Google Says You Are In Charge*

by David A. Utter, WebProNews

All the fears being sparked over Google's dominance in search, along with its land-grab of DoubleClick's data mined consumer information, are really just an illusion.

Personalized search is the key to freedom when it comes to using Google. The company's Peter Fleischer, global policy counsel, said the search giant's policy's put the user in charge of what they share with the company.

His op-ed piece appeared in the Financial Times, where Fleischer discussed the function of personalized search, and the challenges in finding a middle ground with its services.

He discussed the concept of context as it applies to how people search. Fleischer cited the example of searching for Paris; one searcher may searching for a romantic European getaway, while another could be looking for love life gossip about a certain hotel fortune heiress.

The more personalization people permit Google to have, the greater relevance their search results will have for those users. That's where the quandary takes place, according to him:

The question is how do we deal with this challenge? Stop all progress on personalized search or give people a choice? We believe that the responsible way to handle this privacy issue is to ask users if they want to opt in to the service. That is why Google requires people to open an account and turn on their personalized search functionality.

Though people can turn personalized search off and on as desired, the option to do so is what has been questioned: Why should Google keep data for any reason? Fleischer said there is so much information coming online each day, "more targeted and personal results can really add to people's quality of life."

In other words, better living through Google.

*Courtesy: www.webpronews.com

In Pursuit of Happiness*

by Swetha Amit

Happiness: A simple word yet not so common in today’s scenario. The rarity of this psychological well being has emphasized its eternal quest for it. Several connotations have been attached to this term. So what is it that defines this magical state of being?

Humans attribute different meanings to 'happiness’. Some denote material comforts and wealth as factors contributing to immense satisfaction. Others go on to equate it to power, fame and affiliation. Despite achieving everything, one still tends to remain in melancholy. This depicts the strange aspect of human nature.

A further insight into this mysterious phenomenon brings to light the complexity of the cognitive aspect of individuals.

Is it because:

They have attached false notions to happiness?

Greed engulfs them into aspiring for more that they fail to realize the value of what they have?

A mere case of dependence on external factors?

A lack of acknowledgement of this elated feeling?

Success due to fame and wealth can leave one feeling to yearn for more as they go on climbing the ladder to the top. Such individuals refuse to pay heed to their inner voice which states that there is more to life than these superficial elements. Eager to know the result of reaching above often leads to disappointment and the ironical twist in tale. What should have brought them joy has made them feel miserable. Was all this worth it?

There are some who live for others' opinions. Appreciative acceptance shown by society is what apparently determines their ecstatic existence. Lack of it portrays them as lifeless beings deprived of oxygen. It is high time to realize that dependence on other people does not determine our jubilant feeling.

At times people choose to reside in grief land, in spite of experiencing the reverse emotion. Such thrive on insecurity of their little castle crashing anytime. They fear that their new found joy will be enticed away leaving them to feel like a child whose toy has been grabbed mercilessly. This portrays the unwarranted retrospection about future unpleasant occurrences.

It is a fact that life is a bumpy roller coaster ride. Highs and lows draw parallels to the tides of the ocean waves. Is it fair to meekly surrender to downfalls without an assertive battle against these obstacles?

Happiness is something which is within us and in our hands. We choose our feelings and not let anyone or anything influence it. People, money, fame are temporary illusions which fade away like diminishing light. What remains is the continuous radiance within us, illuminating our minds to connect to our inner selves. We are the masters of our mind. We should steer it like buoyancy that anchors the ship through even a stormy weather. It should sail with determination on the waves instead of sinking in that pool of misery.

Focusing in the present is the key here. Being futuristic will deprive us out of happiness forever. If we are in an elevated phase, treasuring such moments is of utmost importance. Else we are forever saddled with unhappiness.

Hitting rock bottom is bound to be accompanied with anxiety and stress. However, we can still feel happy with the confidence of overcoming this hurdle in no time, and back to positivism.

The saying goes that “Our greatest glory lies in not never falling, but in rising every time we fall’. Therefore let us remain in eternal euphoria when we are hovering above as well as when we sink below. Let us rise with every fall. We are assured of surpassing any set back only to be faced with the merry colorful rainbow.

As a poet has said: "If winter comes can spring be far behind?"

This realization will indeed make our journey in pursuit to happiness easier.

*courtesy: http://in.msn.com

Google Gets A Tag Line: "Search, Ads & Apps"

Google Gets A Tag Line: "Search, Ads & Apps"

Introduction to Duh-lans* - So True! :)

Surely, you think I mean Dulhan, which is Hindi for Bride. Nopes, I exactly mean Duh-lans. If you haven’t heard the noun before, dont worry, I just coined it.

define: “Duh-lan”
Duh-lan : noun, Bride of an In-duh-vidual.

