Google Social Search update makes your friends more relevant, difficult to ignore

Google's been talking up its Social Search function for sometime, but up until now your friends' tweets probably haven't made it to the top of your search results -- unless of course you're besties with TMZ, and you've been searching the Miley Cyrus bong salvia rip again. Thankfully, it looks as if that could change with El Goog's latest update to the socially minded search function, which now mixes updates from your contacts' various online accounts, like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, in with the standard search fair -- pulling them up from their previous position at the bottom of your results. Google's also included a photo and annotation to show the origins of relevant links, and given you the ability to manage how you connect your accounts -- either publicly through your profile or privately through your account. The new functions started rolling out yesterday, which means you could be seeing a whole lot more from those contacts you regretted friending in the first place. Isn't social media a wonderful / disastrous thing?Google Social Search update makes your friends more relevant, difficult to ignore originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Feb 2011 08:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Google  | Email this | Comments

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Fixing The Thinker With 3D Printing [3D Printing]

In 2007, some goons looted a casting of Rodin's The Thinker (one of many castings that exist of the iconic piece) from the Singer Laren Museum in the Netherlands, intending to sell it as scrap metal. I'm not sure why you'd want to sell a multi-million dollar work of art as scrap metal, but hey, that's on them. Though six other works from the museum were destroyed in the looting, The Thinker was recovered, though badly damaged. The museum asked the Belgian 3D printing company Materialise to help them fix it up. More »

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Why This Man Could Spend 20 Years In Jail For a YouTube Video [Wtf]

This is Evan Emory. This past Monday, he posted a video on YouTube that showed (through some simple editing) him singing a sexually explicit song to a classroom full of elementary school students. He didn't actually sing anything offensive in front of the kids. But he's still facing 20 years in prison, on a felony charge of manufacturing child sexual abusive material. More »

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Microsoft, Why Did You Lie To Velocity Girl? [Total Recall]

You may not remember her, but Velocity Girl was one of the stars of E3 2005. Young, funky and a casual gamer, she was promised the Xbox 360 would be the console of her dreams. More »

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Chrome Web Store opens to international devs

The Chrome Web Store has had somewhat limited developer access since its launch back in December of 2010. Soon, however, international developers will be able to submit Web apps for sale in Google's open-but-closed Web marketplace. Fifteen additional countries have been added to the developer dashboard, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and the UK.

While international developer access is great, Chrome users in those countries aren't going to benefit from the expansion for some time. Google says the consumer launch isn't going to happen until later this year. Developers will also be able to price apps they want to sell via Chrome Web Store Payments (powered by Google Checkout), but won't actually be able to register for a merchant account yet.

Oh, what a tangled Web... Store!Chrome Web Store opens to international devs originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

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MacBook Pros may be in for an imminent refresh, about time too

Welcome back to our annual tradition of speculating on just when and how Apple will freshen up its laptop range. AppleInsider is citing multiple sources today in support of its assertion that the MacBook Pro line will be getting upgraded by Apple, potentially as soon as next week. The Mac OS vendor is reportedly briefing folks to be ready for a "significant product launch" soon, which is narrowed down to its laptop division by a couple more pieces of circumstantial evidence. Apple's Asian online stores have shifted their promised MBP delivery times from 24 hours to "one to five days," indicating potentially lower stock quantities, while Italian blog iSpazio has dug up five new product SKUs that could be the markers for new laptop models. None of that sets anything in stone, of course, but we're also hearing the expected upgrade to Sandy Bridge won't afflict Apple's new machines with that Cougar Point chipset flaw, so whenever Apple deigns to bring us this upgrade it should be nice and pristine.MacBook Pros may be in for an imminent refresh, about time too originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 16:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  AppleInsider, iSpazio.net  | Email this | Comments

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Google, Best Buy, Sony and others form alliance to defend FCC's proposed 'AllVid' standard

We've already seen Sony, TiVo and others come out in support of the FCC's proposed CableCard replacement, known as AllVid, but it looks like they're now stepping up their game considerably. In a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, the group -- which also includes Google, Best Buy, Mitsubishi and others -- has announced that they've formed the "AllVid Tech Company Alliance" in a concerted effort to defend the proposed AllVid standard, and counter arguments from those opposed to it -- namely, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (or NCTA) and the cable companies that are a part of it. As you might expect, the Alliance isn't making a lot of new arguments, but it is stating its position pretty frankly, telling the FCC that "it is essential for the Commission to break down the wall separating the home network from MVPD [or pay TV] networks - not just poke a few holes in it, or rely on progress on the peripheries." You can find the complete letter (in PDF form) at the source link below.Google, Best Buy, Sony and others form alliance to defend FCC's proposed 'AllVid' standard originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 13:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Ars Technica  |  FCC  | Email this | Comments

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