arvind’s posthaven

This is one of the worlds you can explore with the joystick on the front page of Google today. Happy exploring!

I like how not only do they know every e-mail that I have ever sent and received, but now also which e-mails that I have read and responded to, but now even which e-mails are important to me! Wow, can you also begin to tell me what to write, and then we'll be in business!

Apple TV looks like it has some real possibilities for adoption. Apple is late to the game, but earlier than Google, and with a great-looking product.

Google’s Do-It-Yourself App Creation Software

The New York Times did an excellent summary of Google's new App Creator for Android. Why wait for someone to build an app for your phone when you can just build it yourself. Easily.

This is a great example of why my next phone will be an Android phone and not an Apple phone. I want a phone that lets me do what I want with it, not what Apple engineers let me do with it.

I feel like I'm becoming an Android fanboy, but this demo of how to use your Android cell phone for Internet access for your laptop is awesome. So simple, how it should be. Now, your phone company might try to block that feature, but you can always unlock it if you're so interested. Just knowing that it exists and works is just amazing. Nice work on this one, Google.

This video does a good job at showing how simple a browser-based operating system could be. This could work wonders for users without high tech demands or high tech skills. Or is it also for experts?

Google ditches Windows on security concerns

In wild, but not shocking, news Google is phasing out support for Microsoft Windows on employee machines. This doesn't seem to be a public announcement so much as news sniffed out from employees. According to the FT article employees can choose the Mac OS or Linux (no mention of which version/flavor). They also discuss Chrome, although unlikely that engineers will be working on Chrome since it is supposed to be a web-OS, no? Don't they need apps, compilers, hard drive storage, etc? Lots to be seen in this story, but for now just looks like Google taking a jab at Microsoft. Nice jab.

via @courosa

I use a BlackBerry Bold now (from AT&T) and planned to switch to an iPhone next, but am thinking more and more about an Android-based phone. I'm always looking to tweak my phone, push it to the limits, and a closed OS like iPhone just doesn't allow for it. Unless "there's an app for that," I'm out of luck.

I was starting to get used to the idea of not carrying a phone and an iPod around, but I think I can live with a phone if it does everything I need it to do. I am going to have to assume all the vendors/software packages I use (Google, Outlook, Remember the Milk, Evernote, BaseCampHQ, etc) will all develop Android apps.

Don't get me wrong, I do use and have used a lot of Google products in my day including Blogger, Apps, gMail, Calendar, Docs, Spreadsheets, Presentations, Forms, YouTube, Maps, Alerts, Chrome, Earth, Goog 411, SketchUp, Talk, Groups, Orkut, News, Shopping, Scholar, Trends, Mobile, Sync, Checkout, Books, Blog Search, and of course, their search page. I'm sure I've missed a few in there.

That being said, asking me to order stickers and put them on my laptop is kind of gross. I haven't gone Google, but I do use Google products.

You're already using all of my data for your own marketing purposes and profits, don't ask me to be a billboard, too.

Sorry, really didn't like the vibe on this one.

How do I delete/disable my account?

Ryan Dec 30, 2009

You can disable your account by going to Settings > Disable Account and clicking on "Yes, Disable my Account". You can restore your account later if you choose.

All traces of your profile page and questions users have asked you will disappear.  Questions you have asked others will still appear, as there is no way to ever delete a question you have asked another user.  Only that user can delete it.

I was reading How Privacy Vanishes Online in the New York Times which shows how computer systems can now analyze even seemingly anonymous data to get quite an accurate idea of who you are when a parent of a student asked how she could delete her daughter's formspring account. If you work in a school and haven't heard of formspring, you will soon, so get ready. Anyway, I looked up the answer to her question and came upon the FAQ response above. Wow, what a great lesson for students to read: "Questions you have asked others will still appear, as there is no way to ever delete a question you have asked another user." There is real confusion over what "anonymous" means online, and what "delete" means. For all intents and purposes, I'd argue that neither are a realistic option when online, so consider that the next time you're pressing 'send' or 'post.'

Also given to me recently was the news that there is a new mashup out there mapping Chat Roulette ("anonymous" video chatting) users. It's pretty scary that now your image and your location can be mapped for the world to find you. More on this at Mashable. Here's a previous post of mine on Chat Roulette, for context.