If you dont know who an In-duh-vidual is, then you should probably go die. And unless you dont belong to any religion which have ceremonial daggers for committing honourable suicides, here’s the Dilbert Newsletter which explains it all.

Coming back to Duh-lans.

I have a profile on one of the leading Matrimonial sites which was recently featured in the Limca book of records. They claim to have the biggest database and likewise, success rates. One might expect that this profile one create is about making oneself as appealing to the preferred audience as possible. Is it too much to expect that one will do a spell (and/or) grammar check while submitting the profile. Sadly, from the newsletter that comes every other day, all I can see wannabe Duh-lans.

Here are some Duh-lans describing themselves:

“I like to make new friends, i have also feelings towards my best friends & i am very frenk with my firends. I wants my life partner who can care me as well. I like to do job because i want to help my family. I am from middle class family. I want that type of life partner who can understand me & always help me in my bed situation.“

“I LIKE WORK I AM VERY TRUE ALL ARE FRIEND HI HELLO EVERY THING IS OK”

“We are doing my business. We are a joint family.”

“my pat name is tomy she is whary cute i am loveing him whary mach.”

“all life with me my friends and all life prey for god“

and there are some with mixed preferences:

“my family has happy and she entry to very happy”

(yes, there are boys filling up bride profiles also, I put them in Duh-lan category for benefit of doubt)

You might be thinking that I am making all the above things up, no as much I’d like the credit, I’m not this creative. And I have proof that I received all of them in Newsletters, thankfully in Gmail, I never throw a mail away. :)

PS: I have nothing against these females. They are going to make some in-duh-vidual very happy some day.

*Courtesy: http://www.hurrhurr.com

Great going mate! Very True and Yet Very Entertaining. Keep up your writing in the same fashion and hopefully you'll get your perfect Nimmo very soon... All d best! :) :)

Has Google Created A Monster?*

by Jason Lee Miller, WebProNews

The Google vs. MSN Rock Em Sock Em fight provides an interesting juxtaposition. In an outcome that seems surreal, like when Tyson took a bite out of Holyfield, Google has taken so much out of Microsoft in the online arena that folks are starting to wonder if it's a fair fight.

And then something more interesting happens (or, more accurately, is happening). Everybody's favorite mountain to blast, Microsoft, has been blasted so low that they're an unexpected underdog.

Or, to mix my metaphors further in honor of the upcoming Kentucky Derby, Microsoft is (it's so strange to say I doubt it each time) the dark horse.

Now I've never been one to hype the power and potential of Google – oh wait, yeah, I have, lots of times. But it's especially eerie to watch those prognostications come alive, especially as we all championed it all along. Everyone has sensed it for some time, that Google could and probably will, permeate all aspects of our lives.

Google Search, Google Ads, Google TV, Google Movies, Google Newspapers, Google park benches, Google satellites, Google ISP. Expect to see that brand on the side of a lot more property to come.

After acquiring DoubleClick, which already has Microsoft and AT&T ironically crying antitrust, there is talk Google is trying to cut News Corp. out of a deal for Dow Jones. And that makes Google followers pause to reassess.

They learned their lesson after not buying MySpace when they had the chance. All this wasn't too long after Schmidt shrewdly buddied up with Apple – the lowest, hardest punch the company could have thrown at the Beast of Redmond.

Has all that Google hysteria, the IPO, the cheering on, the multi-nationalization, the creeping into every facet of media, the first real challenge Microsoft has faced in a while, combined to create a monster we're all not certain we can control? Were the French right? Sacre bleu!

I'm not the only one that thinks Microsoft is becoming more endearing to the public than before. Microsoft is a giant we've already gotten comfortable dealing with.

Times Online Writer Jonathan Weber calls Microsoft "the great underdog," and expounds on why we need Microsoft in the age of Google.

Google has changed the way of the web in less than ten years. Without a strong Microsoft, its dominance will only increase.

Not that Microsoft doesn't deserve it. They've been the shrewdest competitors the world has seen till now. But Google's rise to challenge, though we all hoped for it, is getting a bit frightening. Who knew the lighthearted Lego Googtopia would become the fortress that it is?

Weber concludes:

And strange as this would have sounded ten years ago, the industry needs Microsoft to be a viable player in the Web 2.0 world, lest we all be bit players in the universe according to Google.

My only real conclusion:

It's a strange, strange world when you can think of a company like Microsoft as the underdog.

*Courtesy: WebProNews

Competition at its best - Just Awesome:)

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