March 12th, 2010 by Greg Steward
This was on the Google Wave blog regarding a new link to extensions to wave. For more information, click the link below.
Today, we’re adding an “Extensions” link to the Google Wave navigation panel that gives you quick access to a set of fun and functional featured extensions for waves.
The gallery is simply a set of waves containing extension installers (the puzzle pieces). The first wave, “Read me first” contains an introduction to extensions and how to use them.
via Finding fun and useful extensions for Google Wave – Google Wave Blog.
May 25th, 2007 by Greg Steward
As you may know, I have three blogs. I am using one of those blogs to post updates on Dylan as he goes through Marine boot camp.
Google Reader is an easy way to keep up with new content on blogs (providing that the blog site uses “web feeds,” as mine do). To use Google Reader, you must have a Google account. (If you would like to consider other options for keeping up with blogs, see “how to use it.”) The advantage of Google Reader is that it is web-based, meaning you can log on from any computer with internet access and get caught up on your blogs.
Here is an easy way to get started (I hope).
- If you have a Google Account, go to Google Reader. You will have to log in if not already.
- On the left, you should see a button that says, “Add subscription.” Click on that.
- Copy in the url (or web address) of the blog that you want to add to your reader and press the add button. Try this one – http://steward-family-and-life.elpidzo.com/
- If it comes up “(title unknown)” has no items, then the blog is not configured for readers like Google Reader and you will have to keep visiting the website to read the blog.
- Otherwise, you should see a list of the articles that are currently at that blog site.
- On the top right of the view window for the blog, you can toggle between “list view” and “expanded view.” Try that to see the difference.
- On the top left of the view window for the blog, you can toggle between “all items” or “new items.” A “new item” is one that you have not viewed yet.
Unread blog entries will be bold face. Once you have viewed an article, it will not be bold face.
Click on a entry title and the article should expand so that you can read it.
If you click on the Blog Name at the very top, it will take you to the blog.
Here are the urls of my other blogs:
- Greg Steward’s Piece of Mind - http://gsmind.elpidzo.com/
- Hey! - http://gshey.elpidzo.com/
- Greg Steward’s Miscellanies - http://gsmisc.elpidzo.com/
Here are three other blogs that I find myself going to quite often.
- Between Two Worlds: A Mix of Theology, Philosophy, Politics, and Culture - http://theologica.blogspot.com/
- Desiring God – http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/
- Jesus Creed - http://www.jesuscreed.org/
Now go to bed.
May 10th, 2007 by Greg Steward
Picasa is free software from Google for managing photos both on your computer and on a website. With it you can
- Locate and organize all the photos on your computer.
- Edit and add effects to your photos.
- Share your photos with others through email, prints, and on the web (see mine at http://picasaweb.google.com/gs777bs).
In brief, Picasa functions this way. During the installation process, you tell it where to look for the pictures on your computer. It then compiles a database of the photos. (Don’t tell it to look everywhere; you will end up with a mess because it will find images from programs that you don’t want in your Picasa album. Before installing, I would suggest gathering all your photos under a main directory, with sub-folders underneath this main folder. Then tell Picasa to look in that one folder. As you add more pictures under that main directory, Picasa will add them into its database.) There are some basic tools for cropping and making other modifications to the photos.
When you have a photo you like and want to share it with others, you can upload it to the Picasa web site. You have to have a Google account for this. As you upload a photo, you tell it which on-line album you want it in. Your on-line organization can be different from the way it is on your computer. Or you can email a photo to a friend or relative directly from Picasa, but that may require a gmail email address.
Regarding Comments on photos: I just read at the Picasa site that when you add a comment to a photo with Picasa, the comment is actually stored with the photo. I used for a brief time an early version of Photoshop Album. I added a lot of comments to photos only to discover that they were stored independently of the photos. When I stopped using Photoshop Album, I lost all the comments and notes. Argh!
Read more about Picasa. The software is free to download and use.
April 30th, 2007 by Greg Steward
Once you have a Google account, you can use some of Google’s services.
I have been very happy with Gmail. I look at my email at the web site first, sometimes replying from the web site. The remainder I download to my computer using Thunderbird, a free email client in the Mozilla family.
When you have a Google account, you can create a customized home page at Google. You can create six different pages. I have one page that let’s me preview my email, has links to some of my essential web pages, previews the various blogs I find useful, etc. You can customize the pages by adding “gadgets.” What is nice is that I can log onto this customized page from any computer that has web access.
Other services I use are:
Google Doc – Allows you to create, edit, and share online documents, spreadsheets, and presentation. There are numerous examples of how I use Google Docs to collaborate with others.
Calendar – Each of our family members has a calendar and we share them with each other. You can select one or more calendars to display at any time to keep track of each others’ schedules. You can also add in “Public” calendars, such as US Holidays and, for me, PSU’s Academic Calendar. Also, we have a calendar for my Mom that each of the siblings can access to view or enter appointments, etc.
There are really too many talk about. Take a look for yourself at some of the other Google services. A third-party has created a comprehensive list of Google Services.
April 30th, 2007 by Greg Steward
Many people have used Google as a search engine. But Google has been adding many services and to use these services, you must have a Google account.
Q: What is a Google account?
A: A Google account is the way to sign in to the Google services you are using. A Google account enables you to sign in to multiple Google services with one email address and password. It also stores your settings for those various services.
Q: I am already on some Google Group email lists. Don’t I already have a Google account?
A: Not necessarily. You can join a Google Group via email without having a Google Account. Or someone can put you on a Google group email list just by adding your email address to the list. But if you want to access any of the Google Group’s websites (of which you are a member), you will have to sign in; that requires a Google account. (It will also require you to set up a Google account using the same email address to which the Google Group is sending email.)
Q: How can I determine if I already have a Google Account?
A: You can get help regarding this at Google Accounts Help Page.
Q: What information is need to set up a Google Account?
The primary piece of information used with a Google account is your user name. Your user name is an email address, any email address (that belongs to you). Google uses an email address as your ID. (Some Google services do require you to have a Gmail email address; I don’t have a list of which services require that.)
The other required piece of information is a password. You create a password when you set up your Google account. If you are using a non-gmail email address, you can, if you want, use the same password you use when you log into your mail server (e.g. Yahoo, Hotmail, etc); that is your choice.
In addition, you will enter a first name and last name, and optionally (but a good idea), a nick name. Mine is “Greg Steward.” Cleaver, huh?
NOTE: Again, remember that if you are currently a member of a Google Group, you must set up your Google account using that same email address. Otherwise you won’t be able to access the Groups website even though you receive emails from the group.
Q: Should I get a Gmail address?
A: My suggestion is to get a Gmail address and then use that as your Google account user name. That way you are ready to use any of Google’s services. You can set up your Gmail account to forward any email to your preferred email address if you don’t want to use Gmail.
Again, if you do decide to start using a Gmail email address, you will need to subscribe to any Google groups with the Gmail address unless you want to have multiple Google accounts. But that makes life very complicated.
Q: How do I set up a Google account?
A: If you want to use a Gmail email as your Google ID, sign up for a Gmail address if you don’t already have one. That will establish your Google account.
The Google Accounts page allows you to sign in to Google. If you don’t already have a Google account, you can create one by selecting the link that says, “Create an account now.”
Q: Where can I get more information about Google Accounts?
A: There is a good Google Accounts Help Page. There is also a page for getting started.