Top 10 Discoveries of 2008

iGoogle

At first, I was resigned to be completely against Google's insistence I sign up for iGoogle. I was happy having my simple Google search as my home page. Finally, I relented...and haven't looked back since. At first, it was the themes that got me. Then I began playing around with gadgets, then adding my other technological discoveries to my page, and now it seems I have the perfect iGoogle page, complete with a post-it note I update with projects from work so I have it at my fingertips. igoogle.com  

Dropbox

I hated having certain pictures and documents only available to me on certain computers. And I never remembered to e-mail myself files I would need between home and work. Finally, I downloaded Dropbox, an online archive of files that are easily accessible to any computer you happen to sign onto. This is especially useful for the random pictures I'll find at work and put into the folder "Work Pictures", which I'll forget about, but get a smile whenever I open at home. https://www.getdropbox.com/  

Blogger

Finally, somewhere to put the many thoughts I have during my two hours in the car by myself every day, going to-and-from work. blogger.com  

Bare Escentuals

I was never one to buy real makeup. My cousin gave me some Cover Girl one Christmas when I was younger and I never thought I needed anything else. Soon, I was old enough to buy my own makeup, but I never really wore it except for special occasions. Then I got into the habit of putting it on in the car before work. For my wedding, I was convinced by one of my bridesmaids to go to Macy's and get Mac. Well, what I found out about Mac was it was invented by a drag queen, which I thought was funny. Then, I found out on our honeymoon how, even though the coverage was great, my pores were not as "fabulous" as they should. I blamed it on the Hawaii humidity, but I knew it was the makeup that made me break out. Soon after, my friend turned me onto Bare Minerals. I was hesitant at first to spend $50 on the starter kit, but she guaranteed it would take me weeks to even see a dent in it. To its credit, I went through the foundation in about three months, but I still have most of my original warmer and mineral powder, plus it came with the brushes. Soon, my breakouts were few and far between, and I was getting actual compliments on my skin--people thought it was naturally flawless. I thought Mac had great coverage, but B.E. was even better. And, after buying the first kit, I was buying the eye kits, and getting even more compliments--even from my Mac-obsessed bridesmaid! www.bareescentuals.com

Google Reader 

I began a morning ritual when I got to work, before I could really start working. I would check my e-mail; post my schedule on my iGoogle page; print out what I needed to work on for the day; check Mental_Floss and woosk; get a few pages done, then take another surfing break; check Dumb Little Man, Zen Habits, bits and pieces; do some more work; have lunch and surf some more, checking Miss Cellania, Cracked, Lovely Listings, Cake Wrecks; get back to work; take another break and check Vanity Plates, Fail Blog, MakeUseOf, Baby Squared (my cousin's awesome blog about her twins) Lifehacker; finish any work I need to; check Listropolis, Stepcase Lifehack, 43 Folders, Indexed; make sure I have whatever I need done for the next day.

Basically, I had gotten addicted to blog reading throughout the day. Of course, I would put work first, but I also never had a spare moment when I wasn't checking my blogs...I turned into the equivalent of one of those women who can't miss her "stories". Ironically, if you'll notice, a lot of the blogs I read are productivity blogs. Even though they all recommended Google Reader, I didn't think I read enough blogs to constitute needing Reader. I did have most of these blogs in separate Gadgets on my iGoogle page, but soon I wanted to simplify my page, so I succumbed to Google Reader. Now that I have it, it takes me maybe 10 minutes in the morning to go through the posts I've missed, and I don't have to worry about having to remember Web addresses, missing anything, or going through two weeks of posts because I've temporarily forgotten about the blog. Pretty soon, I was finding the RSS feed on every Web page I visiting, and adding it to my Reader. Now, I'll sign on in the morning and have at least 60 news posts to keep me busy in the morning, and more throughout the day. Imagine how much fun I've had on my vacation when I haven't been on the computer as much. www.google.com/reader

Baby Wipes

On one of my many blogs, I read about the makeup removing benefits of using baby wipes. I've fallen in love with Huggies All Natural wipes for my face. There are so many mornings (more than I'd like to admit) I wake up too late for a full face wash and grab the wipes and go.

