticed an increase in battery life between charges (there are a whole load of tips here). So all in all, the phone is pretty impressive and I certainly haven’t regretted giving in and signing a contract. It will be interesting to see what other new applications will be developed in the near future. For now, the iPhone has merely scratched the surface of what is possible. Who knows what may emerge when they dig a little deeper.

Google Introduces Customised Searching

November 22, 2008 at 1:51 pm | In Search engines | Leave a Comment
Tags: Google, Search engines, user generated content, Web 2.0, wiki

Another day, another Google innovation. Those people at Google have now introduced a tool that allows users to customise their search results. At the moment only those with a Google account can actually take advantage of the new search engine, but it is an interesting step in the evolution of Google. This new tool enables users to move search results up and down the rankings to suit their own needs. Once results have been moved, when the user next conducts a search using the same terms, the results will be ranked as previously stipulated. It will also enable logged in users to write comments next to web links which would then be displayed to other users.

The potential for this tool is huge. Search results have the potential to be far more relevant to the user than they are at the moment. By ensuring that search results are customisable, it also ensures that users can relevance rank according to their own individual needs, rather than simply accept the processes of Google’s search engine. Greg Sterling of SearchEngineLand.com, hints at the possibilities:

“Lots of people have tried so-called ’social search’, combining algorithmic search with human editorial input, because the perception is that humans have the ability to craft a better result in any given situation because they can make distinctions machines can’t.

“So this could be quite dramatic if they get a lot of people participating because it could improve the algorithms of the process and serve up better search results.”

It will be interesting to see how Google’s latest venture catches on over the coming months. Could this be the future of internet searches¹?

¹ Have you used the new customisable search engine by Google? If so, what are your thoughts?

Google Chrome

October 6, 2008 at 10:28 pm | In Search engines | Leave a Comment
Tags: Chrome, Firefox, Google, internet browser, Internet Explorer, Search engines

I have been trying to get into the habit of using Google Chrome over the past few weeks to see how it stands up to Internet Explorer and FireFox. Although it seemed a bit odd at first (the toolbar is much smaller than Internet Explorer (which I am using at the moment funnily enough), it does have some useful features that I quite like. Firstly, I quite like the way it presents your most visited websites. When logging onto Chrome for the first time you are presented with a screen similar to this one:

The visual representations make it easy to see your favourite sites at a glance and by simply clicking on one of the pictures, you are taken straight to the site you want to visit. It’s quite a nice touch and makes it easy to access your favourite sites from the moment you launch your browser software.

One other feature I quite like about Chrome is the ease of searching the website that you are on. Just by clicking on a menu option you are provided with a little box in which to input your search terms. As you type in your term, the page highlights whatever you have typed so far on the page. So, when you type in ‘library’ all the items on the page are highlighted (see below).

I find this website search tool much more efficient than other methods I have used before to find certain search terms on a website. As it looks for the terms in real-time, you can see the terms on the page quickly and efficiently – very useful when you are hunting through a particularly long page.

So, in short, so far so good. There are some little oddities (like the small toolbar and the lack of a ‘home’ link in the browser window) but overall I find Google Chrome to be quite a useful browser. Having said that, I am still typing this whilst using IE! It might just be a hard habit to break, but when I do it will certainly be worth it!

Google ‘Chrome’ Now Available

September 3, 2008 at 11:55 am | In Browsers | Leave a Comment
Tags: Chrome, Firefox, Google, internet, internet browser, Internet Explorer, product development

Yesterday Google launched its latest service, Chrome, an internet browser to rival Firefox and Internet Explorer. As yet I am not sure of the quality of the browser (I am still using my in-laws’ computer at the moment), but once back home I’ll be sure to download and give it a whirl. Certainly, Google are talking it up as a real rival to the big two: