Animated Chrome Background.

1. So to get this animated background, you will first need to update chrome to the latest version.
   
2. Find and download  your favourite animated GIF.  Search for animated gif for sites offering free animated gif.
3. Right click on the animated gif to download it to your computer.
4. When the "save file as" dialogue box opens up, CHANGE the file extension from GIF to PNG
5. IMPORTANT:  Pick "All Files". before you save.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Next open Chrome and click on the customize link on the bottom right.
7. Click to upload custom background.
   
8. And you are done.  Enjoy !

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8 Nifty Apps to Identify Anything Using Your Phone’s Camera

8 Nifty Apps to Identify Anything Using Your Phone’s Camera

For many people, your phone’s camera is one of its most important aspects. It has a ton of uses, from superimposing wild creatures into reality with AR apps to taking sharp pictures even at night.

But you might be missing out on another major ability your phone’s camera has: it can work as a visual search engine and identify just about anything you see in the world. Here are the best identification apps for Android and iPhone.

1. Google Lens: For Everything

Read the complete article from its original source Here

Google has brought its search engine chops to your camera. With computer vision, its Lens app is capable of recognizing a ton of items. Google Lens understands a wide range of items including animal breeds, plants, flowers, branded gadgets, and more. The biggest exception is people.

Plus, for compatible objects, Google Lens will also pull up shopping links if you’d like to buy them. There’s not much of a setup process. You simply install the app or launch it from the Google Assistant and point it at an object. Google Lens will let you know if it’s found a match by displaying a little blue icon on top of the item.

Instead of a dedicated app, iPhone users can find Google Lens functionality in the search bar of the main Google app. We’ve looked at some of the interesting uses for Google Lens if you’re curious.

2. Pinterest: For Design and Art

Similarly, Pinterest has a visual search tool where you take a picture and the app fetches links and pages for the objects it identifies. Pinterest’s solution can also match multiple items in a complex image, such as an outfit.

Like Google, it shows you shopping links through which you can directly purchase the product.

Pinterest’s visual search is primarily designed for what the social network is known for, like designs, outfits, and other similar categories. For purposes such as exploring nature, you’ll have a better time with Google Lens.

Read the complete article from its original source Here

3. Snapchat: Amazon-Powered Visual Search

Snapchat comes with a nifty visual search engine too. It’s powered by and integrated with Amazon’s vast database of products. The concept is identical to the above.

You take a picture of an object you’re interested in. If successfully identified, Snapchat will bring up an Amazon card so you can visit the listing. You can also scan barcodes instead of tapping the item, for a quicker response.

Read the complete article from its original source Here

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Resize the label column in Gmail

By default, Gmail doesn’t offer a lot of customization options aside from its themes, display density and inbox tabs. You cannot really adjust or resize some of its elements like its label columns and message details panel. Fortunately, there are ways to overcome these limitations.

HOW TO RESIZE THE LABEL COLUMN IN GMAIL IN CHROME

• To get started, simply download and install a free browser extension/Gmail add-on called “Gmail label column resizer”.
  
• After installing the said extension, just go ahead and open a new tab and then log in to your Gmail account. If you’re accessing Gmail via Chrome Incognito, then you need to make sure that the Gmail label column resize is also allowed to run in your browser’s Incognito window.
  
• After logging in to your Gmail account, take a look at the divider that separates your inbox or email messages from your email labels.

• Place your mouse cursor over the divider. To adjust the size of the left panel, simply left-click, hold and drag your mouse away or closer to your email labels.
  
  Adjust away !
  
  

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IT Jargon : Google Stalking

What does Google Stalking mean?

“Google stalking” is a term for looking up in-depth information on someone using the Google search engine on the Internet. Because Google is the predominant search engine that most Web surfers use, Google stalking has come synonymous with getting basic online research on a person, or on any other kind of topic or subject.

One of the tricky points about Google stalking is the ethics involved. In general, there is no ethical standard for Internet search. However, some people argue that Google stalking may run counter to certain forms of "netiquette" or Internet etiquette that some people think should be practiced online.

Google stalking can also come in many different forms. In some cases, people are just looking for images or clues to someone's appearance. In other cases, they may be acquiring background information or demographic information such as age, marital status and other personal indicators. In a lot of cases, it is possible to build a much more detailed portfolio of information on someone including current and past addresses and phone numbers, criminal background and family history, as well as a thorough survey of that person's hobbies and personal preferences. Because Google is a public tool, and there are few restrictions on its use, Google stalking is generally seen as something that is an accepted way to gather information about someone.

