I have to say that one of Google’s unsung heroes within its rapidly shrinking portfolio of products (thanks to the cannibalistic personality of Google+) is undoubtedly Google Goggles – the completely genius image recognition service for mobile phones.

Launched just under two years ago, Google Goggles has gone from strength to strength and is available across multiple mobile platforms including iPhone and (obviously) Android handsets.

I have to say that I prefer using Goggles’ image recognition capabilities to secure further web info than having to rely on often gimmicky QR codes to achieve the same thing. Not only can Google Goggles recognise brand logos, it can also do a whole host of other incredible stuff which continuously push the boundaries of mobile search.

For instance, the other day, somebody in the office had a picture of a building that they believed to be a French palace but didn’t know what/where it was. With a single scan with my trusty HTC Android phone, I was (rather smugly) able to inform them within 7 seconds that it was in fact the Royal Palace in Brussels, Belgium.

Also, I’ve found that the app can also find online versions of articles simple by taking a photo of a small snippet of text from a print version of the publication. So, when reading an article on the train in last week’s Economist I scanned a paragraph of the page using Google Goggles and was immediately taken to the online version of the article.

Google also reckons that the app can be used to translate text from one language into another – something that I can attest to but with varying degrees of success.

But the main reason for this post is to show the awesomeness that is Google Goggles’ Suduko-solving capabilities that have recently been added to the app’s bank of features.The point is that Google Goggles is more than just a novelty app. It is continually finding new ways to unlock the potential of image (and text) recognition. Think of it more as a platform upon which different services and features can be built – much as in the same way that Google Maps has managed to be a valuable tool for developers. Of course that would mean Google releasing a separate API for Goggles to the developer community but I’m sure that this is already in the pipeline somewhere.

Take a snap of any Sudoku puzzle and then click on solve. The gaps in the problem are filled in automatically by Google. It really works (make sure you crop the puzzle in the image finder)!

Take a look at the following video and have a go yourself if you still need convincing…

How do YOU use Google Goggles? Do you use it to capture labels from wine bottles? Have you used it to digitise business cards? Has it helped you translate a menu when you’ve been on holiday in France? Let us know in the comments below…

 

Many years after I closed my agency Flux PR, I still used to receive the odd email now and again destined for another company which had a very similar name (and also happened to be a PR company).

Instead of ignoring the emails, I always made a point of forwarding them on or letting the sender know that they had made a mistake.

It’s all about serendipity, I guess. Which is why the following story is completely amazing:

In January 2007, Rachel P. Salazar and Ruben P. Salazar were living 9,000 miles apart and completely unaware of each other’s existence. But when an email meant for Rachel accidentally went to Ruben, it wasn’t long before an ordinary mistake began to look like an extraordinary stroke of luck.

To RP Salazar, with Love from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

Have you ever had the email equivalent of a “wrong number”? Love to hear your story in the comments below…

[via]

I just spotted a great new messaging app (courtesy of PSFK) called Duet that encourages you to “do things with people you love.”

Heard it all before? Perhaps. But what I like about this new service is that you have the ability to pair yourself with another individual (spouse, colleague, sibling, friend…) and then share activities with them. You get the option to store messages and share photos with your significant other

Duet goes beyond Facebook and Google+ by focusing purely on circles of two which makes sense for people who don’t want to share their thoughts, photos, videos… with their wider social network. Sometimes it’s just nice to share things with someone special.

This intimate one-to-one messaging service is quite sweet and whilst it goes against the current paradigm of the one-to-many broadcast model, I think that it certainly fills a gap that email, MMS and SMS has collectively failed to satiate.

This is how Duet works:

• A duet begins by proposing something you want to do with someone near and dear.
• You can propose duet ideas privately to your favourite people, and create an evolving collaborative life list of all the things you want to do.
• Once each duet is paired, it becomes a private conversation that you can enrich with notes, photos and video messages.
• Your conversations are saved forever and Duet becomes a digital lockbox for the people and memories you cherish most.

As usual, the app is iPhone only (something which is starting to really frustrate me) and can be downloaded directly from the links on Duet’s website: http://duet.me/

Check out the following video for more insight into the world of Duet:

Introducing Duet from Crush + Lovely on Vimeo.

Facebook: what’s not to LIKE? Quite a lot if you consider this list of Zucker-balls-ups created by WordStream.com:

Did you know that last week was National Chocolate Week? NO?!!!*

*(neither did I…)

Last Friday I had the pleasure of attending a very special evening courtesy of @GBchefs at which I learnt how to make the most delicious chocolate truffles in the world!

