CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-05-24 16:46:52 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

blurry deskscape for your visual pleasure.

#meiravberalephotography  

2013-05-24 16:44:28 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

I saw this when I was out.

I liked the shapes and colours.

#meiravberalephotography  

2013-05-24 16:42:35 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Here, have some pretty.

#flowerphotography  

2013-05-24 14:07:34 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

venturing outside.

I hear they have squirrels there.

#gonoutbackson  

2013-05-24 13:59:52 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Am using hashtags a lot more now.

Not that I wasn't already a heavy user anyway :) but two recent changes have made it more important: 1. the "fold" being moved up so that when you see a text post in your stream, you only see the very very top, which means I have to grab your attention with what's at the very top. 2. the new prominent placement of a hashtag at the very top.

So the hashtag is now a very valuable clue, which people will use to decide if they want to click "read more". Use it wisely, people!

P.S. If you use more than one hashtag, Google displays one of them prominently and the others only on hover. You can click the little X to remove one (or more), which is what I did just now on this post, because the one they chose to show wasn't the one I wanted to be shown there. This doesn't affect the way they appear at the bottom of... more »

2013-05-24 13:25:42 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

:3

2013-05-24 02:02:20 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

computer clock says 03:00. time I got off plusland for the night.

the penguin will, as usual, take your orders for tea or coffee. and thanks to +Dryade Geo and +Charles Griswold and the blowtorch, there is apparently creme brulee on the menu tonight.

#goodnightgoogleplus  

2013-05-24 00:17:49 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

http://www.gocomics.com/garfield/2013/05/22/

2013-05-23 23:00:23 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 9 +1s)

Am using hashtags a lot more now.

Not that I wasn't already a heavy user anyway :) but two recent changes have made it more important: 1. the "fold" being moved up so that when you see a text post in your stream, you only see the very very top, which means I have to grab your attention with what's at the very top. 2. the new prominent placement of a hashtag at the very top.

So the hashtag is now a very valuable clue, which people will use to decide if they want to click "read more". Use it wisely, people!

P.S. If you use more than one hashtag, Google displays one of them prominently and the others only on hover. You can click the little X to remove one (or more), which is what I did just now on this post, because the one they chose to show wasn't the one I wanted to be shown there. This doesn't affect the way they appear at the bottom of... more »

2013-05-23 22:51:56 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

so, just out of curiosity, I clicked "auto-enhance" on one of my photos.

yuck :/

(only did it after establishing that it's possible to undo it.)

#photography   #googleplusupdate   #autoenhance  

2013-05-23 21:23:38 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Seriously yummy.

Got some as a present for my niece, as she is lactose-intolerant and this stuff is dairy free. Then I decided to get a packet for myself, and all I can say is mmmmmmmmmmm...

#chocolate   #dairyfree  

2013-05-23 19:38:09 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 11 +1s)

It rained :)

#rainbowphotograpy  

2013-05-23 16:11:06 (17 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

ok, time to hang the laundry and then go to the supermarket.

you lot, be good while I'm out, yo!

#gonoutbackson  

2013-05-23 15:49:31 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Orange

2013-05-23 15:34:45 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

hey God, thank you for the spoons delivery, much appreciated.

also: the sunshine.

#thankful  

2013-05-23 13:41:07 (14 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

TL;DR: Doing good is something humans are capable of, regardless of their religion. Being redeemed is something God does for us, and it depends on faith.

"Of course, not all Christians believe that those who don't believe will be redeemed, and the Pope's words may spark memories of the deep divisions from the Protestant reformation over the belief in redemption through grace versus redemption through works."

Yes, quite. The fact that people can do good regardless of their faith or religion - yes, sure, what's new there? But being redeemed is a whole different story. Jesus did what is necessary so that all who believe can be saved. If you don't believe in what he has done for you, then you gain nothing from it.

(and no, I do not believe that being a Catholic is in any way material to whether or not you are redeemed by the atoning sacrifice of... more »

2013-05-23 13:20:00 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Let's call this #WhatDoYouSeeWednesday

2013-05-23 12:34:13 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Send Feedback has moved again!

