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.
Water softeners Do NOT use salt to soften the water. A water softener softens water by using small silicon beads. Dissolved and not so dissolved minerals become attached to these beads as the water passes through the tank full of these silicon beads. the material collected in order to be able to collect more.