iGoogle

I love using iGoogle as my web browser home page, but today the geniuses at Google decided to switch everyone over to “Canvas View.”  This mucked up the appearance of my page more than any of their earlier unannounced tweaks.

My version of the page shows my Google Reader entries, Gmails, Google Calendar, weather data and radar, as well as headline feeds from CNN, Boing Boing, digg.com’s Technology news, and Slate Magazine.  Suddenly all of those feeds and emails had two-line descriptions/previews, lengthening the page so that it scrolled right off the bottom of the screen.  And I HATE scrolling my home page!

Like most things Google, the primary iGoogle page has minimal visible controls.  Just as they don’t tell you what is going on, they don’t tell you how to fix it.  But a <irony>Google Search</irony> showed how to do it.  You have to use the “My Account” link at the top right of the iGoogle screen to then access the iGoogle Settings.  Then you can uncheck the “Show a short description for each feed article” option.