Back to Work

So, I’ve returned from my staycation officially, and thanks to scheduled posts, it was almost like I never left. Everyone wins.

I’ve made it through several hundred emails; incidentally, would you take a job that had in its description of responsibilities:

• To send and receive thousands of emails each month.

Just wondering, since we all seem to have that responsibility.

I’ve skimmed through most of the feeds I missed too, and here are a few that I wanted to share for discussion.

Google Chrome
By far the dominating item in last week’s tech news was Google’s launch of their very own browser, Chrome (initial Techmeme coverage). When I first caught wind of this last week, mild intrigue gave way to ironic snorts, since Chrome is Windows only.

So much for testing that browser, at least for me anyway. I’ve mostly avoided the reviews, the speed tests and painfully detailed analysis because I’m happy with my long distance carrier, I mean browser. Anyone give it a shot and care to comment?

Before I move on though, I did enjoy Ted Dziuba’s “review“. You might remember Ted from such blogs as uncov, which sadly went on permanent hiatus. Recently, Ted revived his caustic blog under a new domain, and it was good.

Anyway, his take on Chrome is worth a read. Coincidentally, his point about web apps and their lack of mainstream any semblance of adoption, i.e. only navel-gazing bloggers think web apps are replacing installed apps anytime soon, meshed nicely with an observation I had at Office Depot last week.

Stores like Office Max/Depot, Staples, Best Buy, etc. all have several rows, with lots of shelves dedicated to packaged software. My wife was browsing for a software package, and I found myself bored while shopping again.

In typical geeky fashion, I got to thinking about why a store with a limited amount of physical space (thinking Long Tail here) would waste a row on software titles when they could use that space for other goods.

The problem and answer lie with me. When I need software, I use the ‘tubes to find an open source project, or if I absolutely must, I’ll purchase and download software from directly from the company. However, when other people, i.e. the vast majority of computer users, need software, they shop for it in retail stores or at an online retailer like Amazon.

Big retail companies know how to maximize revenue per square foot of real estate, so the only conclusion is that software titles drive enough revenue to stay on the shelves. That’s why the writing utensils aisle is smaller than the software aisle.

So, the average person doesn’t care about Chrome, or Firefox or web apps in general. This is why a browser launched eight years ago still has 20-ish percent of the browser market. A point emphasized in another funny and true review of Chrome.

Everything Else
Aside from Chrome, news was pretty scant. Here are a few headlines I liked:

• Apple Rejecting Apps Based on ‘Limited Utility’: I wonder if this is why “I Am Rich” was removed.
• Google to buy GeoEye satellite imagery: Not only will Google have access to GeoEye’s hihg-resolutions images, but also, they’ll have an ad in space on the side of the satellite. Maybe Google is an ad company first and foremost.
• Facebook Live Feed Kills Twitter & FriendFeed: Not sure why kills was necessary here, but the Live Feed is pretty sweet. This is one of many features I like about the new Facebook UI. Facebook’s mainstream adoption, e.g. among old school chums, has taken me back there after many months, and I like the new UI. Do you?
• The Seinfeld-Gates ads (Techmeme coverage): I saw the shoe store commerical yesterday during football, and I didn’t get it. Did you?

So what did I do on staycation? I bought a Wii. Now, all I need is games and ice for my Wii-tennis elbow.

Thoughts on anything above, or anything I missed? The comments missed you, give them a hug.