Productivity Preachin': Boomerang for Gmail

I don't mind paying for something that I value. Boomerang for Gmail has been one of my absolutely all-time favorite productivity tools. To them I say - TAKE MY MONEY.

Someone mentioned Boomerang to me casually a few months ago. I looked into it. Used it a couple times. Then, I met my free scheduled email limit. Gasp! I knew I had to have it. The strange thing is, I never realized how handy it is to be able to schedule your emails or have your UN-replied to emails returned to you, or boomeranged, if you will. It is such a great tool and I cannot praise its magnificence enough.

Two thumbs way wayy wayyy up.

Check it out: http://www.boomeranggmail.com/

Year of Gratitude - Day 88 - Being invisible online

Let's face it, if you have an online presence, it is tough to be invisible. However, I am grateful that there are ways to hide on Google chat. I'm also grateful that the chat function can be disabled on Facebook. I mean, I'm a friendly person and all, but sometimes I really don't need people to have such direct access to me.

Year of Gratitude - Day 32 - Google Drive

It is unlikely that this will be the only post on why I love Google. In this particular post, I praise the glory of Google Drive. I am using it regularly for work and have used it personally for a long time. The more I use it as my primary digital work space, the more comfortable I am and I also use it very effectively. It makes collaboration easier.

My one problem is sometimes my internet stinks and then using the Google Drive becomes problematic. Nonetheless, super happy to have this tool at my disposal.

Year of Gratitude - Day 24 - GoTasks App

It really is the little things sometimes. I don't save passwords in my phone, so getting to my tasks for work is pain. However, just found this app for iPhone that works pretty seamlessly and quick. Google Task users celebrate!

GoTasks

Year of Gratitude - Day 21 - Gmail

I have long used Gmail for my personal stuff, but now I use it at work as well. It's pretty much the best. The world is better with Gmail.

Technology Slave

Somewhere in the virtual world, an old friend of mine named Kevin A. Wells wrote about his online habits - what he does, what websites he visits, etc. I thought this was a great idea and stole it, except I added a few more dimensions of technology. What can I say?

As writing always helps me understand things better, I thought this would be a good way to learn about my online habits, my constant need to be connected and my addiction to electronics. I want to have written proof of how completely and hopelessly addicted I really am to my technology, especially my computer, the Internet, my iPod and my glorious BlackBerry. Don't get me wrong, these addictions aren't detrimental to my health, relationships and other stuff like bad addictions are. I like to call all these items productivity tools and such. Besides, acceptance is the first step to recovery.

So, on an average day:

1. I wake up to my BlackBerry alarm. I check the weather on it and then take a quick glance at my GMail. Next, I check out my to-do list. Then I get out of bed.
2. If I exercise, I listen to my iPod. Sometimes I'll do yoga classes found free on the Internet.
3. While I wash up and get ready for work, I listen to my iPod conveniently located on my little iPod dock.
4. After that, I turn on my computer and immediately open iTunes to update my completely absurd amount of podcasts. I'll never get to half of them. I totally don't care. I need them there. Just in case.
5. To get to work, I either get on my bike and listen to iPod or plug iPod into the car stereo. I hate my life if I forget iPod at home.
6. At work, I sit at a computer for a better part of my day. I open my work email and work with our Integrated Library System called Millennium for all kinds of library things.
7. When I get a second at work during downtime, I open up GMail to more thoroughly review anything important. Sometimes I'll chat with my mom through GChat.
8. When the email is officially done with, I get to the Google Reader. Again, I have an absurd amount of articles, recipes, poems, quotes, podcasts and blog posts to sift through throughout the day. If I don't check it by 6pm, it's well over a 1,000 items to check.
9. At every break I check the BlackBerry for missed calls, messages, etc. I also check off my To Do's as I complete them. The calendar, which syncs with my Google Calendar, is also checked obsessively.
10. I go home at night, sit at my computer and read the feeds that I clearly couldn't get through at work, generally like 900 items. (This step is optional, especially after I work a late shift.)
11. I check my Gmail again and my Google Calendar for the next few days. I plan out my days and anticipate when I can do what. At this time I also fill out my "Food Journal" which sometimes really makes me feel ashamed, but I think that's the point.
12. I also check Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, my blog stats and my Twitter account. Come Fantasy Hockey season, I'll be all over Yahoo! as well.
13. Finally, I turn the computer off and open up a book. This may seem like when I disconnect, but it's not. When I find a word I don't know, I pull out the BlackBerry and cruise to Dictionary.com to find the definition. Then, I Twitter it.

So, after reviewing my 13-step routine, I have decided that it's fine. I know, lots of people are looking at it and going, "Wow, she's sick." Yet, this is how I keep my life together. I keep on top of the news, read poetry, look through witty and helpful quotes, talk to my family and friends, stay organized and manage my life. I use a lot of stuff to do that, but that's how it's done.

