Skip to content

The need for “good” alternatives to Google

Categories: Rants, Technology.


My disillusion with Google has been years in the making. I know I’ve written about it before on my blog so i won’t go into a deep dive on those thoughts. Maybe, just maybe my related posts plugin will find it so i don’t have to go searching through hundreds of posts.

But, the latest straw with my now hate/loathe relationship with Google is over their stance on net neutrality. Put simply, before Google got into the cellphone market, they were all for keeping the net open for everyone, and rejected having different tiers of service and cost for entry to the web. Now, they have Android and want to buddy up with Verizon to make even more money with their cellphone operating system and their content sites.

There has been a ton of outrage to this stance, which of course is welcomed (and a bit surprising with how much tech sites cater to Android and Google) but what is really needed is a mass exodus from Google sites and services.

One small problem though – where would people turn to in lieu of using Google for search and email?

Bing is still a pretty crappy site. The ui isn’t horrible, but the results are suspect and because hardly anyone uses it (comparatively speaking of course) it doesn’t make a lot of sense for me as a search engine marketer to stop using Google.

For email, I use Mobile Me and Gmail. It would be really hard for me to ditch Gmail completely because although Mobile Me has made some improvements to their service, its problem is that it is slow as hell. It also doesn’t have some of the organizational flexibility in managing messages and contacts that Gmail does. If it does, well i haven’t found those options.


Summer is here

Categories: Oregon, Uncategorized.


I would be totally remiss not to mention how nice it is outside today. When i got up this morning, i was half expecting to see gray skies and rain. So as I woke up, found my flip flops and took the dogs out into the backyard, i couldn’t help but notice all the light, warmth and gentle breezes.

Ugh, i thought – i do not want to go to work today!!

But went, i did. And now, i am sitting outside of the Willamette Noodle Company, one of my favorite places to eat (despite maybe the service not being ALL that great) and sitting outside enjoying this weather.

Everyone says that Oregon has the most beautiful weather during the summer. So far, this is my first experience with it and I have to say, they are right. Now, hopefully it lasts more than a day or so!


The Oregon Coast

Categories: Oregon, Thoughts.

Tags: , , ,


This weekend we went to the Oregon coast for the first time since our move. It was a very nice time, capped off with some kite flying. I cant even remember the last time i flew a kite. We picked one up that had no breakable parts, as we totally expected we’d crash. It was a clear, beautiful and windy day – basically perfect for kite flying.

We also went to a really good place for lunch, the Black Fish Cafe i believe it was called. Clam chowder was on our mind and we got a really tasty flatbread to snack on.

Beyond the beach, we got a new desk for our office (which we are working on) and some more plants for the garden.