I've been Googlized... are you next?

As a self acclaimed late adaptor, I finally gave in and adapted to Gmail. Admittedly, I love it. I've got my calendar (which is still a work in progress), my tabs set up with my favorite online websites set up set up on my iGoogle page, my Photos on Picasa (Google acquired product), YouTube (Google acquired product), my own Reader with articles marked and RSS feeds (more Google purchases), and I can even go to the Google Blog Search - where anyone can search and find the greatness of a new, growing website named Musings from Boulder. Google has made my life SO easy. I love Google.

I have a Google blog (the aforementioned Musings from Boulder). Soon I think my wife will have her own Blog. My friends have Blogs. Their friends have Blogs. All on Google (at least the cool ones).

Last night I heard about a new Google product in Beta. I HAD to have it. I now Google Chrome - the new Google search engine. The desktop item even looks like an old Simon Says game (see left). Did Google purchase Simon Says in order to use a similar looking logo of the old game, or did they just "creatively" come up with this all on their own? All I had to do to get it was go to Google.com and search "chrome". Not Chrome.com, just "chrome". (I hate Google for making my life so easy).

We discussed Facebook in my MBA program after reading a case study and discussed it's massive potential as a giant information aggregator based on its database of information and the question regarding if it will be the next Google or should sell now to Google for a huge payday. This is a very real time, real world discussion. The class unequivocally said that Facebook should not sell to Google and remain independent and fight the "man" (ie Google). The discussion ended and compliments of "I just love Google" and "Everything in my life is tapped into Google" comments flooded the room. (Google even tells me I am spelling Facebook wrong in this post! How's that for ruling the Internet).

So what is Google doing with this information? They seem to be involved and inside every part of my life. Do they know where I sleep and if I snore? Do they have me under satellite surveillance? Will they hunt and take down Bin Laden? Something tells me he Google's too and they know where he is. Will we look up at the moon someday just to see a big Google "G" on the it's surface? Will it change daily to go along with the day's theme on their browser? Can I trust them? I highly doubt it. They won't hand their information over to the US Government. They probably know too much and are invading my life. I absolutely hate Google now!!

So perhaps Google is the monster of today and we are all just living in Google's world and that is a very scary thought. On second thought, maybe I don't feel so bad anymore about being Googlized because it's made my life so much easier and of course, everybody is doing it. My Google calendar is telling me I have an appointment soon... gotta run.

Musings from Boulder...

Time for the inaugural grab bag and photo fest, also known as Musings...Feeling very blessed over the past few weeks... life's been busy and very good!

We celebrated our 1st Anniversary weekend over the Labor Day weekend. (How lucky I am to have such a wonderful wife!). The night at the St. Julien was great and it's hard to believe it was just a year ago we had our wedding day.

Ranger had his first birthday three days later... he's becoming quite the CU and football fan. He has been just the perfect puppy and is more obsessed with retrieving tennis balls than any dog I've ever seen. What a great dog.

Melissa is in full swing with her new job and life as a nanny... she is enjoying the families she's working with and the time and flexibility of the job is more than welcomed (a year at Crate&Barrel was a bit long). They are more lucky to have her!

I went to the Buffs game Saturday with a group of buddies, which included a thrilling, narrow escape versus a tough Eastern Washington team. The game was more exciting than it needed to be, however a win is a win in this case. We just need to find a running game.

In what turned into a full day of tailgating, the highlight of the day followed the Buffs narrow victory was a visit by 6 of us (mostly Alumni) to the Sink. 6 pitchers of beers, 5 guys, a Buffs victory and reliving our college days at 4:30pm rather than 11:30pm. Good times, good times! Watching Taylor eat 4 HUGE slices of pizza fit in as a close 3rd place.

First week of Grad school went down easy... too bad it's only going to get much tougher from here!

Onward to another weekend!

Look what Mr. "Cool" did on MNF!

In a solid performance in his first game as a starter in the National Football League, Aaron Rodgers showed that he has what it takes as a starting quarterback. Is he bringing Cool back, as previously suggested in MfB? We will see, however early signs indicate a cool, calm and collected player able to lead his team on the field.

A slew of penalties put him in some awkward positions with long distances to pick up a first down (have you ever seen so many offensive linemen penalties? especially in a row?). And Tony Kornheiser nearly ruined the entire MNF event like every other week. The guy doesn't know when to stop beating a dead horse. It was great how Jaws had to repeatedly tell TK to "let the Brett Favre thing go". If you watched the second game with the Broncos beating up the Raiders, that may have been more dreadful.

There were signs of a great arm, great touch on his throws and the ability to effectively manage the game. I'm sure not every day will yield such a strong performance and a few teams may make him look very bad, let's just hope the strong first game performance gives him slack in his performances the next few weeks. The Pack has struggled at times in Detroit, so let's hope Rodgers has a strong performance in week 2.

With that said, be sure to check out Inside the Huddle with Donald Driver the next time you are in the Green Bay, WI area on a Monday night. MfB hears there is a table corporately sponsored at the weekly event by Lee Truck Equipment, Inc. d/b/a Casper's Truck Equipment. They have the two of the best owners any company could ask for. MfB loves them very much.

Back to school.. back to school...

Going back to school feels the same no matter how old you may be... I had intentions of putting some movie clips in this post however struggled in finding the time to do so. Some movies just never get old!

Of course be sure to click on the title of this article for a special treat.

Back to school. Back to school. Well, here goes nothing.Back to school. Back to school, to prove to Dad that I'm not a fool. I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight, I hope I don't get in a fight. Ohhhh, back to school. Back to school. Back to school. Well, here goes nothing.