CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-06-18 04:15:57 (0 comments, 3 reshares, 7 +1s)

Check out what went down at the +20 UX Workshop with +Google & +Semi-Permanent recently in Sydney! 

2013-06-14 00:37:14 (0 comments, 6 reshares, 9 +1s)

It’s amazing to see the patterns that emerge from several years of +foursquare checkins.

http://foursquare.com/timemachine

2013-06-13 16:51:51 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 6 +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 »

2013-06-12 21:34:04 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Tonight, the SF Planning Department is holding the first of a series of workshops to discuss the development of San Francisco's Central Corridor – street improvements and transit-oriented, upzoned development focused around the Central Subway stations coming to SoMa.  

Check out the plans for the Central Subway on GoodCTZN below and find more details about tonight's workshop here: http://gdctz.in/s0

2013-06-12 16:51:33 (1 comments, 3 reshares, 5 +1s)

Daniel Dennett on respecting your opponent by framing their argument better than they do:

The best antidote I know for this tendency to caricature one's opponent is a list of rules promulgated many years ago by social psychologist and game theorist Anatol Rapoport.

How to compose a successful critical commentary:

1. Attempt to re-express your target's position so clearly, vividly and fairly that your target says: "Thanks, I wish I'd thought of putting it that way."

2. List any points of agreement (especially if they are not matters of general or widespread agreement).

3. Mention anything you have learned from your target.

4. Only then are you permitted to say so much as a word of rebuttal or criticism.

— Daniel Dennett in Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking available on +Amazon.comª: more »

2013-06-11 17:59:13 (1 comments, 6 reshares, 9 +1s)

An open letter from +David Drummond to the US Department of Justice and the FBI:

Assertions in the press that our compliance with these requests gives the U.S. government unfettered access to our users’ data are simply untrue. However, government nondisclosure obligations regarding the number of FISA national security requests that Google receives, as well as the number of accounts covered by those requests, fuel that speculation.

We therefore ask you to help make it possible for Google to publish in our Transparency Report aggregate numbers of national security requests, including FISA disclosures—in terms of both the number we receive and their scope. Google’s numbers would clearly show that our compliance with these requests falls far short of the claims being made. Google has nothing to hide.

2013-06-11 15:43:05 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 12 +1s)

Today's iOS 7 announcement leaves me disappointed. On one hand I'm very excited about the direction the new design is going, on the other hand there are many design details that are just not there yet. Besides the notorious new app icon designs, another piece of iOS 7 that makes me cringe whenever I look at it is the new Control Center. It's visually very noisy and feels very crowded (left), so tonight I took some time to re-imagine it a bit (right), leaving the layout alone for now and simply focusing on the visual treatments.

http://dribbble.com/shots/1109305-iOS-7-Control-Center-Reimagined

2013-06-10 15:48:10 (2 comments, 3 reshares, 4 +1s)

Vitamin Supplements May Be Harmful

The author sites study after study suggesting that taking supplements of beta carotene and vitamin E (and possibly vitamin A) increase the risk of heart disease, some cancers, and overall mortality.

The likely explanation is that free radicals aren’t as evil as advertised. (In fact, people need them to kill bacteria and eliminate new cancer cells.) And when people take large doses of antioxidants in the form of supplemental vitamins, the balance between free radical production and destruction might tip too much in one direction, causing an unnatural state where the immune system is less able to kill harmful invaders. Researchers call this the antioxidant paradox.

2013-06-09 19:08:26 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

Brunch at Greens.

(Inspired by +Chris Messina and +Brynn Evans.)

2013-06-09 14:59:27 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

Jonathan Safran Foer:

We live in a world made up more of story than stuff. We are creatures of memory more than reminders, of love more than likes. Being attentive to the needs of others might not be the point of life, but it is the work of life. It can be messy, and painful, and almost impossibly difficult. But it is not something we give. It is what we get in exchange for having to die.

2013-06-07 20:43:50 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Dear Google users—

You may be aware of press reports alleging that Internet companies have joined a secret U.S. government program called PRISM to give the National Security Agency direct access to our servers. As Google’s CEO and Chief Legal Officer, we wanted you to have the facts.

First, we have not joined any program that would give the U.S. government—or any other government—direct access to our servers. Indeed, the U.S. government does not have direct access or a “back door” to the information stored in our data centers. We had not heard of a program called PRISM until yesterday.

