Tag Archives: Chrome Extensions
Don’t Like Derek Jeter? Download This Chrome Extension
Posted on 27. Jul, 2011 by Nicholas Greene. 
1 Comments
On the topic of ‘extremely niche extensions for Google Chrome,’ have I got a story for you. Now, a few of you will probably feel a certain degree of ire towards me for this comment, but…I have absolutely no idea who Derek Jeter is. Can’t say I particularly care all that much, either: the guy’s largely irrelevant to my day to day life, as I neither follow nor particularly care about the sport of Baseball.
Some people evidently do care, though- quite a bit. Enough that someone actually coded a Chrome extension known as “Jeter Filter.” It does pretty much what you’d expect it to do- it “quickly and carefully scours the net for any signs of Derek Jeter and removes him while you browse, making Jeter disappear…right before your very eyes. So, basically, it searches out and filters any website that involves the professional athlete once you’ve installed it. I’m curious as to what sort of parameters the extension operates on- would it filter out websites with phrases like “I hate Derek Jeter?” Would it block its own website? All valid questions, for sure.
Oh, and in case you were wondering; no, this extension isn’t a joke. It actually exists.
Anyway, according to the website,
Jeter Filter anonymously reports each webpage found to contain Derek Jeter to the awesome open metadata service FluidInfo. This means the more you use the Jeter Filter, the easier you make it for other developers worldwide to filter Jeter from their apps.
In short, the more Jeter you filter, the easier it is to filter more Jeter!
So…basically, the extension forms a database of Jeter-friendly sites. Alright, that’s cool, I guess?
In addition to blocking all mention of Mr. Jeter from whatever websites a user happens to visit, it also gives users a visual warning any time it finds the guy’s name on website, informing them that they should navigate away from the web page immediately. It comes with three levels of filtering: mild, aggressive, and vindictive. According to the website, Mild is for those who “merely hate Derek Jeter,” Aggressive is “for those who really hate Derek Jeter,” and Vindictive is “for those who really, really, really hate Derek Jeter.”
Beyond the fact that he’s in pro baseball, I still have no idea who the hell Derek Jeter is.
via Total Pro Sports
Google + Facebook Is Likely Malware- Here’s How To Get Rid Of It
Posted on 15. Jul, 2011 by Nicholas Greene. 5 Comments
So, I think an apology might be in order.
Few days ago, I profiled what seemed to be a pretty awesome extension known as Google+Facebook. What it purported to do was allow you to view your Facebook news feed and information from your Google + account. And to be fair, it did that. All in all, a pretty useful tool. Problem was, there were a few rather unpleasant functions in the extension’s code, the presence of which pretty much inarguably paints it as Malware. Credit goes to RogueDarkJedi on Reddit for pointing it out to the community, and a fellow named Martin for pointing it out to me on this post
The Tweet Button For Google Chrome
Posted on 14. Jul, 2011 by Nicholas Greene. 0 Comments
So you’re browsing, and you come across something pretty cool. Maybe it’s an interesting article. Could be it’s an entertaining picture. Hell, maybe you discovered the meaning of life. Whatever you’ve found, you want to share it with your followers on Twitter. Problem is, there isn’t a ‘tweet’ button on this great find. As a result, you’re going to have to navigate all the way to Twitter, log in, copy the link, then share it through the site. Such a process wastes valuable minutes that could be spent finding more noteworthy quotes, articles, or pictures.
If you’re using Chrome, I’ve got a solution for you.
Shareaholic’s made a rather awesome extension for Google Chrome known as “The Tweet Button.” It’s not the only twitter app out there, but I don’t think I’m far off in calling it the granddaddy of all Twitter apps. Not only does it let you tweet things directly to your account; it also features URL shortening and tracking, support for tweeting from multiple accounts, an official tweet count for every web page you visit, and-here’s the coolest part- the ability to share a link by right clicking and selecting “Tweet this” from the context menu. Word is, this feature was just added on Sunday. It opens up the tweet box-complete with the aforementioned url shortening- in much the same way as simply clicking the extension’s icon does.
I’m hoping that at some point in the future, they add the ability to tweet a specific section of a website by right clicking- for now, the context menu option is just a useful feature that saves the effort of having to move to the top right corner to tweet a page- makes the extension feel a bit more streamlined, and makes it quicker to use- if only by a few seconds.
Anyway, as for instructions on using the extension….All you need to do after installing it is connect it to your Twitter account, and you’re good to go.
You can download the Tweet Button For Chrome here.
