Test post for Google Buzz

This is a test posting to see if Google Buzz will pick it up.

Please ignore this message. Effective immediately. Move along. Nothing to see here.

Finding old newspaper columns online

I like to read interesting news columns. One that really enjoyed was Lydel Sims, a columnist with the Memphis Commercial Appeal daily newspaper. Recently, I discovered a trick using Google News, to search for archives of such older columns. (Google has been scanning the microfilm/microfiche of some older newspaper archives and applying text recognition to the resulting scans. The results are really good.)

1. Go to news.google.com
2. (You may need to choose the USA version of Google if you are doing this from outside the USA.)
3. Click on "Advanced News Search" to the right of the Google News search buttons
4. Click on "Archive Search" for articles more than 30 days old
5. Enter a search term, such as "Lydel Sims" and let Google return the results

You should get a lot of results, some of which are free and some of which are pay to view. Clicking on one of the search results loads a full-page scan of the newspaper itself! You can then navigate the "newspaper" and read the article of interest. For example, here is a search result from May 25, 1986 from the Deseret News. If you go to the advanced settings for the archive search, you can narrow down the search to certain "sources" (such as the name of the newspaper itself).

What makes this a bit more interesting is the nice timeline view which can narrow down your search by decade and even by month. This makes searching for specific references a lot easier. Gone are the days when you need to search volumes of indexes of newspapers and then hunt down the microfilm for those pages. This makes it much faster and easier. (Although there is something very bookwormish about getting lost in the research section of a library...)

Happy reading!

Very good showcase of web design in Russia

Areseny Vesnin has a very good (and long) list of web companies and designers from Russia and Ukraine. I am quite impressed with the listing! The variety and creativity of the web sites is very good. You can see his complete blog entry here:

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/10/17/global-web-design-russia/

This is a first in a series of articles on "Global Web Design" which could turn into a very extensive and valuable resource for companies looking to outsource to local design firms.

Happy reading!

Should I upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7?

I don't think so. As for why or why not? I think Robert X. Cringely may have said it better than me in his column below. Don't get me wrong, I have heard good things about Windows 7 but I don't think it is a necessary upgrade for me personally at this time. I am OK with Vista on a one year old laptop. Although he has often ventured into the conspiratorial at times, I think I agree with him regarding Win 7.

http://www.cringely.com/2009/10/why-windows-7-costs-so-much/

Happy reading!

Comscore: Russia has World’s Most Engaged Social Networking Audience

According to a July press release from comScore, Russia has the most "engaged" social networking audience. Globally, the average number of hours a visitor spends online is 3.7; the Russian internet audience spends 6.6 hours online per day! 

The leading social networking site within Russia is Vkontake.ru, a cousin to Facebook. In May 2009 59% of online visitors visited a social networking site; a very high percentage!

http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2009/7/Russia_has_World_s_Most_Engaged_Social_Networking_Audience

Happy Reading!

(Corrected: 6.6 hours per month, not per day. Thanks TH!)

What's inside a cup of coffee? Chemically speaking...

What's inside a cup of coffee? More than just hot water, brown goodness, and a little sugar? Why, much more than that. So much more. Much more than you ever wanted to know, in fact....

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the chemical components of coffee, via Wired Magazine:

http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/magazine/17-10/st_coffee

Happy reading!

Using Skype for job interviews (Time.com article)

Skype and video camera technology has matured quickly such that more and more people are using it everyday. This Time.com article talks about some of the practical benefits for companies to save money while doing pre-interviews for job applicants. There are also some basic "tv tips" for setting up the right frame of mind as well as the physical setup of video conferencing. A good read for any small business or group which is trying to work as a virtual team, as well as save travel costs.

Happy reading!