Google Desktop Feed Reader

I use Google Desktop to auto-update my favourite RSS feeds but every once in a while something gets messed up and I have to re-configure it. And then I go into the big wide world we call the Internet to find how to do it again...

It always takes me forever to find this site so here it is, once and for all, for my handy retrieval: Using Google Desktop as a Google Reader Notifier

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Edit:
It turns out the website creator has sneakily gone and changed his post and it no longer meets my needs. That procedure adds all your Google Reader feeds to Google Desktop instead of just specific ones. To add specific ones you need to do the following:

1. Log into Google Reader
2. Right click the feed you want to add and select "Copy Link Location"
3. Go into the Google Desktop Web Clips Options
4. Paste the address. It should look something like: http://www.google.com/reader/view/feed/http%3A%2F%2F...
5. Change "view" in the address to "atom"
6. Keep your Internet Explorer logged into Google Reader
   

In-Car Gadgetry

There are a couple of cool concepts discussed in the following article:

1. The ability to view empty parking spots from your dashboard. I'm not sure if there's a huge benefit here because you could still end up driving over to the spot only to find someone else beat you there.
   
   
2. Pumping tunes at the gas station. Pretty nifty but I'm sure they're not going to have my collection of favourite Hindi songs - not so much use to me.

Site: BBC News
Title: In-car technology drives forward

BBC Click's Ian Hardy looks at the latest motoring technology available in the United States.

GPS for everyone?

I've always dreamt of having a GPS receiver in my car or on my cell phone. It's not so much that I need it but it does rank high on my list of cool gadgets to have. In any case, the following article got me excited and then I realized the definition of "budget-priced" is USD 259.99. I would pay a $100 or perhaps even $150 for one but over $250 is still way too much for a toy to play with. I would rather put $250 towards a Wii.

Feed: Engadget
Title: Axion rolls out budget-priced GEO-632 GPS unit

Apparently there's a gaping hole in the handheld GPS market, as it seems a new manufacturer takes its first dive every other week or so, and this time it's none other than Axion. Diverting its efforts away from those portable DVD players and iPTV gizmos, the firm is unveiling a budget-conscious GPS that pulls double duty as a pedestrian guide when not relaxing on your dash.

Why not download the movie preview right off the poster?

I'm not sure how mainstream payment via cell phones will ever become however I find the prospect of the following snippet becoming reality quite exciting:

"The NFC forum has recently come out with a standardized format for a so-called "smart poster" which will enable a handset user to obtain data such as a URL or a ringtone from a poster or other printed material. And downloading film promos and movie times is not far off, says Christophe Duverne, senior vice-president and general manager for identification at NXP Semiconductors, and chairman of NFC Forum. "

Feed: BusinessWeek Online --
Title: Contactless Payment Comes to Cell Phones

Flash your handset and buy. An industry group wants to bring that facility to the world. But is it secure? And who gets what share of the profits?