1. The First He-Man Toy Commercial: Master Of The Universe, Master Of Marketing
Fresh off Star Wars, which taught the corporate world how to overmarket any property to kids, the 1980s was one of the greatest decades ever when it came to toys — and toy commercials. Originally shown at the Mattel Booth at Comic Con last year, this is believed to be the very first He-Man and The Masters of the Universe toy commercial that originally aired back in 1981 or 1982. More »
2. Google welcomes Office to Chrome
Irony can strike in the strangest of places. Just this morning I was discussing Office with my colleague Joe Wilcox, who pointed out an article he had written back in 2010 titled "Microsoft Office is obsolete, or soon will be". I argue the opposite, telling him that students and businesses are nowhere close to abandoning the Microsoft suite.
While I doubt Google is caving to my point of view, the company perhaps helps support it today. Jelte Liebrand, a Google Software Engineer, announces that "if you’re running Chrome Beta on Windows or Mac and install the Chrome Office Viewer (Beta) extension, you’ll be able to click a link to an Office file and open it directly in Chrome".
In fact, in the continued battle between the two tech Goliath's, Google used this minor concession as an opportunity to also take a shot at Microsoft and the proliferation of Office viruses that continuously float around the Internet.
"In addition to saving you time, the Chrome Office Viewer also protects you from malware delivered via Office files. Just like with web pages and PDFs, we've added a specialized sandbox to impede attackers who use compromised Office files to try to steal private information or monitor your activities", Liebrand writes. Leave it to Google to dig at Microsoft while simultaneously supporting the software.
As previously stated, you will need the latest beta version of the web browser to use this feature. I reiterate my argument -- Office is not going anywhere. Like Windows, it will be around for years to come.
3. Bringing Google+ Comments to Blogger
Reading and responding to comments can be one of the most rewarding aspects of blogging. Not only do they help you connect with your readers, they can also inspire later blog entries. The challenge, often-times is following all the conversations around your content—on Google+, for instance, as well as on your website. So we're making things a lot simpler.
Starting today, you can bring Google+ Comments to your Blogger blog. Once you've enabled the feature through your Blogger Dashboard, you'll enjoy a number of important benefits:
View your blog and Google+ comments, all in one place
Now when you're browsing your blog's comment threads, you'll see activity from direct visitors, and from people talking about your content on Google+. For example, if there's a public Google+ discussion about one of your blog entries, those comments and replies will also appear on your Blogger blog. This way you can engage with more of your readers, all in one place.
Help readers comment and connect with their circles
Your blog readers will now have the option to comment publicly, or privately to their circles on Google+. And when they're browsing blog comments, they can view all of them, just the top ones, or only those from the people in their circles.
In all cases, you and your readers will only see the comments you have permission to see. Giving people these kinds of controls not only encourages more meaningful sharing—it can lead to more blog traffic.
To get started with Google+ Comments, just visit the Google+ tab of your Blogger Dashboard, and check “Use Google+ Comments.” (Older comments will continue to appear in the new widget.) You can also visit any post on the Official Google Blog (like this one), or on Blogger Buzz (like this one), to see Google+ Comments in action.
Happy commenting!
4. Provo Is Next Stop on the Google Fiber Express
One week after it announced it was bringing its Google Fiber network to Austin, Texas, the search company said this week that Provo, Utah will be the third city to get its gigabit high-speed service. Provo, home to a much-criticized, money-losing fiber optic network, will sell it to Google for US$1, according to published reports. The announcement includes the promise that the company will eventually provide the city's 115,000 residents with Internet service that is 100 times faster than existing broadband technologies.
5. Larry Page: Android Powers Google Glass
After reaching smartphones and tablets, Google's mobile OS is stretching to electronic head-wear And looking on the bright side, the CEO says Android fragmentation shows innovation and flexibility. [Read more] ...
6. Ubuntu 13.04 'Raring Ringtail' gives some, takes some
It’s no secret that Ubuntu is heading for desktop/ mobile convergence, with a runs-everywhere build expected within a year. But while 13.04 (“Raring Ringtail”) shows some signs of movement in that direction, the new release isn’t exactly packed with new features: in fact, it’s taken one or two away.
Of course there’s no harm in consolidating your code base occasionally, and Canonical appear to have done that to good effect. They claim that it’s the fastest Ubuntu experience to date, with an updated kernel delivering “dramatic graphical performance enhancements”, reduced RAM requirements and more. And while this might be aimed at helping the system run on mobile devices, it’s also very welcome for regular desktop users.
