Google has given up on the plain and simple and now allows you to customize your Google Personalized Homepage with themes. “Themes change the background, text colors, icons, Google’s logo, button sizes and more”. One of the best features is the ability to add your location so that the “theme will dynamically change to match your time of day, including local sunrise and sunset times”. Now you can finally remind yourself of what it looks like outside, without actually having to go outside. The day when we just plug directly into our computer each morning is now one step closer.
[Via: Official Google Blog]
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The day when we just plug directly into our computer each morning is now one step closer.
I am still torn over whether this would be a marvellous and amazingly cool idea, or a science fiction notion gone terribly terribly wrong.
I’m having a problem getting Existenz and Matrix out of my mind – and you know, they don’t end so well… ;)
I’d side with things being like a science fiction notion gone terribly terribly wrong, though we still seem to be going in that direction.
Seven years ago I wrote an essay at University debating the mind and the matrix and how the world seems content to stare through a window at everything – when we drive we have a windscreen, on the PC there is the monitor, and in our house we have our windows keeping out the wind and cold. While these are great in the way of protection, they also stop us from getting close to the action and living it. Every new technological advance brings us a step away from actually communicating face-to-face with our peers, and online we can hide who we really are.
It’s a concept I find fascinating as I too have my online persona and ‘real life’ one, but never the twain shall meet pretty much! The Internet allows us to reach out and see new places and people without ever explosing us to the danger that lurks underneath.
Oh you know, I could rant and debate this further but for all it being ‘cool’, I’m not sure I like the rise of the machines.
Just. got. to. prise. myself. off. PC…
That’s interesting. I’ve never heard of the “window” theory, but I like the idea. I guess we do find ways of utilizing technology to see more while risking less. Nothing can ever replace the great outdoors though (hopefully).
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