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It's becoming difficult to defend taste, decency, and style in a world that is rapidly being overtaken by those who believe technology is all.

I understand that many who believe they are ahead of their time are terribly excited about wearing their somewhat less than stylish Google Glass all over the planet.

I also understand that there are certain places -- bars and strip clubs, for example -- that have already expressed their desire to eject anyone wearing Google's famed, Internet-connected tools.

Not every eventuality has, however, been considered. Which is why I was grateful -- in a painful way -- to the resurrected ValleyWag for this morning noticing that famed tech personality Robert Scoble is boasting of wearing his Google Glass in the toilet.… Read more

When two executives at the world's most optimistic technology company write about humanity's digital future, you might expect a book brimming with excitement about the wonders to come.

Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen offer plenty of that, but what makes "The New Digital Age" worth reading is the correspondingly healthy dose of pessimism. The book, released today, ultimately is persuasive in making the case that people can steer technology so it helps us more than it harms us.

The book, with straightforward writing and compelling details, seeks to predict what happens as today's online population … Read more

Google Street View is now snapping panoramic pictures in 50 countries around the world.

The mapping service reached its 49th and 50th countries on Tuesday by launching in Hungary and Lesotho, according to the Google Maps blog. In addition, Street View has expanded its coverage in Poland, Romania, and other spots. In total, Google updated its Street View images for almost 350,000 miles of roads throughout 14 countries.

The images of Hungary include a view of the Hungarian Parliament building, a walk across the Chain bridge, and a peek at the Buda castle.

Lesotho, a country surrounded by South … Read more

Anyone needing proof that the post-PC era is real need only consult the recent sales figures: traditional PC sales are down 14 percent year over year, even as sales of tablets and smartphones -- mostly using Apple's iOS and Google's Android -- become more ubiquitous.

But even as Android adoption continues to flourish, Google has another horse in the race: Chrome OS. Chrome's mission statement is simple: With everything moving to "the cloud," why have a heavy, expensive Windows or Mac operating system acting as a middleman? Why not just have the browser be the OS? And that's precisely the reason it shares a name with Google's increasingly popular Web browser.

It's a clever enough idea, and one that plays to Google's strength: search, Gmail, Google Docs, Maps, Picasa, and nearly all of the company's other products don't require traditional software -- just a browser and a live Web connection. Still, when we last looked at it in the fall of 2012, we found Chrome OS to be promising, but ultimately not up to the level of a full-time OS. In other words, it was generally fine for a "second computer," but not quite ready to run your one and only go-to PC for every task.… Read more

Is iOS starting to feel a bit stale for your taste? It's something I'm hearing more and more as I talk to iOS users, or former iOS users. With some amazing Android phones hitting the market, it's tough not to get caught checking out the competition -- or even feeling a bit compelled to make the jump to Android.

But before you make the change, there are some kinks that need to be worked out to make the process go as smoothly as possible. You likely have contacts, a calendar, photos, and music that you'll want … Read more

A Chrome browser extension and some code hidden on a Web site indicate that Google might replace iGoogle with a desktop version of Google Now.

The unconfirmed report on Google Operating System, a blog that's not affiliated with Google, highlights code on a Web page that it says Google uses to test new features. In this case, the code calls out "Google Now" in instructions on what the new features do.

The code also contains an introduction to Google Now: "Get started with Google Now. Just the right information at just the right time." Google … Read more

Google Glass is the latest hot technology getting daily buzz, but it won't be coming to stores soon and it won't be cheap. Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt addressed the question of when consumers might be able to purchase the digital eyewear during an interview with the BBC: "It's fair to say that thousands of these will be in use by developers over the next months, and then based on their feedback we will make some product changes, and it's probably a year-ish away."

During Google's first-quarter earnings call last week, CEO Larry Page rather cryptically addressed … Read more

Google Glass users may be able to snap a photo just by winking.

Code uncovered in the MyGlass companion app by a Reddit user named fodawim lists several intriguing options for users of the high-tech specs.

One snippet of code reads "EYE_GESTURES_WINK_TAKE_PHOTO," which clearly sounds like a mere wink of your eye would be enough to take a photograph. Another line says "BROWSER_TWO_FINGER_ZOOM," which suggests the ability to zoom in and out of the browser simply by moving your thumb and index finger, just like on a touch-screen device.

Two more slices of code called HEAD_GESTURES_HEAD_WAKE_ENABLED and HEAD_GESTURES_HEAD_WAKE_DISABLED … Read more