What makes you happy ?

The last time Google threw a 403 at me I was playing with software I knew would upset it (and other sites) but this one is strange.
I was searching for something anyway and G was behaving. Someone is the forums is after a plugin from a now defunct site. I search for it ‘upcoming.zip’ – too many daft results. Try a more specific search ‘inurl:upcoming.zip’ and that’s where the 403 jumps in. I try ‘allinurl:upcoming.zip’ and get another 403. I cannot do any url specific searches without Google insisting I have spyware on my machine (not_a_chance):

We’re sorry…

… but we can’t process your request right now. A computer virus or spyware application is sending us automated requests, and it appears that your computer or network has been infected.

We’ll restore your access as quickly as possible, so try again soon. In the meantime, you might want to run a virus checker or spyware remover to make sure that your computer is free of viruses and other spurious software.

We apologize for the inconvenience, and hope we’ll see you again on Google.

Strange but I find one part of that message very funny. Given all the data they collect on us, they’ll know just when I’m back won’t they :)

One post, three days and it’s #3 on a Google.co.uk search. I’ll find out later where it is on a Google.com search. Three days … not bad compared to usenet, and I’ve not even written anything of note there yet.

Edit: It’s number 3 on .com too. 7 on Yahoo, 2 on MSN, Number ONE on Lycos.

:)

Google Web Accelerator is back.
37Signals
37 Signals again

So let’s recap. Google…

tracks all your TCP/IP packages
reads all your email
follows all your surfing
owns all your cookies
knows your postings to usenet from 1981
keeps the drafts for future blog postings
Oh, and btw, they’re an advertising company.

Easy solution: Don’t use it.

Image on the left is from IE, on the right Firefox.

      

Why does the IE version say “Move to Deleted Items” when the Firefox and Opera versions say “Move to Trash” ? A deliberate move by Google to distinguish between browsers ? Why ? Is it assuming something about the browser user ? If so, what ? The answer would be that different coders produced each version of the underlying code, but then google.ch looks the same as google.uk … Why not the same language ?
(Ignore the labels part – the IE account has no labels.)

Very good … esp the Media Contact. Google unveils new erotica search engine via The Guardian. Pun intended.

Last night, my favourite blonde took my Skype and Google Talk virginity. Rah! And nothing against G’s dulcet tones, but it’s very strange talking to a computer.
I hardly use the telephone (once a fortnight maybe ?), my mobile phone is as dead as it can be and I dislike texting immensely so all my communicating is like this – the typed word. Suits me just fine and on days where I wouldn’t talk to anyone anyway, I can still function. I got Skype because it’s a way of offering better support to people who are having WP problems and who I am already working with (don’t even think of ‘just asking’) and we both grabbed Google Talk because Skype seemed to be playing up. As a first time user of each I can’t say there is much to distinuguish them.
Aesthetics – Skype is nicer, and the ‘Talk’ word on the Google app looks very kindergarten. I can’t see why GTalk though can’t function better. I could understand it being lightweight if line speed were an issue but if you are using a speech app then bandwidth just doesn’t come into it.
One thing I really did not like – it searched my GMail address book and auto-added users. It should ASK ME FIRST. But then I can’t get Skype to use my Thunderbird contact list.
As for which to keep …. I read somewhere that although Google are using Jabber for their app, they are not openly releasing their code which could restrict other apps (for ad revenue no doubt) and Skype also seems to be close to being bought so I have no idea – what will you do ? I am totally against ads in voice calls (which I have mentioned before) but then free is never free is it ?

Give them your mobile phone number and they’ll give you a GMail account.
Hmm… they promise to never reveal or sell your phone number to any third party but read that small print finely. If you use their desktop search, you’ve already agreed to this:

Google Desktop Search may collect certain non-personally identifiable information that resides on your computer, including, without limitation, the number of searches you do and the time it takes to see your results. Unless you (and the users to whom you distribute in accordance with these Terms and Conditions) choose to opt out, either during installation or at any time after installation, non-personal information collected will be sent to Google.

