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[Ryan Tate on Yahoo!’s expansion](http://www.wired.com/business/2013/05/marissa-mayer-makes-portals-fashionable/): > Buying Tumblr gives the company potentially valuable data on the interests of sophisticated young computer users; Summly lets it see what news you are interested in while mobile; Hulu would provide insight into what television shows you prefer. Meanwhile, each information source also doubles as an ad delivery channel.…
[Ryan Tate on Yahoo!’s expansion](http://www.wired.com/business/2013/05/marissa-mayer-makes-portals-fashionable/):
> Buying Tumblr gives the company potentially valuable data on the interests of sophisticated young computer users; Summly lets it see what news you are interested in while mobile; Hulu would provide insight into what television shows you prefer. Meanwhile, each information source also doubles as an ad delivery channel.
*Fuck*, he’s right.
[The esteemed Thomas H. Benton](http://chronicle.com/article/The-Year-of-Dressing-Formally/45940/): > Although it got out of hand, I think my year of dressing formally was a worthwhile experiment. In general, professors at liberal-art colleges are encouraged to be nurturing. But I found that a higher level of formality improved my students’ learning. My larger classes ran more smoothly. I had…
[The esteemed Thomas H. Benton](http://chronicle.com/article/The-Year-of-Dressing-Formally/45940/):
> Although it got out of hand, I think my year of dressing formally was a worthwhile experiment. In general, professors at liberal-art colleges are encouraged to be nurturing. But I found that a higher level of formality improved my students’ learning. My larger classes ran more smoothly. I had fewer disruptions, less chatter, more note-taking. I had fewer grade appeals, even though I graded more rigorously and made larger demands. I saw fewer bare feet, boxer shorts, bed hair, and pajama pants in my classrooms. E-mail messages to me almost invariably began with “Dear Professor” instead of “Hey.”
This is a really interesting article, which is not just about style, as much as it is about the effects that dressing formally can have on your life. I’ve personally found that I just get a lot better service, and more importantly, listened to more closely when I dress more formally. That’s relevant to me as I am seen as a bit young for my profession at times.
“‘Business Insider: We Just Don’t Care If It Makes Sense.’” – The Macalope
“In other words, Facebook—as any adult with a profile knows—feels a lot like high school.” – Amanda Hess
[I want to offer a huge congratulations to my wife,][1] as she will now be featured in Nordstrom’s wedding boutiques and Nordstrom.com for her work at her company [Serephine][2]. I know first hand all the long nights she has pulled to make this happen and I am very proud of her. [1]: http://blog.serephine.com/post/51243668813 [2]: http://www.serephine.com
[I want to offer a huge congratulations to my wife,][1] as she will now be featured in Nordstrom’s wedding boutiques and Nordstrom.com for her work at her company [Serephine][2]. I know first hand all the long nights she has pulled to make this happen and I am very proud of her.
[1]: http://blog.serephine.com/post/51243668813
[2]: http://www.serephine.com
[Mitch Joel][1]: > My niece is nineteen years old. When she was sixteen, she would come home from school, take out her laptop, plop down on the couch, lift the computer lid, turn on the TV, plug in her iPod earbuds, and set her BlackBerry down next to her. From afar, it looked like she…
[Mitch Joel][1]:
> My niece is nineteen years old. When she was sixteen, she would come home from school, take out her laptop, plop down on the couch, lift the computer lid, turn on the TV, plug in her iPod earbuds, and set her BlackBerry down next to her. From afar, it looked like she was running [NORAD][2]. But fast-forward a mere three years, and now she comes home from school, takes out her iPad… and that’s it.
Whereas I come home form work, setup my laptop on my desk, grab two iPad and my iPhone and plop down on the couch — but the thing is I only really need one of those devices. And the argument that Joel is making isn’t that the iPad rules the roost, it’s that we can only look at one device at a time (duh).