"Send Feedback" has moved (once again) and can now be found at the bottom of the fly-out menu on the left side of your screen.

If you prefer shortcuts, some users will be able to access the "Send Feedback tool through the [@] symbol which is accessible from my keyboard by pressing [Shift 2].  This will not work for all users/keyboards.

Another option is to use a browser bookmark/shortcut for:

javascript:appfeedback.startFeedback({});void(0);

If the fly-out menu is not accessible on the screen you wish to report,  please use "Send Feedback" from any Google+ screen where you have access to it. If needed, you can include links, in your description, to any screenshots you have taken, that help illustrate the problem.

2013-05-23 02:14:38 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

ok, it definitely is time for sleeps.

do chat to the penguin in my absence, he gets easily bored and you know what happens when he's bored, right? ::hiding the matches and scissors::

#goodnightgoogleplus  

2013-05-23 01:31:05 (10 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

weird moment of the day

As often happens, I nodded off part-way through reading the newspaper. (Wait till you get to my age...) Waking up, I was amused to see an advert saying "a story to wake you up". (Something to do with the price of cornflakes. Don't ask.) But then I saw the news item above it, about a driver who knocked a cyclist off his bike and didn't stop, and then tweeted about it showing how totally and utterly she didn't care.

I thought, wow, yes, that's a story to wake you up, and not in a good way :/

#humansareweird  

2013-05-23 01:19:47 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

ignoring the blue square is doable.

#signsImnotaddicted  

2013-05-23 01:14:06 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

“Stop thinking about art works as objects, and start thinking about them as triggers for experiences.” - Brian Eno

2013-05-23 01:04:07 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

The longer I stare at this, the funnier it gets. Because, you know, I have such a dry, refined sense of humor. 

2013-05-22 23:35:24 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Yikes!

#thingsnightmaresaremadeof

2013-05-22 16:34:35 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 12 +1s)

How to interact well on Google+

Once again I'm seeing one of these guidance posts floating around, with some really good advice - but as usual, the good advice is mixed with stuff which I think isn't so good. Here are specific points that I feel I need to respond to:

1. When you like something, hit +1. Yes, sure. (The post goes on to say that it's ok to +1 your own stuff. Sure, there's no law against it, but why on earth would you? Do you have conversations with yourself where you pat yourself on the back or high-five yourself for saying something clever? +1ing your own stuff makes no sense, it makes you look stupid and narcissistic. It makes me think of Cat in Red Dwarf. If you don't want to look ridiculous, don't do it.)

2. If you want to engage in conversation, post a comment. Yes. but the post then goes on to say that when you engage in... more »

2013-05-22 15:48:26 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Gah! My printer isn't working!

It just isn't responding when I hit the On button. I tried plugging it into a different socket, just in case, but nada. Any ideas? The only thing I can think of is that maybe it's a fuse inside the plug.

(HP Deskjet D2360, in case that's relevant)

#geekquestions  

2013-05-22 13:47:42 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

"You were already tired before..."

The beauty of talking things through with someone  who has been on the journey with you all along - I was talking to my husband last night about how utterly exhausted I'm feeling, exhausted from the intense visit home and from the emotional impact of my mum dying and from the upheaval of flying there and back and living in temporary accommodation etc etc etc... and suddenly he said: and you were tired before all this.

Which I'd forgotten about. Since mum's death there's been so much to deal with that I forgot about how I was feeling before, forgot about some things on my to do list which felt big and are still there, forgot about feeling tired and in need of a break, which I had thought I might manage in April or perhaps May - on 29 March everything changed, and the focus shifted to: grieving, communicating with my family... more »

2013-05-22 01:54:15 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 12 +1s)

Good intentions aren't enough.

as usual, please don't comment without reading my post. thanks.

