Is it just me, or have Google’s ambitions stepped up a notch recently? It seems like every time I turn around the company has wormed its way into another part of my life.

Now, I should say at the outset I’ve been a fan of the company for years and a user of many of its services. Each day I rely on its search engine, Gmail, Google News, Google Docs and Google Groups.

I’m also a regular user of Google Earth and Google Maps - enhanced by the amazing Street View service - as well as the very slick Picasa photo application. So far, so good.

In this past week, Google has also released a new internet browser, called Chrome. Billed as being faster and smarter than others, I felt obliged to download it and take it for a run.

I have to say early indications are pretty positive. Sure, it doesn’t like my online banking web site for some reason, but it’s zippy, reliable and intuitive.

But it was later in the week that the first penny dropped. It was a new feature Google has added to Picasa: facial recognition. The latest version of the application automatically scans photos looking for faces it thinks belong to the same person. Google says it’s a faster way to categorise big collections.

OK, so perhaps that not a particularly scary feature. But I still find it a touch unsettling that, as well as having access to my web email and documents, Google can now potentially identify all my friends and family. Misplaced paranoia? Maybe, maybe not.

Then a second penny dropped. Just days ago a US satellite was launched containing a bunch of high-resolution cameras. And guess which company had its logo plastered on the side of the rocket? You guessed it: Google.

The company has exclusive online mapping rights to images taken by the satellite. Its cameras are so good they can recognise objects on the surface of the earth as small as 40cm across. Google Maps and Earth are about to get way more detailed.

So as well as my email, documents, photos and browsing habits, Google will soon have access to highly detailed images of my house, street and city. Facial recognition from space? It could be closer than you think.

So what’s my point in all this? It’s just this uneasy feeling that’s starting to form at the back of my mind. Is it healthy for one company to be collecting so much information about us?

Sure, in individual pieces it matters little – an email here, and a photo there - but pull it all together and Google will soon know more about my life than I do. That’s power.

Is it going to stop me using Google’s services? Not at all. But it does makes you stop and think.

Australia's copyright police openly admit they won't bust you for downloading movies, but they're asking ISPs to do their dirty work for them. Would a warning from your ISP scare you away from BitTorrent?

For years Australia's copyright enforcers have privately admitted they have no intention of dragging local file-sharers through the courts US-style. Now the head of the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) has gone on record saying copyright holders are only interested in chasing those who release pirate copies of movies, not people sitting at home downloading them. Chasing people who sit at home downloading Lost is " not something we should be wasting police resources on," says AFACT executive director Adrianne Pecotic.

Pecotic is placing her hopes on getting ISPs to warn their users against file-sharing and cutting off their access after multiple violations. She thinks that 90 per cent of people will stop file-sharing when they realise it's illegal, and the other 10 per cent will respond to threats of disconnection. ISPs have become the latest whipping horse for the copyright police, but it remains to be seen if they'll have any more luck than with previous campaigns.

The problem is that the ISPs have no interest in being judge and jury when it comes to file-sharers. Anecdotal evidence suggests that ISPs are already passing on warnings to their customers, but the Internet Industry Association has said it will take more than AFACT's allegations for ISPs to start disconnecting users.

The copyright police are fighting a war they can never win, but they know they can keep piracy to a minimum through a campaign of Fear, Uncertainly and Doubt. I think they'd be better off addressing the reasons why people download movies, rather than constantly looking for ways to plug holes in a sinking ship.

Considering AFACT admits it has no interest in dragging you through the courts, and ISPs have no interest in cutting you off without a conviction, would a warning from your ISP stop you file-sharing?

Net Applications' monthly Market Share reports deliver some interesting information about the operating systems people are using to browse the web.

You can argue whether the exact methodology employed means the numbers can be considered 'the truth', but the changes from month to month clearly provide some insight.

Over the last 12 months, Windows' web share as reported by Net Applications has dropped 1.83 percentage points to 90.66 percent.

