Throw the Mind [dot] Com

I had to use Google’s search history today, and realized that it has been logging my search since April 20th 2005.  I made a post after year 2 and year 3, got a little lazy last year, but I’m back with an update this year.  Here is the info on my Google Search History Trends page for All Time.

• Total Google Searches: 29337
• Top queries: “3409 Governors Dr SW, Huntsville, Madison, Alabama 35805 (1st shop address)”, weechat, movies 35802, ubuntu
• Top sites: en.wikipedia.org, ubuntuforums.org, maps.google.com, dev.mysql.com, wordpress.org
• Top clicks: wordpress.org, TiddlyWiki, Net-Twitter, Gallery,Ubuntu Home Page
• Monthly search activity Hi/Lo: 2987 in Jan, 2177 in Jul
• Daily search activity Hi/Lo: 4967 on Tue, 3509 on Sat
• Hourly search activityHi/Lo: 2526 at 3pm, 2 at 5am

It looks like I finally made a couple searches in the 5am hour.  After looking at those two searches, I can tell that happen during our trip to St. Louis.  Also since this is kind of a post about how much Google knows about me, here is a list of all the Google products I use.

• Android Phone
• Gmail
• Reader
• Search History
• Talk
• Alerts
• Maps
• Analytics
• Voice
• Wave
• Accounts
• Docs
• Youtube
• Calendar
• FeedBurner
• Latitude
• Checkout
• Groups

Yesterday someone brought it to my attention that I had made a post last year about my search history.  Then I remembered that I had yet to make a post this year.  I can only go back as far as 6/4/05 which it a little over 3 years ago.  Here some of the info on my Google Search History Trends page.

• Total Google Searches: 18475
• Top queries: digg, ubuntu, trillian, aapl, gmail
• Top sites: en.wikipedia.org, dev.mysql.com, digg.com, wordpress.org, thescripts.com
• Top clicks: http://iphone.fiveforty.net, TiddlyWiki, extension mirror, Trillian, WeeChat
• Monthly search activity Hi/Lo: 1976 in Jun, 1216 in Nov
• Daily search activity Hi/Lo: 3127 on Tue, 1399 on Fri, 2353 on Sat
• Hourly search activityHi/Lo: 1770 at 3pm, 0 at 5am

In the past year I believe Google has been saving more search history, because I have doubled my total searches since last April.  Google has been saving map searches as well as good searches, all this added together I believe is what has brought my search total way up this year.  If you didn’t notice I still haven’t searched during the 5am hour.

MySpace is becomming OpenID issuer, which will make them the second largest behind Yahoo!.  But here is the thing, an issuer is only half the puzzle.  In order for OpenID to work you have to allow people without MySpace OpenID’s to log in.  Don’t get me wrong, the more OpenID accounts that are out there the better chance OpenID has to becoming a standard.   When companys like Yahoo! and MySpace simply issue OpenID’s this doesn’t accomplish the goal for which OpenID was created, and thus will eventually kill OpenID and our chances for single sign on accross the web.

TechCrunch also mentions MySpace may be working on an extended OpenID for their Data Availability program.  This is all well and good, but if we start using OpenID for data portablity, doesn’t this need to be build into the standard of OpenID, not as an addon by spacific companys?  If MySpace uses OpenID for their Data Avilability program then I’m going to guess I will need to use my MySpace OpenID to have access to this data and if thats the case, who is next?  Yahoo!, Google, Facebook…this list goes on.  Now I have ten different OpenID’s just so I can have access to all my data.  BOO!

I say if you are going to be a OpenID issuer then you also need to support OpenID logins.  Otherwise your only hurting the other people like me who want OpenID to secceed.  MySpace, Yahoo!…ect stop leaving one let in the water, get on board or swim with the fish, you choose.

I recently started using my Gmail account for lots of things, and I have began to notice that quickly finding things has become harder and harder.  Why hasn’t Google implemented some kind of mail tagging system.  I know we have labels but I can’t easily create labels on the fly.  Gmail needs a tagging system kind of like del.icio.us

I have been using Google Reader for about a year now, and I love it.  It is the best web based RSS reader out there.  A few months back I ran across a Firefox extension Google Reader Notifier.  This had proved to be a great extension for showing how many items were unread in my RSS Reader.  Then about a month ago the developer update and broke the extension.  It just wasn’t reliable anymore.  So I went on a search for a another extension, and what I found was even better.  Google Reader Watcher does the same thing but uses SSL for its connection.  I must recommend this extension for all Google Reader users.

Google Reader Watcher