Grr. I got a google voice invite a while back, and didn't use it. It occurred to me that it would be good for job searching, and I went to get a number, but there are no 202 numbers available! GRR.

No, I've not got it set to forwards SMS anywhere--I see where I could send it to my email.

The setting is a bit hidden. In the "Phones" tab, edit your cell phone. There should be a check box for "receive text messages on this phone". Uncheck it. By default, Google makes the (reasonable for normal users) assumption that you want to forward text messages, since most people don't have apps with push notifications.

le nubian, I've switched away from iPhone myself, but I'll look into Boxcar for my wife. Thank! Since she needs a program to send SMS and dial from anyway, though, I'm pretty satisfied with GV Mobile+.

Tell your wife that boxcar can notify for all manner of things, twitter, email, google voice, RSS feeds, etc.

anyone know if there is a waiting list for google voice or something for the different area codes? I'd really like a 202 number. I should have gotten one just to have it when I first got the invite.

Vortex, no. You just have to keep checking back frequently to see if new 202 numbers have been released.

You can also port a number to Google Voice. An option may be to buy a cheap prepaid cell and then port the number over, or you can port over your home number.

Crossposted from Natter:

If anyone wants to continue following the whole Google+ debate about identity, this appears to be a site where a lot of posts/conversations are being tracked: [link]

I'm finally back from cruises and am working on setting up new machines and clearing out old ones. Anyone who was interested in use Mac Mini, iMac, or whatever else I clear out send me a message at my profile address and I'll let you know what I'm selling and prices.

Thank you Consuela!

US internet providers hijacking users' search queries

Searches made by millions of internet users are being hijacked and redirected by some internet service providers in the US. Patents filed by Paxfire, the company involved in the hijacking, suggest that it may be part of a larger plan to allow ISPs to generate revenue by tracking the sites their customers visit. It may also be illegal.

...

The hijacking seems to target searches for certain well-known brand names only. Users entering the term "apple" into their browser's search bar, for example, would normally get a page of results from their search engine of choice. The ISPs involved in the scheme intercept such requests before they reach a search engine, however. They pass the search to an online marketing company, which directs the user straight to Apple's online retail website.

...

More than 10 ISPs in the US, which together have several million subscribers, are redirecting queries in this way (see below for a complete list). None of the companies would comment on the redirection scheme, but evidence collected by Christian Kreibich and Nicholas Weaver at the International Computer Science Institute in Berkeley, California, who discovered the redirection and have been monitoring it for several months, suggest that the process generates revenue for the ISPs.

The Berkeley team has identified 165 search terms, from "apple" and "dell" to "safeway" and "bloomingdales", that are passed to marketing companies and then redirected to the appropriate retail website. The marketing companies include organisations like Commission Junction, a Santa Barbara, California, a firm that retailers pay to supply traffic to their websites.

Wow, that's really scandalous.