Five Chrome Addons That Make Google + Better
Posted on 11. Jul, 2011 by Nicholas Greene. 11 Comments
I’ve gotta say, Google + is pretty awesome. Google’s privacy foibles aside; I’m loving it, and I’m immensely looking forward to when it finally launches. Just the same though…no matter how good something is, there are always improvements you can make to it. No, I’m not talking about changes to the platform itself- Google’s not yet released the developer’s kit, to my knowledge. I’m instead referring to improvements upon the experience, by integration of Google’s newest social networking platform with its excellent web browser, Google Chrome. And not just simple integration, either.
I’m talking about a lot more.
See, even though G+ has only been out for about two weeks now, a number of hardworking independent developers and designers have already released a number of extensions that not only bring the Google + experience closer to Google Chrome, but improve upon that experience in some rather excellent ways. If you’re using Google + with the Chrome browser, these addons are inarguably all worth a look. Now, those of you not using Chrome don’t have to feel left out, either- there are a number of addons like Greasemonkey, Stylish, and Greasekit that’ll let you run these extensions even if you don’t want to bother taking a few minutes to download and install Chrome. Anyway, let’s have a look, shall we?
Facebook Blocks Facebook Friend Exporter
Posted on 05. Jul, 2011 by Nicholas Greene. 2 Comments
Well, that didn’t take long. Facebook’s already blocked Mohamed Mansour’s Facebook Friend Exporter. Apparently they did take notice of the Chrome extension, and didn’t much appreciate what it was doing. Fancy that. As expected, no legal action was taken against Mansour.
He’s definitely not happy with this turn of events, though. He added the following message onto his extensions info page:
Chrome Extension Lets You Import Your Facebook Friends Into Google +
Posted on 05. Jul, 2011 by Nicholas Greene. 1 Comments
One problem a lot of people have cited with Google’s new social network startup is the fact that most of Facebook’s users are, well…rather entrenched in the social networking website. Leaving Facebook means leaving their entire network of friends and acquaintances behind, in a sense. That’s always the problem with any social networking site- switching from one platform to another means you might often have to spend hours rebuilding your web of contacts; hunting down their information, adding their contact information to yours…either that, or you’re going to be dividing your attention between the two websites. Not exactly a tempting prospect, is it? Given how much work moving from Facebook could be, is it any wonder a lot of people might just want to stay put?
Ah, but there’s a solution- or at the very least, a small boon- for this conundrum. Switching from Facebook to Google + need not mean you fall out of touch with all your friends. An extension for Google + just recently went live to make the process of moving over from Facebook far, far smoother. Developed by a fellow known as Mohamed Mansour, this extension’s called, quite fittingly, the Facebook Friend Exporter.
Want To Do More With The Google Music Beta? Download This Extension
Posted on 30. Jun, 2011 by Nicholas Greene. 2 Comments
Even though Google Music is still in its beta stages (which it entered only recently), there’s already extensions appearing for it- albeit unofficial ones. So, basically, this is one of those ‘install at your own risk’ scenarios- though I can hardly see how this app would be harmful. Then again, I guess all it takes is a few mixed up lines of code to lock up a program. Plus, it’s still in beta, just like the API it’s attached to.
Developed by Level 2 studios, “Better Music Beta” allows you to listen to your Google Music from your browser without needing to open the Google Music website. You can also song scrobble (a rather bizarre word that essentially translates to you sending information about a song you’re enjoying to a website where it’s added to your profile), “love” songs on Last.FM, give songs a thumbs up/down, show desktop notifications, switch playlists and so on and so forth. Sounds pretty cool, right?
Just want to emphasize, though- this app isn’t going to work for you if you aren’t already in the Google Music Beta. Sorry, folks. If you were hoping for an app that would approximate the beta experience for those without an invite…this isn’t it.
If you’ve got a Google Music account, swing by the Google Webstore to grab yourself a copy of the extension.
via Chrome Story
Google Releases Batch of New Official Chrome Extensions
Posted on 11. Nov, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 2 Comments
There are over 8,000 Chrome extensions available from the official Google directory which is a great thing to see since they have been available last December. Some of the best extensions seem to come from Google employees, as their motivation is to create features that make the Google experience even better. Today, Google has release three new ones related to Google Calendar, Apps and YouTube.
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Apps vs. Extensions: What’s the Difference?
Posted on 27. Sep, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 4 Comments
The upcoming launch of the Chrome Web Store will replace the existing official Chrome extensions site and place both webapps and extensions under one single directory. But for many people, there is some difficulty in distinguishing the difference between applications and extensions.
In order to stave off any confusion, an article has been published in Google’s Code Labs to help explain the difference. Basically, an application is something that has its own UI and is displayed in the browser window. Separately, extensions notify and otherwise enhance the web experience.