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Google for Canadian NonProfits

Google Tools for NonProfits

This is a membership program for nonprofits based in various countries with country-specific programs, who is looking to amplify its online engagement. Though it has eligibility requirements, once accepted, you have access to free versions of all Google products, including tutorials for each to help you get started (not too shabby, we know).

As a Canadian NonProfit the eligibility requirements are

• Organizations must be currently registered with TechSoup Canada, TechSoup Global's regional arm.
• Organizations must be registered as a federal charity, a federal non-profit or a provincial non-profit.

For other countries or updated eligibility requirements go here.

Here are the List of Offerings by Google to Help NonProfits.

Google Ad Grants: 

Free AdWords advertising to promote your website on Google through keyword targeting. Google Ad Grants (formally known as Google Grants) is a $10,000 monthly grant given to organizations looking to advertise on Google. With the potential of driving 10,000 to 40,000 new visitors a month to your website, using this “free money” to attract new constituents to engage with your organization online is an excellent offer.

Google Apps for NonProfits: 

Free version of the Google Apps business productivity suite, including Gmail, Docs, Calendar, and more. Google Apps includes 30GB of storage on Gmail and Google Drive, a cloud-based document-sharing and creation tool. Your nonprofit also receives 24/7 support for any technical issues you may encounter with these features.

The benefits of the apps are substantial. For instance, if your team is disbursed in the field or operates in different countries, you can share and store information securely with Google Drive. Meanwhile, you can communicate online with people in various countries with Gmail and stay up-to-date on events with Google Calendar.

YouTube for NonProfits:

Not only can your nonprofit use YouTube channels to share videos about your organization, its events, its achievements, and even to say thank you, you are also able to collect donations through it. Video is a great medium to connect with a large audience and inspire them to support your organization.

With YouTube, your nonprofit is able to:

• Drive viewers to action by placing a call-to-action overlay directly on your videos.
• Customize the look and feel of your channel with your organization’s logo and branding.
• Boost fundraising through a Google Checkout “Donate” button on your channel homepage.

Google Earth Outreach Grants: 

Free licensing for Google Earth Pro and Maps API for Business.Showing the impact of your work in the field is a constant challenge, but it’s a growing demand from supporters and can drive a lot of attention if done effectively. Google Earth Outreach is a mapping tool that includes Google Earth and Google Maps to allow your supporters to see your work. 

With Google Earth Outreach, you can:

• Create a custom map of your project sites in 10 minutes.   
• Create a narrative Google Earth movie and make it available on YouTube.
• Collect data in the field with Android devices and Open Data kit and map your data.
• View online tutorials to help you get the most out of the available mapping tools.

Google Analytics:

Understanding which of your marketing efforts, whether it's via social media or Google AdWords, is driving the most traffic to your website is crucial to growing your online presence and using the right channels to your advantage. Google Analytics provides your nonprofit with information on how people find and interact with your website and eventually take action to support your mission. 

With Google Analytics, you can:

• Measure engagement of your supporters with your website.
• Determine which of your AdWords ads are most effective.
• Identify and understand how volunteers, donors, and stakeholders interact with your website.
• Track the effectiveness of social media for your campaign.

Google+:

Similar to Facebook, Google+ provides a medium for you to converse with your audience and share photos, videos, and all of your beautiful stories to your community of followers and supporters. Google+ also allows you to use Google Hangouts to host live video conferences with individuals across the world. You’re even able to tailor and target your message to your Google Circles, creating communities within your larger Google+ community for volunteers, donors, sponsors, and even your staff.

One Today by Google:

Free access to a mobile fundraising platform. This Android app allows nonprofits to launch projects that can make a big impact with $1 donations made via mobile devices. Once you’re a member of Google for Nonprofits, you have complete access to set up your projects and fundraise through One Today.

How to ?

If you meet the eligibility criteria and would wish to avail of the Google Set of tools for you NonProfit then click on the Image below to Join.

2Create³⁶⁰ specializes in Google Apps  Strategy and Implementation.  Contact us for more information.

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Non-Profits and Google Apps

Google and Non-Profits     

Leverage Google Apps Reduce your IT costs and help staff and volunteers collaborate more effectively.

