Dangling Conversations

Colour commentary on the world we live in

Google Talk

Posted 24 Aug, 2005 at 06:06 by blue in /Social | Permanent link

Has everyone seen that Google finally has created an IM client. Given how much I like their other products I'm looking forward to seeing if this is as good.

Has anyone used this yet?

Comments (2 comments so far)
Eszter Hargittai at Crooked Timber has recently written a piece about Google and their apparent strategies. One interesting point she mentions is that by diversifying in the ways they've been doing -- and now particularly with the idea of a "Google account" that transcends individual services -- they've got the makings of a lovely little model of users' preferences, which can then feed back into their ad placement business.
Posted 2005/8/24 12:51:56 by Matt
I've heard a very similar argument for preventing the government from having access to things like Airmiles records, or the consumer loyalty program files. It's ok for the grocery store to track what food you buy at their store, but for someone to have in addition all the information about everything you buy anywhere (unless you've paid cash, and refrained from acquiring 'points') then it can be used for the purposes of evil. Ok...their argument made more sense than that...I just like the word evil. I can't think of the specific example they had, but I wound up thinking to myself that I was really glad the government didn't have all my library and pharmacy records...
Posted 2005/8/24 13:39:40 by wendy
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Blue has been known to toss a disc around a field from time to time, and thinks that you should as well. He lives either on the Internet or in Toronto, depending on your perspective. Ask him no questions and there's a good chance he'll tell you no lies. [Site]

Brent hosts the box from which we dangle our conversations, for which we are all eternally grateful. Gratitude is most easily expressed in small bills. Formerly a pawn of the Evil Empire (or maybe a Knight), he has gone over the wall and now toils at a small computer game company in Alberta that no one except for ten million gamers has ever heard of. [Site]

Kael occasionally gets called "Mike"; mostly by people who don't know him. He cooks, he cleans, he maintains Unix servers... what else could you ask for? Currently a slave to the Man, by which we mean retail sales. He has secret plans, but we can't tell you about them. In fact, we've already said too much. [Site]

Lisa is a recreational therapist without a cause. She entertains dreams of ruling over an empire of scrapbooking. Has a well-deserved reputation for enthusiasm, common sense, and tiredness. Ask her about her teapots, but don't touch them.

Matt is just this guy, you know? A mathematician by training and a layabout by inclination; he currently has an Urban Commuter Campus in the American Midwest convinced that they should pay him for plying these trades. The designer and administrator of this site, which means in a sense this is all his fault. [Site | E-mail]

Sky is a salesman during the day. At night he doesn't bother: his words are like unto those of a god, and you can agree or you can be wrong. Lives in the World of Warcraft, with a sattelite office in Toronto. Known to play games on occasion.

Wendy has never run away to join the circus, but pursuing graduate work in medical imaging is perhaps just as good. She didn't choose her current abode on the basis of proximity to a Toronto Public Library branch, but we wouldn't put it past her. Married to one of the other authors here, but you'll have to read the archives to find out which one. [Site]

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