Google Docs (Thing 14)

Only last week I had a group project in the form of a presentation with a report and essay. Google Docs would have been great to have used for that with the ability to choose collaborators to work with, and edit the document together instead of forwarding numerous versions back and forth. Maybe next time...

Google Scholar and Google Book Search (Thing 15)

I have to say that I can see why a lot of people would love Google book search, books are my passion and my vice. However, I am never happier than when I am am in a physical, as opposed to virtual, bookshop seeing, feeling and smelling those books. I am notorious for giving books as gifts and when I go searching for the perfect gift for someone else I find myself coming home with a few for myself too!!! I worked in a bookshop for many years and I think I spent my entire wage on books AND for me, deciding to become a librarian had a lot to do with being able to work with all those wonderful books!
Google Scholar - I'm a fan! I've been using this for a while and have recently found some great material for a presentation/report/essay I need to do, and which I really need to get cracking on!

iGoogle (Thing 16)

I personalised my iGoogle homepage, I now have new recipes pop up every day, quotes of the day, children's book of the day, and a cute little green frog that follows my mouse around the screen. I am starting to get a bit of information overload...

Google Maps (Thing 13)

I had a play around with Google maps and took a 'walk' around some of our local streets, interestingly must have been filmed at Christmas time as there are decorations up at the shopping area and outside some of the homes.
I also used this application to create a map for my husband from the hotel in Cairns where he is staying at the moment for work (hard life, hey??!!), to the fancy dress shop he needed to visit whilst he is there. I was able to highlight the way he needed to go to get there, detailing the distance between turns into different streets as well as the total distance and estimated time it would take by foot. Why the fancy dress shop you ask? We are going up for hols in a couple of weeks and have a friend's party to attend for which we are required to go as 'something from around the world' as she has recently returned to living in Oz after having spent a number of years living OS.
SOOO... my husband tells me he followed the directions and when he got there it was closed. Hmmm, fine excuse! I think it is just because he doesn't want to go as a bullfighter after all but unless he can think of something better he won't get out of it that easily!!!

Thing 17 - Blogrolling along

Played around with delicious, set up a blogroll and bookmarked a few things of interest. A couple of these I found whilst poking around the VU library webpage under 'Infolinks'.