The article also explains further for developers’ proper packaging standards in the “.crx” format as well as information about permissions for auto-updating. What’s interesting as well is the difference between hosted apps and packaged apps, whereby the latter will be able to run web applications off of the hard drive while the former simply directs a user to a secure web location using a manifest.json file.
Packaged apps offer an interesting bridge between extensions and hosted apps. They contain all of the elements needed to run the webapp, but right off of the internal storage. This is a smart way to run things; many believe that everything will run off of bandwidth which is not completely true and will help to give users a better experience in some cases.
Reviewing the “Privacy Mode” Browser Debate
Posted on 09. Aug, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
ArsTechnica has an excellent article discussing a Stanford research project that was conducted regarding browser “privacy” modes. In Chrome, this is called Incognito mode. For Firefox, it is called Private Browsing. In Internet Explorer it’s called InPrivate. Despite the label for it, this method of using the web is a bit misleading by claiming it offers protections against companies mining data from browsing.
We’ve got to step back and look at this from a different perspective here: when we are browsing the internet, we’re leaking data about ourselves all over the place. The web is a two way street: from the moment you start using it you are inputting data about yourself. You open a browser – regardless of the mode – and you start searching, logging in to services and clicking on links.
A major problem also appears to be add-ons and extensions in the browser, since they are capable of saving data themselves. I had previously talked about Google being very careful to look over extensions before adding them to the Official Extensions site, but perhaps they are only concerned about extensions that have potential elevation privileges that can attack a PC.
So perhaps in all of this internet business we have lost an element of privacy. There is still some degree of anonymity, but it may not last much longer. Some believe we should get rid of all anonymous use of the internet in order to legitimize it – but can that really be done?
thechromesource Daily: Links for 8/3/10
Posted on 03. Aug, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 1 Comments
What can the jailbreaking of Apple’s iOS mobile operating system mean for Chrome? Here’s a look.
Rapportive, a company that has created an extension to help Gmail users with their contacts, has received $1 million in funding.
PCWorld says that with so many technical improvements abound the browser wars have entered a new round.
InfoWorld’s Galen Gruman is not convinced that the “everything in the cloud” concept will work for Chrome OS tablets.
Microsoft is paying its salespeople a bonus for switching customers from Gmail over to Exchange.
The Top Non-Bloat Non-Annoying Extensions in Google Chrome
Posted on 23. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 5 Comments
It seems like almost every day I read about some top ten list about the most useful extensions for developers, the most helpful extensions for graphic designers and the most important extensions for bloggers. I say all of that is garbage. I’ve spent a lot more time analyzing Chrome extensions than many others have, and I’ve really only found very few that can enhance your web experience. Seriously, here is a screenshot of the four I actually use.
Forecastfox Weather
Everyone needs to know what the weather is like outside. Just looking out the window is really not good enough. Fortunately, there is a comprehensive weather extension I’ve found called Forecastfox Weather. It allows you to put in your location, and it sits comfortably in your extension collection, telling you via icon what the weather right now is like.
When you click on the icon, you get in depth information on your local weather.
It gives you a forecast for the next few days, saves your recent locations at the top, and even gives you local radar. What else do you need? It’s like the total opposite from the uber-worthless WeatherBug.
PageRank – LinkExtend
I very recently wrote an article about PageRank – LinkExtend. I really feel that everyone who uses the web needs to be aware of a site’s PageRank. Without going too deeply into Google’s ranking system, PageRank basically allows one to see how relevant a site is based on the number of links that go back to the site. When you have the extension active, you can also see what the PageRank of a site is when you use Google Search, helpful for finding authoritative resources instead of straight-up junk sites.
RSS Subscription Extension
This one is pretty simple, yet surprisingly useful; whenever you’re at a site that offers a RSS feed that you can put into your reader, you can click on an icon in your omnibox.
TabJump
There is really a lot of tab-madness going on. You know what I’m talking about – too many browser tabs. I have way too many opem at any time, and I know that many other people have the same problem. TabJump helps that. It sits comfortably in the omnibox until you need it to understand the tabs, and most helpfully it can reopen that tab you regretfully closed.
When you click on the green arrow, you get a breakdown on all the tabs you have opened.
In the End
There are only so many Chrome browser extensions which are useful that don’t simply annoy you while you’re trying to get things done. I’ve evaluated a lot of them to be able to make this post – but if there is one important one I have missed, I’d like to know about it. Let me know, and I’ll take a look!
By the way, if you’re going to make a top “whatever” list of the most useful Chrome extensions, take note that I’m going to be paying attention. No one will realistically be using most of them, and you will get called out right here on this blog. Dear readers, I’m hoping you’ll help me out on this. Thanks.
