Head In The Cloud

Warning - OCD Techno Jibber Jabber - free spirits beware . . .

So this whole online medical records thing got me thinking . . . What else do I want access to from wherever I am?

For the past decade or so I have run my entire life out of Microsoft Outlook. My calendar, my address book, my to-do lists. I have managed my checkbook with Microsoft Money. The trouble is, it is all on my home PC.

Sure, I could download my Outlook files to a flash drive and upload them at the office but my calendar and to-do lists are constantly changing (not to mention my checkbook). For some time now I have wished there was an online version of Outlook - but, of course, there isn't. I tried using the calendar function on MSN (where I have had my e-mail my entire digital life) but would you believe that MSN does not support MS Outlook? Dopes.

Then I heard about Google Calendar.

Google calendar uploaded my entire Outlook calendar in a matter of a minute or so. Just amazing! But what about my ever-fluctuating to-do list?

Remember the Milk syncs with your Google Calendar. Unfortunately, I could not figure out how to upload my Outlook tasks so I had to enter them by hand. It works great!

So now I am using Google for Blogging (Blogger is Google), Calendar and Tasks and that got me thinking . . . why not switch to Gmail so everything is in one place? My Outlook contacts uploaded in about a minute and then I was able to transfer all my contacts from MSN to Gmail as well. MSN even forwards my e-mail to the new account so I don't need to check it anymore.

Of course, with Google mail comes Google Docs and Photos. So I uploaded some photos as well as a couple of documents that I work on all the time (budget spreadsheets etc.)

And of course, that got me thinking about my web-browser. I have never used anything but Internet Explorer but I decided to give Google Chrome a try (heck, I am signing up for everything else Google is putting out). All my favorites transferred right over from IE.

So just to recap, I now have:

- Google Chrome Browser

- Google Mail

- Google Docs

- Google Photos

- Blogger (Google)

- Remember the Milk (Tasks)

And it all works! Just the way you have always wanted the Internet to work! Fast! Sleek! Seamless! I. Love. It. All my contacts, mail, calendar, documents, photos and tasks are out there in the digital cloud just waiting for me to access them from any computer or web-enabled cell phone (yeah, right . . . like I am going to start carrying one of those around . . .).

Of course, I didn't load all my docs and photos - just the ones I currently want access to. And I also kept backups of everything to be on the safe side.

All that still didn't solve my checkbook dilemma but a friend suggested I check out Mint.com - a free online financial program. It is awesome!

I have been smacking my e-forehead for the past few days. What a dope - I have been living in the equivalent of a digital cave making fire rubbing two sticks together - only to discover that the rest of the world is sending men to the moon.

If you haven't overhauled the way you think about your digital world, you may want to pour yourself a big ol' glass of the Google Koolaide and check out what they have to offer. Man, I can't believe it took me this long . . . .

Which is also the long-way-around to letting everyone know that my e-mail address has changed: matthew.m.linden@gmail.com (all the shorter versions were taken).

Please make a note of it . . . . ;-)