Librarians feel used by Google?

I ran across a most interesting post the other day. Steven Cohen, author of the blog Library Stuff claimed he felt libraries were used and abused by Google. It portrays Google as this slick con artist and the librarians its victims. I didn't agree with it at all, but, alas, I am but a loyal minion of Google. There's a fantastic discussion in this posts' comments, so check it out.

I am totally flustered at why librarians are so upset that they're not getting paid attention to by Google. Is their little newsletter from Google that critical? Dude, seriously, who cares? Google does so much for librarians in making things easier to search for both us and the patrons. It provides all kinds of fantastic services like maps, word processing, spreadsheets, web-building, free jumbo email, chat client, calendars, etc.

Google doesn't owe us sh*t. They are a business and I think that if we were a little more business savvy and not so high, mighty and noble, we could understand that. Nothing comes for free. Oh, except Google products.

Today's Knowledge: How technology can change how we think

T-Bone sent me this great Atlantic Magazine article called "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" It's a great piece. You'll learn a ton about all sorts of things. This article is so thoughtful and exquisitely well-written that it really tickles the mind. For me, it was quite thought provoking and I found that it was well worth taking the time and effort to read it all the way through.

Ode to BlackBerry

I don't need a simple life. I love technology. Even though my knowledge of technology barely scratches the surface, I am a slave to it. When I hear folks talk about the "old days" and "back before computers" a chill runs down my spine. I like life packed with about a million things, otherwise boredom inevitably sets in. What can I say? I'm a Millennial and I have the attention span of a miniature poodle. You might call it crazy, but it's an everyday thing for a lot of people.

I digress. Once, iPod was my most prized electronic gadget. That was before the BlackBerry came into my life. While the iPod helped settle my craving for news, yoga and music, its functionality came nowhere near that of the BlackBerry (BB). Here are my reasons:

Productivity
It should be no surprise that I downloaded the entire Google package to my BB. I can quickly access Google searches. Google maps helps me find my way around, because I generally can't find my way out of a cardboard box. My Google calendar syncs with the BB calendar (though it misbehaves sometimes). And, of course, I need 'round the clock access to my email.

Beyond the Google goods, there's a memo pad that I use obsessively for everything from book review notes, to work-related projects, to poetry. And the to-do list has effectively crushed my procrastination habit. I enjoy the fact I can filter my tasks by category, assign them priorities and due dates, and add notes.

On a slight side note, I found that the new iPhone STILL doesn't have a copy-and-paste function. What's up with that, Steve Jobs??? I use copy and paste constantly on the BB. It just seems like a really useful option that isn't difficult to implement.

Connectivity
In addition to have access to all my email, I also enjoy the ability to check the weather, read news and chat. Chatting on mobile GTalk actually saves me money. Though people love to text, I'm not a fan. Hence, instead of blowing a bunch of dough on individual texts, I can have a written conversation with anyone that's on their Gmail.

Accuracy
Is Kansas City the capital of Missouri? What does ennui mean? Do we have this book at the library? How did the last out of the 3rd inning happen? What quantity of sesame seeds are called for in this recipe?

These are all questions that I answered by using my BlackBerry. At first, it took getting used to the fact some websites have a mobile view and others don't. Then, my buddy's husband found Opera Mini, a magnificent browser that allows you too look at basically any web page and switch from mobile to regular web views. The web is wide open for the mobile user.

Entertainment
My iPod is still the reigning champ of entertainment, but the BB does provide a camera. Having one on hand at all times is great fun. True, the picture quality is not amazing, but it still gets the job done. There are games, but I'm not too into those. BB also allows for various audio media, but I save my memory by keeping that kind of stuff left on the iPod.

Oh, and I can make phone calls on it, too.

U-M Library puts millionth digitized book online

The U-M Library has just put its millionth digitized book online. The Michigan Digitization Project is a partnership with Google that will digitize the Library’s entire printed collection. It will provide full-text access to works that are in the public domain, creating new ways for users to search and access U-M Library content. As a leader in digital archival and preservation efforts among research libraries, the U-M Library has been digitizing material for many years, but the partnership with Google allows the University to accomplish the task faster and on a scale that would not have been achieved alone. No other library has yet scanned this many books.

Read MORE.

Google's Evil Eye

This was a very excellent article about Google and their complete disdain for privacy. After hearing this (I heard it on my iPod), I considered, for like a second, trying to cut Google out of my life. Clearly, that's too much effort and I do consider myself a Google minion, but it's still good information.

Read the article at http://slate.com/id/2175651/

Google ranks last for privacy

This was kind of a bummer, especially since I'm addicted to all things Google...

According to a report released June 6 by privacy watchdog Privacy International (PI), search engine Google ranks dead last among Internet service providers (ISPs) in terms of protecting the privacy of ts users.

Read the rest of the article HERE.