Google Tip of the Day: Google Scholar

For years physicians have been using PubMed as their main source of searching for information about published research. Recently though Google Scholar has been making headways among students and scientists. The results are similar or better than PubMeds, as with pretty much anything Google tries. What is much better though is the links through which you can download full articles. It is significantly easier to pull up the original article/paper through Google Scholar as it searches what network you are on and automatically finds the best route to download it from.
Try it http://scholar.google.com/

Not Just Highways Anymore

Google Maps just got more high tech. We all remember how awesome it was when Google Maps first came out...you could scroll in and out to see as much (or as little) detail as you wanted. Next came traffic, yes actual traffic on major highways! Green was good and Red was bad. Thanks Google. That actually was useful. Why didn't anyone think of this before? Plus, don't forget the satellite images, street view, and public transportation trip planner.

Now Google is taking it to a whole other level. What's the point of avoiding the red highways when you have no idea what the traffic is like on all those other (they call them 'Arterial') roads? Well as of today, you no longer have to worry. Google maps now gives you traffic information for these other medium sized high traffic roads so you can plan your trip accordingly.

What's actually cooler is that Google Maps is now using crowdsourcing to get traffic info. What do I mean? Say you're using Google Maps on your iPhone and you turn on 'GPS enabled.' This actually sends data back and forth letting Google Maps know how fast you're moving, ultimately updating the traffic you're viewing on Google Maps...Imagine if everyone 'GPS enabled' themselves...everywhere. You'd have a pretty accurate traffic asseseement wouldn't you? Oh yeah, you can also now get live traffic updates, view the average traffic patterns on a specific day and time too.

Google maps does it once again...Aside from google search I think Google Maps has been one of (if not the) most useful pieces of technology our favorite company has produced. Keep up the good work!

Google Tip of the Day: Have it do your homework for you

Back in freshman year physics I remember being stumped by a few problem sets. That was when it first occurred to me to try google to search for the exact problem (this was back before everyone knew google, so it was indeed a new thing to do). Turns out almost every single problem I ever had to do was already done and explained somewhere on the web! Whether it be through forums or through problem set answers at other Universities, it was all right there. It was a great way to get the problem sets done and also learn.

So tip of the day, search for your exact math/gmat/physics/chemistry/mcat whatever problem right in google. Take the simple physics problem "A ball is thrown horizontally from a cliff at a speed of 10 m/s. What is its speed one second later?" Check out how many answers you get...ahh Google...Thanks for that A.

Yahoo takes on Google...and will probably get beaten down...again

Over at TechCrunch Erick Schonfeld writes about Yahoo's attempt to be the best at people search.

The new design will focus on making search more personalized, and specifically going after Google in people search . “We’re taking that away from them,” vows Yahoo’s VP of Search Products and Design Larry Cornett. When you type in a person’s name in Yahoo, it will do a better job of bringing up links to their profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and FriendFeed—something Google already does exceedingly well. But Cornett throws down a challenge for Google: “When we launch this, you’re going to come to Yahoo to search for people.”

Full article at http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/08/24/what-matters-most-to-yahoo-is-taking-away-people-search-from-google/

I bet you Yahoo looses...badly.

Wave of the future

Most of us geeks are well in tune with what Wave is by now, but for those that see the outdoors every once in a while Google Wave is foreign. I recently checked out the developer's preview and I can say that it slows down my computer, but is damn cool. For more info on how you'll be communicating in the future, check out http://wave.google.com/help/wave/about.html

This video illustrates what Wave is pretty well. It also illustrates just how socially awkward computer dorks can be.

Google Tip of the Day

On her blog at smarterware.org, Gina Trapani describes a way to navigate through both GMail, Google Search and Google Reader without lifting your fingers for your mouse. This should let my hand get a much needed rest from the repeated 6 inch movements that I had to do back in the day to reach the mouse.

http://smarterware.org/2773/google-tip-navigate-items-with-j-and-k-in-reader-gmail-and-search

The J and K keys navigate through lists of items in Gmail, Google Reader, and even Google search results–without getting the mouse involved, which saves you point-and-click time. J goes to the next item down the list, and K the previous. J and K aren’t easy for your brain to remember, but they are for your fingers: most keyboards have a little nubbin on the J key, and if you’re a touch typist, your right hand’s forefinger rests on the J key. The J and K shortcuts move the cursor up and down in other (some old school) software too, like vim. Here’s how to give your J and K keys a workout in Gmail, Google Reader, and even Google search results.