Second, 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. Press reports that suggest that Google is providingopen-ended ac... more »

2013-06-07 15:53:07 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 2 +1s)

Whistle is here. A new way to understand your dog, and add healthy, happy years to their life. http://whi.st/s3

2013-06-06 17:23:19 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

+Alison Boncha and +Tejinder Judge, this is an interesting followup to our conversation yesterday:

To be fair, the euro zone has been taking small steps toward the greater integration that is required. A banking union and single regulatory framework are under development. And discussions are under way over a deal in which the austerity regime would be relaxed for certain countries, including France, in return for structural reforms.

But incrementalism is an insufficient response. Europe should pursue full economic integration, much like the United States did in 1789, after the failed Articles of Confederation experiment. That would involve harmonized regulatory policies and a shared central government budget that would provide extra funds to troubled countries, just as America does for weaker states.

2013-06-06 17:07:19 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

A cleaner, quieter, more comfortable BART is coming. Among the new features:

- More standing room with minimally reduced seating to accomodate more passengers more comfortably

- Wipeable seats and floors (who ever thought upholstery in public transit was a good idea?)

- More trains and increased overall system capacity

- Better passenger information systems (including LCD screens and higher-quality sound)

- Noise-dampening cars

- Bike racks

It will take several years before we start to see these new cars in service (delivery begins in 2017), but I’m always happy to hear that progress is being made.

2013-06-06 16:01:07 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 9 +1s)

It’s nearly a tradition.

2013-06-06 01:51:39 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 14 +1s)

2013-06-05 18:29:41 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Really happy to see CalDAV and CardDAV opened up for everyone.

2013-06-03 16:25:34 (0 comments, 3 reshares, 4 +1s)

Ben Bernanke criticizes meritocracy (via +Matthew Yglesias):

A meritocracy is a system in which the people who are the luckiest in their health and genetic endowment; luckiest in terms of family support, encouragement, and, probably, income; luckiest in their educational and career opportunities; and luckiest in so many other ways difficult to enumerate--these are the folks who reap the largest rewards.

The only way for even a putative meritocracy to hope to pass ethical muster, to be considered fair, is if those who are the luckiest in all of those respects also have the greatest responsibility to work hard, to contribute to the betterment of the world, and to share their luck with others.

2013-05-30 21:14:10 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

This is fascinating and frightening. Rent in San Francisco has nearly doubled since I arrived seven years ago. While it’s wonderful that so many people want to live here, I worry that the city is becoming unaffordable for some residents who have traditionally contributed to our vibrant, diverse community.

This is why I’m happy to see all the cranes looming over the cityscape. As we build more housing, supply will increase and prices should start to ease, making the city more accessible for everyone who wants to live in it.

2013-05-30 02:12:09 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

+Michael Pollan takes a fascinating look at the vast alliance of organisms we call “a person”:

It turns out that we are only 10 percent human: for every human cell that is intrinsic to our body, there are about 10 resident microbes… To the extent that we are bearers of genetic information, more than 99 percent of it is microbial.

Justin Sonnenburg, a microbiologist at Stanford, suggests that we would do well to begin regarding the human body as “an elaborate vessel optimized for the growth and spread of our microbial inhabitants.” This humbling new way of thinking about the self has large implications for human and microbial health, which turn out to be inextricably linked. Disorders in our internal ecosystem … may predispose us to obesity and a whole range of chronic diseases, as well as some infections.

2013-05-28 00:04:59 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

2013-05-25 11:33:54 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

2013-05-25 11:45:45 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

And thus it begins…

#plus20

2013-05-17 01:35:54 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

SFO ✈ LAX

2013-05-16 00:37:51 (10 comments, 19 reshares, 14 +1s)

Ready for unified messages and video across all your devices? Follow the links to the new Hangouts apps!

Chrome: http://goo.gl/bVj4Q

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.talk

iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id643496868

#hangouts   #chrome   #android   #ios  

2013-05-15 21:19:57 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

A few photos from my trip to New York City and Ithaca last weekend.

(Thanks to the new G+ photos for highlights and auto-enhance!)

2013-05-15 20:44:35 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

Get Hangouts for your iPhone, iPad, or iPad touch in the App Store now!

2013-05-15 17:57:13 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 14 +1s)

The Google+ Stream gets a refresh with modern design and more to explore across multiple devices.

#io13   #keynote   #io13gplus  

2013-05-15 16:26:10 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

+OK Go made a simple, adorable word game! I‘m really excited to play this with my lexophilic friends. Who’s in?

iPhone: http://bit.ly/saysameiphone
Android: http://bit.ly/saysameandroid

http://www.saythesamething.com/

/cc +Kimberly Johnson +Jay Wong +Amy Essigmann +Eric Levine +Tantek Çelik +Barbara Veloso 

2013-05-14 05:40:27 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

2013-05-13 23:16:00 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

JFK ✈ SFO

2013-05-30 04:01:59 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

2013-05-10 20:54:50 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 15 +1s)

Today the Freedom Tower grew a new spire, bringing its full height to 1,776 feet and making it the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.