Suction Wine Stopper 

Out of habit of my single days, I still buy the big bottles of wine, even though I've gotten to the point where I'm good after two glasses a week, as opposed to two glasses an hour after a hard day of work. We registered for a Rabbit wine opener kit that came with suction wine stoppers and I thought keeping wine fresh days longer was just swell! I still have a bottle from Christmas eve that I know will be just as good when I unstop it.  

Jott

I'll remember random to-do items at the wrong time, like when I'm driving, or when I'm halfway through something else or when I just don't have a pencil or piece of paper to write it down. So I started using Jott a few months ago. It's great, I'll set up text message reminders, to-do lists, alarms, all from my cell phone or computer (or, of course, from my iGoogle page). I have my dentist appt. today, which I wouldn't have remembered if I didn't Jott it six months ago. http://jott.com UPDATE: As of Feb. 1, Jott will no longer be offering a free service, once they are out of BETA testing. Hhmph!

American Heart Association Low-Fat Low-Cholesterol Cookbook

Because of my dad's medical history, my cholesterol was recently tested, although I didn't expect to have anything wrong with it. When I got the call saying it was on the high side of normal, I decided to lower it. When I looked in the dietary cookbook section of the bookstore, it seemed most diet books cared more about high protein/high fat/low carb diets (idiots) than about heart health in general. I finally found the shelf with the AHA books and sighed in relief. When I saw this cookbook, I picked it up and went to the kitchen right away (after spending an absurd amount of money at the grocery store...because we had a lot of junk in our fridge, and not enough good stuff). After cooking three dishes and packing them into easy-to-grab Gladware, I began the "diet". Before I knew it, I was losing weight without trying. None of the dishes are more than 400 calories, so I finally found the secret to staying on a 1,200 calorie diet and feeling satisfied. Plus, I get to accomplish my resolution of cooking more. Oh, and the Spinach Stuffed Pizza was AMAZING. Even my husband liked it! (Note: I have the 2nd edition, however the link provided is for a more recent version.) Amazon.com  

Gmail

Come on, if you haven't signed up for Gmail yet, what are you waiting for? Oh, sure, I had Yahoo! as my e-mail account for ages, but once I switched to Gmail, my e-mails because much easier to handle and deal with, plus, I've noticed a lot less spam. mail.google.com

Why Having a Blog is Better than Having Facebook/MySpace - Reasons 1-5

Reason #1 - I don't want to join a group with other people who like the same music I do.

In a blog, I can simply write: "I like Robbie Williams." And what is unwritten is: "If you don't like Robbie Williams, feel free to discuss in the comments section why you don't. Maybe I'll agree with you, maybe I won't." Also posted and understood: "Here is a video illustrating the points I have made about Robbie Williams being a great musician. You cannot help at least tapping your feet to his U.K. (read: better than the U.S. crap on the radio) rhythm."

Said Example:



Reason #2 - Blogs load faster and are usually less complicated than profiles.
Good Lord, people put too much on their pages! I can understand the background designs, the coordinating colors, but the bumper stickers, the virtual pet rocks, the "Save the Jackalope" applications, the "Join the Largest Facebook Group [of tools] Now!" groups, etc. If I'm actually looking at someone's profile, it's for some information, or to post a birthday greeting. and it's gotten to the point where I can't even find the comment wall anymore!

Reason #3 - Who are these people?
I'm pretty good at remembering names and faces...of people I've come into immediate contact with. I can probably still name every member of every class from kindergarten through 6th grade off the top of my head (and with the help of an hour or two...and maybe a glass of wine). I remember people I was friends with in middle school and high school. Maybe we had lockers right next to each other for all four years (I don't remember her name at all, now that I think about it!), but we never talked. So, if I don't respond immediately (or at all) to your friend request, it's because I need to find and unpack my yearbooks so I can look you up. Or, if you're a friend-of-a-friend, at least leave a comment as to why I would know you. With blogs, there is no small talk, no "how have you been-fine-oh good-how are you-good-well, that's nice" type dealings. It's a blog! No need for small talk, the information is right there!

