1. Google should be excused for providing their own service in their own top search results if another search engine also provides it as a top result (Bing also returns http://maps.google.com as a top result for example). That would seem to validate that Google Maps is actually a top result, not (just) Google promoting its own service. By my count this invalidates 3 of the 7 dings against Google.
2. This article should mention (if not account for) that users searching on Google are probably inclined to be more likely to be searching for Google services. It makes sense that a user trying to find the login page for Google email will go to Google search to try to find it. It then makes sense that Google (or its search algorithm) would account for a frequent user behavior (searching for “mail” and then clicking through to mail.google.com) by prioritizing prioritizing the result for mail.google.com in the future (in general, or on a per user basis).

The article should be pointing out that Yahoo seems to be the most out of whack with the other two sites (look at the results for “calendar”), but Yahoo isn’t going to get as many page views as bashing Google in the headline of the post. I hate that AlleyInsider does this all the time, but it got me to read and write about the story so I guess sensationalist blogging wins out again.

My understanding was that Bing “provides” search for Yahoo now anyways, so I’m curious as to what’s going on that Yahoo would still offer different results. Perhaps this is in the line of thinking of trying to accommodate Yahoo users searching for Yahoo services.

Perhaps we should be skeptical of the results Google (or any other search engine) returns, but also keep in mind that algorithms can be written to help create the best experience for Google users (looking for Google services) rather than a vanilla internet user. Now if Google in some way subverts my obvious preference for something else that is more dubious, but perhaps in that case we users should cast our votes for disapproval by not using their service.

Do you “trust Google’s results?” Am I crazy? Am I wrong? I imagine I’m not any more wrong than AlleyInsider in this case.

Here’s what I learned taking pictures with the PanoSweep feature on the WX1 (a.k.a. the Taylor Swift camera).

It took some practice but after I got the hang of the sweeping motion the shots came out pretty well.  I thought this Korean flag was pretty awesome:

What I did notice was that I had to get used to and adjust for the metering when using the PanoSweep.  Early on I ended up with a lot of shots that were blown out:

With some practice I learned to compensate by focusing on the sun first to set the metering, and then taking the sweep:

For comparison I also took multiple “normal” shots with the WX1 using the standard auto shooting mode.  The top photo of each is the WX1 PanoSweep version and the bottom version is a stitch composed from 4 shots using Windows Live Photo Gallery.  [Disclosure:  I work on the Windows Live Photo Gallery team at Microsoft.]

WX1 PanoSweep:

Photo Gallery stitch from 4 shots:

WX1 PanoSweep:

Photo Gallery stitch from 4 shots:

Overall the Photo Gallery panoramic stitch clearly wins out on quality. This makes sense because it’s composed from four higher quality (~10MP) images (The WX1 down samples the image to 5.1 MP when shooting in PanoSweep mode).  That said the WX1 is far more convenient, and I remember to change the dial on my point and shoot more often than I think “let me take 5 images to stitch later.”   Having the result of the panoramic available immediately on the camera LCD is also encouraging because you just end up trying the shot a few times until it looks good.

The one question I got about the PanoSweep images was if they are cropped automatically.  The answer to that is both yes and no.  The image from the WX1 comes out cropped automatically, but that’s because if you veer too far from center vertically while capturing the panorama, the camera will spit out a message saying something to the effect of “Please move the camera steadily horizontally.”  I’m assuming the WX1 is actually capturing somewhat above and below what I see as the final shot, and only spits out the middle vertical section of what is captured as the “final image.”

You can also change the PanoSweep setting to expect the camera to sweep upward or downward.   Again, I assume the WX1 just has an accelerometer in the camera that keeps track of how close your sweeping motion is to center.  Also, if you’re hoping the WX1 will let you shoot an infinite panorama, you can’t capture indefinitely.  The camera senses a certain range of motion and once you’ve completed that range it spits out the panorama.  This probably helps keep the WX1 panoramic stitching within the processing capability of the camera.

Location: New York, NY

I left the United States on Tuesday evening on a flight from JFK to Reykjavik, Iceland.  This is the only picture I took that day.  I booked this portion of the journey as a one way trip from New York to London with one stop.

Location: Port Authority, New York, NY

In anticipation of the tournament ESPN had a series of advertisements made up in the form of  a mural representing each team in the World Cup.  Each ad conveyed some sense of the nation’s history in the tournament, and in some ways the significance of the World Cup to that nation.  The ads covered the windows of the old Virgin Super store at the Port Authority bus terminal so I walked over to look at them in the afternoon.

Fernando Torres represented the favorites, Spain.  He ended up losing his starting spot, finishing the tournament without scoring a goal, and injuring himself yet again.  But he left with a winner’s medal so while it may not have been a perfect tournament for him I think he’ll survive.

