Before we get to the weekend edition I want to address some concerns that were raised with Wednesday’s post.  I used a term that offended a few readers.   I won’t repeat the word here, you can read the post for yourself.  I responded to each complaint but also wanted to speak out to those who didn’t like my use of the word and didn’t send me a note.  The word has many meanings.  The three most common are a domestic house cat, a coward, and a slang reference to the female reproductive organ.  My use was that of a coward.  I do not apologize for using it, as the context was entirely appropriate.  I will however take my readers into consideration in the future with my word choices.  That being said, more people thought it was funny than not.

Moving on…


Hello weekenders!  I think weekends in the spring are the best of all seasons.  Great weather (sometimes), nice temperature, and beautiful flowers.

Something that is great no matter what the season is Google.  Their search engine is fast, good, and clean.  But many people aren’t aware of the other fantastic products available to users.  Today I want to highlight the ones I use most.

Google Earth: Google Earth is software you download and install on the computer.  It’s an interactive program that allows you to jump all over the world in a matter of seconds.  You can zoom in with your mouse and see satellite images of your house, or famous landmarks anywhere.  I use this on my iPhone all the time to scout out locations for my upcoming honeymoon.  When you zoom in far enough you’re given links to photos and other information about the area.

Google Maps with Streetview: Similar to Google Earth only you use it for finding addresses and other info you’d want on a map.  Their directions system is better than any other competitor.  The big selling point these days is Google Streetview.  Streetview allows you to see 360 degree photographs of the location you’re looking at.  As an example, I’ve included a link to the streetview of the Williamsburg Bridge in New York.  In the distance is the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges.  The skyscrapers on the right in the distance are part of the financial district of Manhattan – Wall Street.
View Map

iGoogle: This is a glorified RSS reader.  RSS is a technology that can capture a blog post and feed it directly to the reader.  With iGoogle you can create little widgets of feeds from various blogs.  My latest count shows I’ve got 39 feeds.  I can’t possibly read everything, but I scan the headlines and read what is interesting to me.  You can subscribe to this blog’s RSS feed here.

Chrome: If you are a Firefox user I certainly don’t have to explain with an internet browser is.  But to you Internet Explorer people I must introduce you to Chrome.  Like Internet Explorer, you can use Chrome to browse the internet.  Unlike IE, Chrome is fast, stable and much easier to use.  To all the FF people out there fear not, I still use FF for 70% of my internet needs.  It’s just the Chrome is so quick I can’t help but not use it.

Gmail: It’s the single handed best interface for web email out there.  If you use web email (hotmail, yahoo, aol, etc) you need to give Gmail a try.  True it’s been in beta since the Clinton Administration, but I love it.  I have a secret Gmail account for use of this website.

This is but a drop in the bucket of the Google products out there.  Let me know in the comments what you use and what you like/don’t like about it!

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  By The Weakonomist 		The Weakonomist is the founder of Weakonomics. Clicking the picture of the puppy will tell you more about him. If you like what you're reading consider subscribing to the blog, following him on Twitter, and checking out the related posts below. Please consider a donation if you really enjoy Weakonomics. Also keep in mind that nothing I say can be construed as financial advice.

categories: banking, personal, technology, weakend