Thing 18 – Image generators

I have used an image generator before just to add a Simpsons flash based character creation to a blog site.  I would normally edit any normal pictures for use in banners with local editors such as Sony Vegas for moving banners or Adobe Photoshop for still images.  I will embed the Simpsons flash generator below for people to play with. I found the resources similar to http://www.comicstripgenerator.com/ are the ones i would normally handle myself as I'm not sure on the TOS agreement with each of these sites.  I can see the advantage in site such as these for the people that don’t have the applications installed i have mentioned above or don’t have the skill sets to use the above programs.  I really enjoyed the tool below for an hour or so.

Thing 17 – iGoogle

I think iGoogle is a great idea once i started to use Google as my homepage because it opened nice and fast, i soon got tired of nothing of interest opening up so i soon found iGoogle and realised it was an area to combine some of the great services Google offer, such as RSS, YouTube and much more.  I have customised my iGoogle area with the pages i visit most at this point in time. The way the page is divided up is by applying different “widgets” which handle displaying information from the different Google Services.  Below is a picture of my Homepage with iGoogle I regularly find new interesting information through this format as shown below.

Thing 16 – Google Docs

I have used Google Docs this year from one of my Teachers handing out assignment sheets through Google Docs, i came across Google Documents when MS office started to offer a similar service but only at a fraction of the size unless paid for.  This made me look around and i came across Google Documents I haven't really had a great use for it since apart from getting work for one of my classes. Today i went online and posted a spreadsheet for this part of my class work it is located here in a webpage format. Eddies Google Document  I think this will be a great utility if i am ever away from my computer and don't have access to any formal Word Processing, Spreadsheet or general office applications then not only will Google documents solve that problem but it will also allow for easy group collaboration.

Thing 15 – Google Maps

I use Google maps quite regularly not only for directions but also the new street view is an excellent way to get a picture of a location you may have never visited before.  The phone i use also has Google maps located in its software it keeps a static cache of the maps last looked at which can help when there's no network coverage. It also uses a GPS chip in the phone to locate you on Google maps making directions even more accurate. 

Another feature of Google maps that i have recently found is a way to make your own information maps which can consist of not only driving directions but also information points along the way, i tested it out on a map of Frankston Chisholm campus as shown here. I'm not sure if i was accurate in the building locations so please don't anyone use it.
View Chisholm Tafe Frankston in a larger map

I think the other apps Google has released in there web suite are also great i use one of the less well known applications called Google talk which is an application similar to MSN messenger but runs on the Google chat and email service normally accessed online within the web browser.  I have also used and installed Google Earth.  I think Google has changed the face of the internet and the way we use it today.

Thing 14 – Podcasts & Vodcasts

I regularly download and listen , watch podcast’s and video podcasts. I do this on my computer but also on my Iphone which has all the software of a iPod.  I have found many useful feeds some are just plain funny but some are very useful. One of the funny and sometimes interesting feeds i regularly download is called Best of YouTube Video Podcast it is updated regularly and has loads of the videos deemed viral (because of amount of hits or viewings) from YouTube.  I also listen to podcasts on JavaScript development, Web2.0 technologies, Windows Server 2003, Apple server management and for a laugh Comedy Central Videos.  The software i use to listen to and watch these feeds is ITunes it also copies these or selected feeds to my iPhone and takes off watched feeds at the same time.  I have also listened to quite a few embedded podcasts on websites, and occasionally downloaded them as well.

Thing 13 – Edit a Wiki

Today I edited the Chisholm Tafe wiki It was just as easy as most wiki’s i have added to. I posted a link to this blog on the favourite blogs page.  I think that wiki’s are a great user friendly  web technology.  I had no difficulty adding to the class wiki it was not open to the public so i needed to sign up for a wetpaint wiki account.

Thing 12 – Read about Wikis

Wiki’s were the next great net invention I discovered behind Google. I soon realised that whilst not all wiki information can be relied upon with a little careful cross checking on Google i could take learning almost anything i wanted from the old classroom or library and start to learn in the comfort of my own home or even better my favourite arm chair in my room.  I think that the demo video I watched about a group of people planning a camping trip was an excellent example of another great use for wiki’s.  The uses for wiki’s is endless when it comes to group collaboration and of course Wikipedia has made the information sharing role of wikis common place.  I think that these open style blogs are a great web2.0 development. I know i will be looking into how they run on a web server.