England is depicted with Lamps, Rooney, and Stevie G trying to tear down the pressure of 1966 (the last and only time England won the World Cup) under the guidance of Fabio Capello.  It didn’t really work out, and this mural could probably be used unchanged for the 2014 World Cup.

Karim Benzema was depicted as one of the Three Musketeers in the France mural but wasn’t even selected to the team.  Henry’s face is vandalized with the word “CHEAT” and he didn’t even play until the final match after France had completely imploded.

Messi looks like the savior of Argentina, and while Higuain scored all the goals, Messi is pretty much the shining light of  Argentine football.

While Japan didn’t slay the Netherlands they did manage to make it out of their group.

Kaka didn’t have a particularly stellar tournament.

The Elephants of Ivory Coast may have been the biggest African disappointment.

Australia didn’t really do much at all.  I guess this is what a Socceroo looks like.

South Korea managed to break through the group stage again in 2010 but it wasn’t quite the 4th place finish of 2002.

Cristiano didn’t really work a whole lot of magic this tournament.

Aguirre led Mexico to what is becoming a pretty standard second round exit for them.

North Korea played surprisingly well against Brazil before getting thumped by Portugal.

New Zealand had a player who wasn’t even a professional.  I wonder if he’ll do the Haka before business meetings at his banking job.

Cameroon.

Honduras carried the hopes of a nation.  We met some Honduran guys in one of our hotels.  They were really cool, and they told us that the president of Honduras offered American player Jonathan Bornstein a free vacation to Honduras because the late goal he scored gave Honduras the last World Cup qualifying spot from North America.  He’s a hero in Honduras.

On the way to dinner we found this mattress in the street.

In the evening we went to B Café.  If I recall correctly I had a steak which I enjoyed and Tracy was prepared to give it a solid 3 star review on yelp.  She even ordered this cool Belgian beer that came in a glass with a spherical bottom so it was served with a cool handle so it wouldn’t fall over!

I saw this ad on the way home.  Brazilian clubs make most of their money by selling talented players.  Apparently some banks make money by financing that.

Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA

The main activity for Sunday was a group trip out to the Brooklyn brewery.  We were a bit behind schedule when we arrived around 12:30pm, about half an hour after the brewery opened.  Fortunately for us the brewery is not nearly as popular a Sunday activity as I’m told it is a Saturday activity.

The first order of business upon entering the brewery is ordering beer tokens.  They came at a fairly reasonable price of 6 for $20.  The beer token idea is great because it simplifies the ordering process as much as is possible.  1 token = 1 beer.  Also beer tokens just look cool.

The brewery has a pretty nice logo, and the beers are all great.  I tried as many as I could, and I didn’t find one that didn’t taste delicious.

A lot of people that go out to the brewery from Manhattan spend the better part of the day there.  The brewery even lets you order in food so you really can spend your entire day there if you want.  We stayed right up until closing time at 6pm.  To pass the time some groups starting building pyramids from their cups.  Other tables of people even contributed their cups to the cause.  I’m sure the brewery staff see this every day and are completely incapable of finding a pyramid made of cups impressive.

We even played some cards.  Tracy was really focused.

Not all of the games we played were very well organized.  They did however make for a picture I like.

The brewery even had some specialty beers.  These were the only beers that cost more than one token to order.  We tried to order a bottle, but they weren’t available for some reason.  Maybe next time.

After we left the brewery the obvious next step was to track down the closest pizza place.  We managed that part successfully, and as a reward Tom Hanks was more than happy to receive our trash.

Back in the city we came across one of these ESPN advertisements.  It’s a great advertisement.  It’d be even better if injury hadn’t ruled Ballack out of the tournament for Germany.

Starting Location: Seattle, WA, USA

End Location: New York, NY, USA

I depart Seattle the morning of Saturday, June 5th.  For this leg of air travel I purchased a round trip ticket from Seattle to New York on Southwest Airlines.  Every time I fly on Southwest I’m reminded that checking in online is key because they allow you to board the plane in the order you check in.

The flight to Chicago goes without incident as does the continuing flight to NYC.  While I’m waiting in Chicago I use my phone to buy a $15 one way ticket for a bus ride from LaGuardia to the city.  When I arrive at the bus stop for New York Airport Service the attendant tells me I have to buy a new ticket with cash because I don’t have a printout of my receipt (even though I have the email to show him on my phone).  I purchase a new $12 ticket in cash (which I assume the guy just pockets).  Less than one day in and I’ve been ripped off (in my own country no less).

