DrNeutral

In recent weeks Google has been launching a higher than usual amount of new products. Many will say they are moving in the wrong direction. Many of these products appear to have been launched without fully considering the weaknesses they will have to spam. Instead of rushing "shiny new cat toys" out the door that keep their developers happy and entertained, Google needs to focus on fixing some of the things they have already released that are broken...or, if they can't be fixed, pulling them down. In this post I'll be taking a look at Google suggest, showing some of the innappropriate things it suggests. Fair warning: you may find some of the screen shots in this post offensive.

From the page: "Ibiza is located just of the Spanish coast in the warm Mediterranean Sea. Over the past 20 years or so, the island has become most well-known for its nightlife - catering primarily for northern European clubbers who seek free and wild party time in the sun. However, in recent years the Spanish tourist board have strived to rid the island of its reputation for sex and alcohol, and has instead aimed to promote an improving family-friendly destination of good clean sun holidays."

From the page: "Tunisia is located in central northern Africa in between Libya to the east and Algeria to the west. The country has long been a popular destination for European holidaymakers, and in the post-credit-crunch climate considers to be a formidable choice for those searching for cheap sun holidays. What follows is a short guide to some of the most significant holiday destinations on its 1,148 km coast."

So you are bit.ly and you just suffered through the announcement that your already crowded area of the Internet space has been sat on by the 800 pound Google gorilla with their announcement of the arrival of their own URL shortening service. That can make for a rough day. Sure competition is a good thing because all ships rise with a rising tide. Google makes those tides rise so fast sometimes though that the little ships get tossed in the air and don't always land well.

The future rules!

For the capital of a nation, Washington, D.C. has some tough competition when it comes to appealing to tourists from outside of the United States - especially when one considers the reputation of New York City, the theme parks of Florida, and the golden sands of California. Yet, with Washington's social, political and cultural importance, the city has many significant architectural attractions - aside from the White House and the Washington Monument - and remains a key destination for American holidays.

Let's call it the Excess Factor, the panting growth of flab that defined mass entertainment and too much else through the decade just wheezing its last. Thus last weekend's X Factor final, two hours on Saturday, two more last night, contained a bare 90 relevant minutes of singing, judging and actual competition. The rest was hype, video silt, drum rolls, guest fill-ins, outside broadcasts - and inordinate repetition. How long does it take to choose between an ordinary Joe, Olly and Stacey?