I like watching TV shows on Hulu, but I’d like it more if the ads were better-targeted. There’s no reason why internet TV should follow the same “five blocks of ads that might appeal to the show’s demographic, per hour” paradigm as broadcast TV: why not present the viewer with some choices? It’d be great if I could choose to watch ads for products that match my interests and circumstances, rather than being subjected to ads for things I am not interested in buying (like a new car, or womens’ running shoes). Besides, Hulu has so much less ad time than broadcast TV (about 3 minutes per hour rather than 15): shouldn’t those ads be as well-targeted as possible?
Not sure what genre of underground dance music from Britain to invest in? Thanks to Google Trends, we need wonder no longer:
Update (6 Dec 09): Looks like I’m not the first person to spot this trend: this guy wrote a blog post about it nearly a year ago!
Update (17 Jan 11): Looks like 2010 was a great year for Dubstep, too:
I’ve been using Google Voice since early August, and although I haven’t quite started giving out my GV number to everybody I meet, I’m definitely a big fan. Here’s why:
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Its performance doesn’t depend on the quality of my Internet connection
My current apartment’s broadband connection is not fantastic. Since I moved here, I’ve tried using SkypeOut to call landlines in the USA and elsewhere, but the sound breaks up really badly - it’s impossible to hold a conversation. With Google Voice, on the other hand, the call sounds fine. It’s not as crystal-clear as a Skype-to-Skype call, but when the other person can’t get to Skype, it’s really my only option.
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Better than phone cards
When I lived in the UK, I would use phone cards to call the USA. Making a call with a phone card is a huge pain: you have to dial one of the card’s access numbers, which are often unavailable; you have to enter a numeric code, usually too complicated to remember; and once the balance on the card has run out, you need to buy a new one. The customer service number on the back of the card seemed to have been disconnected - a huge hassle, as occasionally I’d buy cards that didn’t work at all. Google Voice wouldn’t have solved my problems, as it’s only available to people with American phone numbers, but I would have loved to have something similar.
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It transcribes voicemail
At this point, nobody leaves me any voicemails, so I don’t really benefit from the voicemail transcription feature. That being said, it is incredibly cool - the text is lighter or darker, depending on how confident Google is in the transcription, and as you play back the voicemail, the individual words are highlighted. It’s somewhat of a gimmick, but it’s a spectacular gimmick.
All in all, I’ve had a really good experience with Google Voice. I use it a few times a week to call my family in the UK, and I’ve never had cause to complain about it - it’s easy to use, it’s economical, and it’s reliable. I’d strongly recommend it to any expat in the USA.