Posts tagged Glimpse
Google Zeitgeist 2011: A Glimpse Into A Weird Year
Dec 15th
As the go-to place for finding anything on the Web, Google has unique insight into the spirit of the times. The trending Google searches of the year are a glimpse into what’s on our minds. For the past 10 years, it has published a year-end Zeitgeist report on the major search trends around the world. Zeitgeist 2011 was released today.
It was a weird year. Perhaps it’s not surprising that, of all the grim and tumultuous events that transpired this year, the top Google searches were mostly frivolous. The number one trending search was Rebecca Black. But this year’s Zeitgeist site is dynamic, detailed and easy to explore. Drilling down by region reveals some timely insights into what interested the wired world in 2011.
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Google’s own social network, Google+, was the number two trending search. Two Apple gadgets, iPhone 5 and iPad 2, made the top 10, and one of those doesn’t even exist. Right next to the iPad is, of course, Steve Jobs. The only serious news on the list – unless you count Casey Anthony – is the Japanese energy company Tepco, operator of the Fukushima I power plant, which caused a nuclear disaster this year after a massive earthquake.
This year’s Zeitgeist report offers amazing depth, visualizing the data and allowing users to compare searches with one another and over time. In addition to the fastest rising searches, it shows the fastest falling, as well as the trending searches by category, including Google Maps and Google News. You can also browse by various countries and regions. Visit googlezeitgeist.com/en to explore.
You can read Google Fellow Amit Singhal’s impressions of the Zeitgeist on the Google blog.
Did you use the Web for anything major this year? Share your experiences in the comments.
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Build 2011: First Glimpse of the Windows 8 App Store
Sep 13th
There will be an apps store platform built into Windows 8, and there will be a self-service mechanism for developers to publish their wares and make money from them. That much, we know. We do not know yet how the licensing arrangements will be worked out with Microsoft – in other words, how much of a cut the company will get. This may not yet have been decided.
A demonstration of a very early prototype of the App Store was given to members of the press by Windows 8 program managers. We were given later glimpses of the new online storefront during the Day 1 keynote.
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However, here is what we were able to determine of the company’s plan: “Store,” as it is being called for the nonce (perhaps waiting to see what other words Apple may have trademarked in advance), gives a new retailer a wizard-like console for filling in the details about the product he wishes to upload and sell. The platform is intended for Metro apps, the new model of Windows application designed to use tiles on the Start Screen, and use the WinRT runtime platform being introduced in Windows 8.
“Store” will be a prominent tile on the first page of the new Windows 8 Start Screen. The store itself will be arranged much like the Start Screen, but with a reverse color scheme – rather than bright tiles against green, mostly green tiles against white. Each page of this store will be a department, such as “Home” or “Games.”
Although conventional Windows applications will also be for sale in “Store,” Microsoft has clarified its stance on the terms for conventional Desktop apps that may appear in “Store.” Manufacturers may make separate arrangements for their Desktop products to appear there; there won’t be a self-service system for Win32 or .NET architecture applications. However, as Windows Division President Steven Sinofsky told attendees here this morning, Microsoft will steer clear of making any adjustments to existing licenses for Desktop apps. It does not appear Microsoft wants a cut of sales for these apps.
It’s conceivable you may find not only Office but Photoshop and other Desktop apps available as well (the prototype showed Intuit Quicken).
Retailers and developers making Metro apps available for sale will be certified through Microsoft. In other words, consumers won’t be led astray by false banners made visible through “Store.” A retailer may offer multiple, optional licenses at one time – for example, a 7-day or 30-day free trial, followed by a purchase prompt, along with the option to pay less up front. The purchase, downloading, and installation processes will be completely contained by this Metro app. (It will be interesting to see how “Store” implements User Account Control, if at all.)
Once sales have already started for a product, retailers will have access to a sophisticated array of statistics about the purchasers – not just how many and how much they paid, but classes and market segments based on data gleaned from their Windows Live IDs. Optionally, developers will be able to deploy telemetry into their Metro apps, enabling them to report back to the developers when they’ve crashed, and potentially why as well.
Metro apps distributed with the developers’ preview release of Windows 8, given to attendees today, were conceived and built in a 10-week timeframe by a select group of college sophomores and juniors studying the fine art of programming, according to Sinofsky.
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Video: Google Offers Rare Glimpse Into its Data Centers
Apr 23rd
Google is famously secretive about its data centers, so a new video on its enterprise blog that gives a glimpse into the inner workings of its facilities is a rare treat. The video emphasizes security and environmental best practices. You can watch it after the jump.
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Earlier this month Facebook “open-sourced” its data center architecture by publishing the specs and other information for its Prineville, Or. data center to the Open Computer Project. Facebook emphasized energy efficiency and environmental friendliness, possibly in response to pressure from Greenpeace (though the company denies it). Google’s move to open its data centers and highlight its energy practices may be influenced by Facebook.
Some highlights from the video:
- Google builds its own customer servers.
- Google uses its own custom, stripped down version of Linux. It uses only a minimum set of packages.
- The facilities are hypersecure – vehicles can’t enter without authorization, and iris scanners are used at some locations.
- Google rigorously tracks all hard drives that come into the facility.
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Chicago Real Estate Agencies Get Rare Glimpse At SEO Secrets – Emailwire (press release) (blog)
Sep 7th
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Chicago Real Estate Agencies Get Rare Glimpse At SEO Secrets
Emailwire (press release) (blog) Real estate SEO course shows Chicago real estate agencies how to gain top Google spots and gain interpersonal customer skills. (EMAILWIRE. … |
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