More (Mostly) Bad News for/from Google

Google Proxy Hacking: How A Third Party Can Remove Your Site From Google SERPs This looks like some bad stuff.

In June of 2006, while working to resolve some indexing issues for a client, I discovered a bug in Google’s algorithm that allowed 3rd parties to literally hack a web page out of Google’s index and search results. I notified a contact at Google soon after, once I managed to confirm that what we thought we were seeing was really happening.

The problem still exists today, so I am making this public in the hope that it will spur some action.

American Airlines Sues Google Over Keyword Ads “American Airlines does not bring this lawsuit lightly.” (para. 6)

Well, this is interesting. It’s not unusual for a trademark owner to sue Google for keyword-triggered ads–been there, done that. However, the fact that American Airlines pulled the trigger catches my attention. Many trademark owners who have sued Google had relatively obscure brands. Rescuecom? JTH Tax? Check-n-Go? Even American Blinds is hardly a household name. In contrast, American Airlines is an extremely well-known trademark owner with a big portfolio of trademarks. Further, American Airlines apparently decided it was worth going to war over this issue–and is prepared to pay the big bucks to litigate this case accordingly. If this lawsuit runs its course, I expect this to be a hard-fought and expensive lawsuit.

Download the complaint here.

SF Chronicle’s Stages Of Google Grief Lead To Suggestion For Google To Just Buy Newspapers First off, before someone brings it up in the comments, I’ll point out that the following post refers to the views of various columnists at the SF Chronicle, rather than any sort of discussion among those who have any real impact on the SF Chronicle’s strategy. However, it is quite amusing to see the “stages of Google grief” showing up on the editorial pages of the struggling San Francisco newspaper who has had to rid itself of hundreds of reporters lately.

Google Increases Stake in China Seeking to become the top search company in China, Google is planning to buy more Chinese companies and increase its investment in a few others.

Microsoft Taps Lobbyist on Google Buyout Microsoft Corp. hired Patton Boggs LLP to lobby the federal government on Google Inc.’s $3.1 billion buyout of online advertising company DoubleClick Inc., according to a disclosure form.

Microsoft’s anti-Google lobbyists, revealed If it wasn’t official before, we have it in writing now: Microsoft is directing at least a small fraction of its massive (by tech industry standards) lobbying shop toward Google’s proposed purchase of DoubleClick.

Posted by Jimmy Daniels Posted in: Google, Rambling 1 Comment » August 2007

Funny Ad

Here is an ad for woot.com I just saw on Google. I’d like to know how many people actually click on it.

Filthy rich? We’ll help.
Throw away your newfound cash
at Woot. You’re welcome.
woot.com

Posted by Jimmy Daniels Posted in: Advertising, Funny, Rambling No Comments » August 2007

Learning with Little TO

Found this on SportsbyBrooks, a big sports site with lots of good looking women on it, how can you go wrong? TO is writing childrens books and the first one is Little T Learns to Share, hehe, apparently, “Just Throw Me the Damn Ball” was already taken.

The days just don’t seem long enough for all Terrell Owens tries to pack into them. With adjusting to a new team, trying to settle old scores and figuring out how many pain pills he’s already taken, it’s a wonder he has time to do anything else.

Who would have thought he had enough left over to make the world a better place for children? Source: Yahoo

The book is the first in “T.O.’s Time Out Series,” so look for the next couple of titles, “Little T. Grows Up to Be an Ass” and “Little T. Learns That Flying Batteries Hurt.”

Posted by Jimmy Daniels Posted in: Rambling No Comments » October 2006

Obey these 11 simple rules and I won’t have road rage

Got this in an email called Obey these 9 11 simple rules and I won’t have road rage, I’ve added some of my own at the end. Warning, some of these have curse words.

1. If you’re in the left lane, and everybody’s passing you on the right, that means you need to get the fuck out of the left lane, genius.

2. If you stop to talk in the store, get your fat ass out of the middle of the aisle. If you don’t, and someone politely says, “Excuse me” to get through, you have no right to look at them like they just shit in your coffee.

