One in a googol (Google it!)

In addition to writing more this year, I am also determined to embrace all of the technology at our disposal. For that, I turned to Google and what a right turn it turned out to be.

Google naysayers beware...this is a Google-friendly atmosphere (me using Blogger, owned by Google since 2003, should have been your first hint). While a wee little part of me is secretly scared that Google is collecting all of my data and will one day sell me to the Iraqi army, the larger part of me just plain loves the services that Google has to offer.

Let me start first by praising Google calendar. I finally have a web-based calendar that shows me what events are upcoming without having to export this or input that. It's just so easy and it has helped me remember meetings that I would have otherwise forgotten. It even informs me of the weather for the next four days right in my calendar..."Do I want to go to the movies in DC this Friday? No, I don't. It will be raining."

Of course, I couldn't have used Google Calendar without signing up for a gmail account, which I also love. No more deleting messages and then regretting it four days later. Now I can just archive my messages and be on my way.

But wait, there's more. Check out Google Docs and Spreadsheets as well. I can create a document, just like in Word, and then publish it to the web. I can even add collaborators. If Pete and I aren't writing a screenplay together by the end of this year, then we're just plain lazy. Google Docs does all of the work!

Lastly, there's Google Checkout. I purchased a DVD as a Christmas present through Buy.com and learned that I could go through Google Checkout and receive $10 off. The DVD arrived on time, there were no frustrating issues to deal with and as far as I know, my credit is still in good standing. Maybe the $10 was just a holiday thing, or maybe it's just another example of the greatness of Google. I'm hoping it's the latter. Not only are the best things in life free, some of them actually GIVE YOU MONEY!

The moral of this entry is that you should really be using Google. I already have plans to upload my pictures on Picasa, another Google innovation, and see how that goes. I'm sure you'll be hearing more about this later.

Oh, and if anyone actually does get sold to the Iraqi army as a result of reading this, I'm really sorry.