Google Apps:

Google Apps for Nonprofit offers your organization the freedom and cost-effectiveness of cloud computing and the richness  of real-time collaboration.

• Work better with colleagues through real-time collaboration online
• Store documents in the cloud; 25GB for email; 5GB of storage for Google Drive
• Stay connected from anywhere; securely access data anywhere
• Get things done faster by automating processes
• 24/7 support; no hardware, no updates
• Free version of Google Apps for Nonprofits with fewer than 3,000 users,
• adwords-64  Reach and engage your supporters through online advertising with AdWords.

Google Grants:     (website)

Google Ad Grants is the nonprofit edition of AdWords, Google's online advertising tool. Google Ad Grants empowers nonprofit organizations, through $10,000 per month in in-kind AdWords™ advertising, to promote their missions and initiatives on Google search result pages.

With Google Grants, you can:

• Leverage online advertising to reach donors, volunteers and constituents when they’re searching on Google
• Raise awareness by choosing relevant keywords and creating unique ads to highlight your work
• Track online donations, newsletter sign-ups, volunteer registrations and more so you can see what’s working and what’s not
• Promote your organization’s website on Google with in-kind AdWords advertising

View the video for more information.

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Google Docs Phishing

Google Docs Phishing Campaign.

Gmail users beware: a very convincing, very deceitful, phishing scam has been making its way around the Internet. The scam targets Google Doc and Google Drive users with a lookalike login page designed to steal your username and password.

The Google Docs phishing scam is a textbook example: it aims to trick you into handing over sensitive login details, and it does exceptionally well. The scam starts with an email referring to an “important document” stored on Google Docs. Clicking on the link in this message will take you to what appears to be a Google Docs login page—but it’s not. This fake login page allows scammers to collect your username and password for their own malicious use.

Unfortunately for Gmail users, the page in this case is remarkably convincing—emulating Google’s typical login page. And here’s the clincher: because this scam is hosted on Google’s servers (the scam is, after all, a public folder on Google Drive) it effectively sidesteps one of the more reliable ways to detect a phishing scam. Generally speaking, phishing URLs are one or two characters different from the official website that they’re masquerading as. To top things off, because the scammers were hosting this attack on Google’s servers, the URL appears to be secure.

This attack on Google Doc users is especially troubling as Google uses a single login across all of their services. If the scammers successfully obtained login credentials for your Google Docs, they’d also be able to access your email, Chrome browsing history (including searches), YouTube account, and perhaps even be able to make purchases through the Google Play store if you’ve previously registered your payment information.

Despite the sophistication of this scam, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. After its discovery earlier this week, Google has successfully removed the phishing pages. They’ve also stated that their “abuse team is working to prevent this kind of spoofing from happening again.”

While this particular attack seems to have been vanquished, phishing scams in general are on the rise. By being aware of how these scams operate, and how to detect them, you’re well on your way to protecting yourself from the Internet’s many bad guys.

Follow the steps below to help avoid falling victim:

• Double check your URL address. Most of the time, a phishing URL will have some reference to the entity it’s pretending to be, but with some form of variation. For example: www.google.com will take you to Google; www.googl.e3921.com (as an example) will take you to a crash page—but it could also take you to a phishing scam website. That being said, do be aware that the scam described above uses a legitimate Google URL and could trick even the most thorough of skeptics.
  

• Don’t send banking or login information via email or text. Professional services will never ask you to send sensitive information over email or text messages. They just don’t. At the bare minimum, they’ll ask you to sign into your account on their website (remember to check the URL) in order to address any sensitive information. If you’ve received an email asking for transmittal of financial or login details via email, you’d be wise to delete it.
  

• Watch the links. Be wary of linking on links sent to you over email, text message or social media sites. Most are harmless, but the ones sent to you by someone you don’t know, or a business that you didn’t sign up for, could send you to a malware-infested site.
  
• Install comprehensive security software. As always, practice caution, and protect yourself online with comprehensive security services like McAfee LiveSafe. It will help block spam and dangerous email, as well as guard against malware and viruses on your PCs, Macs, smartphones and tablets.

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Cool Google App's Lesser Know Features

1. Video conference with up to 15 people (my Favourite)

Instead of an email, a chat or a phone call, you can look your co-workers in the eye with Hangouts, the built-in video conferencing service that comes with Google Apps.

And you can do it from inside Gmail. Open up an email, hover your mouse over the person's name, then click on the video icon to invite that person into a video call.

