Google is collecting a lot of data about how we use the web. The new Google Alarm Firefox addon visually & audibly alerts you whenever your personal information is being sent to Google servers. Click here to install:

No-sound version (workplace-friendly)
is also available: click to install

UPDATE: Chrome extension now available (beta): click to install

No sound version: click to install

Even outside Gmail and YouTube you are constantly sending Google your information through their vast network of “tracking bugs”: Google Analytics, Google AdSense, YouTube embeds, API calls… all of this data can be used to monitor & track your personal web browsing habits.

Google Alarm shows notifications, plays sound effects and keeps running stats about the % of websites you’ve visit with Google bugs present. Stay alert – install Google Alarm today.

Screenshots:

Click here for more images.

Source code: http://github.com/jamiew/google-alarm (MIT licensed)

More information on jamiedubs.com.

Originally developed during FUCK GOOGLE @ Transmediale 2010. Thanks to Evan Roth, Tobias Leingruber and Aram Bartholl for advice & assistance. For more of our creative browser addon work check out ARTZILLA.

Posted by Jamie Dubs on Jul 27.10 to addon, browser, firefox, fuckgoogle, google, privacy   

For Transmediale 2010 F.A.T. members met in Berlin and produced a series of projects dedicated to the topic of the week: FUCK GOOGLE. In addition to free software, browser addons, live streams, communiques and on-site workshops, F.A.T. Lab built a fake Google Street View car and conquered the city of Berlin! All FG projects!

Now it’s your turn! Go out there and see what it’s like to be Google!

Download the instructions in a PDF here!

Step 1:  Find the correct car:

Do some research on Google images and pick the exact car model used by Google in your city. Contact your local car rental. If the car doesn’t come with one, rent or buy the specific roof-rack for that car.

Original Google Street View car Germany (2006 – 2008, last seen in Berlin Oct. 2009)

Fake Google Street View car by F.A.T. Lab during Transmediale Berlin 2010

Step 2: Materials:

(x1)  PVC tubing 11 cm diam. – 140 cm (main pole)
(x2)  wooden boards 100 x 16 x 2,5 cm (base)
(x1)  wooden board 130 x 30 x 2,5 cm (base)
(x2)  wooden poles 3 cm diam. – 130 cm (diagonals)
(x2)  wooden poles 2 cm diam. – 100 cm (lower diagonals)
(x2) wooden board 55 x 55 x 1 cm (octagon)
(x2) wooden board 40 x 30 x 1 cm (center box)
(x2) wooden board 40 x 23 x 1 cm (center box)
(x2) wooden board 28 x 230 x 1 cm (center box)
(x6) big sheets of 2mm card board(x16) L-brackets
(x1) container craft glue
(x1) hot glue gun
(x1) roll of double-sided tape
(x1) 50 meter roll of white duct tape
(x1) can of black paint
(x1) paint brush
(x3) black spray paint
(x2) white spray paint
(x1) big sheet of black reflective vinyl
(x10) M8 x 50 bolts
(x10) M8 nuts
(x50) selection of wood screws
(8 m)  steel cable
(x8) cable crimps
(x4) cable tensioners
(x8) eye hooks
(x2) Google street view signs
(x1) roof rack

Step 3: Plan overview:

Feel free to make adjustments to the dimensions and go into more detail than we did. As you can see, our camera-top came out a little bigger than the original one. The laser scanners (white boxes) were adjusted to size but came out too big in relation to the rest.

Step 4: Center box & tube

1. Mount the center box and saw a hole 11cm in diameter in the center.
2. Slip it over the tube and attach it with L-brackets and screws.
3. Cut 2 octagons from the 55 x 55 cm wood boards.
4. Mount the base octagon on top of the tube with L-brackets.
5. Paint/spray all black.

Step 5: Octagon (no cameras inside!)

1. Cut the inner and outer octagon walls from the cardboard.
2. Paint both sides of the strips black.
3. Glue 4 pieces of wood (23 cm) to the inner ring.
4. Screw and glue the inner ring on the base.
5. Hide the inside with a cylinder of black vinyl.
6. Screw and glue the top octagon.
7. Clamp the outer ring on.
8. Mount the finished octagon on the main tube with L-brackets.

Step 6: Laser scanners & control unit

1. Build the laser scanner boxes from cardboard.
2. Use white tape or paint to cover them.
3. Bend a piece of cardboard in the window and cover it with black vinyl.
4. Mount the 3 boxes to the center box (directions!)
5. Build the control unit, paint it yellow, and screw it to the rear side of the center box.