Note – ‘including’. They are looking at information that resides on your computer. What info ? License keys ? Mp3 collections ? Images ? Porn ? You have let them look at what they want, when they want and then do what they choose with that information. That’s nice. I’ll bet you wouldn’t want me looking at your HD, or your boss, or your other half – but Google is lovely and cuddly and totally trustworthy isn’t it. ‘Course it is.

If Microsoft released such a product in such a way, there would be people yelling about the evil Bill Gates, nasty Microsoft blah drivel blah – but just because it Google all is sunshine and smiles ?

From Googe Watch:

• Google records everything they can: For all searches they record the cookie ID, your Internet IP address, the time and date, your search terms, and your browser configuration.
• Google retains all data indefinitely: Google has no data retention policies.
• Google won’t say why they need this data: Inquiries to Google about their privacy policies are ignored.
• Google’s immortal cookie: Google was the first search engine to use a cookie that expires in 2038. This was at a time when federal websites were prohibited from using persistent cookies altogether. … Google set the standard because no one bothered to challenge them.

I’m not against Google per se, but I can’t get my head round the fact that Google release something and people run to snatch it all up when if that very same product were offered by almost any other company at all, people would stand back, ponder and say “But why …?”

New!! Search Google Talk! Find out what customers are saying about your products! Get the edge on your competition!

Talk to your customers ! Google are delighted to announce the all-new ‘Talksense’ ! Customers using Google Talk at the basic level are now having their conversations monitored by algorithms that will determine the content of the speech and if appropriate will play a short infomercial. Buy your TalkWords today! (All races and genders available, sign language extra)

Target your junk mail ! Google can now supply you with information on people who have talked about your product because we monitor everyone, all the time and with this you can refine your marketing strategies to maximise your cost/profit lines. Google. We care xx

It’s new, it’s Google-Cell ! We’ve got their numbers, we know their provider and we know their location. So when they are out and about, if they pass within 300 yards of your store, we’ll ring their phone and play YOUR invitation for them to browse your wares. (Hey … we aren’t giving your phone number away at all. Just using it to bug the hell out of you by getting ads to phone you.)

….
Google-hug anyone ?

Be interesting to see if this gets anywhere down under:

“Google’s extraordinary gain in market cap from nothing a few years ago to close to $US80 billion is more due to their massive misappropriation of intellectual property than anything else,” he said. Link

I’ve had my say about Google several times before and I would hope that more people question it’s presence, but the fact that the Google has thrown it’s toys out of the pram because someone dared to use their product is both funny and very pathetic. Read the ZDNet UK : Google: An Apology.

Put a new front page up over at www.abody.co.uk today (one female nipple on direct view if you click that) and I’m pondering redoing all their galleries too. The format has been the same for a while now, so reducing the images per gallery page by doubling the thumbnail size could produce the desired change. I’ve got the two programs which I need..just a case of getting in there and doing it. Their guestbook code is also now vulnerable to spammers so I’ll probably install WP just to be such a beast if they fancy the idea. And I know the images on that front page could be optimised but…. nah…

Last year, when many WP users were being swamped with spam, I had none. In November, I realised why – the path to this directory was being rendered to lowercase by whatever scripts the spammers were using – and noted that here. Soon after that of course, my little defense was worked round. Email conversation with someone a few days ago about Pagerank. I was told that this bit of my site is a 7, and the firefox extension also says 7. But some pagerank sites say 5, and a couple say 7. Now I couldn’t care what PR it is – it shows up which is what matters – but it would seem that the difference between T2 and t2 is making that happen. The thing is, they are obviously two different directories, so why can’t scripts work round this ? Unix path relic ?

Know any useful greasemonkey scripts ? (I typed that as greaseminkey and had to correct it …. visions of Peter Sellers “Do you ‘ave a license for that minkey ?” … never did find him that funny myself. Hmm…

D texted. Is hating it. So we go get her tomorrow. Portsmouth. Long way.

Thank you very much for restoring my domain into your search results. It took a while for us to get here, but I’m glad we have. Googlebot can crawl – and I won’t mind now :)