I’m going to come right out and say it…I love Google. Yes. I’m totally sold out for Google. I use Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Search, Google Image Search, and Youtube (owned by Google). Now most of these are well known to people, but on this Tech Wednesday I want to share a few Google features that aren’t as well known.

These are like the red-headed-step-children of the Google world. They’re just as good as the other Google features. They’re just not as widely known. So let me introduce you to the step-kids of Google.

Google Alerts

Google Alerts automatically updates you with an email when something is added to the internet based on the search terms you give it. I mainly use this for two things. One, to see if anything is put up on the net about me (yeah it’s egotistical…but kinda helpful too). Two, to see when someone talks about beer and Christianity (I use this search term for theBeerean.com).

Goog411

I haven’t used this one that much since I got my iPhone (Google Maps on the iPhone replaced it), but before the iPhone it was a staple. It’s basically a free 411 service. I would explain it some more, but the video below explains it a lot better than I could.

Google Reader

I’ve talked about this a little bit in the past, but I felt the need to bring it up again. Google Reader is a feed reading program offered by Google. It allows you to keep up with all of your blogs in one place. Once again I’ll let Google tell you more about it (if you start using Google Reader make sure to add me as your friend glqualls [at] gmail [dot] com and to subscribe to my feed at http://feeds.feedburner.com/gregquallsfeed).

Ok…I know I’m a day late.  But this is worth it.  My friend Dave Ortega told me about this one and I’m totally sucked in now.  It’s called PicLens.  You have to watch the video to understand.  I can’t explain it.  If you have FireFox, download it and start using it now.

So I’ve been getting some questions here lately about RSS and Twitter. So I thought about trying to explain them…but I found these videos which do a much better job. Check them out and then start following me on twitter (twitter.com/gregqualls).

Welcome back all my fellow beer drinkers out there. This next one is just a short tip for those who are looking for the full experience here.† If you remember from BTotD #1, your perception of taste is drastically affected by you sense of smell. From some research that I did on the internet (a quick google search), your sense of smell affects the way something tastes by up to 75%. From some other research that I’ve done (listened to a podcast), it is said that your first smell of a beer is the most important. So how do we make that first smell of a new beer count? Use a coaster.

No this isn’t some random way for me to get you to save your furniture from unsightly rings. You actually cover the TOP of the glass with the coaster. While you are doing the four step beer tasting process (Look, Agitate, Smell, Drink), you cover the top of the glass with a coaster while agitating the beer (the cheap paper coasters from bars, applebees, and the sort work real well and keep you from getting in trouble for making all you coaster smell like beer). Then when you go lift the coaster to smell your beer, all those good smells have been trapped for your smelling pleasure.

One other small tip. Unless you are using a really big glass, only fill the glass about 3/4 of the way full. This gives you room to agitate the beer without covering your coaster with beer. This also gives your beer room to breath. After you’ve tasted the beer, then you fill it up the rest of the way.

So here is your homework. Get a beer that you haven’t tried before (or haven’t tried in a glass before) and taste it straight from the bottle. Then try the coaster method and see how much of a difference it makes.

Until next time, enjoy your beer.

It has been a few months since Shannon and I got our iPhones. I must say….THEY STILL ROCK!!!! Yes I have become a complete sell-out for Apple. I would buy Apple underwear if they existed (especially since the kind I like are no longer made…there’s nothing harder than finding a new brand of underwear). The iPhone has completely changed my life.We use our iPhones all the time. The main features being email, maps, and searching the internet. I always have my email with me now. I love having the ability to respond to someone’s question right there on the spot.I don’t know how many times the google maps feature has kept me from driving around aimlessly for hours looking for a customer or a friend’s address. And I love being able to look up the answers to random questions right there on the spot. “How many ounces are in a pound?” “Does ExpressJet fly to Austin?” “How old is Barrak Obama?”If I didn’t have my iPhone, I would just be making stuff up like I use to. But now I actually know the answers.(So you’re wondering why doesn’t he use the phone feature…I do. We just get really bad service at our house…So I would rather text.)

It is official. As of last Saturday (Sept. 29), Shannon and I are now the proud owners of iPhones. If you don’t know what an iPhone is, then disregard this blog seeing to the fact that you are probable surfing the internet on your Tandy computer using your telephone modem. For the rest of you, we have been drooling maybe even coveting the iPhone since it’s announcement back in January. We’ve been plotting and planning to get one. There was even thoughts of selling our dog (Cali), but those thoughts quickly passed. Just recently, we finished a two year (roughly) excursion to get out of debt. This coincided with the price drop of the iPhone. We of course saw this as a sign from God that we needed to buy our iPhones and quickly purchased them as soon as we saved up the money (I don’t care if I could cook a hot dog…I’m not going back into debt for any phone).

So far I must say that it has surpassed all my expectations. One of my favorite features is Google maps. Cause I don’t know about you, but I don’t need to know where the nearest car parts place is while I’m sitting at home in front of my computer. I need to know while my battery is dead, and I’m stuck in a stupid parking lot. I’ve used this feature at least twice a day (for real reasons and not just to play around with) since we’ve gotten the phones.We were already on AT&T. So, it wasn’t really a hard decision to make (although we get really bad reception at home. I think the only complaint that I have with it is…ummm….well…there has to be one….I’ll get back to you on this one. I just have to say that I really love this phone. And I don’t know how I could have lived life without it…until they come out with the next generation.