More importantly Joel notes:
> All of that core content is now readily available on one screen. From content (in text, images, audio, and video) to communications (chatting with friends on Skype or via Google Hangouts), it’s all there on this one device that rules them all.
Everything that we used to *need* multiple devices to do, can largely be done on just one device. There are certainly things I can’t do on iOS, or OS X, but more often there are just things that I *prefer* to do on a particular device. Force me to choose, and well, it doesn’t really matter what device I choose.
This is why the App Store is such a profitable space, because the more you make the decision of choosing between devices irrelevant (via filling needs with apps), the more power you are giving to users. That translates into users willing to pay to get that “power”.
[1]: http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2013/05/welcome_to_the_one-screen_worl.html
[2]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Aerospace_Defense_Command
[Matt Gemmell on how to not design your blog like a douchebag, I mean, well no, that’s actually what I mean][1]: > The design should serve the text. Text should never be made to conform to a design for any purpose other than legibility, on a personal blog. I almost entirely agree with Matt and…
[Matt Gemmell on how to not design your blog like a douchebag, I mean, well no, that’s actually what I mean][1]:
> The design should serve the text. Text should never be made to conform to a design for any purpose other than legibility, on a personal blog.
I almost entirely agree with Matt and on the matters that I don’t agree with him, my disagreements are more matters of personal taste than anything else. (Even in those instances Matt likely knows more than I do.)
I’ve talked a bit about [well-designed sites for readers][2], but I think the above quote is really the essence of blogging: it’s about the content. Whenever I see a bunch of clutter on a website design I jump to one of (or both of) these conclusions:
1. This “guy” is desperate for attention.
2. This “guy” is desperate for money.
Probably not the conclusion you want me drawing when I, or anyone else, comes to your site.
—
I’ve made some tweaks to this site over the past 6 months to try and boost membership in subtle ways. The most annoying of those moves is to put nagging text in the footer of the free RSS feed. Other instances are the subtle way that I word the date strings (“Originally posted for members on…”), and at the bottom of posts as a reminder that you *can* subscribe.
For the most part I am uncomfortable with those elements being present and would love to remove them (in an ideal world), but they serve an important purpose that I can’t find a better way around: selling memberships. (Funny enough, when I remove those aspects I usually get a lot of emails from *current members* complaining that I am not doing enough to promote my site.) ((Also, be sure to check out the swell ad on RocketINK.net this month.))
At the end of the day there will always be things about your site that you do because you kind of have to. I don’t think many people that have ads on their sites (single authors at least) love the fact that they have ads, but for many it has almost become a necessity as there is no better way to get paid for writing.
All this to say: make the site something you are proud of, and only use articles like Matt’s as a guide, not as gospel.
[1]: http://mattgemmell.com/2013/05/22/designing-blogs-for-readers/
[2]: https://brooksreview.net/2012/11/readable/
People, today we have [Keyboard Maestro 6]() and oh baby is it awesome. A few new features that are killer: – Safari Actions to grab the URL and Title. I had a ton of actions that grabbed this data by using a slew of different methods, but I just went through and changed them to…
People, today we have [Keyboard Maestro 6]() and oh baby is it awesome. A few new features that are killer:
– Safari Actions to grab the URL and Title. I had a ton of actions that grabbed this data by using a slew of different methods, but I just went through and changed them to the new actions to speed up the flow.
– There’s a new trigger that is based off of your wireless network. This is amazing. I have an entire set of macros that I want to run when I get to the office and when I get home from the office. Previously the only way I triggered these was by time, but that doesn’t work when I leave early or stay at work late. Now I can just trigger macros when I actually get to the office which is amazing.
– The ability to write your own action was added too, and I’d love to see app developers take advantage of this by adding custom actions for their apps in Keyboard Maestro. *I’m looking at you OmniFocus.*
There’s also a new icon (about time right?) and it looks fantastic.
