Found this in my Gmail outbox and was like WTF… Apparently, messages like these are generated when you unsubscribe from some mailing lists (as a unique identifier, I guess).

I think that Google should be pushing Maps into social media harder because it currently controls the majority (the number I’ve seen recently is ~70%) of the online map market, but is getting undercut, mainly by Waze. For Thailand, outside of urban centers, Waze is complete trash (as are all other competitors except for dedicated GPS systems like Garmin). Plus, there are already 30 million Local Guides worldwide according to Google. This is a step in the right direction: Google Maps tests a social networking feature with the ability to ‘follow’ Local Guides Full disclaimer: I am an active Local Guide If Google Maps would integrate the user-contributed traffic and…

If all you need out of Gmail is the e-mail functionality, check this out: Darwin Mail If you want to try something similar with a Chrome extension that changes the look of Gmail and was created by the former lead designer of Gmail, you can try Simplify Gmail. This is what I’ll be trying first, since I use Hangouts and sidebar categories a lot.

After trying multiple times over several years, I finally found a solution for the annoying trackpad gesture problem (when left swiping on the trackpad causes task view like “Windows key +Tab” to open). My particular setup on Win 10 uses both a wired keyboard (for normal use) and a K400r (for use with TV). I tried basically every solution proposed on the net including: CONFIGURING TOUCHPAD GESTURE SETTINGS ON THE K400 KEYBOARD (Logitech site) How to Enable or Disable Screen Edge Swipe in Windows 10 (tenforums and other help sites offer the same advice) As well as the totally unhelpful pot of crap that is the Microsoft help site. What…

Looks like I get to play my one of my favorite games again: Note the passing of another free RSS reader, not have the will to protest its disappearing, and halfheartedly look for another free replacement. Yay Reddit and Facebook, you win again! Google+, don’t even look at me, man. Your cousin Google Reader was twice the social network you’ll ever be, and it wasn’t even a social network.

I was a tester (paid in t-shirts) for the first color version of the Google logo on i-mode however many years ago, and I’ve never looked back. Gmail is the most important site/service to me, period. Some of the Google Suite is also indispensable. But my all-time favorite is Maps (and Earth). Nothing else makes me feel quite like I lived through an important technological period than using cutting-edge tools with a huge initial wow factor which I eventually started taking for granted. So beta testing new Maps features? Yes, please.