Google has begun adding its own ads to the top of Chrome's new-tab page.

Google just found another digital billboard for online ads: its Chrome Web browser.

I just started noticing the ads on one of my computers yesterday, and I'm not the only one to see them. Right now, the ads tout Google's Chrome OS-powered Chromebooks, which not coincidentally happen to be on sale for the holidays.

The ads don't interrupt ordinary Web browsing by pushing aside Web page content and don't compete with regular Web page ads. Rather, they appear in a yellow-tinted box at the top of the new-tab page in Chrome.

That page is typically a mere way station for users on their way to other destinations, but it's getting more important as a hub for Chrome Web Store apps and as the home screen for Chrome OS.

The ad reminded me most of the occasional promotions Google puts on its otherwise spartan Google.com home. They're not obnoxious flashing distractions, but they stand out against amid the uncluttered field.

You can't blame Google for wanting to take advantage of a chance to make money. But as the Spiderman saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility.

When ... [Read more]

Google's Matt Cutts urged people to upgrade their parents' browser if they're still using an old one.

Perhaps you have a hard time getting behind National Parfait Day or Dress Spotty Day.

Here's a worthy cause for today, though: Update Your Parents' Browser Day.

The Atlantic's Alexis Madrigal came up with it as a constructive pasttime for the day after Thanksgiving, when many folks are visiting their folks at home.

If you can't persuade your parents to drop Internet Explorer 6 because YouTube will stop working, "wait until they slip into a tryptophan-induced coma and then sneak into the den," Madrigal suggests.

I'd throw protection against security vulnerabilities into the upgrade argument, too--there's a time and a place for scare tactics, and browser upgrades is one of them. And I'd also advise sticking around to make sure your parents are comfortable with any user-interface changes.

My own personal motivation is a lot more carrot than stick, though. Using old browsers sucks up Web developers' time as they struggle with compatibilit... [Read more]