My home town of Duluth, Minnesota is trying to win the competition to have Google install a high speed fiber network for the entire community. You may learn more about our effort via Google Twin Ports. If you happen to be a Google employee who is evaluating Duluth's application, I've created a Google Custom Search Engine which provides you a nice extract of what makes the Northland great. While you could use Google local search, even using that delimiter you would be presented with 304,000 results (a very high number with lots of "noise").

• Google Fiber Duluth Search Engine
  (custom search engine)

The web content classifications for the search engine index are:

• Arts
• Civic
• Education
• Government
• Leisure
• Media

If desired, link to the search engine index to view the site list. You may browse from the index directly to any web site listed.

• Index Last Updated: March 22, 2010 (39 sites)
• Submit a site for inclusion

Earlier this week upon logging in to my LinkedIn account, I noticed their Direct Ads. While I normally don't get excited about advertising, for some reason, I was curious. I decided to explore the service and ended up creating a short tutorial. The logical question is … Why am I so intrigued with LinkedIn's direct advertisement service?

Consider, what if you had the ability to dramatically focus your ad campaigns by key demographics, and only pay for actual "click throughs"? In addition, using the power of social networking your target populations could learn about you, the advertiser, as a person. That message is powerful, and new. Google Adword campaigns can not deliver this kind of interaction. Thus, could a strong LinkedIn be dangerous for Google's primary revenue base? Take a few minutes and watch my latest Northstar Nerd Tutorial, and you be the judge. I've included one screenshot below from my tutorial:

• Northstar Nerd LinkedIn Direct Ad Tutorial

This past Saturday night, my part of the world switched back to daylight savings time. This twice annual changing of the clocks always reminds me of how much poor user interface design we all put up with in so many products, and particularly anything with a small LCD screen … and in this case, clocks (or anything with a clock).  Over the next week I will slowly but surely move through the house with a sense of dread. After 25 years in the same house, it's amazing the number of clocks which need to be reset.

When I was younger the process of resetting clocks was easy. Find the knob, and turn until the minute and hours hands show the correct time. Today, I fear my approach to every device. The users manuals have long since disappeared. So here is my scenario:

• Approach device with trepidation.
• Does the device have one or two switches to set the time?
• Are the switches labeled?
• Start pressing and hope something on the display makes sense.

Now just in case you think this guy is dumb (i.e. me). I've worked at a corporate R&D center for the last 25 years. I'm considered a senior technologist. This stuff should not scare me!

Thus, I issue my challenge. What clock do you fear on this twice annual time change!? I've included a photo below of one clock I did NOT have to change. Why? Last Fall, I gave up and left the clock on daylight savings time. As of Sunday, this clock is now correct again! It's part of a bookshelf stereo system by Boston Acoustic which has great sound, but the clock …

Click upon the image to view full sized

How many of you really know how to use Google Search? If you're using basic Google, and not some of the neat options you're missing the boat, or in this case the search. Google has recently added a "local search option" which allows one to focus a keyword search on a given geographic area.

You might ask … who cares, or why need I focus upon a given geographic area. Take a look at the two screenshots given below (click to view full sized). In my example, I've focused upon Silicon Valley, and you can see the quality of my result for the keyword "mems".

Realizing that not everyone might be interested in engineering design examples, consider for the moment if you were looking for cross-country ski trails. One could focus the search upon Duluth, Minnesota and find nice trails along the north shore of Lake Superior. You get the idea!

You may also wish to review Google's official announcement of this feature.

Step #1: Accessing the Google Local Search Options: (click to view full sized)

Step #2: Creating a Google Local Search: (click to view full sized)

Every wish you could easily track changes on a web site that does NOT have RSS? How often do you bookmark web sites which you like, but then rarely revisit? What if you could be automatically informed when new content appeared? The option to track changes now exists via Google Reader. Thus, using the same tool where one tracks RSS feeds, you may now track web page changes. The process is simple … just copy the url of the page you wish to track, and then click "add a subscription". (read the official Google Reader service announcement). (see my screenshot examples)

I did find it difficult to track individual pages on sites where a RSS feed already exists. After posting a question of the Google Forum, I was referred to the Change Detection Service.

I'm already using the new capability to track changes on the following web sites … none of which have RSS:

• Academic Earth (engineering courses)
• Berkeley Wireless Research
• SkinnySki.Com (Nordic Skiing!)
• Stanford Seminars
• Siemens Control Products
• UC San Diego Wireless
• Virginia Tech Wireless

Here is an example from my Google Reader account. Click to view full sized.