So, here’s a Google search on the term “do a barrel roll” — click the link. I actually yelped. It’s just delightful that even their “Easter Eggs” push the boundaries of technology.
Yearly Archive: 2011
Permanent link to this article: http://ginalikins.com/2011/11/29/google-how-i-love-thee/
Oct 24
An overabundance of choices
Most of the time (and by most, I mean 95%+), I *love* having the richness of the internet’s information available to me. It’s pretty great to be able to know you don’t know something (like whether it’s ok to transport washing machines laying down on their sides) and instantly (or at least as quickly as I can type that into Google) get an answer (pretty much not advised unless you tighten the transport bolts and then not recommended as the weight of the barrel can cause everything to go askew*).
Sometimes, though, it’s too much. I just want a simple answer, and there isn’t one. For example, I want to know where to find the best price on the best flooring. Once upon a time this choice would have been simpler, as the choice would have been Bob’s Carpetatorium or Fred’s Floor-a-rama and that’d have been that.
I’m well aware that Bob’s and Fred’s may not have had, in fact, the most optimal price/value floor, but I’d have thought they did, and that would have simplified my decision-making process. Today I search for “flooring options” and there are millions of pages (of information) and millions more of shopping (and, of course, none of those options compare apples to apples, or Pergo to Armstrong, as it were).
So I’m overwhelmed. And I still haven’t decided on floors. Maybe I’ll call Bob.
* This knowledge proved helpful yesterday when Adrian and I transported his old washer and dryer from storage to our new house and my old washer and dryer to (honestly) the back porch. There’s another round of transport (new house washer and dryer to our hold house) yet to come. I know, you envy our glamorous lifestyle, right?
Permanent link to this article: http://ginalikins.com/2011/10/24/an-overabundance-of-choices/
Sep 19
On being “liked”…
Social Media changes all the time and in order to keep up, I subscribe to quite a few mailing lists. Most of the time I read and move on, but every once in a while there’s something that’s so *wrong* (yes, on the internet) that I have to say something.
Today’s gem was:
“What are clicks among friends?
Alot [sic] of folks lately are out liking FB fan pages in exchange for the owner of that page liking theirs as well. Nothing wrong with that, keep in mind that most will not return the favor. I will, guaranteed!” [name deleted to protect the clueless].
Alot [sic] of folks lately are out liking FB fan pages in exchange for the owner of that page liking theirs as well. Nothing wrong with that, keep in mind that most will not return the favor. I will, guaranteed!” [name deleted to protect the clueless].
My response:
“For what it’s worth, I do think there’s something wrong with that! It’s uselessly attempting to game the system and is no more reflective of a real relationship than the scores of “linkback” schemes that were all the rage in the 90′s (before Google made that a Bad Thing by penalizing the behaviour).
“Like” pages you actually “Like”. “Friend” people you know. Anything else is the digital equivalent of gushing over how much you like something you’ve never even tried at a cocktail party in order to try to win someone’s friendship, and that’s just plain tacky (IMHO, of course). “
Permanent link to this article: http://ginalikins.com/2011/09/19/on-being-liked/
Sep 12
I’ve seen the future…
…and I’m a little in love with it.
Adrian and I recently set up an account at Coastal Federal Credit Union (their GoGreen checking can pay up to 2% interest — w00t!) and I went there the other day to deposit a check. Surprises abounded:
First, their teller windows (and lobby) are open until 7pm (and I think from 7am, though, to be honest, I didn’t really read that part, since I am “not a morning person” in an almost cliche way).
Second, their teller windows are staffed by virtual tellers (looked a lot like the picture to the left)! There’s a screen and a video picture of your teller (mine was Carol). I have no idea where she was, but from that moment forward it was rather like a traditional drive-through arrangement, except:
- I could reach the window
- I could understand everything she said (no fast-food-style squawky speakers)
- When I put my check down, it was into a little slot like an ATM (I have to confess I did miss the SWOOOSH of the pneumatic tube)
- And, of course, she was not 10 feet away (I presume. That would have been sort of silly)
Wow. Just plain nifty. It would’ve been quick too, had I not spent so much time saying: “This is soooo cool! ”
I will also confess that having watched too much sci-fi — and this week’s Dr. Who — I also had a bit of difficulty remembering that she was a real person and not just “Interface.”
