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Google timer

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Re: Google timer

#102
post #36
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe they have Facebook envy and now wants to keep every visitors they get on the site for as long as possible, just like Facebook. This is a departure away from their original philosophy in which their goal was to send users to the most relevant site for the user query as fast as possible. I hope they haven't forgotten that the reason Yahoo lose out to Google was precisely because of this. Yahoo switched their…

I don't think it's to hold users on Google as long as possible: it's to give users what they're looking for as soon as possible. I was looking for a timer utility the other day. I googled "timer 10 minutes", and got back a list of options, with no way to choose one that was actually good (the top result claimed it had an audio indicator but it didn't work, so I ended up missing the end of the ten minutes). Likewise,…

The problem with this approach is that when someone creates a better weather site and the Web decides that it's good, it won't become the top result, because Google's weather functionality is already hardcoded to be the top result.

The right solution is for Google to open up the SERP in a limited way, allow sites to put their widgets there and let them compete. This is tricky (tech, business, UX...) but it's doable and it would be better for the future of the Web.

Re: Google timer

#103

Pomodoro Bookmarklet (powered by Google timer): 1. Create new bookmarklet 2. Name: Pomodoro 3. URL: javascript:window.open(" -1" rel="nofollow">https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=cr#q="+((document.title.index... )?"":"2")+"5+minute+timer&safe=off",'_self'); 4. Save Click on the bookmarklet to toggle between "Work" and "Break" mode.

Or you can use Tomatoes[1] to track also your working time.

[1] http://tomato.es

Re: Google timer

#104
post #54
post #43

Yet again I am reminded that my google is not necessarily the same as 'your' google Just like how "define: something" doesn't show a dictionary definiton for me anymore, a functionality i used all the time. And now can't be sure whether was actually removed, or just removed for me!

Have you blocked javascript? All that kind of stuff disappeared for me when I installed noscript

Have you blocked javascript?

I believe you have identified the cause. Switching javascript off and on between queries makes the define: operator stop working and then return to working. I block cookies and don't log into google in both cases.

Silly, lazy, javascript-loving google, it used to work just fine without javascript and I don't see anything particularly special about how it works now that should require javascript either.

Re: Google timer

#106
post #80
post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Doesn't work for me neither. Might be because I'm in Europe. The given URL redirects to www.google.de

I've noticed that is doesn't work if you aren't connected with your google account.

Never connected with my Google account, always works for me (define:) the timer didn't though.

Re: Google timer

#107
post #74
post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

quick tip : google.com/ncr for no country redirect.

Never knew it, thanks! You don't know how many times I struggled with getting good result, because I was searching for something in English and Google keep redirecting me to my country's edition (and thus searching on webpages from my country/with my language).

When I was overseas, I just used google.us, which redirects to google.com, since I only searched in English, I didn't speak the language of the country I was living in.

Re: Google timer

#108

TAKE OUT YOUR HEADPHONES (I'm shouting both because it's very important advice and because I'm now deaf)

Interestingly I have no sound when the timer runs to zero, and no blip on the windows sound levels.

Re: Google timer

#109
post #104
post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you blocked javascript? All that kind of stuff disappeared for me when I installed noscript

Have you blocked javascript? I believe you have identified the cause. Switching javascript off and on between queries makes the define: operator stop working and then return to working. I block cookies and don't log into google in both cases. Silly, lazy, javascript-loving google, it used to work just fine without javascript and I don't see anything particularly special about how it works now that should require java…

I don't think laziness has anything to do with it - they want you to have JS turned on. For instance Google Analytics, their powerful tracking tool, is crippled without it.

Re: Google timer

#110

This totally freaked me out. I clicked the link to be opened in a new tab - and continued what I was doing. I heard that beeping sound, and was completely baffled where it was coming from (didn't sound like it was coming from the speakers). You should have seen me picking up papers on my desk listening to them. I listened to every potential port on my phone to see if it was giving off this sound. I felt like I was go…

Typical Google. Uninformative, trite, bland, uninspired user experience. That's the best auditory indicator they could find? The following may not be a popular statement here, but it seems Google is still overrun by engineers that are humanoid-challenged. With all due respect to engineers, engineers are not human readable.
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