Category: Browsers

Restore Image Search in Chrome

Reading Time: < 1 minute

I do a lot of historic research about my birth city, so I am often delving into old articles and images, sometimes needing to perform image searches but a right-click in the Google Chrome browser. Of late, I noted that this functionality had been replaced by Google Lens – a product whose purpose is unfathomable to many people, including myself. You do this fairly unproductive search in Lens and sometimes it senses your frustration and deigns to let you continue the search in Google Image Search.

The bothersome Google Lens option in Chrome.
The bothersome option in Chrome.

How to Disable Google Lens in Chrome

  1. Open Google Chrome.
  2. In the address bar, type “chrome://flags” and press Enter.
  3. A long list of options is shown. Press Ctrl+F and search for “Lens”.
  4. You are taken to the option “Search your screen with Google Lens”.
  5. Change the setting from “Default” to “Disabled”. (You might hears wails coming from the ‘plex)
  6. At the bottom of the Chrome screen, click “Relaunch”
  7. Bob’s your uncle.
How to disable Google Lens in Chrome.
Before the change.
After the change.
After the change.

Now I have my Chrome browser as I like it.

Image Search is available in Chrome again.
Image Search has been reinstated.

Coding Australian 13 and 1300 “tel:” numbers – 404 errors

Error in iOS Safari

Reading Time: 2 minutesAustralia has six- and ten-digit local numbers that begin with 13 and 1300 respectively. The 13 xx xx numbers connect you to a local number in your city so it is a local call. The 1300 xxx xxx number is similar but is usually a single destination for the price of a local call. A problem arises with mobile browsers and link validation of such pages, by a crawler tool of your choice, or Google Search Console.

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Using Chromecast with Netflix in Australia

Reading Time: 5 minutesSometime in 2013 Amazon accidentally allowed people outside the US to order Google Chromecast. Without fully grasping what it did, I ordered mine and it arrived within days. Amazon realised its mistake and emailed me asking me to return it at their expense for a full refund, as it would not be supported outside the US. [Update: It is now sold in Australia.] Continue reading

Twitter: Sorry, that page doesn’t exist!

Reading Time: < 1 minuteFor nearly a week I could not get anything out of the Twitter website, i.e. http://twitter.com. I tried to click the links of people who were following me, but without fail, Twitter kept responding, “Sorry, that page doesn’t exist!”. It didn’t matter if I tried the handles of some famous people — they all did not exist. An appeal to @twitter fell on deaf ears: Continue reading

Will Experts Exchange become a victim of the new Chrome extension?

Reading Time: 3 minutesGoogle just released a new extension for its Chrome browser. Initially I wasn’t sure what it is called, as it seemed to be “block sites from Google’s web search results”. On closer inspection, it is “Personal Blocklist” and here is the official description:

The personal blocklist extension will transmit to Google the patterns that you choose to block. When you choose to block or unblock a pattern, the extension will also transmit to Google the URL of the web page on which the blocked or unblocked search results are displayed. You agree that Google may freely use this information to improve our products and services.

The underlining is my emphasis. Continue reading

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