Step 7: Mount main pole on base unit

1. Mount the main pole to the base with L-brackets.
2. Attach rods to the ring on the tube and screw them in the base.
3. Stabilize with flight cables on all 4 corners of the center box to the base.
4. Add lower diagonals, dish and stand for optical enhancement.

Step 8: Mount the fake camera top onto the car:

1. Screw 4 holes (8mm in diameter) in each bar of the roof rack.
2. Drill the corresponding holes in the wooden base.
3. Mount the camera top with nuts and bolts to the roof rack
4. Make sure the roof rack is mounted and sits tight.

Drive carefully and have fun in the city!!!

More pics on fuckflickr here, here and here !

Posted by Aram Bartholl on Feb 15.10 to berlin, DIY, fuckgoogle, google, howto, streetview, tm10   

If your google map got a swerve on, now ya know why…

Google Street View Drunk Driving Part 1 from james powderly on Vimeo.

Posted by James Powderly on Feb 10.10 to berlin, fuckgoogle, streetview, tm10   

Footage of FAT trolling the Google Street View car in Berlin…. more updates soon:

Posted by Evan Roth on Feb 08.10 to berlin, fuckgoogle, streetview, tm10   

What’s the Google Street View car doing in front of the Chinese embassy in Berlin?!
xoxo, FFFFFATLAB

Posted by fffffat on Feb 07.10 to berlin, fuckgoogle, google, streetview, tm10   

Hot off the press. See also Gizmodo, BuzzFeed, CrunchGear, Reddit, BasicThinking, BoingBoing. Stay tuned for more Google Street View car tracking at fffff.at.

Posted by fffffat on Feb 06.10 to berlin, fuckgoogle, tm10   

OH SNAP!! Google had one of their Streeview camera cars parked in front of the Haus der Kulturen der Welt right here in Berlin. We put a GPS tracking device it and are following it right now!!!! Check this awesome large map we threw together (updates every 2 min) and follow what we see at @fffffat (twitter) (this will be EPIC!!!!)

Posted by Greg Leuch on Feb 06.10 to berlin, fuckgoogle, streetview, tm10   

On Dec 4 2009, Google bought Appjet inc, the company behind etherpad.com, a site that had actually managed to implement bug-free real-time collaborative writing.

The immediate action from Google was to cancel the service, thus blocking access to ongoing pads, and “integrate” the staff in the Google Wave project. This was nothing short of buying and killing competition.

After heavy protests about the shutdown of etherpad.com from it’s small but dedicated user community, they changed their strategy and released the source code.

The etherpads are not only resilient now, but extra features are being added to pads all over the world. F.A.T.pad is probably the only one featuring motivational teen-rnb from Sweden to get your creative juices flowing.

Please don’t use F.A.T.pad for evil. Go to lolpad for that.
FUCK GOOGLE. Use a FAT PAD

Posted by monki on Feb 05.10 to etherpad, fatpad, fuckgoogle, pad, padgate   

From: personas@mozilla.com
Subject: A problem with your Persona submission
Date: January 30, 2010 1:18:22 AM CEST
To: evan[at]evan-roth.com

Best Wishes,
The Personas Team

Make your own:
FireFox Personas: http://www.getpersonas.com/en-US/
Header: download
Footer: downlad
Text color: #FF00FF
Accent color: #FFF000

Posted by Evan Roth on Feb 05.10 to firefox, fuckgoogle, tm10   

It ain’t “public” space unless you have a right to hack. Let me introduce a series of greasemonkey scripts that turn Google into your free playground…

http://www.gzzglz.com/

Following a great classic work by ZEVS, this script makes all Google logos (including holiday doodles!) “dripping” during your daily surfing.

I know, you even wanna draw “fuck” on Google logos. This script makes it possible. All strokes “drip” of course, and you can change stroke colors by pressing number keys.

You need a larger wall? Then this lets you draw tags on search results! Remove results you don’t need by double-clicking them and make your own wall to draw.

Also here‘s another prototype script I made before, try and see the result!

All codes are in public domain, written by ysugano from Tokyo F.A.T.

Posted by tokyo.fffff.at on Feb 05.10 to firefox, fuckgoogle, greasemonkey, javascript, tokyo f.a.t.