Symetri Blog

After almost a year of awaiting regulatory approval, Google has announced in their blog that the acquisition of Double Click is complete and official:

I'm pleased to share the news that we completed our acquisition of DoubleClick today. Although it's been nearly a year since we announced our intention to acquire DoubleClick last April, we are no less excited today about the benefits that the combination of our two companies will bring to the online advertising market.
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As the combination of Google and DoubleClick delivers better, more relevant display ads, we're also looking forward to delivering an improved online experience to users. Because user trust is paramount to the success of our business, users will continue to benefit from our commitment to protecting user privacy following this acquisition. And our scale and infrastructure mean that users will also be spending less time waiting for web pages to load. Ultimately, we believe that by combining our advertising network with DoubleClick's display ad serving products, and by investing resources in the display ad business, we will be able to help publishers and advertisers generate more revenue.

Also pending in court is Google's attempts to acquire the entire internet, planet Earth, and our arm of the Milky Way Galaxy, all in separate proceedings.

Labels: google, world domination

In May of 2007, Microsoft took a stab at Yahoo, trying to buy them up for what amounted to $50 Billion dollars after Google's acquisition of DoubleClick. Yahoo balked. Now, Yahoo's looking at dropping 1000 employees because of a poor 4th Quarter. Microsoft is taking another stab, this time at $45 Billion. Microsoft's impetus is trying to get a larger piece of Search Pie. But will it help them?

Microsoft has been floundering distantly behind Google for years now, and the new branding switch from MSN Search to Microsoft Live online environment amounted to a laughable attempt to be just like Google, like your little brother trying to copy your metal shop project with yarn and Scotch tape, only he's your much older brother and - that imagery makes me sad, and this should not be pity, but comeuppance. Honestly, though, how many people have heard of Spaces, xRank, HealthVault, or QnA, let alone use them like you would MySpace, Google Trends, WebMD, or Yahoo Answers? Live.com, anyone? Bueller?

The best answer for Microsoft, should the deal go through, would be to scrap these ancillary, late-to-the-prom failures and adopt the Yahoo version and brand. Focus on the Live Search and, just perhaps, make people aware of it. Finally, blend the MS Adcenter with Yahoo's Panama, taking the good pieces of Adcenter and adding it to the superior interactivity and usability of Panama, even though a "best of the best, sir!" hybrid would still lack the Adwords user-friendly happiness. At the very least, they could adopt Yahoo's educational model and abandon their Adcenter blog altogether, literally instead of figuratively. This may work out to improve Microsoft's revenue. Unfortunately, no one opened the Microsoft Calculator to check: 2 + 3 ≠ 1.

UPDATE: Yahoo has rejected the Microsoft bid of almost $45 billion, saying the offer "substantially undervalues" the company. Pattern: in about 8 months, Microsoft will make another bid to buy Yahoo, this time at $40 billion, if not less.

Labels: microsoft, world domination, yahoo

Did you just completely know that Halo 3 would sell like it did - a year ahead of time? Ever place a bet with a friend about something - anything - in the future? Have you heard about British bookmakers like Ladbrokes that even take bets on things like who the President of the US will be as of this November's elections? All of it's betting on futures, or prediction markets.

I actually stumbled across this idea (again) on the Google blog, as they've set up their own internal prediction market with some interesting results.

But if you'd like to actually get involved in such a venture, Popular Science has what's called the PPX:

Join the PopSci Predictions Exchange.

Welcome to the PPX, the first place to bet on the future of science and technology. It's easy and free: Log on, and we'll give you POP$250,000 in our virtual PopSci Dollars. Use that money to buy propositions you think are likely to happen. If other traders also want to buy, that proposition's price will go up, and you'll make PopSci bucks. Expand your portfolio with bets on energy, space, consumer technology and extreme science, and compete against other players for prizes and bragging rights. Ready to get started? Register now!

At this point we're just introducing the idea if you want to jump on the bandwagon. I'll be opening an account and placing some finances in the next week or two and report back as to how it went.

Labels: prediction markets, tech geeky

Metasearch engines come about on occasion and mostly go by without but a shrug and a "Meh." Recently, however, I've been witness to a mild buzz surrounding just such an engine called Search Salad. This UK based compilation engine puts together the results from the "top 5 search engines" as well as pulling from comparison and information sites like Kelkoo and Ciao! (UK shopping), ebay, and c|net.

A brief search for "human animal hybrid" pulls up a page with 5 framed SERPs (Google, Yahoo, Microsoft Live, Ask, and Wikipedia) sandwiched between left and right Google Ads. Clicking the "Electronics" link below the search box at this point brings up Engadget results, although the logo was cut off and it took me a minute to reflect on what the heck enoadoet was. Other links, other results.

Overall, I like that it pulls from more than just the top three engines; depending on what you're searching for, a direct ebay or engadget result may be just what you're looking for. Unfortunately, having a heavy background in design makes my tummy make funny noises whenever I see frame-y looking structures on a page. I've got one of them new-fangled scroll wheels and it would've aesthetically looked so much better to just transpose the top 10 results directly onto the page.

So aside from the whispered chuckles about not just the implication of a "tossed salad," but an actual TOSS button, Search Salad is worth a look if just to take a breath and experience something a little different than your usual branding of results.

Labels: big 5, search engines

Yes, you read correctly.



From ThinkGeek:

Here at ThinkGeek we're pretty lazy when it comes to technology. We expect our gadgets to do all the busywork while we focus on the high level important tasks like reading blogs. That's why we hate to have to crack open our laptops just to see if there is any wi-fi internet access about... and keychain wi-fi detectors, we would have to actually remove them from our pockets to look at them. But now thanks to the ingenious ThinkGeek robot monkeys you can display the current wi-fi signal strength to yourself and everyone around you with this stylish Wi-Fi Detector Shirt. The glowing bars on the front of the shirt dynamically change as the surrounding wi-fi signal strength fluctuates. Finally you can get the attention you deserve as others bow to you as their reverential wi-fi god, while geeky chicks swoon at your presence. You can thank us later.

Freedom costs $1.05; Geek Heaven is around $30.

Labels: gadgets, tech geeky