Internet

Les Paul Google Doodle – Cool BUT Costly!

August 1, 2023 by noemi

So last week, how much time did you spend playing with the Les Paul Google Doodle? Arguably, that Doodle is the second best that Google has come up with. I personally prefer the Pac-Man Doodle although it seemed to me that more people voiced out their appreciation of the more recent Doodle.

And it also seems that more people spent time actually staying on Google’s home page – not to do anything else but play with the virtual guitar and record their handiwork! According to ExtremeTech ((ExtremeTech)), the “simple” Doodle cost the world a whopping 10.7 million man hours. Imagine countless people stopping work to play their favorite tune using the Doodle. Imagine the same people conducting searches to find out which strings to “pluck” in order to get their desired tone. It’s easy to understand just how many hours were spent playing on the guitar all over the world.

Now let’s talk money. Those 10.7 million man hours – how much does that cost? Working on the assumption that the average Google user earns $25 per hour, those hours translate to $268 million. Oh please don’t let the executives read these figures or they just might ban Google. Then again, who is to say that those executives didn’t spend their fair share of time on the Les Paul?

And speaking of money, the Doodle didn’t come free for Google. The guys at ExtremeTech seem to love doing math, so they went ahead and calculated the cost of the Les Paul Doodle – a mere $15,000. Well, it’s not a small sum but comparing it to the cost in productivity, it’s a drop in the bucket.

Google, you may be a productivity killer at times, but you still rock!

The Evolution of Bloggers

July 23, 2023 by noemi

Do you consider yourself a blogger? To be honest, blogging (and all other derivatives of the word) is an overused term, and you may find a lot of people hard-pressed when asked to give a clear definition of what blogging is. One thing is for sure, what started as an online extension of one’s personal journal/diary has gone through a lot of changes. Blogging has indeed come a long way.

In case you’re into in all things “blogging”, here’s an interesting infographic about the evolution of bloggers – the people behind these things we call blogs.

Note: The info is focused on the UK. Click for a bigger image.

Significant stats include:

There are more male bloggers than female bloggers: 2/3 of all bloggers are male.
Not a lot of people read blogs – only 13% of Brits. Now the question is, do all the people included in the stats know what blogs are?
Not a lot of people blog – only 2% of UK Internet users.

Can Someone Please Help Me Find My Cell Phone?

July 14, 2023 by minic

A cell phone is a necessity. Some people would even say that they can’t live a day without their cell phones. It is not only for making calls to family members, friends and business associates. It has become a link to the Internet, a tool to capture memories through photos and videos or a gadget to play music. It stores tons of information about you and the people you are associated with.

So what happens when your beloved cell phone goes missing? You know you just misplaced. Where? You’re not sure. How do you find it? You go to I Can’t Find My Phone, a side project of Dave Dawson from New York City. It’s mission is straightforward: to help people find their photo when misplaced.

Simply enter the phone number and you should hear your phone ring.

(Note: Don’t abuse the system though by entering other people’s phone number.)

Wi-Fi Speeds to Possibly Double

July 12, 2023 by noemi

Can you imagine life without Wi-Fi? I am pretty sure that for many of us, life was just fine without wireless connection as recent as five years ago. With the sudden deluge of Wi-Fi compatible devices, though, life without Wi-Fi (the Internet) could very well be unimaginable for a lot of people today.

Think about it – when you go to a restaurant or a coffee shop, what is one of the first things you consider? When you book a hotel for a vacation, what is on the top of your list? I am willing to bet that Wi-Fi somewhere in there.

So technology has given us so much convenience, but we could all use faster Wi-Fi, right? If the guys at Stanford are successful, we just might enjoy Wi-Fi at double the speed. They have developed a technology that will allow the use of a single Wi-Fi channel to receive and transmit signals simultaneously. The technology is called antenna cancellation, and basically, it deals with the self-interference that occurs when transmitting and receiving on a single channel. The result? Possibly full duplex communication.

The implications of this technology are huge, especially for wireless providers. Even better, the technology is not limited to Wi-Fi – all radio communications can benefit from it.

At the moment, the technology still needs some work, especially with regard to making it commercially viable. The researchers mention the need for antenna separation, but also say that there is no theoretical limit as to the applications of the technology.

As for us consumers, we just need to wait till they get it out in the market, and we just might enjoy much faster wireless connections in the near future.

Via NewsFactor