Something to remember for the next time I paint my room.

No Need to Click Here - I’m just claiming my feed at Feedster

I like computers because it is fun very very fun. I like being a computter manger. I is very very fun. I don’t mind missing resess I like it.
–Sept 21, 1988

That was me, at the age of eight writing about how I liked being the computer manager at school ([sic]). See…even back then I knew I wanted to be a sys admin. ;o)

Google has a Desktop Search tool and Microsoft recently acquired a Desktop Search tool. Both search files. Both search email. However, Google’s is integrated into the browser and Microsoft’s is integrated into an email client. There are two downfalls to the latter approach

1. That email client is Microsoft Outlook, which is not a free application. This could severely limit the desktop search tools acceptance. Google’s solution uses a free client and it is application-independent to boot! Google brought web services to the desktop! (I’ve always had a problem with web services, in that you have to be connected to the web to use them…I frequently work offline)
2. The majority of my time on the computer is spent in my browser, not in my email client. This convenience factor is important in the acceptance of an application. Further, I execute numerous searches a day and almost always have a Google query window/tab open - that makes it all the easier to execute the search across my desktop.

While it may be common sense, Google has made a smart move by integrating its desktop search tool into the browser. Even though I almost always have both open, I am usually more active in my browser and it is more natural to use that interface for searching. In my mind, I usually only go into my email client when I need to read or respond to email. Other than that, it sits in the background. This, Microsoft, is why I have not installed Lookout and find it more convenient to use my browser to search my email. This also means that I’m not going to want to open another application to search my desktop unless it is technically superior to my current solution. This is also why I chose to install Google Desktop - I was frustrated with not being able to search word and excel files, and I have an enormous amount of knowledge (not all my own ;)) stored in those and Adobe pdf files. Despite some potential security concerns, thank you Google for adding some convenience to my local search. Microsoft (and others…Scoble ponders whether Yahoo is up to something - wonder what their interface *cough*browser*cough* would be), you have some work to do.

One note: Lookout probably won’t be the end product as can be assumed by some rumors floating around about MSN’s desktop search. Even if the new solution is a toolbar, it’s still limited to Microsoft products…not good enough! Why? I don’t use Windows Explorer (too limited, thank you Servant Salamander), and I don’t want a deskbar on my already limited laptop’s screen real estate. A tray icon might work, but I already have enough of those. From the Neowin article, Microsoft sounds like they might be taking the right direction with respect to context-based searches from as many places as possible.

OK, I’m done for now.

Just wanted to take a minute and say Happy Thanksgiving! It was nice to be home and see family I don’t get to see too often seeing as how I live in the middle of the country.

Hope yours was enjoyable!

Thank you, Paul for finally providing a good source of information about the .NET Compact Framework. Ever since I got my new Audiovox SMT5600, I’ve been wanting to work on some apps for it (i.e. better call history and an ntp client) but haven’t been able to find very good resources. This should get me going - gotta love vacation!

6,500: Speed, in miles per hour, attained by NASA’s “scramjet”, the first jet aircraft to go Mach 9.6, or 2 miles per second

20: Number of minutes it would take to fly from New York City to Los Angeles at that speed

That from the most recent Time issue about NASA’s scramjet that can fly at speeds up to Mach 10 and recently broke the speed record.

I’ll be flying from Dulles to San Fran soon and that will be a 6 hour flight - wish I could hook myself up with a scramjet!

Seems like Japan has an amazing underground water system that’s reminiscent of a game or sci-fi movie. Apparently the photos are not CG, even though they look extremely vector-like. I wonder if I can get a tour.

I’ve been using Google’s Desktop Search for a few weeks now and I really like it. It’s made finding lost emails much easier, and it’s come in quite handy more than a few times while wading through my masses of Word docs.

The cached web page feature is also pretty nice, but I noticed something odd about it today. I thought it just displayed the cached html, but the thumbnail next to one of the search results showed the pop-up dialog from my firewall.

Does this mean that Google is taking screenshots of my desktop? Why do I care about this? Well I’ve authorized the program to cache my web pages, but I didn’t authorize it to cache random pop-ups on my desktop. What if something I don’t want cached pops up?

I’ll have to dig into this a little deeper to see if this is actually the case.

Update: Franci has a good list of other things potentially wrong with Google Desktop.

So I went to the circus last night! You know, the three rings and the elephants and the trapeze artists. There are some (poor quality) pics on my moblog if you’re interested.

It was really fun. My favorite parts were where they ride the motorcycle’s around the big metal ball and Crazy Wilson by defying the laws of gravity and common sense atop the gyroscopic Pendulum of Pandemonium! It kind of makes me want to quit my job and join the circus.