zen bones...

Steve Mathew's Blog

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OK, so why the zen bones thing?

About 20 years ago I stumbled upon a book called "Zen Flesh, Zen Bones". Being vegetarian - the "flesh" bit didn't grab me, but the short pithy Zen stories inside it, did.

Ever since then my web nick has been zenbones, my Hotmail, my Gmail address, you name it. It's kinda stuck.

Is the blog about Zen? Nope.


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March 4
“ KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has moved 11,200 of their crew members to Gmail as part of their Google Apps Premier Edition deployment Official Google Enterprise Blog: Flying into the cloud
Tags: Google GMail Google Apps tech news
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February 18

Google’s Liquid Galaxy Machine

Watch the clip and then read the article here:

Google’s Liquid Galaxy Machine Sends Users on Immersive Tour of Earth, Moon, and Mars | Popular Science

Tags: tech YouTube Google Google Earth
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February 12

Another classic from ClientsFromHell


Me: “Ok, we’ve pushed the site live.”

Client: “Why isn’t the site #1 on Google yet?”

Me: “We just pushed it live five minutes ago.”

Client: “Optimize the fireball.”

Me: “I’m sorry? Do you mean the firewall?”

Client: “I need more hits NOW, so I need you to optimize the fireball. I know what I’m talking about!”

Me: “We’ll get right on it.”

Another classic from clientsfromhell:

Tags: fun clients web design Google tech
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+
So true! via ilovetypography)

So true!

via ilovetypography)

Tags: Google Twitter tech fun
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February 10
Google Buzz launches Taking it for a spin now. It’s like Twitter for the masses.

Google Buzz launches

Taking it for a spin now. It’s like Twitter for the masses.

Tags: tech Google Google Buzz Twitter
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January 15
thedailywhat: Infographic of the Day: “What Does China Censor Online?” [informationisbeautiful.]

thedailywhat:

Infographic of the Day: “What Does China Censor Online?”

[informationisbeautiful.]

Tags: China censor Google
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January 12
GDrive Is Coming Just don’t call it that! I have been waiting for this moment for years. Google has finally given is cloud file storage for ALL our docs and files. I know DropBox have been offering this (free) for a while - and I use it, and love it - but having an integrated solution for file storage with Google Apps is a killer for us. It means file sharing, folder sharing, doc syncing, cloud-based freedom and off course offsite backups. Bring it on!

GDrive Is Coming

Just don’t call it that!

I have been waiting for this moment for years. Google has finally given is cloud file storage for ALL our docs and files.

I know DropBox have been offering this (free) for a while - and I use it, and love it - but having an integrated solution for file storage with Google Apps is a killer for us. It means file sharing, folder sharing, doc syncing, cloud-based freedom and off course offsite backups.

Bring it on!

Tags: Google Google Docs Google Apps tech
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January 11

The Making of Chrome Features (via googlechromeuk)

This looks like so much fun!

Tags: Google tech Google Chrome YouTube fun
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December 17

Wow, stunning stunning!

Chrome Features (via googlechromeuk)

Tags: YouTube Google Google Chrome tech
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December 16
Google Contacts - now deals with duplicates As someone who has nearly 2000 contacts - I often get dupes. I manage my contacts on Google apps, syncing with my contacts on my iPhone, Plaxo, Twitter, LinkedIN, Facebook and a few others I can’t even remember! Google is smart enough to add a contact you mail frequently, or keep multiple records of the same email address for the same contact (work, home, or previous work). But this often leads to multiple records for the same person. Scrolling through 2000 names on your phone is tricky! Thanks Google - this is going to help! Official Gmail Blog: One button to merge all duplicate contacts

Google Contacts - now deals with duplicates

As someone who has nearly 2000 contacts - I often get dupes. I manage my contacts on Google apps, syncing with my contacts on my iPhone, Plaxo, Twitter, LinkedIN, Facebook and a few others I can’t even remember!

