* News from Google, MSN, Greasemonkey
In this issue, we have a potpourri of small items of note.
* Google: First the earth, now the moon
Google Moon (https://moon.google.com/). Yes, our favorite doer-of-no-evil has broadened its horizons and headed out into the solar system. Well, the moon at least. An adaptation of Google’s Earth Web-based mapping system (https://earth.google.com/), Google Moon applies the same nifty technologies to “their queen, fair regent of the night” (Erasmus Darwin, “The Botanic Garden: A Poem in Two Parts”, pt. I, canto II, l. 90; https://library.beau.org/gutenberg/etext06/8bot110.txt).
Google Moon defaults to showing a photographic view that encompasses the landing sites of all of the manned expeditions. You can zoom in but eventually the resolution limit is exceeded and you get to look at … well, go find out.
* MSN Search Toolbar now tabbed
The MSN Search Toolbar https://desktop.msn.com/ now adds tabbed browsing windows to Internet Explorer (in much the same way that FireFox has built-in) along with popup suppression and automatic form filling. I haven’t had a chance to try this tool yet as my PC’s copy of IE is not working right for no good reason and as I prefer FireFox, I haven’t bothered to fix IE. If you use the MSN Search Toolbar, let me know what you think.
* Greasemonkey
Greasemonkey http://greasemonkey.mozdev.org is a Firefox extension that allows the addition of DHTML fragments called “user scripts” to any Web page. The intention is to change the page’s behavior in much the same way that user provided CSS allows control of a Web page’s style. The project’s home page suggests using Greasemonkey to:
* Make sure that all URLs displayed in the browser are clickable links.
* Improve the usability of a site you frequent.
* Route around common and annoying Web site bugs.
The home page has a link “Install Greasemonkey 0.3.5” and if you are running FireFox they aren’t kidding – clicking on the link will download and open an xpi package and voila! Greasmonkey will be installed. There’s an awesome collection of scripts https://dunck.us/collab/GreaseMonkeyUserScriptsSpecific, including “Business Week Printer Friendly” which “re-writes article links to the corresponding printer-friendly … version of Business Week pages” and “Dilbert.com Ad Remover” which removes “unnecessary ads from Dilbert.com.”
