CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-06-16 20:33:06 (14 comments, 5 reshares, 56 +1s)

JONATHAN CHRISTOPHER KENDALL   (1962-2013)

With the greatest of sorrow I, +su ann lim , have to inform you that Jonathan Christopher Kendall, my fiancé and love of my life, died suddenly last night on 15 June 2013.  Despite the incredible efforts of our friends +Suzanne Jacob +Gaynal Brierley , paramedics and ambulance personnel he could not be revived.

Jonathan lived as he believed, telling it like it is, with wit and humour, enjoying life to the hilt, with honour, directness and compassion.  I was incredibly blessed to be the recipient of his immense love, and as each other's beloved, to share unbelievable happiness for too short a time.   Jonathan, I LOVE YOU with all my heart and miss you desperately.

One of the favourite activities in his life was to engage with all you here on Google Plus.  He thrived on the intellectual challenges, soaked up  avast amou... more »

2013-06-16 01:41:27 (13 comments, 6 reshares, 30 +1s)

This is Double Plus Ungood. I Unbellyfeel Big Brother.

2013-06-15 03:07:50 (451 comments, 597 reshares, 1837 +1s)

Well, that's embarrassing.

2013-06-14 17:10:15 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Funny you should mention Stephen King, +Jesse Wojdylo ...

2013-06-14 15:57:28 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

I'm guessing this just made his girlfriend angrier with him.  I give him points for creativity, but the execution was lacking.

2013-06-13 22:49:58 (1 comments, 13 reshares, 72 +1s)

Mothers form a human barrier in Taksim Sq.

LIVE
http://www.livestream.com/revoltistanbul
http://www.livestream.com/occupylsx
http://www.dha.com.tr/canli-yayin/

Potential LIVE Video
Turkish -- http://www.livestream.com/revoltistanbul @Revoltistanbul
English -- www.livestream.com/globalrevolution @GlobalRevLive
http://geziparkitv.blogspot.com/
http://rt.com/on-air/istanbul-protest-tear-gas/
Ustreams
http://www.ustream.com/channel/glassbeadian
http://www.ustream.com/channel/naberpravda
http://www.ustream.com/channel/naberpravda11
http://www.ustream.com/channel/yomgashum1
http://www.ustream.com/channel/occupygezipark
http://new.livestream.com/direnistanbul/canli
News in Turkish from demonstrators http://www.ustream.tv/channel/capultv
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bchrzgl... more »

2013-06-13 20:27:24 (12 comments, 1 reshares, 29 +1s)

Update Incoming.

Looking forward to this.

2013-06-13 16:51:41 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 31 +1s)

Notifications that sync across devices, and a new Android app

Starting today, Google+ notifications are much easier to use across mobile and desktop. In particular:

- When you read a notification on one device, we'll mark it as read on your other devices
- Likewise: dismissing a notification (with a swipe or a click) does so everywhere, so you can say goodbye to annoying repeats

We've also updated the look and feel of Google+ notifications, including:

- A new bell icon (in the Google Bar, and in the mobile apps) that lets you know if anything's waiting for you
- An updated notifications tray that separates unread from previously-read items

We're rolling out these notifications improvements gradually — first on Android and the web, then on iOS. In the meantime, we're also releasing a new Android app thati... more »

2013-06-13 16:45:00 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 8 +1s)

Lots of free episodes of Falling Skies in the Play Store (assuming it's available in your market). Enjoy!

2013-06-13 16:30:41 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 12 +1s)

Finally, forcing the patent office's own rules (that natural phenomena/occurrences can't be patented)

2013-06-13 05:03:44 (11 comments, 1 reshares, 41 +1s)

If you have to ask how the NSA spying on me is different from Amazon recommending purchases based on past purchases, you probably will never understand the answer.

2013-06-13 02:35:02 (10 comments, 2 reshares, 15 +1s)

The biggest concern that I have with hashtags on Facebook is privacy. Not a concern in privacy leaks, rather that there may be to much. The majority of Twitter users are public – not the case with Facebook. If i’m looking to see a real-time accurate conversation about a specific topic, having more data is valuable.

#facebook #hashtags

2013-06-13 00:27:20 (8 comments, 5 reshares, 41 +1s)

It's worse than we thought.