2013-05-10 18:07:14 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

2013-05-10 12:25:12 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

2013-05-10 05:26:40 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

SFO ✈ JFK

2013-05-10 03:39:44 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Oh, how it pains me to leave for New York with my FitBit in such a sorry state…

(+Kimberly Johnson +dave carlsson +Louis Gray: now’s your chance!)

2013-05-08 15:26:33 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Learn about cool urban projects in and around San Francisco. Check out http://goodctzn.com and follow +GoodCTZN 

2013-05-04 23:06:57 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

A few photos from the annual(ish) vegetarian dinner at Lazy Bear underground restaurant. Thanks +David Barzelay for an unforgettable meal.

http://www.lazybearsf.com/

2013-04-30 14:44:47 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

Soon, we might interact with our smartphones and computers simply by using our minds. In a couple of years, we could be turning on the lights at home just by thinking about it, or sending an e-mail from our smartphone without even pulling the device from our pocket.

Miyoung Chun, a molecular biologist and vice president for science programs at the Kavli Foundation, is working on the [Brain Activity Map project] and although she said it would take a decade to completely map the brain, companies would be able to build new kinds of brain computer interface products within two years.

2013-04-30 14:28:40 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Give $1 to the nonprofit project “Shoes for children in rural Haiti” and I will match your donation.

2013-04-27 04:32:05 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

+Salon97 hosts the Panic Duo as part of the New Lens concert series.

2013-04-19 17:46:12 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

Lower heart rate → lower risk of death.

After controlling for physical fitness and many other health and behavioral factors, they found that the higher the resting heart rate, the greater the risk for death. Compared with men with rates of 50 beats a minute or less, those at 71 to 80 beats had a 51 percent greater risk. At 81 to 90 beats, the rate of death was doubled, and over 90 it was tripled.

I’ve been using +Azumio Inc’s Heart Rate Monitor to track my heart rate. It uses your phone’s camera to detect small changes in the color of your finger as your capillaries expand and contract (similar to a pulse oximeter). It’s a bit like magic—magic that’s available on both Android and iOS.

http://www.azumio.com/apps/heart-rate/

2013-04-19 16:25:03 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Give $1 to the nonprofit project 'Clean Water: Andhra Pradesh, India' and I will match your donation.

https://onetoday.google.com/project?match=AMiJ0n5fWyi63skMfIRFiTbRvQNfQay2TWb78lQIQfrQESyU4lkUvay3K1ur6Azh4h9mHrxPXT3YBSy4vhi56RINKhOIcMh1zBuQparlj4bEEUUvhNx3Imhrupc

2013-04-19 05:20:32 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

The she++ conference is happening at Stanford University this Saturday.

The she++ conference is back for a second year! We look forward to hosting another inspirational event. This year's conference will be design thinking centered, with our mentors leading small workshops.

http://sheplusplus.stanford.edu/

2013-04-19 03:32:41 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

Michael Pollan on the importance of cooking:

One problem with the division of labor in our complex economy is how it obscures the lines of connection, and therefore of responsibility, between our everyday acts and their real-world consequences…

Perhaps what most commends cooking to me is that it offers a powerful corrective to this way of being in the world — a corrective that is still available to all of us. To butcher a pork shoulder is to be forcibly reminded that this is the shoulder of a large mammal, made up of distinct groups of muscles with a purpose quite apart from feeding me… Likewise, to grow the greens I’m serving with this pork … is a daily reminder of nature’s abundance, the everyday miracle by which photons of light are turned into delicious things to eat.

2013-04-13 00:12:29 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 9 +1s)

This Reddit thread is one of my favorite things that ever happened on the Internet.

2013-04-10 20:49:06 (1 comments, 5 reshares, 13 +1s)

NEW AD ADS FOR YOUR EYES

I’m afraid I just blue myself (again). 

2013-04-10 16:08:43 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 6 +1s)

Two new experiments, one involving people and the other animals, suggest that regular exercise can substantially improve memory, although different types of exercise seem to affect the brain quite differently.

The scientists found that the runners’ brains showed increased levels of a protein known as BDNF, or brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which is known to support the health of existing neurons and coax the creation of new brain cells.

The [resistance] trainers, however, did have significantly higher levels of another protein, insulinlike growth factor, in their brains and blood than the runners did. This substance, too, promotes cell division and growth and most likely helps fragile newborn neurons to survive.

2013-04-09 18:04:25 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

Google Fiber is coming to Austin.

#keepaustinwired