One more nerdy addition: `%|%`. Using that text token you can set where your cursor will be after an action is run. Why is this cool? Well I use Keyboard Maestro to create Markdown and HTML links all the time and this will allow me to have a macro that formats everything so I can type in the linked text last without having to touch the mouse — a really nice addition that will keep me in the writing mode instead of forcing me to move my hand to the trackpad.
Keyboard Maestro 6 is $36, or $18 for an upgrade (until 7/31) — it’s a must buy in my book.
I totally missed this, but the Congressional Bi-Partisan Privacy Caucus [sent a letter to Google CEO Larry Page][1], posing eight specific questions about their privacy concerns with Google Glass(es). I doubt Google will answer these truthfully, so let me go ahead and do that *for* them. > In 2010, it was discovered that Google was…
I totally missed this, but the Congressional Bi-Partisan Privacy Caucus [sent a letter to Google CEO Larry Page][1], posing eight specific questions about their privacy concerns with Google Glass(es). I doubt Google will answer these truthfully, so let me go ahead and do that *for* them.
> In 2010, it was discovered that Google was collecting information across the globe from unencrypted wireless networks. This practice caused multiple investigations into the company along with consumers left perplexed. Google just recently agreed to pay $7 million to settle charges with 38 states for the collection of data from unprotected Wi-Fi networks without permission. Google also admitted that they did not adequately protect the privacy of consumers and “tightened up” their systems to address the issue. While we are thankful that Google acknowledged that there was an issue and took responsible measures to address it, we would like to know how Google plans to prevent Google Glass from unintentionally collecting data about the user/non-user without consent?
“First I would like to start by thanking Congress for their keen interest in our exciting Google Glass project — it really will change the world (Or an island. You guys catch my keynote?). As for Glass unintentionally collecting data, I can assure you that Google Glass will indeed only *intentionally* collect data. This collection is not limited and therefore is all encompassing and should help us better tell you what you actually want to do. All users and non-users have consented to Google Glass’ collection of data by simply searching on Google.com.”
> What proactive steps is Google taking to protect the privacy of non-users when Google Glass is in use? Are product lifecycle guidelines and frameworks, such as Privacy By Design, being implemented in connection with its product design and commercialization? For example. if a Google Glass customer/user decides to resell or to dispose of their Google Glass product. Would there be any product capabilities incorporated into the device to ensure that one’s personal information remains private and secure?
“We are leaving it up to the user to make sure that they are not using Glass in a way that negatively effects non-users. Further, we see this as an issue for Congress itself to address with lawmaking. All Google Glass devices are protected with a retina scan of the users eye — the data of which is stored on Google servers — and no data will be accessible to another user without first allowing us to collect their retina scan.”
> When using Google Glass, is it true that this product would be able to use Facial Recognition Technology to unveil personal information about whomever and even some inanimate objects that the user is viewing? Would a user be able to request such information? Can a non-user or human subject opt out of this collection of personal data? If so, how? If not, why not?
“Using the vast database that Google has amassed about our users we will apply an algorithm to determine if that user actually wants us to share their personal information. So, yes to Facial Recognition, and a big ‘Hell No’ to opting out. Do you have any idea how many requests we would get if we let people opt out?”
> In Google’s privacy policy, it states that the company “may reject requests that are unreasonably repetitive, require disproportionate technical effort… risk the privacy of others, or would be extremely impractical” Please provide examples of when Google would reject requests on Google Glass that would risk the privacy of others? Would Google place limits on the technology and what type of information it can reveal about another person? If so, please explain. If not, why not?
“Look for our privacy policy to be updated… While Google will not be limiting the technology, for the greater good, Google would certainly hold back Social Security Numbers for individuals — that kind of privacy invasion is just creepy.”
> Given Google Glass’s sensory and processing capabilities, has Google considered making any additions or refinements to its privacy policy’? If so, please explain. If not, why not?
“We absolutely will be tweaking our privacy policy to adapt it to the ever changing needs of Google. Starting July 4th, 2013 we will be editing the privacy policy of Google to simply reflect our motto: ‘Don’t be evil’. This will make Google’s privacy policy the shortest of any tech company and the most open.”
