Technology Headlines

Google Music

Google is preparing to launch a test version of a new digital music service that will enable users to upload their music libraries to the company's servers.

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-20061280-261.html#ixzz1LwEGnExn

Microsoft near $7 billion deal for Skype

Microsoft is putting the finishing touches on a deal to buy Internet phone company Skype for between $7 billion and $8 billion.

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-20061295-94.html#ixzz1LwEelI3I

Do You Feel Lucky?

Ordinarily when you type in a key phrase in a Google search, you press the search button and Google returns a results page that shows multiple Web sites matching your search phrase.  The "I'm Feeling Lucky" button skips the search results page and goes directly to the first ranked page for that search phrase.

If you type "white house" in the search box and press "I'm Feeling Lucky", you will go straight to www.whitehouse.gov. If you type "apple" into the search box and press I'm Feeling Lucky, you will go directly to Apple Computer's Web site.

"I'm Feeling Lucky" is handy if you're faily confident that the first result in the search engine is going to be exactly the page you want to find.  It saves time and clicking to just go to the page with the first click.

Today I learned......

I have been using Google Chrome for months and months and months and only discovered today that when you search and the results come up that if you click on the magnifying glass at the end of each search result  you get a screenshot of the website! How did I miss that all these months?? Did you know that? Anyway...it made me smile!

Posted by Kathy Jennings

Google Upgrades

Thank you so much for pitching in to make the recent Google upgrade seamless!! A quick email was sent to alert users that they might have a problem when they logged in to their email account after the upgrade.  We only had a very few in "panic mode" because they thought they were getting a new account.  Everything worked out and once again the BVCPS staff conquers!!

I have been working on a few more changes that we will implement very soon.  When we switched to Google Apps a couple of years ago...everything was free.  Well now it seems that they want to start charging to use their e-Stream help desk system.  The very, very, very, basic package is still free...but it only allows for 1 user and that happens to be me. That type of limited user system will certainly not work for us.  I am working to make this transition go as well as the email did. I am hoping that the only thing different users will see is the e-Stream link gone from their Google account and a new link under the Technology Department to access the new ticket system.  The new system will work basically the same as our old system even better and it is free!! There will also be a link to the Knowledge Base where you can go to find help and resources.

Again, thanks for your patience and understanding as we undergo these minor changes.

Posted by Kathy Jennings