• Select Settings.
• Click the gear in the top right .

• Click the Labs tab.

• Find the "Undo Send" lab and select the Enable radio button.

• Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.

2. Make Suggestions in others documents

With Google Docs, two or more people can work on a document together, live. But if you don't want to make a permanent change to someone else's document, you don't have to.

Anyone that has "commenting access" can use the "Suggest Edits" feature instead (similar to Microsoft's "track changes" feature). Edits can be accepted or rejected with a single click. And if you convert a Microsoft Word file to Docs (or vice versa), your tracked changes will convert as well.

Click on the little green editing icon in the upper-right of the document to access Suggest Edits.

3. Access and include royalty-free images to any document

If you need pictures to spice up your work, you can choose from a bunch of royalty-free images in Docs and the Slides presentation software.

Just click Insert > Image > Search > Stock images to browse.

If you are looking for an image to doctor, try searching the "Life" image database, too

.

4. Avail Google search awesomeness inside working documents

Open the Research Tool in Google Docs (Tools menu > Research) and find all sorts of scholarly articles on Google.

You can also search for quotes, images, tables, or just search the Web.  Often, if you can click on a result, you will be given the option to drag the result right into your paper or to cite it.

5. Individual Mobile apps for Sheets, Docs, Slides

With the mobile apps for Docs, Sheets and Slides, you can work in real time with your coworkers on your Android or iOS device. These apps also make it easier to find a specific type of document stored in your cloud and let you create (and sometimes edit) documents even if you aren't online.

6. Manage and use different email addresses

There are times when you want to send email from a different address, such as when you are sharing a corporate address or using a personal email address, or when assistants are answering their boss's email.

You can set up Gmail to send messages and replies from alternative accounts. Go to Settings (click the gear in the top right ) > Accounts > Add another email address you own.

7.  Subtle Pop-up notifications

If you like pop-up notifications but don't like how they rudely interrupt whatever you're doing, try "Gentle Notifications."
Instead of a pop-up, the title of the Google Calendar window or tab will blink in the background and the computer will make a more pleasant sound.

From your calendar go to Settings (click the gear in the top right ) > Labs > Enable Gentle Notifications.

Pro tip: there are a bunch of other cool features in the Labs setting, like automatically declining invites when you are busy, day/night calendar options, sending attachments with meeting invites, and more.

8. Edit Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files

You might already know this, but it's worth mentioning all the same. There's no need to buy a special app to let you edit Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint if you you use Google Apps. Documents created with Microsoft Office will open and be editable directly in Google Docs, Sheets and Slides, on your desktop, phone or tablet.

9. Quick and Clean your contact list

With just a few clicks, Google will sift through your contacts, look for duplicates and merge them into a single contact file. From the Contacts app click on More > Merge contacts. You can merge them all or select the ones that should be united.

10. Add all sorts of extra features through apps and add-ons

There are a ton of add-on apps that will give you extra features for Google Docs, Sheets, Forms, email, etc. Just log into your Google Apps account and then head over to the Google Apps Marketplace.

You'll find free label printing apps, project management apps, calendaring apps, sales and marketing apps and so on.

11. Recall an email you have sent

In Gmail, you can undo a sent email. To set up the "Undo Send" feature, first decide how long you’d like Gmail to hold your mail before actually sending it off.

1. Select Settings.
2. Click the gear in the top right .
3. Click the Labs tab.
4. Find the "Undo Send" lab and select the Enable radio button.
5. Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.

12. Access your files offline with this neat hack

If you frequently find yourself in spots where the internet access is iffy (airports, the train) and you use the Chrome browser, use this trick to keep access to your cloud documents.

Right before you unplug from the office network, sign into drive.google.com from Chrome. Your files will be viewable offline, as will email. You can edit offline (or write an email) and your changes will be saved and synced (or the email sent) when your internet connection comes back. If you don't use Chrome, you can also use the Google Drive app to view and edit Drive documents offline.

13. Security doubled

When turned on, it requires you to input a regular password, and a special one-time password sent as a text to your mobile phone. Every time you use a new computer it doesn't recognize, it sends a new one-time password. So bad guys can't get into your account on an unauthorized computer even if they learn your password.

You can set it up to refresh once a month, so it doesn't bug you too often.

From any Gmail, click on Settings (click the gear in the top right ) > Account > Click 2-Step Verification > Go through the step-by-step process.