Great British Chefs is a relatively new venture that celebrates and champions the best in home-grown chefs across the UK. These are chefs who cook in their restaurants on a regular basis and whose food is distinctive and cooked with love. As somebody who has a French wife, I have spent the best part of the last decade championing UK cuisine – often just to prove a point to my gastronomically gifted French mother-in-law that we ‘ros-bifs’ are no longer just a nation of fish’n’chippers.

The good folk a Great British Chefs have managed to compile some amazing stories and content on their site and new iPhone/iPad app (more on that below) which is definitely worth a look for anybody who is passionate about good food.

Anyway, back to last Friday…

Great British Chefs’ lovely Mecca Ibrahim (a.k.a. @anniemole) invited a mix of London bloggers along to the wonderful Homemade London premises in the West End to attend a three hour workshop in making Armagnac ganache truffles from scratch. The inspiration for these chocolates was taken from Great British Chefs’ recipe collection donated by non-other than Michellin-starred chef Martin Wishart.

First, a brief word about Homemade London.  If you’re looking for a slice of creative heaven tucked away in a stylish corner of Marylebone, this is it. Homemade London brings together designers from multiple disciplines to host a wide-range of workshops and classes - from bag-making and lingerie to signature scent creation, upholstery and chandelier making in a cosy, warm and – most importantly – fun environment.

Nicola Barron from Homemade London

The venture is the brainchild of Nicola Barron, a fashion and interior design junkie who moved to Paris at age of 18 to immerse herself in the fashion industry before pursuing a career as a TV producer. After 10 years at the BBC she left in2009 to find a new challenge that would combine her skills and experience with her passion. As a serial evening-class attendee, she always struggled to find classes that taught her to make things she’d actually want to wear or keep. The inspiration for Homemade London came from a desire to learn from the designers she loves.

I have to say that Nicola and her delightful staff Farah and Kate is the embodiment of friendliness – something that becomes apparent from the moment you enter the premises. From the very first “hello” (accompanied by the always welcome ‘pop’ of a bottle of Prosecco), we bloggers were immediately put at ease as we were ushered to take a seat around a large table laden with Turkish Delight and lovingly wrapped Amaretti biscuits.

Joining me on the evening were some fantastically talented bloggers – some which I have known for a while and others that I was really happy to meet for the first time:

• Laura Porter: London Travel Guide  @AboutLondon
• Doreen Barber: Tasty Fever  @londondear
• Melinda Seckingon: Miss Geeky @mseckington
• Farhan Rehman: Conscious Communications @farhan
• Helen Piercy: Helen Animate  @helenanimate
• Miriam Nice: Cakes & Canapes @miriamjsnice (I should note that going on the looks of Miriam’s truffles, she’s probably an Olympic gold-medalist in canape making!)
• Rosana McPhee: Hot & Chilli  @Rosana_McPhee
• Jamillah Knowles: The Knight Patisserie @jemimah_knight
• Cristiano Betta: CristianoBetta.com @cbetta
• Mark Griffin – who was a Facebook Competition Winner @westpier

Once everyone had arrived, we descended to the basement where we were instructed to adorn our aprons and to split into pairs. I was lucky enough to have the wonderful Laura Porter as my partner in choco-crime and as Nicola began talking us through the recipe, Laura and I promptly divided the list of tasks among ourselves.

chocs away

After Laura expertly brought the double cream to the boil on our electric hob, I whisked in the organic, fair-trade chocolate trying unsuccessfully not to split the mixture when I added the butter. We then split the gooey-mix into two separate containers and added Armagnac to one lot and bergamot essence to the other (to give an Earl Grey flavour).

Life is like a box of chocolates: You can make a real mess of it...

We moved back upstairs whilst we left the chocolate to set in the fridge. For the next hour we were instructed by the adorable Farah on how to make a handmade decorative box into which the finished product would eventually go. I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun playing with gift-wrap, scissors, cardboard, glue and ribbon… it was pure unashamed regression and I loved every second of it!

Box buddies: Rax and Cristiano

When our boxes were fully formed, decorated and festooned with an accompanying sleeve, we returned to the kitchen below where we finished off our truffles by shaping them into balls and coating with a generous helping of cocoa-powder and freeze-dried raspberry crumbs.

Mecca did an amazing job of putting together a bunch of really lovely people which made the whole evening even lovelier than it would have been. Maybe it was the wine, perhaps it was the sugar rush from the Turkish Delight… but I never thought that handicraft making would be this much fun!

The whole experience was something that I would never have considered doing but would now definitely recommend to anyone looking for something different to do in London. In fact, I’m considering taking the wife along soon so that she can appreciate the hard-work, effort and tears (of uncontrollable laughter) that went into making the box of delights that made up an unhealthy portion of her breakfast on Saturday morning.

