Google evangelist warns Facebook could be the next AOL or IBM

Vint Cerf, Google’s chief internet evangelist, and the man who designed one of the key building blocks of the internet, warned that Facebook’s ‘closed’ architecture meant that it was risk of eventually failing to keep up with the public who want an open standard so they can easily jump from one website to another.
One comment I loved: “I think that Google are a magnificent company.
I think that it is incredibly benevolent of one of their senior employees to advise their major competitor to make changes in order to improve their business, thus harming Google by moving Facebook towards being a one-stop shop.
This kind of considerate, self-disinterested, non-money oriented decision is what has made Google what it is today.
It’s so refreshing to see big business willingly injure itself in order to make the consumers life that much better.
Google, I applaud you.” http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/sep/21/google-facebook-vint-cerf

Windows 8 lets users sync personalized settings and apps across multiple PCs

Most people like to put their personal stamp on their PC with their own desktop wallpaper and settings that have been tweaked just the way they like them. But all that is lost when they log onto a shared PC on which they don’t have an account set up. All that changes with Windows 8, which allows users to enjoy their own profile, settings and Metro style apps on any Windows 8 PC by logging in with their Windows Live ID http://www.gizmag.com/windows-8-syncs-settings-and-apps/19958/

How To Prepare Tomato Seeds For Storage

Take a fully ripened tomato and cut it in half. Scoop or squeeze out the seeds and juice into a small, labeled container. If done carefully, the tomato itself can be saved for eating, sun-drying or canning.
Add a little water to the container so that the seeds can float, then loosely cover it and set it in a warm place for 3-5 days where the odor will not bother you. Stir or swirl the mixture once or twice a day. The seeds will ferment and mold will grow at the surface. This mold is your friend; it eats the gelatinous coat around the seeds that stop germination. It also produces antibiotics that prevent disease.
The viable, mature seeds will sink to the bottom. Pour off the excess water and solids at the top. Add more water and repeat this step until the seeds are clean and the water being poured off is almost clear.
Spread the seeds onto a paper towel or plate and let them dry for 1-3 days. Keep them away from direct sunlight. Stir them to make sure they do not dry in clumps.
Store the seeds in a dark, cool place in an airtight container. Don’t forget to label them with the name, variety and date you saved them!
From a newsletter from: www.freshthemovie.com

Exercise Caution When Picking up Sealed, Discarded Containers

I received a caution in the mail and, unfortunately, it checks out as true. I have reworded it here and provided a handling that was not in the original post.

Be cautious when picking up sealed, empty containers, specifically discarded plastic or glass bottles.

Miscreants are putting Drano (a substance that unblocks drains), tin foil and a little water in plastic drink bottles and capping it up – leaving it on lawns, in mail boxes, in gardens, on driveways etc. just waiting for you to pick it up intending to put it in the rubbish.

If the bottle is picked up and shaken even just a little – in about 30 seconds or less it builds up enough gas to explodes the bottle with sufficient force to cause harm. The liquid that comes out is boiling hot as well.

Now what the alarmist who wrote this does not mention is that these bottle bombs can be instantly defused by unscrewing the cap slightly to prevent a pressure build up. Of course they still need to be handled with care so you do not spill the contents over yourself. http://www.hoax-slayer.com/drano-bottle-bomb.shtml