Context: http://www.theverge.com/2013/6/12/4424582/ios-7-reportedly-still-a-work-in-progress

#ios7  

2013-06-13 00:11:30 (12 comments, 1 reshares, 14 +1s)

Wow.  Just... wow...  Apple's design process seems to have fallen apart pretty quickly without Jobs around.  Here's hoping Ive can bring some sense to it, because this... is actually worse than design by committee.

2013-06-12 23:56:25 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 12 +1s)

Take Away: If you haven't figured out that the mobile web isn't going away, you get what you deserve.

2013-06-12 23:28:24 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 23 +1s)

2013-06-12 23:00:06 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 23 +1s)

My Hitler meme YouTube video has been watched for over 21 hours.

I'm pretty sure that means I got more airtime than "Guys with Kids".

Not that that's a high bar to clear, mind you.

2013-06-12 22:40:47 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

Worth it.

#onlyinaustralia  

2013-06-12 18:22:36 (11 comments, 1 reshares, 13 +1s)

So Facebook has hashtags now.  Good for them.  It doesn't matter.  As I spelled out in the article below, the hashtag isn't Twitter's key to success, it's the interplay of hashtags, character limits, and a mindlessly simple platform for passive following and quick and easy engegement.  Marketers will continue to prefer Twitter because of the "real time search" these factors add up to.

As for Google+, which also supports hashtags, Google appears more interested in using them as a search tool, especially with "related hashtags".  It's not real time search like Twitter, not really, but it still fits Google's core search strengths.

Where does a hashtag fit Facebook?  Well... it doesn't.  Not really.  It's just a doomed attempt to take on Twitter.

2013-06-12 05:38:05 (74 comments, 694 reshares, 165 +1s)

Well, since no one in the English-speaking world seems to have produced a Hitler meme YouTube video for iOS 7 yet, I decided to try my hand.  It's my first time trying a meme video, but I'm surprised how well it turned out.  Enjoy!

2013-06-12 03:52:23 (33 comments, 20 reshares, 72 +1s)

Why Android Users Care About Apple Copying Android

I'm seeing a lot of Apple apologists saying, "Oh get over Apple copying Android, everyone copies everyone."

Let's forget this is the same argument many of us have been making, which the apologists are now pretending they invented.  Not to put too fine a point on it, but taking an idea from Android people years after-the-fact and then pretending to have invented it is nothing new, we're used to it.

I don't even mind letting them think they invented it.  I would much rather a positive atmosphere in which multiple computing innovators and their fans can be supportive of all innovation, regardless who it comes from, and where we can all be glad whenever anyone's experience gets better.

I'm genuinely happy for iOS users that they're getting a sprinkle of MatiasD... more »

2013-06-12 00:29:27 (25 comments, 5 reshares, 38 +1s)

Well that was a short honeymoon.

https://medium.com/i-m-h-o/275a56688510

2013-06-12 00:09:38 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 17 +1s)

We'll just leave this here.

2013-06-11 19:32:32 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 10 +1s)

That awkward moment when you realize the guy trolling your Apple meme post and calling Android a copy of Windows Phone and that he's been a loyal Android fan for years... actually works for Apple Inc.  Hahahaha!  Seriously, check it out in the comments.

2013-06-11 19:14:59 (30 comments, 2 reshares, 20 +1s)

tl;dr version:  Sony became a hero just by doing what everyone before them had ever done except one.  Then they cut that one off at the knees.

Microsoft really blew it in the battle for goodwill and open wallets this year.

#sony   #ps4   #microsoft   #xboxone  

2013-06-11 18:08:04 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

When adopting a new technology, and embracing it, I ask myself some simple questions: Does this fit my needs?  Does it give me the best tools in its class to fill those needs?  Is it stable and reliable, or is it prone to break or behave unexpectedly?

Social networks struggle in the third area.  We all know about Google+'s ongoing problem with silly bugs that often get patched by third-party browser extension developers somehow succeeding where the world's greatest concentration of software talent has failed.  But, as a tool of developing social connections, I think it works very well.

Facebook has fewer bugs (I'm sorry, but let's be honest, G+ has some incredibly silly amateur bugs in its works),, but to me is a very poorly designed tool fore what it does.

