Get My Goo (http://goo.gl/9wd5) has just lanched, making it easy to create goo.gl short links without using the Google Toolbar or Google Reader. Simply enter your URL and a cool goo.gl URL will be instantly created.

The cool bookmarklet allows you to create a short-link for any page you are visiting. Have a look at this screenshot:

I have just received an e-mail from Google, with a Christmas gift:

Hello,

As we near the end of the year, we wanted to take a moment to thank you for the time, energy, commitment, and trust you’ve shared with us in 2009.

With sharing in mind, this year we’ve decided to do something a little different. We hope you’ll find it fits the spirit of the Christmas season.

We’re looking forward to working with you to build lasting success in 2010.

With best wishes for Christmas and the New Year,
Your Google Team

This gift is for someone very special: Everyone.
Because charities are experiencing their toughest year in decades, we have committed $20 million (£12.4 million) to helping those who help us all. Our gift to you is a gift to them. Merry Christmas.

Thanks Google! Merry Christmas!

Today, Google announced the release of Google Public DNS — a complete alternative to the Domain Name System (DNS) offered by your ISP, OpenDNS and similar services. Google claims that their DNS service is fast, secure, and — unlike many ISPs and OpenDNS — they promise never to filter, block or redirect DNS responses.

From previous experience, it can be expected that Google Public DNS will only get better — but I believe that its openness and performance are reason enough for it to be adopted now. I have already switched, and you can do the same in a few seconds.

If you know what you are doing, you can straight-away configure your connection to use Google’s DNS servers: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.8.4.

Obviously, there is some anxiety amongst users about Google collecting more and more data all of the time. However, Google have addressed this with a stringent privacy policy, summed up as: ‘Google Public DNS does not permanently store personally identifiable information.’

Never noticed this before…

Traffic Sources Overview - Google Anal

Google is known for its simple homepage. Currently, it only shows a few elements — a text box, a few buttons, and then some links. But, it seems that Google is running another one of their experiments — one which I have been unwittingly involved in — to make the search engine even more ‘user friendly’. They have taken away all the links (and even the copyright notice), and only show the logo, search box and buttons.

It can be a little bit confusing when something changes on Google. When I first landed on this page, it was quite hard to grasp what the heck was going on: How do I log in? How do I change the search type!? But, then, just as you move your mouse to search for ‘Google log in’ (frustratingly), the old Google homepage fades in like magic!

Google tests 'fade in' feature

So, does this make Google any better? I don’t think so. Simple is a good way to go, but it’s simple enough already. Anybody overwhelmed by the current Google homepage should not be on the Internet. However, with this kind of micro-optimisation, it is just possible that Google could get 1 or 2 extra searches a year out of me.

What do you think?

When I first heard about Google Chrome OS, I initially thought it would be a basic operating system which supported just an Internet browser — where the Internet browser is within the OS. From what I have heard, however, it seems that “the” operating system could just aswell run within the browser.

Of course, there will be an OS to run the Internet browser; but, will there be another “OS” within that?

It is entirely feasible to create an operating system within an Internet browser, using basic HTML, CSS and Javascript. In fact, I had a go myself, last year. “22OS” was my attempt at creating a so-called “WebOS”. Although never completed, it appeared to be entirely possible to build a feature-rich “operating system” that is platform independent. Google already has a project to run x86 machine code in the browser called nativeclient — maybe this is indicative?

Digging up some old code, I managed to get a few screenshots of my old WebOS:

22OS loading in Google Chrome

Google Chrome is extremely fast in loading 22OS, due to its unique Javascript technology.

The 22OS Command Line Interface

22OS default desktop, with Windows Vista theme (for demonstration)

Multiple windows opened in 22OS

If Google Chrome OS turns out to be a WebOS, it would mean the ultimate in software portability. Any software developed for the OS could be run on any browser supporting Javascript, CSS and HTML (providing Google would allow this).

The vision of Google Chrome OS as an operating system running a web browser could be misleading. It is entirely feasible that everything related to user interaction could be off-loaded onto Google’s servers, and Google would have good reason to do it.

Of course, all this is just speculation, but there is argument that the traditional idea of what an operating system is could be different from this case, especially with Google an’all. We’ll just have to wait and see…