Google is smart enough to add a contact you mail frequently, or keep multiple records of the same email address for the same contact (work, home, or previous work). But this often leads to multiple records for the same person.

Scrolling through 2000 names on your phone is tricky! Thanks Google - this is going to help!

Official Gmail Blog: One button to merge all duplicate contacts

Tags: Google Google Contacts iPhone Google Apps GMail tech
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December 9

Most searched for politicians on Google South Africa

  1. nelson mandela
  2. jacob zuma
  3. julius malema
  4. helen zille
  5. robert mugabe
  6. trevor manuel
  7. mvume dandala
  8. jackie selebi
  9. patricia de lille
  10. ian khama

I wonder how Helen feels being pipped by Julius :-)

For more insight - go here

Tags: Google politics South Africa
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December 8

Google’s Real Time search is here

Discover breaking news on the web with real-time updates from news, blogs and social networks.

Tags: Google tech search YouTube
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December 3
Left: Google, before the fade. Right: Google, after the fade. What do you think of Google’s subtle change? Didn’t notice? Navigate to www.google.com - don’t move your mouse. Watch. See? Simple clean. You can even start typing in the search box. If you move your mouse all the other Google page clutter appears. Life-changing? I didn’t think so. An improvement, sure. Official Google Blog: Now you see it, now you don’t

Left: Google, before the fade. Right: Google, after the fade.

What do you think of Google’s subtle change? Didn’t notice?

Navigate to www.google.com - don’t move your mouse. Watch. See? Simple clean. You can even start typing in the search box. If you move your mouse all the other Google page clutter appears.

Life-changing? I didn’t think so. An improvement, sure.

Official Google Blog: Now you see it, now you don’t

Tags: Google tech
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+

Google Analytics: Now even more intelligent

It’s no secret: I love Google products. It’s hard to say which is number 1 for me. But Google Analytics must surely be close.

Just recently they have launched a new feature called Intelligence.

This allows you to create multiple alerts to track patterns, for example:

- increases or decreases in traffic

- traffic from a certain keyword search on Google

- traffic from a city or country

- when a particular page or section of your site is accessed

- when traffic comes from another referring website

- when your bounce rate hits a pre-determined percentage

- when a goal has been successful

- or even when an ecommerce transaction of a certain value has been made

I could go on and on. Its extremely flexible and powerful. Props to the Google Analytics team, once again!

Tags: Google Google Analytics tech web
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November 29

Clients from hell…

This person’s account of their client meeting about their web design cracked me up. It’s so familiar. It could have happened to me.

Client’s 70-ish year old father storms into boardroom during our first meeting brandishing a sheaf of papers—all print outs of Google search results, covered in highlighter and red circles.


Him: “I want to know the meaning of this!” <throws papers on table in front of me>

Me: “I’m sorry? The meaning of…Google?”

Him: “NO! I want to know why our website is not listed here! HOW ARE PEOPLE SUPPOSED TO FIND OUR PHONE NUMBER?!”

Me: “Um…you’ve just hired us to start building you a website, sir. You don’t actually have a website at the moment.”

Him: “YES I DO! My granddaughter writes to me every week! www.bill AT xxxxxxx.com!”

Me: “Ah, right. Yes, that’s your email address, sir.”

Him: “Look at this! These are all our competitors! <points to highlights and red circles> Why are THEY on here? I search OUR name and THEY are on here!!!”

Me: “Again, you don’t actually have a website yet. We are going to build you a website so that you WILL be listed in Google.”

Him: “Listed in Google?! What are you talking about? Who do I call to get www.bill AT xxxxxx.com listed in Google?!”

Me: “Ah, it doesn’t quite work that way sir. You’ll need an actual website first, and that’s what we’re here to do.”

Him: <rolls eyes and looks at his now fully mortified son sitting across the table from me> “I already told you that we HAVE a website. Good choice, son. This lady clearly doesn’t have a CLUE what she’s talking about.”

I ended the meeting and left right then.

from clientsfromhell

Tags: tech web design Google
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