3. Walk on the right side of the aisle. Works like a charm, just like they taught you in kindergarten.

4. If you’re stuck in a line of cars behind someone who needs to read rule number one above, but you’re not the poor slob right behind the asshole, tailgating, flashing your high-beams, hitting the horn or giving the finger will not help. The poor slob that’s in front of you can’t go any faster than the shithead in front of him. Chill the fuck out.

5. Hang the fuck up and drive.

6. Four-wheel drive means you can probably get going when it’s snowing. However, it doesn’t mean that you can stop, nor does it give you the right to drive like a fucking maniac and cause problems for people who don’t have four wheel drive.

7. If you’re someone who can’t buy a clue and still has to drive in the left lane all the time because you’re afraid to change lanes, stay the fuck home or ride the damn bus.

8. The next time you cut a corner, rather than turning into your own lane, realize that if you’re in an accident, it will be your fault. More importantly, if you hit someone and you’re not injured in the accident, don’t be surprised if they beat the shit out of you for being stupid.

9. If it’s raining, or snowing, or foggy, or dark, turn your headlights on, and use the low beams. High beams just reflect the fog, blind the other drivers, and prove to the world that you’re a stupid fuck.

10. If you can’t drive the same speed all the time, use the cruise control moron.

11. When you go up the hill, you have to give it more gas to maintain the same speed, otherwise you’re going to have a bunch of pissed off drivers behind you.

Posted by Jimmy Daniels Posted in: Rambling No Comments » September 2006

Just Because It’s Funny…

Here is one I ran accross this morning, funny because it’s true, the Top 10 Dirtiest Names in Sports. Featuring names like Dick Butkus and Chubby Cox, how can you go wrong?

How could the miss Jack Arute? That one always got a chuckle from me and my friends when the announcer would say, “Lets go down to Jack Arute”. Come on, you know it’s funny.

Posted by Jimmy Daniels Posted in: Entertainment, Funny, Rambling No Comments » September 2006

Mish Mash of Stuff

Bunch of [tag]funny[/tag] stuff that doesn’t really go together and they don’t deserve a post of their own.

Cocky moron tells what he is going to do with a golf ball, but it doesn’t turn out quit like he planned. Thank god for buddies with their video cameras.

I can’t imagine waking up to Dick Vitale, but here you go. Talking Dick Vitale Alarm Clock That’s awesome, baby?

Here is a clip called the Best of Most Extreme Challenge, the Japanese game show where the do all the dumb stunts, the show is on Spike I believe and is translated in English, while this clip is in German. This is funny, but most shows I’ve seen are better.

Posted by Jimmy Daniels Posted in: Rambling No Comments » September 2006

Standby Buttons to be Outlawed in the UK

This is one of those stories where you just have to shake your head and say, “what”? But in the UK, the government is going to outlaw standby buttons on televisions, video and dvd players the rdeuce the amount of electricity wasted in the homes.

(Pause to make sure it sinks in and allow you to pick yourself up off the floor.)

According to yesterday’s Energy Review, standby facilities use 8 per cent of all domestic electricity.

Lighting, set-top boxes, televisions, chargers, fridges, freezers, washing machines and computers were highlighted as wasteful products that must be redesigned to save power.

Businesses will have to phase out or reduce drastically the energy used by computers, printers and photocopiers left on standby. Source: TimesOnline via Realtechnews

Seriously, what are they thinking? Standby was created to save electricity, do they think that people will all of a sudden start turning everything off? The only way that will happen is if the extra costs associated with not having a standy mode increase their electric bill enough to matter. I don’t know what else to say, it’s truly unbelievable that someone could think that this will help.

Posted by Jimmy Daniels Posted in: Energy, Rambling, Technology No Comments » July 2006

Here I am again for the first time

Here we go, my personal blog and site, I will discuss most anything here, but it will probably mostly be computer, e-comerce, internet related type stuff. And, just the occasional bitching will be allowed.

Posted by Jimmy Daniels Posted in: Rambling No Comments » June 2006