#doasyouwouldbedoneby  

2013-05-22 01:02:49 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

A A Milne poems have medicinal qualities :)

#randomthoughts   #aamilne  

2013-05-22 01:01:14 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Ooh, my number of circlers adds up :)

(7=0+3+4)

#coolnumbers  

2013-05-22 00:59:26 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Just noticed another change - when you post a link, it now comes without a snippet, just the title and thumbnail but that's it :(

#newlook   #googleplusupdate   #notahappycamper  

2013-05-22 00:57:16 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

A spam comment just reminded me of this old post. I've updated it a bit, as some things have changed in the meantime, but my point still stands: G+ is not a blogging platform.

as usual, please don't comment without reading my post. thanks.

#blogging

2013-05-21 19:42:14 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

gradually landing

so, today I actually went out and did a bit of grocery shopping. didn't feel ready to face the world yet but there's a limit to how far we can go with what's in the kitchen cupboards and in the freezer.

now I'm going to see if I remember how to cook. (after three weeks of mainly takeaways/eating out)

no, I haven't totally finished unpacking yet.

#meiravberaleupdates  

2013-05-21 19:30:52 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

My personal favourite:

Why do elephants paint their toes red?

To hide in cherry trees.

What's the loudest sound in the jungle?








Giraffes eating cherries.

#ElephantJokes

2013-05-21 18:59:55 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

While the redesign looks slightly better, the reasons for using NewsBlur are the same. It fetches feeds quickly, provides multiple options for how to view a story, and offers the chance to train the algorithm to stop showing you stories from outlets you don't like while surfacing more stories about things you’re interested in.

Ironically found via +Prismatic.

2013-05-21 18:38:34 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

Adding "this won't bring the world crashing down" to the list of patronising garbage people say when you dare to voice concern over an issue which they want you to shut up about.

News flash: most issues people are concerned about are ones which are not likely to bring the world crashing down. That's not a reason to shut up or to stop being concerned about it. Not that the issue I was discussing when I got this patronising garbage thrown at me is on the same level, but slavery wouldn't have been abolished in the US if people had taken this attitude, nor would the suffragettes have won women the right to vote.

But even with smaller things - there is stuff that might not be worth losing sleep over, or risking prison for, but it can still be worth blogging about or expressing your concerns in a G+ post. It doesn't have to be potentially earth-shattering stuff for... more »

2013-05-21 15:15:04 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

Nothing to see

Come for a walk, if you will, and watch this woman, the grey-haired middle-aged woman wandering aimlessly - or... wait... what's happening now? She has stopped, and is looking intently at... what? There's nothing to see here, is there? It's just a very ordinary street in a very ordinary town. There's nothing going on here. Just a street. Houses. Trees. The odd passing cat or human. So why is she taking her camera out of her coat pocket? What on earth can be worth a photo here? Not to mention a whole series of different shots from different angles!

You may shake your head and walk on, preparing to tell your friends that, goodness, there are some crazy people around...

It's ok. She knows she's crazy. She's fine with that.

Later, she'll go home and check out her loot from the latest expedition. An... more »

2013-05-21 13:35:04 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Oops, I forgot Sam's birthday!

My camera is three years and one week old. With all that was going on, I forgot to celebrate her birthday last Monday.

This is one of the very first photos I took with Sam, on our very first outing together - husband and I went to visit his parents, and one of the cats came to say hello when we got out of the car. I thought she looked nice against the gravel background.

None of us knew then what adventures I was going to have with this camera, what awesome world of craziness she was opening up for me! Thank you, Sam, without you I'd have stayed under the illusion that words are the only avenue of creativity for me.

#photography   #adventureswithsam   #cats  

2013-05-21 12:48:06 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Hula Hoop+ Chrome Extension (Updated)
Circles are too mainstream for today's hipsters. The Hula Hoop+ Chrome extension renames "circle" on Google+ to "hula hoop."

Inspiration
The wish to rename "circle" to "hula hoop" was originally expressed almost two years ago by +Victoria Strother and brought to my attention by +Carolyn Lopez on Tumblr. A wish that came true in June of 2012 in the form of a Chrome extension which today has been updated to work with Google+'s new layout.

