Chazography

So it seems that it’s been a while since my last post, and yes, I did promise that I would start posting more often. Somehow I just managed to drop the ball… again. However, I won’t let that deter me from trying to get into the rhythm again, and I stand here before you (figuratively of course!) vowing to keep my pledge of daily posts starting today. At first, I’m sure that it will be difficult, but I’m also sure that it will just get easier over time. I really do enjoy writing these posts since it is a great way to speak what’s on my mind or just excercise a little creativity, and it also allows me to meet and converse with new, interesting people through comments. So don’t let my initial hesitation fool you into thinking otherwise. In any case, the point of all my incoherent rambling, heretofore, is to let anyone who reads what I write here know that I plan to take a more active role.

Anyways, today I have more Google news to share since I was introduced to two new Google programs this week. First, I was accepted to the Gmail for Domains beta program which means I now all the greatness that is Gmail but with my own domain name! I mean in terms of web based mail interfaces Gmail is my absolute favorite, and while I do have a Gmail account, I’ve never used it as my primary e-mail address simply because I’d like to keep using my own domain e-mail addresses. For a while, I just started forwarding mail to my domain’s e-mail address to my Gmail account which was wonderful, but it didn’t provide a way to reply to e-mails I received from that same e-mail address. With the new Gmail for Domains program, this is no longer a problem. I even get to use my own logo for the Gmail interface.

In any case, I don’t want to say too much about the Gmail for Domains program since it is in beta, and I’m not sure how much information I’m allowed to give. Nonetheless, this brings me to the Google Calendar. I didn’t realized until two days after it had been released that it was now available, but I must say it’s pretty cool. The interface is awesome and, in traditional Google style, is very clean and well thought out. However, I do have one major grievance with the Google Calendar web application. It really should have some means of synchronization with a desktop calendar application such as Outlook, iCal, etc. Without that, I can’t really see myself using it except as a way to publish my calendar from Outlook on the Internet.

Nonetheless, the Calendar application is still in its infancy, and I’m sure there are more features that are yet to come. So please, Google, add a synchronization feature! If you don’t already have a Calendar application, however, the Google Calendar could be just the thing you’re looking for, and I’d encourage everyone to at least give it a once over.