As a result of this incident I find the sign on the bus requesting tips hilarious.  I give no tip.  If the driver has a problem with it, try working for a company that honors the tickets it sells.  So far I’m out $15, so the driver is out 1 tip.  Hopefully the driver will improve the actions of his co-workers.  This being New York, I highly doubt it.

As usual, traffic in the city is ridiculous.  I always try to imagine these scenes with the mindset of a person back home in North Dakota who has never traveled to a real city.  Even my own brother has never been to New York City.  The first time I ever visited New York was during spring break my freshman year of college.  I couldn’t keep my head from drifting upward because the buildings are everywhere.   This is probably why I always feel like I can visit New York for a few days at a time, but I wouldn’t be able to live there.

I happen to arrive earlier than I expected and Tracy is still at the Belmont Stakes.  Fortunately she left me a key at the front desk of her apartment building.  Unfortunately there’s a bit of a “jiggle” required for the key to work and I can’t quite get it down.  I go for a walk around Hell’s Kitchen and take in some adult softball games.  The weather is nice so it ends up being a good change of pace from sitting on planes all day.  I walk past Pony Bar, which is a great place to get delicious beer.

When Tracy arrives home I made her try to open the door with the key left for me to prove it wasn’t just me who couldn’t get the door open.  She gets the door unlocked almost immediately.

A lot of people had been out at the Belmont, so getting back to the city takes longer than expected. We change quickly and head out to meet a bunch of people for dinner.  I order a lot of sushi, and the meal is pretty much “OK.”  Tracy hates Asian fusion restaurants so she’s probably and has already given it an unfavorable review on Yelp by now, because she’s like that.  I should add this picture to Foodspotting, but I don’t remember the name of the restaurant [edit: the restaurant was Blue Elm], and I don’t expect I’ll return any time soon.

After dinner we go out for drinks a few different places.  Places aren’t too busy for a Saturday night and our group of people is having fun together.  I take this very flattering picture of Tracy.

Towards the end of the night we get our last round of drinks at Lansdowne Road (which I love because they show soccer on the TVs all day long).  For some reason there is a pigwheel on the wall of the bar.  We discover possibly the greatest and most overlooked game of all time: Spin a wheel with numbers on it, everybody bets $1 on a number, winner gets all the dollars, repeat.  As you can tell, Tracy did very well for herself that night.

A departure from the everyday routine, a fun night out, and time spent with important people.  A pretty good start to a big trip I think.

Now when Hitesh responded he wanted me to write a post about “How soccer explains the world” I assume he meant he wanted my view point on how you can explain the worlds happenings, troubles, etc through soccer. I’m going to take the cop out and state what many of you already know. How Soccer Explains the World is a book. Now that I’ve stated the dull fact I can proceed to briefly share some of my thoughts on said book.

It’s a moderately compelling read. Even if you’re not a huge soccer fan, you’ll probably want to finish the book once you start just because it mostly contains interesting stories rather than “solely soccer material.” You’ll come across stories of Red Star Belgrade essentially being used to proliferate genocide. Later you’ll get into anti-semitism expressed towards Tottenham Hotspur and how their fans decided to embrace it as part of the cultural identity of the club. Religious ties continue during the discussion of the rivalry between Celtic and Rangers, and you can’t helped but be entertained by the strangeness of how the clubs have embraced players of religious faith different than each of their historical basis.

Towards the end of the book you’ll hear about how the writer really mainly became interested in the book because he took a walk through Barcelona’s museum. At that point you’ll realize he did some good research but isn’t connected to the game with the same intensity you are. You’ll have decided the rest of the book is now less interesting. That’s how it will go, now you can go read the book and tell me I was right.

It’s a relatively harmless and humorous little joke, but I wonder how the Cal Tech administration will respond. More interestingly, I wonder the Cal Tech administration can do. I doubt there is any law on the books anywhere that mentions “defamation via domain name.” My guess is that Cal Tech will look of the owner of the domain name and ask them nicely to stop redirecting it to caltech.edu. The joke may end there, but if the owner of the domain name politely declines the request, I expect that Cal Tech will look into legal options before ultimately realizing that the mostly likely option for resolving the issue will be to issue a request or “take-down notice” of some sort to the domain registrar for the domain mitrejects.com. At that point it would not at all surprise me if the domain redirect was killed by the registrar, trumping the wishes of the actual owner of the domain name.

It’s a realistic possibility, and it begs a couple questions:

1. Should there be laws preventing this sort of internet bullying/pranking?
2. Should your domain registrar really be able to force you to accept terms of use that cede your control of the domain to them?

Note: this is all entirely speculative, and potentially completely wrong and inaccurate. I however, don’t think it’s a bad guess.