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Gmail Gets One-Click Microsoft Word Previews

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gmail_logo.PNGGoogle just announced a small but handy new feature for Gmail: one-click previews for Microsoft Word documents. This new features works for .doc and the more recent .docx format. Until now, Gmail’s one-click preview feature only supported PDF files, PowerPoint documents and images in the TIFF format. The new preview feature for Word documents replaces the “view as HTML” option in Gmail.

via readwriteweb.com

Now, this is useful for anyone, but particularly those of us who spend a large portion of our days working with words and sharing words with others. One more step toward complete abandonment of the corporate Microsoft Exchange jail. It’s a good example of an added feature that seems so obvious you wonder why no one has done it before. Thank you, Google.

Gmail_worddocpreview

Internet Trends 2010, by Morgan Stanley’s Mary Meeker | Change Conversations

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via conversations.marketing-partners.com

Have yet to come across anything more comprehensive than this 87-slide report. The section on the future of mobile communications is particularly interesting.

Even With a Cleanup, Spilled Oil Stays With Us

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via nytimes.com

Usually I either tweet or blog or pop something in between here on Posterous, but this article printed in today’s New York Times warrants an exception. It’s not only the quality content that appeals; it’s the quality of the choices made in the use of format/media/channel.

Yes, it’s in dense print with photo images for those relaxing with their Sunday papers away from electronic media. And a reader will learn much from that alone. But the online version at nytimes.com (click link under photo) adds much more meaning and understanding with multimedia images and interactive infographics.

Once again, in the midst of a glut of words and images with little meaning, I am reminded of the value of professional journalism.

Designing Regenerative Food Systems: Worldchanging

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via worldchanging.com

This post on urban food systems using permaculture is part of Worldchanging’s series on the Living Future 2010 conference. Permaculture is one of those ideas that fascinates me. It simply resonates with my practical self that lightly managing the relationship between symbiotic living organisms to create food is a smart and sustainable concept. Why is it we don’t hear more about this?

Deep Green Underwater Kites: A New Way to Harness Tidal Energy

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Good news in renewable energy development this week. Minesto, a Swedish start-up and SAAB spin-off, looks to make a new tidal turbine commercially available within four years. Their “Deep Green” technology is a tidal stream system that uses the motion of the tides to generate electricity, similar to wind power generation. Deep Green’s turbines are connected to kites, which are anchored to the ocean floor, and move back and forth in the water to generate electricity (see an animation of this process here).

Minesto is optimistic about Deep Green’s eventual energy production capabilities (via CNN):

Anchoring “Deep Green” and steering the tethered “kite” enables the turbine to capture energy from the tidal currents at ten times the speed of the actual stream velocity…When operational, the turbine is expected to generate 500 kilowatts of power.

For more on this story, head to ecogeek.org or CNN.com.

Image shows an artist’s impression of how the “Deep Green” device will function beneath the surface of the ocean. Via Minesto.

via worldchanging.com

I’m fascinated by the possibilities for harnessing energy in new, clean ways. Unlike wind or solar, Deep Green Underwater Kites aren’t a market-ready renewable energy technology yet, but to me there’s hope in the possibility.