Reason #4 - Stalking is a lot more detailed through a blog.
Well, it is! I mean, what can people really find out about me through my Facebook profile?
"Status change! She got married? I should ask her 'how's married life?' because I'm sure she doesn't hear that at least once a day!"
vs.
"Ah-ha! A post labeled 'marriage'!...oh, her and her husband are too funny. I guess they're doing well."

Reason #5 - Nothing really changes on profile pages.
No, really. It doesn't. The general information stays the same. Sure, people will change their pictures every so often, and I know those who break up with people using the status option, and then there are those who just can't join enough groups.

In blog terms, they can change their user icon, depending on the post; they can find the humor in their status change and write about it, giving a laugh (or cry) to others; and, as far as groups go, see reason No. 1--you might as well just write a post every time you decide you like or don't like something. But, then again, imagine reading a blog made up entirely of posts like "I like soup. That is all." "I don't like Facebook's new layout." "I remember when Jessie got hooked on caffeine pills." "I DO know the way to San Jose, la la la la la la la la la laaaa." (Actually, that's not a bad idea for a blog...My Idea! No Can Have!)

Starting a Blog

10 Reasons I Didn't Want To Start A Blog

• I would get tired of it and never write in it. (Eg: My LiveJournal; the so-called Blogs on MySpace; the countless books I have started and never finished on numerous computers, hard disks and flash drives.)
• I would go the opposite of No. 1 and go nuts writing in it, not caring about content as much as I would care about post count.
• My husband would watch me as I was writing in it, which wouldn't be a bad thing but he would start peeking over my shoulder whenever I was on my computer, trying to be the "first" to catch a glimpse of what was in store.
• I would hear the phrase I hated when people would read anything I published: "So, I was reading your blog/column/post-it..." and they'd want to follow up or ask more questions. Soon, there will be comment etiquette available for the public to read...then promptly ignore.
• Would my random thoughts I find amusing strike others the same way?
• The fear of losing anonymity (not with friends or family, but people I don't want to know I have a blog).
• Having people who know what a stickler I am for grammar, spelling and fact checking point out my mistakes in the comments.
• Spending too much time on the blog instead of doing the other productive things I should be doing.
• Feeling let down when no one's reading it.
• Feeling too exposed when people are reading it.

Top 10 Reasons I Wanted to Start A Blog

• I miss writing. I loved having a column and getting comments from readers; maybe pretending too much I was a celebrity; knowing I could write circles around Carrie Bradshaw, understanding that five years' worth of columns doesn't even come close to the amount of money used to purchase ONE Manolo Blahnik, but just loving to write.
• The [sad] satisfaction I get out of being my own editor and fact checker. (It's astounding how the joy of checking the correct spelling of Manolo Blahnik and putting away the worry of looking stupid makes me feel.
• I send out tons of e-mails every week with links, videos, pictures and jokes to my friends, never bothering to keep any of them in my Frequent Contacts list, so when someone gets left off an e-mail, I hear about it later. It's easier to have one space I can put up whatever I'm currently enjoying.
• The thought that comes into my mind when reading other blogs: "I could write something like this."
• The dull lapses at work when I've looked at all my usual Web sites and can't think of a single thing to do, so I compose a long e-mail to one of my friends...ranting about nothing in particular, just so I can make sure I still type 80 WPM.
• Yes, 80 WPM.
• Another reason to use my digital camera more often.
• If you've ever been the "funny one" in a group of friends, you know the thin line between being the center of attention and being made to perform. Blogging can help me have some control over when I "perform".
• "Studies show..." this; "Reports are saying..." that. Blogging's good for you. Google it.
• I already worked so hard on the name and the graphic, I might as well use the blog.