Android: Vlingo is still our favorite virtual assistant for Android, but even it doesn't offer all of the features and tight integration that Apple's Siri does in iOS. Well, with Vlingo Labs, the service's new beta app where they test new features, you can get some of that integration, like the ability to speak to wake up Vlingo at any time and the ability to dictate SMS messages, web searches, and voice dialing, all without ever touching your phone.

Vlingo doesn't hide the fact that their Labs app is the place they test new features before they go live in the full version of Vlingo, but if you don't mind being on the cutting edge, Vlingo Labs has a lot to offer. The app's design has been revamped to look a little more like Siri, with a single-touch activation button at the bottom of your screen that can be pulled up over other apps, and Vlingo will now completely dictate text messages for you instead of hand you off to Google's built-in voice actions for the same task. Voice dialing and web search are holdovers from the main app, but they're faster and more conversational in the beta.

Unfortunately, Vlingo Labs has its limitations. First of all, it only supports Android Ice Cream Sandwich devices right now, and even then only devices in the United States and Canada. If your device matches that description, give the app a whirl and let us know what you think in the comments below.

Vlingo Labs | via Android Police

Daniel Russell knows how to find the answers to questions you can't get to with a simple Google query. In his weekly Search Research column, Russell issues a search challenge, then follows up later in the week with his solution—using whatever search technology and methodology fits the bill. This week's challenge: Who's the artist?

I was sorting through some photos I happen to take a while ago and it happened again. I found this extraordinary picture of a mural. It's one that I really like, but I can't figure out where or when or who or what it's all about. Arrgh!

As often happens with memories (and this is key in many difficult search tasks), I DO recall a couple of odd associated facts:

• This picture was taken somewhere in the south
• Near where this photo was taken, I remember a high school that had an interesting cultural mix. In particular, there were two languages spoken at this school (one was English).

Can you help me out? The challenges here range from the simple to the complex.

1. Where was this photograph taken (I'm looking for the street address or at least the nearest intersection.)?
2. Who's the artist?
3. What two languages are spoken in the nearby high school?

Search on!

Wednesday Search Challenge (5/23/12): Who's the Artist? | SearchReSearch

Daniel M. Russell studies the way people search and research—an anthropologist of search, if you will. You can read more from Russell on his SearchReSearch blog, and stay tuned for his weekly challenges (and answers) here on Lifehacker.

There are plenty of stupid things you do on Facebook, but you probably wouldn't expect that being too private is one of them. There are actually real downsides to locking down your Facebook profile. It can hurt you in a job search or the quality of the search results for your name. Here's why.

Facebook can be a little scary when it comes to your privacy. It doesn't really have the greatest track record, and we've all heard stories about how prospective employers have found embarrassing photos and information that led to problems in the hiring process. When we hear about the downsides to sharing publicly, our instincts turn to paranoia. We want jobs. We don't want to be embarrassed. We want to survive online with our dignity intact. Those are all great goals, but completely locking down your Facebook profile is taking it too far. It can actually hurt you because you're not providing good information.

When You Post Nothing, Everyone Else Decides Who You Are

You don't have control over what other people post about you. If you get drunk at a party and someone snaps a photo, it may end up online. Sure, you can untag yourself and try to control the possible damage from embarrassing stuff popping up, but there's really no way to stop it all. You may not have active tags on Facebook, but that doesn't mean that photo won't still exist and won't show up elsewhere. When people are constantly contributing information to Facebook, as well as other parts of the web, you're always stuck playing catch up if you're trying to control how others talk about you.

This is why you need to contribute public information. If you don't, you're providing no information about who you are. If you don't post anything, everyone else determines what you look like to a stranger who searches for your name. In a job search, this can be pretty problematic. The first results can be embarrassing. If you share a name with someone else, their results may come up instead. You put yourself at risk by not contributing positive information about yourself.

The Solution Is Simple: Publicly Post What You Want Others to See

It's fine to keep most of what you post on Facebook pretty private and only visible to the friends you want to see it. That said, if you want to look good in public you should be posting a few things that make you appear like the upstanding citizen you believe yourself to be. Share photos from fun family events, opinions about a gadget you really love or hate, and tame messages like regular birthday wishes. There are plenty of things you can share in public that don't reveal anything private but show that you're a good person. When a prospective employer "stumbles" upon your Facebook page, they'll see the good stuff you want to share and be more likely to miss out on the embarrassing stuff your friends (or enemies) may have lurking elsewhere online.

This can be easier said than done. Facebook has some pretty intimidating privacy settings, but we explain them all here. Be sure to read that guide if you don't know how to manage your privacy settings in a way that allows you to be selective about what is private and what you'll let the world see.

Title photo by Ilya Andriyanov (Shutterstock). The silly pictures of Whitson are all me.

Chrome: Prefer Google's search but wish you had Bing's beautiful daily images? With the "Bing wallpaper for Google homepage" Chrome extension, you can set Bing's wallpaper to automatically load on your Google homepage. The extension offers different themes and loading settings.

In the extension options, you can set the background to be the current Bing homepage image or a random one, and it can also pull in Picasa images from a RSS link. Choose to load the new background every time you visit Google.com, only once, or when you load Chrome.

Another nice feature is the option to view the wallpaper image in a new tab when you click the extension button. Then you can right-click and download for your wallpaper collection.

The only issue is that the 960x500 pixel Bing images might look pixelated when you stretch out your Chrome browser too big. Well, that and Google's doodle of the day might not match the Bing background very well.

Still, it's a great alternative to setting your own background for Google.com, because you get a new background every time you want.

Digital Inspiration also notes a similar app for Android, Bing Live Wallpaper.

Bing wallpaper for Google homepage | Chrome Web Store via Digital Inspiration