> In Google’s privacy policy, it states that the company “may collect device-specific information (such as your hardware model, operating system version, unique device identifiers, and mobile network information including phone number).”
a. Would this information be collected from users operating Google Glass? If so, what specific information is Google intending to collect’?
b. Would Google Glass collect any data about the user without the user’s knowledge and consent? If so, why? If not, please explain.
“A. Google is intending to collect all information input to, located around, seen by, heard by, touched by, or thought by Google Glass users and those within 30 feet of Google Glass Users. B. We will be clearly popping up a dialog that the user will see when they don Google Glass explaining what will be collected. Should the user not want to consent, they must simply click the ‘No’ button with their mouse, otherwise the message disappears in 3 seconds and thus the user will have consented. This we believe is the best experience for Google, I mean the user.”
> It was recently revealed that the New York Times was the first to release an app for Google Glass. To what extent was privacy considered in approving this app? Is Google planning to make privacy a priority for future app developers? If not, why not? If so, please explain.
“Our engineers, the smartest in the world, scrutinized the app to make sure that it did not compromise the privacy of Google in any way. Thank you for your concern, and I can assure you we will do our very best to protect the privacy of Google’s algorithms.”
> Will Google Glass have the capacity to store any data on the device itself? If so, will Google Glass implement some sort of user authentication system to safeguard stored data? If not, why not? If so, please explain.
“All data will be stored in the cloud so that Google can better sift through the it and help pull out the relevant bits while tossing aside things the user need not concern themselves with. For example, we have determined that emails from the ‘Brooksreview.net’ domain are superfluous to all recipients, while Viagra related emails clearly need priority.”
“In closing I would like to thank each of you personally for your letter:
– Mr. Barton: Thank you, FYI your dinner will be ready 10 minutes late today because your wife just Google’d ‘how to make burnt food taste better’.
– Mr. Rush: URGENT: Do not eat at that diner again, the waiter is upset you only tipped 5% and Google’d ‘How to hide spit in food’.
– Mr. Nugent: I can see you.
– Mr. Chabot: It’s 78° outside and a comfortable 72° in your office, yet you insist on flannel underwear, please explain — just speak to the east wall in your office.
– Mr. Barrow: I would like to thank you for using Google to research the article citations in this letter. It made it much easier for us to know what would be said.
– Mr. Jones: In 1972 you said that you traveled to Borneo, however given your recent search history we now know where you really were. Call me.
– Mr. Johnson: Dad *is* proud, right this moment.
– Mrs. Sanchez: *Hi.*”
There you are Mr. Page, I saved you some time.
[1]: http://joebarton.house.gov/images/GoogleGlassLtr_051613.pdf
“Shit gets weird somewhere between 100 and 200 people.” — Michael Lopp
[Over the weekend Yahoo! acquired Tumblr.][1] (What the fuck do I do here, place a double period? *Jesus*, these names.). I didn’t think I had much to say on it, then Yahoo! went and Yahooed ((Should “yahooed” have an exclamation point? This shit is so confusing.)) it up. In the announcement, CEO of Yahoo! Marissa…
[Over the weekend Yahoo! acquired Tumblr.][1] (What the fuck do I do here, place a double period? *Jesus*, these names.). I didn’t think I had much to say on it, then Yahoo! went and Yahooed ((Should “yahooed” have an exclamation point? This shit is so confusing.)) it up.
In the announcement, CEO of Yahoo! Marissa Mayer (whom I like) says:
> We promise not to screw it up.
That’s the second fucking sentence and it’s a catastrophe. At no point should you state such a weak saying at the top of your press release. You are the new CEO of Yahoo, perhaps if you had previously screwed up other web companies you bought this might be warranted, but in this case it just looks pathetic.
I didn’t read past that line, because who cares.
Instead let’s look to the reaction of others:
[Adam Lisagor][2]:
> Marissa Mayer uses two spaces between sentences.