Let's not even get started about Twitter's "Fail Whale" problems.  As a tool, itis v... more »

2013-06-11 07:23:24 (7 comments, 4 reshares, 57 +1s)

06/10/2013: The day iFans stopped their hypocritical whining about Android "stealing" from iOS and we all let the market decide who actually makes the best products?

A man can dream.  A man can dream.

2013-06-11 06:47:05 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 20 +1s)

"Without music, life would be a mistake." - Friedrich Nietzsche

2013-06-11 06:25:16 (40 comments, 14 reshares, 127 +1s)

Well that's this generation's console fight over, Sony just won.

2013-06-11 06:08:23 (15 comments, 3 reshares, 14 +1s)

Viva la shared-design-language!

2013-06-11 05:49:25 (12 comments, 0 reshares, 27 +1s)

Funny to hear people trying to say Android's lockscreen is "confusing".  I swear sometimes people pretend as though the average person has never used software before in their entire lives just to defend Apple.

If you can't figure out how to unlock a stock Android device, you need not to be using smartphones and tablets.  Stick with feature phones and eReaders.

2013-06-11 04:09:59 (7 comments, 2 reshares, 32 +1s)

Google Beat the Kobayashi Maru

The Kobayashi Maru is a simulation all Starfleet cadets must go through, which prepares them for the no-win scenario should they ever become a Captain.  Only James Kirk ever beat it, by cheating, reprogramming the conditions of the simulation.

I submit Google beat the scenario.  If iOS does well, Google still makes money.  If Windows does well, Google still makes money.  If Android and Chrome do well, they make more.  If Google+ does well they make money, but they also make money if Facebook or Twitter does well.

Basically, if it involves the web or the modern internet in general, it's not a question of whether Google will benefit, it's only a matter of degree.  So why worry?  Keep Calm, and Google On.

2013-06-11 03:57:07 (14 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

To be fair, I'm not really sure this was a rape joke.  I could see that interpretation, but I could also see it as a comment taken out of context.

2013-06-11 03:43:51 (15 comments, 2 reshares, 37 +1s)

Apple's strength with front-end ecosystems made Google get better at their own front-ends with Android and Chrome.  Google's strengths as a back-end service provider forced Apple to get better at back-end services.  Now Google's design strength with Android is forcing Apple to get better at their front-end.

What a beautiful system.  You know who wins because of this?  All of us.

2013-06-11 01:22:51 (27 comments, 4 reshares, 19 +1s)

iOS 7 v. Android

I just had a great HoA with +Sana Ahmed discussing iOS 7 versus Android, Apple versus Google, where does Microsoft fit into this, and more.  Very high level intellectual discussion from people whose tech usage helps inform our worldview.  Enjoy!

P.S. - Sorry for posting this twice.  I neglected to set it to Public the first time.

2013-06-10 19:59:49 (303 comments, 1922 reshares, 2660 +1s)

Nice "innovation" there, Apple.

#wwdc2013   #keynote  

2013-06-10 16:57:57 (18 comments, 6 reshares, 40 +1s)

Google Acquires Waze: All Your Maps Are Belong to Us
Read More  :  http://goo.gl/xkhED

Google is acquiring Waze, the crowd-sourced traffic app, for somewhere north of a billion dollars.  The biggest loser in this is Apple, but Facebook doesn't exactly come out of this spotless, either.  The acquisition is, of course, just the latest in a long effort by Google to dominate the mapping space.

Is it too much for one company to run away with this market?

2013-06-10 14:19:50 (30 comments, 0 reshares, 13 +1s)

What do you think about this?  Do we need to enact legislation now to ensure that the 4th Amendment still protects our digital identities as well?  Should someone be held to account for this massive intrusion into our private communications?

#nsa #verizon  

2013-06-09 19:04:10 (0 comments, 5 reshares, 34 +1s)

Social Isn't a Where, It's a How (and Only Google Gets That)
Read the Full Article  :  http://goo.gl/m7xAG

Social is the new buzzword for the web and apps.  Nearly every website or app (for any computing platform, web or native) either fancies itself a social network in its own right, or touts integration with one or more social networks as a selling point.