Disclaimer
I don't have much experience making complex Chrome extensions so Hula Hoop+ is not perfect, but it gets the job done. Only the main instances of "circle" are renamed in order to keep extension complexity and future maintenance low. I very much welcome suggestions and feedback to help improve Hula Hoop+.more »

2013-05-21 12:31:40 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

yelling at people. I'm getting good at it :(

#randomthoughts  

2013-05-21 01:06:55 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

UXG+: Read More  

2013-05-21 00:17:42 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

and this is another one of the very very first photos I took with Sam.

back then I saw it as just an experiment to see how it looks if I shoot the street through our net curtain. now I'm looking at it and thinking: interesting. maybe worth a bit of fiddling around with...

#photography   #adventureswithsam  

2013-05-21 00:13:25 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

Oops, I forgot Sam's birthday!

My camera is three years and one week old. With all that was going on, I forgot to celebrate her birthday last Monday.

This is one of the very first photos I took with Sam, on our very first outing together - husband and I went to visit his parents, and one of the cats came to say hello when we got out of the car. I thought she looked nice against the gravel background.

None of us knew then what adventures I was going to have with this camera, what awesome world of craziness she was opening up for me! Thank you, Sam, without you I'd have stayed under the illusion that words are the only avenue of creativity for me.

#photography   #adventureswithsam   #cats  

2013-05-20 22:02:06 (13 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

for some reason today I seem to have been infected by the word "yo".

#silliness  

2013-05-20 21:55:23 (12 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

If you don't want Google to auto-hashtag your posts

Go to your settings (you can get there by clicking on that new side menu thing on the left - Settings is right at the bottom) and down near the bottom of the screen you'll see the new Hashtags section. That box is checked by default - uncheck it to tell Google that you don't want them to do this to your posts.

(Though most of the examples I've seen so far have been spot on. Only one seemed strange to me, when someone posted about having been away from plus for a while and coming back to find they've moved the furniture around again - that post was hashtagged "furniture", which is what made me notice that there was an automated thing going on.)

#hashtags  

P.S. You can also leave this setting on and just remove specific hashtags that Google added to your posts: just hover... more »

2013-05-20 21:17:42 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

The Lord Moves in Mysterious Ways or: How a broken table helped me yesterday

One of the things I don't like about flying is the feeling that they cram us in like sardines in an extra-small can.

I usually try to get an aisle seat, because then at least I can easily get up to stretch once in a while. For yesterday's flight I didn't manage to get an aisle seat - the reasons are to do with some confusion I had in using the airline's website, so that by the time I got to the point of choosing seats all the aisle seats were taken. So I ended up in a window seat. (husband is happy to be in the middle. he's thin.) I was not looking forward to spending over five hours in those cramped conditions, but hey, such is life, can't always get what you want, etc...

Then they came round with drinks, and I opened my table and... it was flopping very much... more »

2013-05-20 21:04:29 (11 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

So, here's the deal: when I post a grumble about whatever-it-is, if you have something to say about the specific issue - e.g. let me know a pertinent fact I wasn't aware of, ask a question about my reasons, etc - then feel free to do so in the comments. But if you think I shouldn't be grumbling, then kindly scroll past my post and go play with someone else.

Because, guess what, it's my profile and I will post about whatever I like. I will grumble when I feel like grumbling.

And I will delete comments when I feel people are not observing this basic courtesy. Because: my posts, my rules. If you don't like it, that's not my problem.

#commentspolicy
#grumblingiscoolyo  
#mypostsmyrules  

2013-05-20 20:06:44 (20 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

hmmm... so Google are actually adding hashtags to some posts where the author hasn't used a hashtag? hmmm... I feel that's a step too far. And yes, I know we can remove a hashtag if we want to, but I'm sure some people won't even notice it's been added.

(deliberately leaving this tagless, to see what happens...)

2013-05-20 19:33:34 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

the beauty of non-capitalised hashtags...

is that my Idle Ramblings tag can also read as though it's the Amblings of an Idler.

yes, I'm easily amused.

#silliness  

2013-05-20 20:10:09 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Yahoo buying Tumblr??? For reals? but... but... but... I like #Tumblr :(

#sob