Pro tip: download and use the Google Authenticator app which gives you other options besides a text message to get the second password and allows you to login even when your device is in airplane mode.

14. No reply-all by default ( It is annoying )

Sometimes a "reply-all" message goes viral in your company and suddenly your inbox is filling up with replies from your co-workers on a topic that has nothing to do with you.

To stop that, open a message in the string, click More > Mute and you'll no longer see new emails.

15.  Print while en-route

Google Drive lets you print directly to a FedEx office.

Click on the Print icon > Change printers > Print to a Fedex Office and you’ll receive a retrieval code that you can use to print out your job at more than 1,800 FedEx office locations.

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Leverage Google App's

As many companies, governments, and educational organizations consider making the switch to Google Apps, the question is raised of how productive one can be on the cloud-based system.
Here are some tips to help you leverage Google Apps.

1. Google Drive on the Desktop
Connecting your Google Drive to your desktop creates a local folder that is directly connected to your Google Drive. This feature is not about offline editing capabilities, but it does offer an easy way to drag-and-drop files such as PDF documents from your computer into Google Drive.To connect your Google Drive to your desktop, simple click the "Connect Drive to Desktop" link on the left side of your Drive landing page. It will give you the opportunity to download and install Google Drive for your specific operating system and it will create a Google Drive folder on your computer. That's where you drag and drop files into the folder to save them into your Google Drive.

2. Offline editing

Perhaps one of the most contested points of the use of Google Apps in the enterprise is the necessity of an Internet connection to access documents. There is a little-known way to move your Google Apps files down to your desktop.

Copy and paste the below URL into your browser:

https://drive.google.com/#offline

Once there you simply click the "Enable Offline" button to enable offline editing. Bear in mind, however, that this can only be enabled on one Google account per computer. If this link simply takes you to your list of Google Drive files then you may already have offline editing enabled for another account.

3. Action Buttons in Gmail

With quick action buttons in Gmail, users can respond to event invitations, check-in for flights, view attachments, and review products, among other things, without opening an email. When checking your email in Gmail, look on the far right of the individual subject line and, if there is an action available, there should be a drop-down button where you can select how you want to respond.

4. Share your files

Gmail limits attachments to 25 MB, but it will allow users to insert a link to a Google Drive file, up to 10 GB in size, in an email. When in the "Compose" window, hover over the + at the bottom of the window and it will change to show you  a few different options. Click the Drive logo and you will be able to choose a file from your Google Drive to insert into the email.

 

 Once you insert a file into an email, you will be prompted to choose what access you want to give the recipient. When you have selected the access for the recipient, click "Share and Send" to send your email with the file. The file will appear as a blue link in the body of the email and recipients will have the option to save the file to their own drive.

5. SMS Appointment Reminders

Getting appointment reminders from your Google calendar sent to your phone can really help if you have to be away from your desk during the day. The first step to setting up the SMS alerts is to enable the feature and link your mobile number in calendar settings. Click the gear icon on the top right of your calendar page and select "Settings." Then, click the "Mobile Setup" option at the top and fill out the forms on that page and click save.

Once you have the feature enabled, you will need to select the reminder to be sent to your phone. When you are creating the event, or viewing an event, you have the option to select a reminder. Once the SMS feature in enable, it should show up on the drop-down menu next to "Reminders." Once you have selected SMS, finish creating the reminder and it should text you at the appointed time.

6. Google Tasks

Another oft-overlooked feature of Google Apps is the tasks feature available in Gmail and Google Calendar. To access tasks through Gmail, click on the drop-down arrow next to "Mail" on the top left section of your screen.

 Tasks can be created from the task inbox or an email. There is a + at the bottom of the tasks inbox to create a new task. From an email, click the "More" drop-down button at the top of an email and click "Add to tasks." Tasks created from an email will link back to the original email so you can understand the context of the task. You can also use this button to create an event from an email. For Chrome users, Google also offers a Tasks extension.

7. Email Filters

This is a great resource for folks who are making the move from Microsoft Outlook and are looking for a feature that is similar to the "rules" feature of Outlook. To access filters, first click the gear icon on the top right of your Gmail page. Select settings, and Filters tab will be at the top of the settings page toward the middle.

Once you reach the filters page, you will have the option to create a new filter or import filters. Click "Create a new filter" to create a filter based on sender, recipient, included words, attachments, and a couple other options. The import filters options will let you upload an XML file to import filters from that file.

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