Google had promised us it was coming, and how its here: Chromecast has been updated with a new Backdrop feature that lets you display your own photos when you're not busy streaming something. You can also display popular photos from elsewhere, and news and weather snippets.
No, to soften water, you need a water softener. The salt used in the brine tank of a water softener does not directly soften the water, but is used to regenerate the resin beads in your water softener. These actually soften the water from your well by removing the hard water ions, calcium, magnesium and iron.
Introduction to Hard Water and Water Softeners. A water softener removes the calcium and magnesium ions that make water hard by replacing them with salt / sodium via ion exchange. Look for an NSF-certified water softener with a system monitor to indicate when salt is low to make sure you maintain optimum levels for soft water.