*Cringe.*
[Jim Ray][3]:
> (whispers) i like this yahoo tumblr thing
That’s about the reaction I had when news started coming out Saturday/Friday. I thought it was smart on Mayer’s part and smart on Tumblr.’s part.
The problem here is not that Yahoo ((I’m done with the stupid punctuation.)) bought Tumblr, the problem isn’t that Yahoo promised not to screw it up, or that two spaces were used. No the problem is that Yahoo already screwed it up. How?
[Neven Mrgan][4]:
> SnarkAttack! The fact that Yahoo announced their acquisition of Tumblr using that tired “keep calm and carry on” image reflects well their strategy of buying the cool kids of three years ago.
Not to mention that the image they used is an animated gif and should carry an epileptic seizure warning on it — the entire gif is reminiscent of Geocities. And while I wouldn’t read too much into [the WordPress import numbers][5], it is still telling that people are leery of Tumblr’s future.
But most importantly, what the hell *does* Yahoo do with [all the porn?][6]
Because it’s a catch 22 for Yahoo. They just promised not to screw Tumblr up, so does that mean porn stays? If it doesn’t stay, isn’t that “screwing it up”?
[1]: http://yahoo.tumblr.com/post/50902111638/tumblr-yahoo
[2]: https://alpha.app.net/sandwich/post/5861157
[3]: https://alpha.app.net/jimray/post/5859046
[4]: https://alpha.app.net/mrgan/post/5858246
[5]: http://ma.tt/2013/05/yahooblr/%23comments
[6]: http://mobile.businessweek.com/articles/2013-05-17/if-yahoo-buys-tumblr-what-will-it-do-with-all-that-porn
I’ve mentioned before how insanely useful it is to know something like the [NATO Alphabet][1] (where people say “Alpha Bravo Charlie” instead of ABC). Sometimes you forget a letter, or are just too slow to feel comfortable saying it, well fear no more [there’s now an app for that][2]. No clue how useful this will…
I’ve mentioned before how insanely useful it is to know something like the [NATO Alphabet][1] (where people say “Alpha Bravo Charlie” instead of ABC). Sometimes you forget a letter, or are just too slow to feel comfortable saying it, well fear no more [there’s now an app for that][2].
No clue how useful this will be to people, but I downloaded it.
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO_phonetic_alphabet
[2]: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/spelling-alphabet/id499351638?mt=12
[Mat Honan, for Wired, on what Google’s Island “is”](http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/05/on-google-island/): > I was thirsty, so I drank the electrolyte solution down. “This is delicious,” I replied. > “I know,” he {Larry Page} replied. “It also has thousands of micro sensors which are now swarming through your blood stream.” > “What… ” I stammered. > “Your prostate…
[Mat Honan, for Wired, on what Google’s Island “is”](http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/05/on-google-island/):
> I was thirsty, so I drank the electrolyte solution down. “This is delicious,” I replied.
> “I know,” he {Larry Page} replied. “It also has thousands of micro sensors which are now swarming through your blood stream.”
> “What… ” I stammered.
> “Your prostate is enlarged. Let’s go hangout now. There’s some really great music I’d like to recommend to you.”
It’s everything I feared it would be…
[Kevin Fallon][1] has the list: > **Know how to motivate.** > Robert: There’s something about an underdog that really inspires the unexceptional. I love that show. [Hands down this was the best episode][2] — I did that prank at my office and it might be the funniest thing I have ever seen. [1]: http://m.theweek.com/article.php?id=244301 [2]:…
[Kevin Fallon][1] has the list:
> **Know how to motivate.**
> Robert: There’s something about an underdog that really inspires the unexceptional.
I love that show. [Hands down this was the best episode][2] — I did that prank at my office and it might be the funniest thing I have ever seen.
