the soupmenu

with the slew of weddings that i have been going to, i have to decide on a gift. in the modern era everyone is registered with various typical retail shops. I still think that while couples need useful gifts for a wedding….they also need fun stuff. So i refuse to buy baking sheets, breadmakers, and anything that can be found in publix. I have realized though, how great gift registrys are. They are amazing for their comedic value.

It’s the same as running into someone at the store with a full cart. Usually you would have to glance over everything that they bought while trying to hold up conversation and look normal all in the span of about two minutes before they push forward to the checkout. Now with gift registrys you can just sit back and look at all of the funny stuff that people want. I know most people will not put odd items in their registry, but i still find it funny that someone wants a collectors edition of mary poppins right next to bags for their new vacuum. I also love to analyze…..what is so great about these neon fish tumblers or that particular knife set ? I wouldn’t pay that much for a paul graves back scratcher.
i always think gifts should be fun…..on my registry will be balloons, subwoofers, and cheeseballs……………all are fun and you can never have too many of them.

I have such a bittersweet relationship with google.

I have always been a fan of their style, culture, and attitude. They are not completely innocent though. I really do not enjoy the feeling that they monitor everything that passes through them. I know it’s the extreme of personalized advertising…but there has to be a stopping point…a point where too much information remains too much information.

I have always shown resist against google knowing everything about me.

Recently though, google has slowly infiltrated my life. app after app they come out with innovative, yet simple solutions to common web problems. These app’s pull me deeper and deeper into the google word. It’s quite hard to resist….they have products that ACTUALLY integrate. A lot has to do with web2.0 and broadband…but google has finally hit the ‘portal’ status that yahoo, lycos, and msn were going for years ago.

There is something magical how I can to my google homepage and see a preview of new email messages…or read an email message and then in one click add an event to my calendar…or have a universal list of my contacts for gcal, gmail, and gtalk.

All of this is great….All of this is too much.

A line needs to be drawn

Every time I start to draw a line, they end up releasing the next great online app. After about two weeks of me refusing to use it, my friends convince me to let google know a little more about me. Oh well…I just hope they send me the right size socks for chirstmas this year.

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unrelated links:

great web 2.0 article–>http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_33/b3997001.htm?campaign_id=bier_tcut5

great design article–>http://www.designobserver.com/archives/000121.html#more

great ralley roll –> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ztumV1LzHk&mode=related&search=

When I was in High School, my sister thought it’d be cool to sign up as a member of our local Episcopalian church. She was on the roster for a few months. One day, we got something in the mail. A basic fundraiser card with emphasis on ‘community enrichment’ and ‘helping others in need’. She came to me asking if I wanted to donate some money with her. I said sure and we shipped off $10 to help the Episcopalian community. One year after that we received another mailing. While it was definitely from the same place…it was addressed to Patricia Knocke. It’s not my sisters name…it’s not my name….yet I guess the Episcopalian church knows about a love child that is unknown to me. Every year since I have received a card addressed to Patricia. When I receive it in the mail…I always take an extra moment to look at it. Was I supposed to be a girl ? am I supposed to be married already ? I really must not marry a girl named Patricia….it just sounds bad with my last name.

Somehow….when I moved to Florida….they followed me. Every year…the same questions go through my head as I glance over the card and throw it away. Yesterday I received the card….there was something different about it this time. As I read through the text, I found this… ‘ Simple, Economical and Dignified . . . That’s our motto ‘ . Somehow my yearly Episcopalian fund raiser card turned into a ‘Cremation just makes sense’ card.

So I guess my wife, child, or whoever Patricia is….is getting old. No longer do they want donations…now they want her business.