Radio UserLand Notes

I spent about 10 minutes this morning working with Radio's templates to produce a [look](http://houseofwarwick.com/) that I like better. Gone is the blockquote surrounding an item and the Scripting News style blue arrow (although I still love it). I replaced my permalink for each post with the time at the bottom of the post, although if you need to get it, the title is available.

I thinking I'm hopping on [Dave's bandwagon](http://archive.scripting.com/2004/12/08#iCanPutTitlesOnPostsOnScriptingNews) and skipping the title of a post if I'm quoting another source. It just makes sense.

[Dave Winer](http://archive.scripting.com/2005/02/17#When:5:55:35AM) points to [Steve Rubel](http://www.micropersuasion.com/2005/02/google_gets_awa.html) watching the web's back: Google's new version of the venerable toolbar is relinking the web. Bad idea, Google.

Google started rewriting URLs on it's own pages about six months to a year ago so links in search results redirect to a Google server first (probably to count hits) and then heads to the actual source. Worse, they've added spaces to the visable version of the URL so a copy and paste can't work. That's fine with me--it's their service anyway, lest we all forget that.

Although it's a stretch, I'm comparing Google to your local Barnes and Noble bookstore. Years ago, it was a book store that did no evil, dropping chairs at the ends of aisles and encouraging a customer to sit and read. You could lounge and read, like a library. Next they added coffee followed by Starbucks and "Barnes and Noble" brand books. They still don't mind if you stay, but they've made sure that they get some revenue from you while you are "reading" their books.

So what's the point?

Barnes and Noble gave the consumer everything they needed to build a habit on which the store could profit later. Google has done the same thing, and their tag rewrites are the coffee.

Don't frown when you taste the bitterness--you walked into the trap. Are you willing to walk out?

I've changed my IM status messages to reflect the convergence of my mood and the character names from the TV series "The A-Team". Right now: BA Baracus