Fridaygram: rock, screech, and roll

NOV 04, 2011

By Scott Knaster, Google Code Blog Editor

Seems like every few days, Google+ adds a new feature or three. Sometimes the features are small and useful, and sometimes they’re very cool – like the new YouTube playlist feature that automatically finds music from your favorite artists on YouTube and plays it.

Part of the fun of this feature is how easy it is to use. From your Google+ page, mouse over the YouTube button at the top right, click in the box that slides out, and type the name of an artist. Just like that, you have a YouTube playlist from the artist you chose. You can +1 the videos or even share them back to your circles. It’s low friction and very handy.

From left to right: YouTube slider (closed), slider (open), pop-up playlist, slider (while playing)

Not all sounds are pleasant, and one of the worst is that old classic, fingernails on a chalkboard (did you just shudder?). Because science is awesome, scientists have studied exactly what makes this sound so awful. It’s not the high-pitched screech, they found: it’s the mid-range. They think it’s because our ears have evolved to be sensitive to those sounds. And watching it done makes it sound even worse.

Finally, while you’re enjoying your weekend, take a moment to go to google.com and search for do a barrel roll. This one is extra fun for you Star Fox fans.

Fridaygram is not the typical APIs and tools stuff we usually post about here. Instead, we find fun and cool facts and features to tell you about, from Google and other places. And I’m sorry about the screeching thing.