And it’s a similar story with other smaller, more subtle tweaks. Like the new “fuzzy search”, for instance: if you make a typo when entering an application then that may not be an issue, as Raring Ringtail will try to figure out what you mean. This may be targeted at users with tiny on-screen keyboards, but everyone will benefit from it occasionally.
More generally, improved social networking support means you can choose which applications integrate with Facebook, Twitter and more, directly from the Online Accounts pane. You can then search photos across all your enabled accounts via a new Unity Dash Photo lens (if you turn on the “Show online results” feature, anyway).
And new task management options make it easier to switch between multiple windows; just hover over an icon in the dock and use your scroll wheel to select the folder you need.
What you won’t get this time is Gwibber, which has been removed as the developer is working on its successor. Similarly, Wubi -- the Window dual-boot tool -- has been left out of the release due to “various bugs”, while there’s no longer any option to install the Gnome classic shell.
And some much-anticipated features are also absent. In particular, Smart Scopes, which promised to extend Unity Dash with some very powerful web search capabilities, was reportedly too unstable to make the final cut.
Raring Ringtail is something of a transitional release, then; there are worthwhile improvements here, but nothing revolutionary, and the missing tools and options will annoy some. Still, it’s a step in the right direction, if only a small one, and most Ubuntu users will benefit from the new release.
7. Write Your Cover Letters Like Your Job Depends on It (Because It Does)
Fresh off Star Wars, which taught the corporate world how to overmarket any property to kids, the 1980s was one of the greatest decades ever when it came to toys — and toy commercials. Originally shown at the Mattel Booth at Comic Con last year, this is believed to be the very first He-Man and The Masters of the Universe toy commercial that originally aired back in 1981 or 1982. More »
2. Google welcomes Office to Chrome
Irony can strike in the strangest of places. Just this morning I was discussing Office with my colleague Joe Wilcox, who pointed out an article he had written back in 2010 titled "Microsoft Office is obsolete, or soon will be". I argue the opposite, telling him that students and businesses are nowhere close to abandoning the Microsoft suite.
While I doubt Google is caving to my point of view, the company perhaps helps support it today. Jelte Liebrand, a Google Software Engineer, announces that "if you’re running Chrome Beta on Windows or Mac and install the Chrome Office Viewer (Beta) extension, you’ll be able to click a link to an Office file and open it directly in Chrome".
In fact, in the continued battle between the two tech Goliath's, Google used this minor concession as an opportunity to also take a shot at Microsoft and the proliferation of Office viruses that continuously float around the Internet.
"In addition to saving you time, the Chrome Office Viewer also protects you from malware delivered via Office files. Just like with web pages and PDFs, we've added a specialized sandbox to impede attackers who use compromised Office files to try to steal private information or monitor your activities", Liebrand writes. Leave it to Google to dig at Microsoft while simultaneously supporting the software.
As previously stated, you will need the latest beta version of the web browser to use this feature. I reiterate my argument -- Office is not going anywhere. Like Windows, it will be around for years to come.
3. Bringing Google+ Comments to Blogger
Reading and responding to comments can be one of the most rewarding aspects of blogging. Not only do they help you connect with your readers, they can also inspire later blog entries. The challenge, often-times is following all the conversations around your content—on Google+, for instance, as well as on your website. So we're making things a lot simpler.
Starting today, you can bring Google+ Comments to your Blogger blog. Once you've enabled the feature through your Blogger Dashboard, you'll enjoy a number of important benefits:
View your blog and Google+ comments, all in one place
Now when you're browsing your blog's comment threads, you'll see activity from direct visitors, and from people talking about your content on Google+. For example, if there's a public Google+ discussion about one of your blog entries, those comments and replies will also appear on your Blogger blog. This way you can engage with more of your readers, all in one place.
Help readers comment and connect with their circles
Your blog readers will now have the option to comment publicly, or privately to their circles on Google+. And when they're browsing blog comments, they can view all of them, just the top ones, or only those from the people in their circles.
In all cases, you and your readers will only see the comments you have permission to see. Giving people these kinds of controls not only encourages more meaningful sharing—it can lead to more blog traffic.
To get started with Google+ Comments, just visit the Google+ tab of your Blogger Dashboard, and check “Use Google+ Comments.” (Older comments will continue to appear in the new widget.) You can also visit any post on the Official Google Blog (like this one), or on Blogger Buzz (like this one), to see Google+ Comments in action.
Happy commenting!
