Tech Week in Review 7-24-09

Google Makes Unsubscribing Easier

Google just announced a new Gmail feature which makes it simple to unsubscribe from trusted mailing lists. Sometimes, we subscribe to things and later decide it’s too much or not valuable. Rather than hunting around for that tiny unsubscribe link, Gmail let’s unsubscribe by hitting Report Spam. Even if it’s not really spam, you can access the same option in the Details menu. This only works on certain trusted mailing lists and requires participation from the owner of the list.

So we just launched something that makes this all work better, both for Gmail users and big email senders. Now, when you report spam on a legitimate newsletter or mailing list, we’ll help you unsubscribe. After clicking report spam, you’ll see a little dialog like this:

Digg Stole Your Links, Then Gave Them Back…Kinda

Digg randomly started redirecting shortened URL’s for logged out users to a Digg landing page instead of the content they were actually trying to view. This covered all URL’s shortened by Digg, including old links. According to Mashable:

It’s the equivalent of opening a highway to Chicago, then diverting it to St. Louis without telling any of the drivers.

Later, they changed their minds. Links previously created would behave as usual, but all links going forward will redirect to a Digg home page. This is NOT how anyone expects a URL shortener to work, but I guess Digg wasn’t really trying to provide a new service, they just wanted to steal a little traffic. Not very good for their image, but I’m sure the Digg fanboys won’t mind.

Apple Got That Green

Trying to get high? There’s an app for that. No, seriously. There is an iPhone app that helps you find out where the weed at.

iPhone apps can find just about anything. They can help you find a job, locate your friends, or just pinpoint a gas station. But a new app is promising to find you something far more controversial: marijuana.

Yahoo Homepage Still Pretty Boring

Yahoo recently designed a new homepage for you. It’s pretty slick. Includes many of your social destinations, like Facebook and Flickr. Overall, the design is nice, but I’m not sure that users are really looking for a portal site these days.

Yahoo’s new website is nice, but it isn’t a home run. And when both Microsoft and Google are breathing down your neck, you need to hit one out of the park in order to survive. Despite the new face, it’s still Yahoo, and it will have the same difficult problems that it had yesterday.

PassPack Gets More Funding

One of my absolute most favorite services that I actually use on a daily basis on multiple computers and platforms just got more funding to continue operations. PassPack securely stores your passwords and allows you to log in to all your sites with a single click. It works through the web browser, so you can use it from any computer on any platform. We previously covered PassPack when they came out of beta and I talked about them in detail here.

With all of the talk last week of busted Twitter passwords and the push for passwords that look like ‘dsdk2929!@#$a924′ , Passpack might be in a perfect position to capitalize on the current buzz.

New Billboard Design Just Not Enough

According to RWW, Billboard is destined for failure even after their recent re-design. The basic problem is that it’s like trying to stay abreast of current news by reading a print newspaper or even watching TV. You will always be behind.

By the time a single reaches Billboard’s charts and gets featured for streaming, Hype Machine and Imeem users are more than familiar with them. In fact, they’ve probably grown bored with the multiple remixes and have decided to form a backlash movement against them. Let’s face it, Billboard, Spin and Rolling Stone magazine have become irrelevant to the younger generation of music fans. In fact, Forbes just published a story on how music network Pitchfork is replacing them. And you know if Forbes thinks Pitchfork is the next big thing, then the über hip have already left in droves.

Lebron Gets Dunked On. Bitchassness Ensues.

In case you missed it, the best player in the NBA got dunked on at the LeBron James Skills Academy in Akron, Ohio by Jordan Crawford of Xavier. Anyone who has seen the video can tell you it wasn’t all that serious, Lebron just got dunked on. It wasn’t spectacular or anything. It wasn’t even one-on-one and Lebron was only coming over to help. The problems arose when Lebron and Nike decided to confiscate all video. Nike also contacted Xavier and demanded Jordan keep quiet about the incident. Mashable shares with us why this was a dumb idea.

Here’s the lesson: trying to hide things in the social media age backfires. With cameras and camera phones everywhere, what you say or do can easily appear on YouTube the next day. When you try to hide things, they blow out of proportion, and in the end, find their way out anyways. Being straightforward and authentic is almost always a better choice.

Facebook Lets You Change Your Username…Once

After just allowing users to pick a custom username, Facebook is now going back on their original plans and allowing users to change those names. You can only do it once, though. Apprently, some major brands missed out and some people picked pretty undesirable names.

It appears that Facebook has quietly launched a new option in the settings area called “username” where you have the option to change your Facebook username. To find this option, go to “Settings” at the top-right of the Facebook page and then click on “Account Settings.” The second option from the top is “Username.” Press “Change” to enter in your new username and then click “Confirm” when you’re ready to set it.