[1]: http://m.theweek.com/article.php?id=244301
[2]: http://officepranks.blogspot.com/2007/02/fun-with-andys-phone.html
“Why doesn’t Google buy up a mobile device company and offer their own phone rather than resell a Samsung handset?” — Jim Lipsey
[James Martin slamming the always changing world of web apps][1]: > Why are web apps worse than native apps? Because they encourage you, big-shot startup entrepreneur, to experiment on me instead of thinking through the job that I’ve hired your software to do. For the most part I really cannot stand to use non-native applications.…
[James Martin slamming the always changing world of web apps][1]:
> Why are web apps worse than native apps? Because they encourage you, big-shot startup entrepreneur, to experiment on me instead of thinking through the job that I’ve hired your software to do.
For the most part I really cannot stand to use non-native applications. If there is a native app — and it is even reasonably decent, yeah I’m using it. Just about the only web app that I use everyday is Fever, and that hasn’t changed its look since it was launched (as far as I know).
Martin’s article got me to thinking about iCloud and how Apple approaches changes to web apps: very slowly. Bugs are, and should be, fixed and pushed as fast as possible. But new features, design changes, these types of things are typically brought all in one fell swoop with Apple. There’s a good reason for that: Apple likes to let testers be the testers and users, well, use working software.
*(Side note: I love Martin’s last sentence, so perfect.)*
[1]: http://jamesmart.in/notes/2013/05/16/going-native.html
Marco [reminded][1] me that I’ve been sitting on a few weather apps that I tried recently. Let’s get started. ## Haze [Haze][2] believes that a subtly animated background image behind the temperature makes for a better iOS weather app. I assume. There’s no doubt that Haze is a pretty looking app, but what void does…
Marco [reminded][1] me that I’ve been sitting on a few weather apps that I tried recently. Let’s get started.
## Haze
[Haze][2] believes that a subtly animated background image behind the temperature makes for a better iOS weather app. I assume.
There’s no doubt that Haze is a pretty looking app, but what void does it fill? The data is mostly buried, requiring far more tapping and swiping than Apple’s weather app.
Haze’s differentiator is to display the total hours of sunshine today, which is problematic for two reasons:
1. I live in Western Washington where the sun don’t shine.
2. Even if the sun did shine, what good does the amount of sunshine do for me? Yay, 9 hours of sunshine…?
## Yahoo! Purple Icon Weather
The day Yahoo! launched [their weather app][3] I received a ton questions from readers asking for my take on it. I resisted downloading the app solely to boycott the hideous icon. I finally downloaded Yahoo! Weather and am underwhelmed.
Contextual background images from Flickr aside, I really don’t like the way data is displayed in this app.
The hourly forecast is too small to see at a glance. The week forecast is decent, but not unique. The font size on the ‘details’ screen is too small. The map is hideous. I do like the precipitation chart, but — uh — Dark Sky.
Hey, cute, windmills! …?
To be perfectly honest I just don’t understand the Sun and Moon portion. Why do I need to see a visualization of the Sun’s position again?
At least the app is free of ads and free to install…
## Allergies
Allergies is a [simple “weather-ish” app][4] that shows pollen count (I assume) and the type of allergen in the air. It also displays the pollen count for the next few days.
The app also shows the current weather conditions to fill space, I assume. Why would you want this? Because you have allergies.
The app looks really nice, but the data it presents would be far better served inside another weather app so you don’t have to check something else.
## ZYRTEC® ALLERGYCAST™
This [App™][5] is® similar to Allergies with two notable exceptions:
1. It’s very ugly.
2. It’s potentially very useful.
Let’s just get this out of the way upfront: there isn’t a single good looking aspect of this app. However, ZYRTEC® ALLERGYCAST™ lets you record your symptoms for the day — in an attempt to help you figure what you’re actually reacting to. Logging is very fast and easy to do: Simply indicate how you’re feeling and what your symptoms are. Over time this app might help you get a better idea of the pollens you should avoid.
It’s free, and probably worth trying if you have mild allergies.
