Google Builds a Reader

Strangely and still only experimentally, Google has decided to unearth their RSS Reader.  I was an early test user of  Google Reader, and remember thinking how useful this was to make sense of an expanding Web, especially if you had many interests.  It had many followers.  Then they canned it.   Its back, or is it, for good?   I used Feedly ever since.

Undead Again, Google Brings Back Reader     in Techcrunch  By Frederic Lardinois   @fredericl 

Chrome, at least in its experimental Canary version on Android (and only for users in the U.S.), is getting an interesting update in the coming weeks that brings back RSS, the once-popular format for getting updates from all the sites you love in Google Reader and similar services.

In Chrome, users will soon see a “Follow” feature for sites that support RSS and the browser’s New Tab page will get what is essentially a (very) basic RSS reader — I guess you could almost call it a “Google Reader.”

Now we’re not talking about a full-blown RSS reader here. The New Tab page will show you updates from the sites you follow in chronological order, but it doesn’t look like you can easily switch between feeds, for example. It’s a start, though.  ...  '

On TAB Overloads in Chrome

 Well yes, will give this a try.

Overcoming Tab Overload   By Carnegie Mellon University School of Computer Science

In a study of Internet browser tab usage, computer scientists at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) found that tab overload is an issue for many people.

The researchers assessed tab use via surveys and interviews, asking why people kept tabs open and why they closed them. They found that despite being overwhelmed by the number of open tabs, people did not want them hidden for fear they would not go back to them.

The researchers also created a Google Chrome browser extension, dubbed Skeema, to turn tabs into tasks. Skeema leverages machine learning to suggest how open tabs could be grouped into tasks and allows users to organize, prioritize, and switch between them.

CMU's Joseph Chee Chang said, "Our task-centric approach allowed users to manage their browser tabs more efficiently, enabling them to better switch between tasks, reduce tab clutter, and create task structures that better reflected their mental models."

From Carnegie Mellon University School of Computer Science

Chrome Announces Captioning for Audio and Video

Conversion from audio.  Considerable thing. 

Chrome can now caption audio and video  in the Google Blog

Captions make online content more accessible. If you’re in a noisy environment, trying to keep the volume down, or are part of the 466 million people in the world who are deaf or hard of hearing, having captions lets you follow along to whatever content you are watching — whether it’s viral feta pasta videos, breaking news or a scientist discussing their latest research.

Unfortunately, captions aren’t always available for every piece of content. Now with Live Caption on Chrome, you can automatically generate real-time captions for media with audio on your browser. It works across social and video sites, podcasts and radio content, personal video libraries (such as Google Photos), embedded video players, and most web-based video or audio chat services.  ... "

Chrome Extension for Browsing Etherium

Unusual application for browser understanding of Etherium blockchain.

Unstoppable Domains Chrome Extension Lets Users Browse Etherium-Based Sites

Unstoppable Domains, a censorship-resistant web developer, has released a Google Chrome extension in its bid to open up web 3.0.

The extension will give users access to .crypto domain names directly from the Chrome browser, currently the most-used web browser. Developed by Unstoppable Domains, .crypto domains are smart contracts on the Ethereum network, meaning to take down a site an attacker would have to take down the overall network.

The new tool closely follows Unstoppable Domains’ eponymous browser launch, unveiled at the ETHDenver conference in late February.  ... "

Cheaper Chrome Devices

Was reminded once again of the $100 laptop push of a decade ago that was aimed at schools.  Chrome Laptops are a natural next step, with much of the function needed for productivity online.   And, of course,  Microsoft plans to add cheaper mixed reality through Hololens.

Windows 10 laptops for schools. And a big education push for 2018
By Tom Warren @tomwarren in TheVerge ... "