I Love Google, But...

I love Google. I love Google products. I use at least five Google products every day, often more. If Google were to go away, I would suddenly have to go buy calendars and photo albums and a diary and an encyclopedia set and pens and paper and stamps and envelopes and tons of maps. I would drown in a sea of paper.

But I'm starting to think that maybe Google doesn't get me. Or at least I am not their target audience.

But today, as I was checking my email, I noticed a new button in my black bar. Play: New! it screamed. I clicked it, and it's just a store with some video games and books. Maybe it will be cool, I don't know. But the button for it is right there in the middle of the black bar. In the place where I wish the Reader button was. Or the Photos button. Or the Blogger button. You know, buttons that actually do something for me.

I understand Google wants to be cool, or hip, or whatever the kids are saying these days. But I wish it would embrace what it does so well, and stick to organizing my life and thoughts and information stream.

Though there was a rental link to "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" on that Play page....hmm.

Internet

Some days I find the internet a little distracting. I follow a lot of cool blogs on my rss reader, and love webcomics.

But SOME days I find the internet all consuming, and find myself reading the dooce archive for two hours, trolling for xkcd comics I've not seen yet, and constantly refreshing blogger to see if one more person maybe found this blog. All while I should be making publication-ready plots.

And then it's close to 3 pm, and time for me to go home and start evening things.

On those days, if I'm smart, I unplug and take my laptop to the cushy chairs in the lobby to work. Those are the days I'm thankful my government-issued computer was divested of its wireless capability.