Tasks 3 and 4: I heart Google

Task 3 – Google Everything

This task was a delight to do, as I use Google frequently. Many of the tasks were familiar and many of the products I already use, such as Gmail, Google Search, Reader, Maps, Docs, Translate, YouTube, and Chrome. iGoogle was fun for a while but I gave up using that product because I found it too cluttered. What I rely on now is the ‘Most Visited’ display in Google Chrome – 8 simple image/links to your most visited sites – easy as!

The thing I love about Google is that it is playful (e.g. Google Doodles) and they have a sense of humour. Have you ever typed ‘askew’ or ‘do a barrel roll’ into Google Search? Or, played with the language options in the search interface - Google Pirate, the Muppets Swedish Chef, or Elmer Fudd?

If you want to experiment with a trick that’s a little more complex, go to Google Reader, then use your cursor keys thus: up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, b, a. You’ll be visited by a super-secret ninja guy.

Task 4 – Google Maps

As I mentioned above, I do currently use Google Maps – they’re fun, useful and convenient. I use it to look up places I’m heading off to, as most people do. But I also make use of the ‘My Places’ option and create lists of places I’ve visited in Australia, and overseas, as well as lists of places I’ve lived and worked. Maps allows me to visit my favourite places while sitting on the couch at home with the laptop, and it’s great for checking out the position of a hotel before you book it, e.g. how far is the hotel from the pub or the chocolate shop?

Google Maps is incredibly helpful with its suggested modes of transportation as well. Did you know that you could kayak for 5400km if you wanted to travel from Brisbane to Japan, and from Japan, you can jetski across to China? :P

Overall I have a lot of respect for Google’s policy towards its staff. Google allows its engineers to spend 20% of their work time playing, experimenting and developing their own ideas. Satellite view in Google Maps, and Google Mars were both results of the 20% time policy for example. The organisation makes internet browsing fun, and not at all tiresome. And though I am aware of the criticism around Google (particularly the privacy issues in gmail), at present nothing compares to Google (for me).

On a final note, did you know that ‘google’ is now an official term (a verb) in the Oxford English Dictionary? Go forth, fellow bloggers, and google your way into google-blivion

Task 2 - Lifelong Learning

I love learning new things. If I could, I would spend my life at university, doing random degree after random degree. To address task 2 though, I chose to look at ReadWriteWeb - loved it and now subscribe to it. It makes information about new technologies and social media accessible and interesting. See, for instance this article about the 'Unspoken Etiquette of Facebook Photo Tagging', or this one about the death of Britannica.

In googling lifelong learning, I discovered that Australia has lot of government-based initiatives to encourage adults to continue to learn. Most of these initiatives were skill-based, cost money, or appeared time-consuming. Other initiatives were part of staff development programs, such as 23 Things at UQ.

I came across a Lifelong Learning Mind Map courtesy of IQ Matrix.

A few things strike me as curious about this map. Firstly, most of the little dudes on there are frowning or concentrating really hard. Secondly, all the information seems to be contained within books - surely promoting the ease of access to information now would be more beneficial in encouraging lifelong learning? Nor is it limited only to those who can read. Thirdly, there is an image of  an old couple to indicate 'relationships' curiously placed in the midst of  'strategies', 'analysis', 'business' and 'thinking'. Overall, this visualisation of lifelong learning sugests it is anti-social hard work that only culminates in love and enlightment when you're around ninety years old (and possibly too old to consumate that love). I disagree with this entirely. Lifelong learning does not need to be a difficult task and does not need to be something you put to use in the work environment. It all depends on your attitude and what you value. Any piece of new information or new experience - whether it be learning your friend's favourite colour, learning how to hand-stitch, trying a new recipe, or writing your first blog post - is a learning experience, and is valuable in and of itself.

Lastly, the map is framed by the following quote: "Commit yourself to lifelong learning. The most valuable asset you'll ever have is your mind and what you put into it." I only agree with this to an extent. I believe your imagination is the most valuable asset you'll ever have - without it, how do you recognise the possiblities that life and love (and Google) have to offer, or potential for learning in your every day life?

Task 1 - Create a Blog

In the coming weeks I'll be posting my experiences in completing the 23 Things program at UQ Library.


Step 1. Create your blog
I chose Blogger.com because it's google-based. Simple as that. I also already have a google account, so it was easy enough to sign in.
Step 3. Create your first blog post
Creating the first blog post was very straighforward and intuitive. Creating the name was tricky, but having something to say was easier than expected.
Yes - step 3 is listed before step 2. It's because I generally dive in without reading instructions, I like to try things out intuitively (and also apparently glossed over step 2 when reading about the first task).
Step 2. View Tutorials
In this instance I'm glad I tried and successfully created a post without viewing the tutorial. It appears that Blogger.com has recently updated its interface, and the Video Tutorial is actually for the superceded interface, so not much help really.

Overall the experience was straightforward and easy to complete. One thing I have noticed though is that there don't appear to be help options available whilst creating a post....

Getting started

Wow - creating a blog name is not as easy as it sounds. How do you create a name that will encompass who you are, or who you want to be online, and what you may write about in the future? I'm a girl, and I like geeky things.....I probably speak a lot of gibberish. So, hi! Welcome to GeekyGirlGibberish.

After creating my blog name, I decided to look up the meaning of gibberish (thank you urbandictionary) - I'll let you decide which is the most appropriate definition for my future posts.

Bye for now :)