In Gmail, make sure keyboard shortcuts are enabled for your account. (In Settings, on the General tab, check off the “Keyboard shortcuts on” radio button.) Then, when you’re in your inbox looking at a list of messages OR in an individual message, tapping J will move you to an older conversation and K to a newer convo. From there you can open, archive, and do more with your Gmail messages from the keyboard: Here’s the full list of Gmail keyboard shortcuts. Print it out and put it by your computer.

In Google Reader, J and K work by default. When you have a Reader item open, hit J to go to the next (older) item down the list, and K to move up.

Finally, if you enable the experimental keyboard-driven Google search experiment, you can also use J and K to move up and down through Google Search results. Once you’ve joined the keyboard experiment and run a search, there will be a little pointer on the top link in your results. Use J and K to move up and down the list. Once you’re on the link you want, hit Enter to open that link in tab or the undocumented Shift+O to open it in a new tab. See the rest of the keyboard shortcuts available in results in the screenshot above.

Google v. Apple v. AT&T

AT&T has come out with a statement emphatically denying any role in the blocking of the Google Voice iPhone App. Statement is below:

AT&T statement on letter to the FCC regarding Apple App Store

On July 31, 2009, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued letters to Apple, AT&T and Google with a series of questions about the Google Voice app and Apple's App Store approval process. AT&T today responded to the questions raised in the FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau letter. The following statement is from Jim Cicconi, AT&T senior executive vice president - External and Legislative Affairs.

"We appreciate the opportunity to clear up misconceptions related to an application Google submitted to Apple for inclusion in the Apple App Store. We fully support the FCC's goal of getting the facts and data necessary to inform its policymaking.

"To that end, let me state unequivocally, AT&T had no role in any decision by Apple to not accept the Google Voice application for inclusion in the Apple App Store. AT&T was not asked about the matter by Apple at any time, nor did we offer any view one way or the other.

"AT&T does not block consumers from accessing any lawful website on the Internet. Consumers can download or launch a multitude of compatible applications directly from the Internet, including Google Voice, through any web-enabled wireless device. As a result, any AT&T customer may access and use Google Voice on any web-enabled device operating on AT&T's network, including the iPhone, by launching the application through their web browser, without the need to use the Apple App Store."

Ok, so now we can just blame Apple right? If that is the case, what gives Apple? The new evil empire indeed! Let me have Voice and rejoice!

Google v. Apple

The Google versus Apple/AT&T battle is raging on. Engadget has a copy of the letter Apple sent the FCC regarding it's rejection of the Google Voice App for the iPhone... At least there was no mention of terrorists winning if Google Voice was allowed by Apple

Engadget Link: http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/21/atandt-tells-the-fcc-it-had-no-role-in-removing-google-voice-fro/

Google Reader New Features

Google Reader (www.google.com/reader) is starting to get better and better. What started off as a cumbersome (IMO) RSS feed reader now has some great features including one that just popped up in the last week. It now has a people share feature which allows people to share posts they like with you and visa versa. It's still a little antiquated in some ways, but a cool start. I haven't totally given up visiting nytimes, gizmodo, etc etc, but more and more refinement of Google Reader could get me there (although unclear what I would do with all the saved time). More info at http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/google-reader-starts-conversation.html

TWIG

Leo Laporte et al have started a new show called This Week In Google. It's an awesome look at cloud computing and Google news of the week. Highly recommended. Check it out at http://twit.tv/twig4. There is a new show every Saturday

Google Tackling Health & Science Communication

A while ago Google created a way through Google Maps to track the influenza virus (http://www.google.org/flutrends/). If you have not checked it out you should as it brings Google's power, ease and accessibility to health care.

Just recently Google took a new approach to the flu virus (particular H1N1) and opened up PLoS Currents: Influenza. It is a scientific communication tool more than anything else built on Knol (ok, so not everything at Google flys). An awesome little concept and peak at what the future of real time communication holds. Imagine the usefulness of a cohesive scientific discussion during an emergency situation. Work checking out at http://knol.google.com/k/plos/plos-currents-influenza/28qm4w0q65e4w/1#

BackRub

Welcome to ILoveGoogleMoreThanYouDo.com, a complicated domain name for a simple blog. This blog is dedicated to all things Google and how it has changed our lives forever. Appropriately, I thought I'd title the first post "BackRub" That's the name Sergey and Larry (ya, I like to think we are on a first name basis) originally called their little Stanford grad project. Oh how far they've come...