4. Provo Is Next Stop on the Google Fiber Express
One week after it announced it was bringing its Google Fiber network to Austin, Texas, the search company said this week that Provo, Utah will be the third city to get its gigabit high-speed service. Provo, home to a much-criticized, money-losing fiber optic network, will sell it to Google for US$1, according to published reports. The announcement includes the promise that the company will eventually provide the city's 115,000 residents with Internet service that is 100 times faster than existing broadband technologies.
5. Larry Page: Android Powers Google Glass
After reaching smartphones and tablets, Google's mobile OS is stretching to electronic head-wear And looking on the bright side, the CEO says Android fragmentation shows innovation and flexibility. [Read more] ...
It’s no secret that Ubuntu is heading for desktop/ mobile convergence, with a runs-everywhere build expected within a year. But while 13.04 (“Raring Ringtail”) shows some signs of movement in that direction, the new release isn’t exactly packed with new features: in fact, it’s taken one or two away.
Of course there’s no harm in consolidating your code base occasionally, and Canonical appear to have done that to good effect. They claim that it’s the fastest Ubuntu experience to date, with an updated kernel delivering “dramatic graphical performance enhancements”, reduced RAM requirements and more. And while this might be aimed at helping the system run on mobile devices, it’s also very welcome for regular desktop users.
And it’s a similar story with other smaller, more subtle tweaks. Like the new “fuzzy search”, for instance: if you make a typo when entering an application then that may not be an issue, as Raring Ringtail will try to figure out what you mean. This may be targeted at users with tiny on-screen keyboards, but everyone will benefit from it occasionally.
More generally, improved social networking support means you can choose which applications integrate with Facebook, Twitter and more, directly from the Online Accounts pane. You can then search photos across all your enabled accounts via a new Unity Dash Photo lens (if you turn on the “Show online results” feature, anyway).
And new task management options make it easier to switch between multiple windows; just hover over an icon in the dock and use your scroll wheel to select the folder you need.
What you won’t get this time is Gwibber, which has been removed as the developer is working on its successor. Similarly, Wubi -- the Window dual-boot tool -- has been left out of the release due to “various bugs”, while there’s no longer any option to install the Gnome classic shell.
And some much-anticipated features are also absent. In particular, Smart Scopes, which promised to extend Unity Dash with some very powerful web search capabilities, was reportedly too unstable to make the final cut.
Raring Ringtail is something of a transitional release, then; there are worthwhile improvements here, but nothing revolutionary, and the missing tools and options will annoy some. Still, it’s a step in the right direction, if only a small one, and most Ubuntu users will benefit from the new release.
7. Write Your Cover Letters Like Your Job Depends on It (Because It Does)
We often find writing a cover letter difficult because we have just a few sentences to sell ourselves and show we understand the wants and needs of a specific company. Career coach Marty Nemko suggests the key is to write your cover letters like your job depends on it—because it does.
That's not to say you should sound desperate, but rather honest. Marty offers this example:
Undoubtedly, you'll be tempted to toss this application because I don't have the experience nor a bachelor's degree. Nevertheless, I'm hoping you'll read this letter.
People always tell me that my ability to learn quickly, work hard and ethically, and be liked by everyone makes me a great employee. Indeed, I've been successful at nearly everything I've done. For example, I assembled and led a team that built a boat we've since sailed on a 200-mile trip. As fundraising chair of my sorority, I helped us to break all records for most money raised in a year. As reservationist at Enterprise Rent-A-Car, I got top evaluations and have been offered a slot in its management training program. But I'm planning to turn that offer down because I'm much more excited about working for you—What could be more important than products that improve health? Plus, your products have a wonderful reputation.
The example goes on further and is a bit longer than we might recommend nowadays, but nonetheless illustrates how an aggressive and honest approach can work without coming across as desperate for work. The key to remember? Don't hold back.
That's not to say you should sound desperate, but rather honest. Marty offers this example:
Undoubtedly, you'll be tempted to toss this application because I don't have the experience nor a bachelor's degree. Nevertheless, I'm hoping you'll read this letter.
People always tell me that my ability to learn quickly, work hard and ethically, and be liked by everyone makes me a great employee. Indeed, I've been successful at nearly everything I've done. For example, I assembled and led a team that built a boat we've since sailed on a 200-mile trip. As fundraising chair of my sorority, I helped us to break all records for most money raised in a year. As reservationist at Enterprise Rent-A-Car, I got top evaluations and have been offered a slot in its management training program. But I'm planning to turn that offer down because I'm much more excited about working for you—What could be more important than products that improve health? Plus, your products have a wonderful reputation.
The example goes on further and is a bit longer than we might recommend nowadays, but nonetheless illustrates how an aggressive and honest approach can work without coming across as desperate for work. The key to remember? Don't hold back.
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