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?
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).
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