In light of recent discussions, especially the ones at the latest BarCamp, on Anaj’s blog or in Christian’s posting on 123people.com , I think these quotes from a Compiler entry on Google’s new Social Graph API are interesting:
There is also the problem of privacy. While the new API is using only publicly available data, that won’t stop some from finding it invasive. Despite the fact that most sites using XFN or FOAF markup wear it like a badge on their sleeve, most users remain unaware that this code is in their profile pages.
And this one here:
But the problem isn’t really Google’s new API, nor is it the underlying XFN and FOAF markup.
The problem is that there simply isn’t a privacy mechanism that works throughout the web and that remains, if not a stumbling block, at least something that will bother many users.
While the above quotes refer mainly to the handling of XFN and FOAF markup, it holds true for the usage of APIs in general. By not having some sort of privacy regulation in effect, people will quit signing up for services of which they can’t be sure whether their data is going to stay safe inside or not.
If you’re into productivity, meaning testing tools and services that might make you a bit more organized, but in the end really just cost a lot of your time, because you can’t decide on the perfect setup, then these news are for you!
We all remember Remember the Milk, the extremely versatile, albeit sometimes too extensive todo-list tool. Apart from integration with Twitter, Google Calendar and a host of other features, they’ve now introduced a plugin for Firefox enigmatically named Remember the Milk for GMail.
The more astute among you will now have guessed what it does, but I’ll spell it out for good measure: the plugin combines the power of Remember the Milk with the, well, extreme power of GMail. Makes two extremely powerful powerplayers powering your life.
I tested it out for your convenience, and well, it’s really quite perfect. By putting the list in the right sidebar, the plugin integrates RTM so smoothly into GMail, you’d think it’s actually a part of the official package. Adding and editing of items can be done inside GMail, as well as a whole lot of other things which I won’t repeat here, because next to a heap of screenshots, the official plugin page actually lists all the features.
Enjoy.
It’s usually not such a great thing when a website you use daily goes offline. Well, this time it’s perfect. Because, you see, it’s just semantics.
Google Reader, as of today, lets you browse your feeds’ last 200 items when offline. While it’s difficult nowadays to find a place that’s NOT online, sometimes you just can’t help it. Like on the tram. Or on a plane. Or in a prison cell, where, technically, you wouldn’t even be allowed to own a notebook. But for a few cartons of cigarettes, nothing’s a problem there. So I hear.
Well, the whole thing is made possibly by an extensions called Google Gears. And while it’s a fascinating thing, I have no clue what the underlying technology is. But fortunately, the good people at TechCrunch do.
Recent Comments