EXCLUSIVE: Google Buys WordPress!

This was obviously an attempt at an April Fool’s Joke. I must say, I’m quite impressed with my WordPress/Google Logo

I was chatting to my cousin a couple of hours ago via IM, and he let slip about the news that Automattic had sold off WordPress to Google.

He knows this because he works with Matt Mullenweg, but he obviously doesn’t want me to “reveal his name” until the news is made public (which is going to happen in a few hours time apparently). So, for the purpose of this post, let’s call him Byron.

I asked if he minded if I copied and pasted a part of our conversation about it and he said he didn’t mind because the news would be released later today anyway. (I’m guessing it has something to do with the fact that by the time anybody reads my blog, it will have been announced already).

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Creating your Google Reader Application with Google Chrome

Google Chrome was finally released, and I’ve been playing around with it for a few hours.

I decided to try out creating a “Google Reader Application” by making use of the “Chromeless Chrome” functionality.

In the images (click on them for a larger look) you will see the 4 basic steps to creating the Chrome-less application:

1 – The initial web site (Google Reader) in a basic/standard Google Chrome browser. You can see it’s still in the normal browser chrome because of the tabs and URL bar, etc.

2 – Click on the “page” icon to the right of the URL bar and click on “Create application Shortctuts…”

3 – You will then have a couple of prompts to answer and you can save your shortcut to the desktop. You can see that Google Chrome has chosen the Favicon as the “application icon”.

4 – In this last screenshot you can see what the Google Reader app will look like, now that it doesn’t have the usual “browser chrome”. (See my previous article about Google Chrome for more info on that).

And, we now have a “Google Reader Application“, especially since we don’t really need an internet connection if you’ve enabled Google Gears for this site.

Something Interesting for week 2 of 2008

Drive badly and make a killing

Making a killing money-wise, though.

Read this Idea for a scam. It’s genius.

And I have a feeling Taxi Drivers here in SA would make a FORTUNE!!!

found via Donncha’s blog

A humorous look at Education

Watch this video… It will make you think.

And it made me laugh.

found in Toni’s Garage

Banning iPods while walking

This could get interesting. It looks like New York is planning on making it illegal to bike, walk or run across a street while using your ipod.

I’d love to see them enforce this. I mean, if New York bans iPods, I’d LOVE to see what Apple (and the man himself, Steve Jobs) says.

According to GulfNews.com:

And it is not just iPods. Kruger’s Bill also would ban using cell phones, Blackberries, video games or other electronic devices when crossing the street.

Kruger said a 21-year-old man in his district was killed last autumn when he stepped off the curb at the busy intersection while listening to music. And a 23-year-old iPod listener was killed on January 11.

Do you REALLY think making iPods illegal when crossing the road will make a difference? I don’t…

Please don’t buy this book

I stole that title from Seth Godin. Well, not really “stole”, more like borrowed for my own gain (and lack of imagination). Looks like Amazon (and some anonymous publisher) is doing the same thing. According to Seth:

I didn’t authorize this book to be published, I have no idea who the publisher is and I certainly didn’t ask Amazon to email anyone.

This is regarding this free eBook: “Everyone’s an Expert”

Apparently Amazon is offering this book for sale, even though clicking the above link will get you the PDF version of this book free of charge from Seth’s website. They’re also claiming that it’s a new book, and in internet years, it’s about 14 years old (it was written in 2005)…

So, If you’d like to read it, go ahead, but don’t pay for it!

US subway saviour

DAMN! Go read the article below about a man who saved another person who’d fallen onto the tracks of a subway when he had a fit of some sort by jumping on top of him and rolling him in between the tracks. He had to do this because of an on-coming train. The train slammed on emergency brakes, but 2 cars rolled over them, missing them by only 5cm!

The father of three was lauded for his quick thinking and even quicker reflexes. Waiting for a downtown train on Tuesday, he saw Cameron Hollopeter, a 19-year-old film student, suffering from some kind of medical problem. After stumbling down the platform, Hollopeter, of Littleton, Massachusetts, fell onto the tracks with a train on its way into the station.

He says he’s not a hero?!? Guy’s got guts!

Read the full article here: US subway saviour says he’s no hero

VISA and the economy

In Matt Cutts’ article, “Visa as metric for the economy” he talks about the fact that a good measure of the economy is VISA’s data, due to the fact that “$17 out of every $100 is spent on its 500 million cards”

And, on top of that, VISA keeps around 1-2% of the transaction fee. Works out to $0.17 for every $100 spent IN AMERICA!!!

I’d say they’re making a profit. But what do I know about that? %\