the tindog coffeehouse

As much as I try to fight it, I’ve realized I’m well on my way to becoming fully assimilated into the Google empire.

It started innocently enough — as it usually does — with an Internet search. Google.com, the ugly, bare search engine with the stupid name but great search results. I hated myself for using it at first but eventually got over it. Fine, it’s ugly, but it’s just a search engine so whatever.

But then it began to evolve into more. I started using Google Maps after Mapquest let me down once too often. Then I reluctantly began using Google Reader for my RSS feeds when Pluck discontinued its reader. Then at some point I installed the Google Toolbar in IE and later Firefox. And I found Google Earth to be a good tool when doing research for my novel.

All along the way, I justified my actions, insisting that I was simply choosing the right tools for the job, each one filling a specific need and nothing more. I was certainly no Google fanboy.

Then a few months ago I began using Google Calendar as a way to sync my calendars between my home and work computers. Again, it was a tool to fill a specific need. And the nice part was that I didn’t have to ever go to the website, just run the synchronization client and go to Outlook.

But there was still another need to fill, one that I had ignored for a long time, one that I had refused to acknowledge for fear of what it would mean. I had to open a Gmail account.

Web-based email, of course, is often times a spam magnet. A few years ago, the spam got so bad in my Hotmail account that I abandoned it for the safety of Yahoo. And ever since then, I’ve happily used my Yahoo email with very little spam.

So why the need for Gmail? First, because it’s faster. Yahoo is fine, but once you log in, you still have to click again to go to the Inbox. I don’t want to have to wait for it load and then still have to click something else to get to my mail. Second, because it’s more stable. For some reason, when I check my Yahoo mail on my Vista machine at home, it often renders Firefox unusable until I close it and reopen it. I’m not sure why that is, but it’s annoying. And third, because I’ve already moved to Google Calendar, and combining my web-based email, calendar, and contacts under one roof just makes sense.

Am I ashamed at my assimilation? A little. Of course, the new Gmail themes are a welcome peace offering. (I’ll admit, I’m a little partial to the Ninja theme.)

And hey, at least I’m not completely Googlized! At least, not yet.