What really killed Google Wave

I love technology. I like gadgets, tools, robotics, automation, all kinds of neat stuff. I like things that make my job easier, and save me time.

That's why I loved Google Wave. But the folks at Google have decided to kill off Wave. What??? The next big thing dead after a 14 month preview. Not much time to preview a sea-change in communication.

What really killed Wave? The problem was simple, perhaps so simple the developers at Google missed it: Wave did not integrate with e-mail. OK, maybe a little, but only recently were wavers able to add an e-mail contact to a wave, and then the non-wavers sent a copy of the wave posts and an invite to join Wave. But it might take a while - maybe an hour. Huh? E-mail is nearly instantaneous, and Wave is real-time. What's up with that?

Wake up Google - do you want Wave to take over the world and change online communication as we know it? Make it work with e-mail too.

It's that simple - really.

Had developers and early adopters been able to use Wave as an e-mail client as well as for waving, and used the same @googlewave.com address for e-mail and waves, things would have turned out different. I mostly stopped using wave because everyone else is still using e-mail. Oh, I tried to convert people, and those that tried Wave liked it - "but why won't Wave work as e-mail too?" they asked me.

"They say it's coming soon," I would reply. But it never came.

To train hunting dogs, there are a few rules to help ensure a successful training session:

1. Never set your dog up to fail

2. If you find yourself getting mad at the dog, stop training; but don't give up - just come back to it later when you've calmed down.

3. Always finish a training session on a positive note.

And as much as I am a fan of all things Google, I think they broke all three of these rules, especially the first one - by not prioritizing Wave integration with e-mail, they set it up to fail.

Hunting Season is Here!

September Goose

September 1st marks the official start of hunting season here in NJ with the opening of the early resident goose season. It's been more than a few long, hot months since the last time I was out goose hunting, which was a few days before the close of the extended season in February. The weather that day was a frosty 20 degrees, snowing, and not a bird was seen.

The 2010 season opener greeted us with 95 degree heat, and bright sunny skies, and not a goose was seen.

Generally, September goose

season is a struggle. Designed to control resident geese populations, September is a bad time for hunting. Birds are still in family groups, and content to stay in a small area, moving from feeding grounds to roost very little. In many cases, the feeding grounds and roosts are the same place - with no reason to leave the golf course or corporate park, why should the geese move?

Farmers have not harvested crops; beans and corn are still green and standing, or winter wheat is starting to go in and fields are freshly plowed. If you have water to hunt on, or a recently cut hay, wheat, or oat field you might be in luck if the birds are flying.

Almost done!

School is almost over for me - I will finish my last class toward a BS in business administration in December. Of course, I have time off scheduled for fishing in Maine in September, and then I'm back in Maine a week later for bird hunting. After that it's full speed ahead for my last two classes until I'm done. I expect I will be hunting a little less this year, but I will still try to make the most of it. My Shorthair turns nine in October this year, so that means next year I'll seriously need to think about getting a puppy. That is a topic for another day!

Safe hunting everyone!