I'm really happy with my iGoogle page, and I have used it for the last couple of days to access google news, youTube and Facebook.  I saw these "America's got talent" clips and thought they were pretty cute.  I have posted them in the side bar or click on my hyper link.

Module 5: Google Maps

Unbelievable!  I have heard a lot of buzz about google maps lately, and my partner used it a week ago to downloaded directions from Hawthorn to Venus Bay, but I haven't used the site myself.  Many years ago someone showed me a satellite view of my house on a mobile phone, so I knew that such imagery was out there, I just haven't sought it out.  I completed the exercise of finding my house and getting directions from home to work.  I checked out the photos of the route too.  A picture tells a thousand words, no excuse for getting lost if you have this on your mobile phone!  

I wonder about the self editing capabilities of Google maps, to some extent you rely on others to enter the data correctly, which must leave plenty of room for error.

I read the wikipedia Google info, future generations will only know our planet as Google Earth.....  Its a Google take over.

Module 5: iGoogle

I have just completed the iGoogle section of module 5.  Firstly, they were right from the beginning when they said you could create your iGoogle page in 30 seconds! Make that about 10 seconds.  It was so easy that it wasn't until I logged out and back in again did I believe that I had created it.

It was easy to set up the page with the gadgets listed in the module exercise and I found a few extras along the way.  I have personalised my page with an artist theme, and rearranged things to how I think they will work best for me.  

Then I watched the youTube clip on working at Google, and I'm surprised that any work gets done there at all (my employer doesn't even provide tea and coffee!), but obviously the work does get done, and who knows what they will come up with next.  

This web 2.0 has really opened my eyes to what is available out there, and to think that just ten years ago the world wide web was just an infant.  The aspect that strikes me is how easy the web is to use and manipulate to your own needs with the likes of iGoogle, Flickr, Library Thing...etc.  But with the overwhelming tide of information out there, it is logical that someone is making it easier for us narrow the field and aim for what interests us.  Pretty soon you wont even have to google anything, the web will second guess what it is we want to know and offer it up when we log on.  But would all this silver platter service make life easier, or would it take the  mystery, intrigue and excitement out of the process of discovery and learning?