 Consider some of the top “social networks”:

 Facebook, YouTube, Google+, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Flickr, Tumblr

 What do all of these have in common?  Not much, really, they each offer a different experience, tailored to different audiences and use cases.  So how do we really define “social”?  It’s not the inherent fact of creating, consuming, sharing, reviewing, curating, or commenting on content, all of those existed before anything we could call an online socialnetwork existed.more »

2013-06-09 14:27:31 (14 comments, 6 reshares, 40 +1s)

The "Seek, Sense, Share" Model of Content Curation

Content curation is a big part of what happens here on Google+. People here do it with varying levels of success. To assess one's own success on this front, you need to first determine what success actually looks like.

For each of us, the anser to that question will vary. Successful content curation may simply translate into "more followers." Or maybe you dig a little deeper, and see that it's really about more attention. But dig a little deeper still, and you will eventually find yourself having to ask why.

Why do I want more followers? Why do I want more attention?

We here on social networks like Google+, Twitter and Facebook are investing lots and lots of focus and time on content curation (yes, even if you don't like calling it that) - but really, what is the purpose?... more »

2013-06-09 15:00:13 (8 comments, 1 reshares, 18 +1s)

Old Androids Saving the Rainforest

Upgrading your Android smartphone and thinking of throwing  out your old one?  You might want to consider donating it to the Rainforest Connection project instead, which uses thousands of donated Android smartphones to monitor for illegal logging activities and alert the authorities.

One can easily imagine similar projects helping to prevent poaching and other illegal activities that are destroying wild lands and decimating biodiversity around the globe.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/07/android-rainforest-connection/

#rainforest   #android  

2013-06-09 01:08:25 (31 comments, 6 reshares, 29 +1s)

This is real journalism

Via +River Khan

2013-06-09 00:35:16 (6 comments, 1 reshares, 17 +1s)

The public faith in our electronic communication technologies is shattered. Never mind that none of the major tech companies actually gave the NSA access to their servers. The fact we can believe it happened even in the face of categorical denials and convincing evidence speaks to how little faith we have in our security from lawless intrusions of our privacy by our leaders, especially in the light of the Verizon metadata scandal. We need strong laws and clear legal guidance from the highest courts to protect our privacy from such unregulated violations if the trust is ever to be restored.

2013-06-08 15:13:04 (19 comments, 2 reshares, 14 +1s)

From +David Drummond, Chief Legal Officer: We cannot say this more clearly—the government does not have access to Google servers—not directly, or via a back door, or a so-called drop box. Nor have we received blanket orders of the kind being discussed in the media. It is quite wrong to insinuate otherwise. We provide user data to governments only in accordance with the law. Our legal team reviews each and every request, and frequently pushes back when requests are overly broad or don’t follow the correct process. And we have taken the lead in being as transparent as possible about government requests for user information.

2013-06-08 15:03:47 (9 comments, 1 reshares, 12 +1s)

I've Been Attending the Wrong Universities, Apparently

Here I am actually learning stuff of professional value, when I could have been learning the science of how Superman turns back time by spinning the Earth backwards, or how to say "I would murder the children of a thousand worlds just to see you smile" in Klingon!  I don't want to live on this planet anymore.

#kidsarethefuture  

2013-06-08 12:55:33 (7 comments, 4 reshares, 33 +1s)

Brand Marketing on Facebook: A Waste of Time

Facebook has designed a system in which the best way to “win” is to appeal to the Edgerank lowest common denominator.  Unlike other networks where you can do whatever you like and succeed based on your brand, the merit of your content, or your storytelling, Facebook has built a system in which the only way to get visibility is to acquire the social signals they deem important, or pay for it.  This leads to the degradation of the entire platform as law firms begin posting “Like if you love Fridays” and realtors posting cat photos.

It has nothing to do with brand.  It has nothing to do with what’s actually important to the company.  It has everything to do with what Facebook has deemed important.

h/t +Henri Deschamps 

2013-06-08 04:34:49 (13 comments, 4 reshares, 21 +1s)

Oops.

2013-06-08 04:27:59 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 20 +1s)

In Western medicine, we call this "treating the symptom".

2013-06-08 03:48:52 (5 comments, 4 reshares, 46 +1s)

And now you know.