[1]: http://www.marco.org/2013/05/10/tire-kickers
[2]: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/haze/id594476963?mt=8
[3]: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/yahoo!-weather/id628677149?mt=8
[4]: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/allergies/id568425029?mt=8
[5]: https://itunes.apple.com/app/zyrtec-allergycast/id320298020?mt=8
“It’s always a sign of trouble when you’ve built something you don’t want to use yourself.” — John Gruber
Google Executive Chairman Eric “Uncle Creepy” Schmidt [made an appearance on an NPR show][1], and oh boy… On the idea of Google’s slogan (“Don’t be evil”) he had this to say: > SCHMIDT: Well, it was invented by Larry and Sergey. And the idea was that we don’t quite know what evil is, but if…
Google Executive Chairman Eric “Uncle Creepy” Schmidt [made an appearance on an NPR show][1], and oh boy…
On the idea of Google’s slogan (“Don’t be evil”) he had this to say:
> SCHMIDT: Well, it was invented by Larry and Sergey. And the idea was that we don’t quite know what evil is, but if we have a rule that says don’t be evil, then employees can say, I think that’s evil. Now, when I showed up, I thought this was the stupidest rule ever, because there’s no book about evil except maybe, you know, the Bible or something.
There is so much gold here. ” Woah, woah, woah, that ain’t my rule. I don’t know what evil really is. I think they made the rule as an easy way for anyone to veto something we are doing. Either way it is a dumb rule because the only way to know what is evil is to read the Bible and given that I don’t know what evil is — you can guess I’ve never read *that* book.”
Now, Schmidt, went on about “evil”:
> So what happens is, I’m sitting in this meeting, and we’re having this debate about an advertising product. And one of the engineers pounds his fists on the table and says, that’s evil. And then the whole conversation stops, everyone goes into conniptions, and eventually we stopped the project. So it did work.
This is good, I suppose, that Google was able to control itself — but how’d they actually shut it down if Schmidt doesn’t even know what evil is? My guess: Schmidt doesn’t like how arbitrary the definition of evil truly is.
So Google was willing to kill an advertising product by citing the “evil rule”, but build in access to Gmail which would allow ERIC FREAKING SCHMIDT to read your email if he wanted? *Sure*…
> SAGAL: Mountain View. And they’ve got this screen up that shows, like, Google searches right now, things that people are typing into the search engine, so you know. If you wanted to, could you just flip a switch on your office computer and just, like, read my emails just for the hell of it?
> SCHMIDT: Yes, and I would lose my job, be fired, and be sued to death.
I’m not foolish enough to have assumed Google *didn’t* have access to my email, but it seems absurd that *one* person in the company could just access it like nothing — which is exactly what is being implied here. The idea that it’s this easy is just nuts.
And yes, [Apple has suspicious shit going on in the privacy area too][2], but how the hell should anyone feel comfortable using Gmail if any top-executive can just pull up their email on a laptop?
[1]: http://www.npr.org/2013/05/11/182873683/google-chairman-eric-schmidt-plays-not-my-job
[2]: http://daringfireball.net/linked/2013/05/14/iphone-encryption
[Just Blanton on why he loves the repeating notifications in Due.app][1]: > As you can imagine, this is great for (recurring) tasks that don’t necessarily need to be completed by/at the specified time, but instead can be done within some hours-wide window; e.g., a daily workout routine, weekly status updates you send to your manager,…
[Just Blanton on why he loves the repeating notifications in Due.app][1]:
> As you can imagine, this is great for (recurring) tasks that don’t necessarily need to be completed by/at the specified time, but instead can be done within some hours-wide window; e.g., a daily workout routine, weekly status updates you send to your manager, a reminder to call a friend on Saturday (set it for 9AM and have it bug you every hour until you do it), etc.
I actually didn’t know Due.app had a notification that would *keep* bugging you… Is that new? Anyways it sounds fantastic, and it would be great if all to-do apps had this functionality.
[1]: http://hypertext.net/2013/05/due-app-reminders/