The best thing is that whilst the recipe was penned by the great Martin Wishart it is easy enough to replicate at home. If you fancy having a go at the workshop, you can book yourself on to the same chocolate truffle course at Homemade London by visiting their website.

Armagnac Ganache Truffles by Martin Wishart

A massive thanks to (the GREAT) Great British Chefs for such an unusual and fun Friday evening. It’s worth checking out their  new app for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, where12 of Britain’s most celebrated chefs have come together to connect food lovers with stunning recipes. Putting 180 dishes in the palm of your hand, the app gives users access to three customisable five-course menus from each chef, which they can either follow in full or use to make a bespoke menu of their own. The app is bursting with tips, videos, wine pairings, and a shopping list tailored to whichever dishes users want to make. Mecca took me through a walk-through of the app on both the iPhone and iPad and both versions showcased the recipes in the best possible way. Unfortunately, as an Android user I’ll have to wait a bit longer for the app to emerge on other platforms but it’s worth waiting for from what I’ve seen.

I’ve downloaded many cooking apps onto my phone and tablet over the last year and not one of them manages to come near the one created by Great British Chefs. What I like about the app is that whilst it has a really sexy interface with amazing photography and stylish fonts, the guide itself is extremely practical and allows you to add items to your shopping list, put a timer on whilst you’re actually making the dishes and also add your own footnotes to the text. The app manages to take the best features from other cooking apps out there and combine them into a really beautiful package well worth the £2.49 price-tag.

And for those of you without an iPhone/iPad, hold tight… GBChefs is be launching an extensive new website this autumn, bringing you even more chefs, hundreds of delectable recipes, new ‘how to’ technique videos, restaurant and recipe book reviews, plus much more.

Check out the video below and don’t forget to follow Great British Chefs on Twitter and on Facebook.

“Food Porn at its best” Time Out from Great British Chefs on Vimeo.

This video that I StumbledUpon via the wonderful @shinykatie really moved me. It takes me back to the days when I used to be a volunteer for The Samaritans. This story was unfortunately all too familiar.

Please take a few minutes to watch it. The poet who goes under the handle of ScroobiusPip delivers a message to YouTube from the heart.

If you cannot view the embedded video below, click here to visit it on YouTube.

Hello everyone. My name is Rax… and I’m a Twitterholic. I’ve also had dependence issues with Facebook, YouTube, FourSquare and more recently G+. I don’t know where to turn to for answers (Quora, Yahoo Questions, AskJeeves…?).

Thanks to Rabbi Zechariah Wallerstein of Ohr Naava,* my cries/silent-pokes for help may well be answered this Sunday as the world prepares for Day to Disconnect: October 2nd, 2011.

According to the Day to Disconnect website:

On that day thousands of people will voluntarily unplug their gadgets for some time – an hour, two or even all day. During this time, those who chose to disconnect will take pleasure in cherished relationships be it spouses, children, family, self or Gd. An important strategic partner for Ohr Naava’s Day to Disconnect initiative is Unplug and Reconnect. Headed by Dr. Joseph Geliebter, Unplug and Reconnect is a movement for people to find a balance between their technology-laden selves and their creative, emotional and spiritual needs.

Although it’s kind of depressing to find ourselves in the situation where we have to be reminded to cut loose the wi-fi signals now and again, the intentions of Day to Disconnect are really quite sweet. The goal is to collectively accumulate a million ‘disconnected hours’ on that single day from folk around the planet who will instead commit to reconnect with those important people in our lives.

The following video tries to bring home the point that we’re all addicted to the grid:

 http://youtu.be/-XiSIGPIi7s

To register your pledge to disconnect on Sunday, visit the website here or click on my profile page below.

What will you do with your web-free hours?

*Ohr Naava, Women’s Torah Center, founded in loving memory of Naava Katlowitz a”h, located in Brooklyn, NY, was established in 2004 by Rabbi Zechariah Wallerstein. I wish everyone at the Center a very happy Rosh Hashanah this weekend.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b0150p90/

Click image to play Between The Tweets

First in a series of specially commissioned short stories from Radio4 inspired by the social networking phenomenon, Twitter.

A daytime TV star’s reputation hangs in the balance when an anonymous woman accuses him on Twitter of having an affair with her. Who is the mysterious tweeter and why is she so determined to destroy the celebrity’s career? ‘Reputation manager’ Bella is called in to handle the situation and, using her I.T. contacts, makes a surprising discovery.

Jojo Moyes is an award-winning author, former newspaper journalist and a regular Tweeter (@jojomoyes). Her story title was suggested by one of her Twitter followers.

Click the image above to listen to the story (only 15 mins)*.

*only available to BBC listeners in the UK