The End of Google Checkout?

It's just a possibility, based on a rumour that says:

...nearly 90% of merchants have dropped the use of Google Checkout after the discontinuation of their “free” processing period.

I think Google will be needing Checkout in the future, for other projects, and they will keep it running even if nobody is using it.

Adwords: Age & Gender Targeting

Some AdWords users can now utilise a beta function that allows you to only show your ads to people of certain age and gender.

Obviously the regular Google search doesn't have this - because you and I have not told Google this information. It will only apply to those sites in the Google search network that can make this info available to Google.

100 Google Maps Things

100 Things to do with Google Maps Mashups - and these are really just a sample of the possibilities. Basically anything that exists in the physical world can be mapped, from pedophiles to Great White Sharks (if they have a GPS tag), from McDonalds to public toilets.

The link is to Google Maps mashups - where somone has combine an XML file that contains location data, with a map from Google. They are quite easy to do, and worth attempting if you can think of an original use...

Like this one - Find high risk areas for modern marine pirates

How to get the attention of Matt Cutts

Use his name in the title of your blog post:
Matt Cutts, Why Am I Still Being Punished?

The result, lots of comments and advice from the man himself, regarding penalties for paid links and paid blog posts.

Prediction: within the next week a dozen bloggers will try this.

Google on the Yahoo/Microsoft Deal

Google isn't happy - here's a snippet:

Could Microsoft now attempt to exert the same sort of inappropriate and illegal influence over the Internet that it did with the PC? While the Internet rewards competitive innovation, Microsoft has frequently sought to establish proprietary monopolies -- and then leverage its dominance into new, adjacent markets. Could the acquisition of Yahoo! allow Microsoft -- despite its legacy of serious legal and regulatory offenses -- to extend unfair practices from browsers and operating systems to the Internet? In addition, Microsoft plus Yahoo! equals an overwhelming share of instant messaging and web email accounts. And between them, the two companies operate the two most heavily trafficked portals on the Internet. Could a combination of the two take advantage of a PC software monopoly to unfairly limit the ability ofconsumers to freely access competitors' email, IM, and web-based services? Policymakers around the world need to ask these questions -- and consumers deserve satisfying answers.

Google bids on Yahoo!

No, they haven't, and I doubt they will. Google's competition is not really Yahoo or Microsoft. It would be Ask, except Ask is old and it's too hard for them to get new users.

If Microsoft buys Yahoo, they'll probably screw up on search, and that will leave lots of room for a newcomer

Google will save their money, and when the next search king comes out of the woodwork, they will buy it. And then either integrate it, use parts of it, or bury it.

(It won't be Wikia, but it will be something like it...)