Thank you Google, I am no longer an idiot!

[Wannaplan?]

This is the thread to throw all your praise and worship toward Google for making your life easier!

My praise goes to the "define" function because it helps me read and understand case law pertaining to zoning issues. Case in point, Latin phrases, such as in propria persona meant nothing to me. But thanks to Google, I now know it means, "acting for oneself in a lawsuit." Yes!!! I am no longer an idiot!

[The District]

Google Earth.
Available at no cost, and useful enough that the U.S. government is concerned that it gives too much detail. Yes, other products recieve the same concern, but Google Earth does so many cool things. Dig.

[imaplanner]

alternatively- google has helped me to realize how much I don't know- and how much of an idiot I am.

[AubieTurtle]

GOOGLE TRANSIT!

It's not that useful to me right now since it only does Portland but when it comes to Atlanta, POW!

It works the way people want transit to work instead of how the map or web site guys force you to think when trying to figure out how to get somewhere. Looking through twenty PDFs of routes and schedules suck. Being about to say "Elm Street to Broad Avenue by 8:30pm" and have it come back with walking directions at both ends of the trip plus any connections and alternatives is great.

I hope this will be put in kiosks in out transit systems plus have a mobile phone version.

http://www.google.com/transit

Google Earth.
Available at no cost, and useful enough that the U.S. government is concerned that it gives too much detail. Yes, other products recieve the same concern, but Google Earth does so many cool things. Dig.

Have you tried Virtual Earth yet? It doesn't touch Google Earth on most things but it does have a huge collection of aerial photography built in that is vastly superior to the quality of any satellite images we're privy to. Find your house and then click on the "Bird's Eye View" button. Also notice that there is a second zoom level most places.

http://local.live.com/

[Planning4Wilderness]

Google News Alerts

I can create news alerts for all of the projects, bills, legislation that Iam monitoring and each morning I've got all of the latest articles from multiple news sources right there waiting for me.

Google Desktop

I can search my own desktop, and company network, by keyword and get all relevant files returned instantly. No more afternoons wading through Internet Explorer

Picasa

All my pictures displayed in one program? Automatically updates each time I open it? A bunch of nifty tools to edit? I am sold

Google Earth
Takes all this georefrenced data and high quality imagery, and packages it in a way that even my boss can use!!

Google kicks ass

[michaelskis]

Gmail

Need I say more?

[RandomPlanner]

FROOGLE: Finds the stuff I want to buy, and I can arrange it by cost, so the cheapest one comes up first. Why shop anyplace else??

Slightly Off-topic: I am also in love with answers.com. It is where I can define unknown legal mumbo-jumbo AND it will give you the names "Huey, Duey, and Lewy" in 15 different languages!! you never know when you might need that piece of information!

[geobandito]

Google Toolbar is great. The Word Find and highlighter are really useful when you're at a wordy webpage. Sometimes when I'm using someone else's computer, I find myself missing it and get the urge to install!