the web according to google #85: resistance is futile

As I mentioned previously in the post about search engines, I don't generally use Google as my primary search engine. Actually, at the library I mostly use the Live Search at the top of the Internet Explorer window because it is convenient. Today (er, when I started writing this post weeks and weeks ago), however, I will be using Google for every search? Why? Because you can play Pac-Man on the Google search page. How awesome is that?

1) On a regular basis, I use Gmail, Google Docs, Google Maps, Google Calendar, Google Sites, Blogger and YouTube. I know what you're thinking: That's a lot of Google products for someone who doesn't actually like Google and thinks the company is trying to take over the world. (They are.) I use Gmail because it has the most pleasing interface of all the email clients I've seen. I use Google Docs because it easily allows me to access the same document from my home computer and from work, without carrying around a flash drive. The same for Google Calendar. (Although, last week my calendar was down for 5 days. I was not pleased and it has made me consider finding another calendar option.) I use Google Maps because it easily allows me to modify the route given. I only use Google Sites and Blogger because of work, but I love YouTube a lot.

2) I browsed through Google Labs, but I honestly didn't find anything on there that seems like it will make my life easier because it exists. The new Gmail options they're working on won't change anything about how I use Gmail now, and it's the same for all the other Google features. I don't know if I'm just missing the cool features, but it all seemed very unnecessary.

3) Google Books is an interesting feature that I'm not sure I would use all that often. I find it annoying that a good portion of the books are only available in limited preview. What's the point? If I'm going to go to the trouble of reading a book online, it's probably because I need it immediately and can't find a physical copy. A limited preview is not useful in that circumstance. I probably won't ever take advantage of Google Books until the books I actually want to read are available in full. However, I did enjoy scrolling through the magazines Google Books has cataloged. I particularly liked looking through back issues of Life. I wasn't aware that this site had magazines, so finding a wide array of choices was a pleasant surprise.