This bookmarklet seems to work in the few cases I tested:
javascript:var as = document.getElementsByTagName("a");searchurl=as[12].protocol +"//"+ as[12].hostname + as[12].pathname;location.href='http://google.com/search?q='+searchurl
If you click it from a HN comments page, it will Google the story's url. For NYT and WSJ, clicking on the story from the Google results should get you in without the paywall. I have only tested this in Firefox. If anyone has improvements to the bookmarklet, please post it.
EB may have suffered from a lack of discoverability of its best features.
The feature I found most useful was the ability to define an area on a map, then get email updates when other users posted news in that area. I think that should have been the primary focus of Everyblock instead of the raw stream of data.
I used it frequently--it was my main source of news about my neighborhood. Everyblock created a great forum for neighbors to come together and discuss issues pertinent to their part of the city.
I have found Launchy to be faster than the Start menu method. Also, Launchy learns from your behavior, so if you type [w][o] into Launchy and then select "Word", it will know in the future that [w][o] should bring up Word first.
On the signup screen, I typed in my email address, then reflexively hit 'tab' before looking at the next field. That cleared the field and I didn't know what field I was in. I had to tab out and back in to figure out it was the password field.
Otherwise, it looks pretty cool, and I'm looking forward to having a Chicago version.
It's harder to game delicious because you can narrow your search to sites that have been bookmarked by people you have chosen to be in your network. You are essentially searching across curated lists from several trusted curators.
I think the problem with voice control is that if it's not 100% perfect it's completely frustrating. When I encounter Interactive Voice Response systems, I'd much rather "press 1" than have to repeat myself three or four times.
That being said, if the technology improves to the point that it works the first time, then I see it being incorporated everywhere (cars, microwaves, lights, thermostat, etc).
When people are around I feel very odd doing voice searches, so I'll probably never use this at work. I like voice search on mobile devices, however, since it's easier than typing.
I paid for Pinboard in hope that the financial support will allow them to remain viable and keep the service open indefinitely. I've been burned too many times by using free services that eventually shut down when they realize they can't support themselves with ads.
The problem is that the users of my Google group aren't necessarily tech savvy. Now they'll have to remember that files are at one url and messages are at another. I'm pretty sure I'll have to repeatedly remind them of this.
Besides, who's to say Google won't pull the plug on those other services in a year? It seems unlikely, but I also thought it was unlikely they'd remove those features from Groups.
It wasn't obvious to me how to delete icons. A permanent "trash" icon rather than a context sensitive "trash" icon might help. Also, you could add a note to the Dashler menu letting users know they can drag icons to reorder them.
Annotated screenshots might be more useful than a video. I think most HN users want to jump right in and use a tool rather than watch a video. Screenshots can be absorbed more quickly.
By the way, I like the pulsating "Get Dashler" button.
As an alternative you can put the Delicious bookmarklet code and the Historio.us bookmarklet code together in one giant bookmarklet to post to both at once. It's not very elegant, but it works.
If you click it from a HN comments page, it will Google the story's url. For NYT and WSJ, clicking on the story from the Google results should get you in without the paywall. I have only tested this in Firefox. If anyone has improvements to the bookmarklet, please post it.