Most of that has gone to the Mac, which has picked up 1.28 percentage points to 7.86 percent. But the bulk of that change occurred between October and December last year. Things have been a bit up and down this calendar year.

Given the relatively small number of devices sold, the iPhone is arguably the standout. It's the number four operating system behind the three primarily desktop OSes, and outstrips all the remaining platforms.

The arrival of the iPhone 3G with the accompanying official sales in a larger number of countries pushed up the stats, with the iPhone share leaping from 0.19 percent in July to 0.30 percent in August.

So in round numbers, Windows has ten times the web share of Apple; Apple has ten times the web share of Linux; and there's nothing else worth worrying about unless you particularly want to cater for PlayStation and Wii users when they're not playing games.

It'll be interesting to see how Apple's web share changes over the remainder of 2008 as the iPhone installed base ramps up with the release of the handset in more and more countries.

Another interesting point will be whether or not Google's Chrome browser (currently in beta for Windows only) makes a showing in the browser share report.

While Apple's iPhone has had a less than stellar introduction to the market with tales of data syncing issues via Mobile Me and poor data speeds (particularly with some carriers that seem to be intentionally limiting data speeds) they have had one huge success story - the App Store. Millions of applications have been downloaded with some developers reporting on how they are making money from their independent work for the first time.

Now, there's news that Microsoft is following suit with word that they'll be launching their own online application marketplace as part of Windows Mobile 7. Currently known as Skymarket, it's expected to be a place for users to buy and download Windows Mobile apps. At the same time, the folks at Google, with their Android mobile OS, have announced the Android Market.

At one level, I think this is a good thing. Being able to buy apps over the air, directly from the device means that the need to run desktop installers will finally disappear. It's good news for developers as it'll stimulate sales as users search for and buy games and other software while they're on the go.

So, are Microsoft and Google playing "catch up"? Of course they are. Is this a bad thing? Of course not. I think it's a good thing. It'll mean that users will have easier access to what has traditionally been one of the hardest things to do on their smartphone - buy and install applications. The only parties I feel sorry for are Handango, Pocketgear and the like who'll see their marketplaces shrink as more users move away from the "download and sync" model to over-the-air purchase and installation.

My personal flavour of music listening is quite narrow, and I am pretty sure, has been influenced by my father’s love of what he called ‘heavy’ classical – Bach, Khachaturian, Copeland, Stravinsky and their ilk. (He also liked brass band oompah music but thankfully that hasn’t rubbed off).

In my universe, these translate to Yes, ELP, Pink Floyd, Mike Oldfield, The Moody Blues, Asia and some areas of Led Zep. The common denominator is the individual players themselves in these groups are all master musicians and virtuosos of their chosen instrument(s). And no I am not saying other musos are three chord hackers by comparison; Glenn Campbell is one of the very best exponents of jazz guitar, Sting is exceptional as is Toto and Paul McCartney probably the world’s best bass player for example. (Bet you didn’t know that about Glenn Campbell!)

I have music going just about all the time; it can define my moods and vice versa. The particular piece playing can be a soothe, get the creative juices going - we all know these things. But after more years than I care to remember of music from these geniuses, I was starting to get a bit stale on them. Yes has had no new material for over a decade in reality, Pink Floyd is effectively dead if you discount Roger Waters, ditto the rest, or at best, their glory years have passed them by.

It was with surprise then, in this era of compartmentalised, computerised and sterile ‘pop’ music, mundane ‘hip-hop’ or seriously overrated and mindless ‘rap’ that a band such as Spock’s Beard has emerged.

This is epic music from the 70s, played by masters of their craft, with lyrics that provoke thought. It’s also engineered and produced brilliantly and creatively, not just multi-layered rubbish. How do I know that? Can they also play it live as evidenced by their DVD.

If the 70’s ‘big’ music was your thing, you enjoy listening to more than 3 minute pop songs where lip syncing or air guitar is not allowed or simply like hearing craftsmen at their job, have a listen to Spock’s Beard. You’ll have to find it online though as to date, not even the big record stores (eg Mall Music in Warringah) has heard of them.