Permanent link to this article: http://ginalikins.com/2011/09/12/ive-seen-the-future/
Aug 26
Overwhelmed by social media?
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Permanent link to this article: http://ginalikins.com/2011/08/26/overwhelmed-by-social-media/
Aug 23
Why work with me?
Recommendations are the best source for information about a company.
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Permanent link to this article: http://ginalikins.com/2011/08/23/why-work-with-me/
Jun 23
Delightful UI suprise
Image via Wikipedia
Driving to Raleigh the other day, I noticed the new, easy-to-spot “lane paintings” on I-40. They’re large (4-5 feet across) and look just like the shield that is used to denote interstate highways.
It’s *great*! It makes it SO much easier to tell which lanes stay I-40 and which ones become Wade Ave.! I am all for increasing information density when possible and this was an easy way to do so. YAH Raleigh!
Permanent link to this article: http://ginalikins.com/2011/06/23/delightful-ui-suprise/
Permanent link to this article: http://ginalikins.com/2011/06/12/sticking-the-landing/
Jun 12
My turn in the helicopter!
Permanent link to this article: http://ginalikins.com/2011/06/12/my-turn-in-the-helicopter/
Jun 12
Helicopter lessons
Permanent link to this article: http://ginalikins.com/2011/06/12/helicopter-lessons/
Jun 10
Growing pains…
It’s an odd (and somewhat unsettling) thing to realize that my web content is spanning two sites. I’d like to hurry up and get the migration done, but I also know I need to do the proper housecleaning before porting content — when you’ve been online since 1996, you accumulate a lot of driftwood.
I always tell organizations that I’ve worked with that diluting your message can be nearly as harmful as not having one, so clearing out the clutter (particularly in the main pages of the site) is a must-do.
Permanent link to this article: http://ginalikins.com/2011/06/10/growing-pains/
Jun 05
Wonderful Bela Fleck show
The best part was that it was his original lineup, so Future Man, Victor Wooten (both of whom I had seen before) and Howard Levy (who I hadn’t) joined Bela — wow! I have never heard harmonica playing like Howard Levy… there were times he was playing harp and if I closed my eyes I’d have sworn he was playing sax, the notes were so clear and distinct. At one time, he did a little solo bit where he played Ode to Joy… I was about 20 seconds into enjoying it before I realized he was playing all the parts — the slow chord progression that’s normally played by the left hand *and* the more “active” melody played by the right.
I wondered for a moment whether he was somehow looping it (he wasn’t) or using two harps (he wasn’t)… my jaw dropped open and I wished dearly for my Tivo so I could have “mooped” back to the beginning to watch again now that I knew it was *all him*.
And getting to meet ALL OF THEM afterwards…HEAVEN! (I did ask Levy how he did it — he said he uses his tongue to block the center part of the harp then blows the chords out the left while using his lips to control the melody on the right!)
Permanent link to this article: http://ginalikins.com/2011/06/05/wonderful-bela-fleck-show/
Permanent link to this article: http://ginalikins.com/2011/06/02/sleepy/
Jun 01
Having fetched all my old LiveJournal entries…
I’m figuring out a way to spare you from all the twitter cross-posts…I’m sure I can do this.
Permanent link to this article: http://ginalikins.com/2011/06/01/having-fetched-all-my-old-livejournal-entries/
May 30
My experience
resume
Learn more about my 18+ years managing online strategy for clients and organizations ranging from semiconductor associations to international non-profits to major telecommunication companies. From sci.environment to the rise of social media, I’ve seen it all.
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Permanent link to this article: http://ginalikins.com/2011/05/30/social_media_consultan/