Learning to Run (Google Tip)

At home I have a laptop, my son's, which began to really slow down as all PCs do over time.  It's the nature of the beast...or at least the PC.   Viruses, malware, extensions running over themselves, and only-true-techies know what else.

There's a point, like a vacuum cleaner, when it can only take in so much junk that it stops working.

So how is this a Google tip, right?

• Run Chrome.  Step one.  Simple, easy and malware resistant.

• Clean up the malware, viruses, registry errors and other junk using the right software.  I always recommend Malwarebytes and CCleaner.  Both are entirely free, take up little hard drive space and only run when you want them.

• Clean your computer using Windows Security Essentials.  It's free virus software and runs shallowly on your computer.  Nortons and McAfee scan everything, take up valuable space and just clog up the system.

• Disable Internet Explorer.  Yes, I said it.  DISABLE IE.  For some reason, IE runs all the time even when it is not open.  Try it.  You can always turn it back on.

Back to my son's laptop.  Over the course of the last two years, it began to slow down, slow down even more, to the point of no one wanting to use it.  Startup was close to 10 minutes.  Internet access was in minutes.  Sound familiar?

Then the dreaded "Virtual Memory Too Low" message.

The idea to uninstall Internet Explorer struck me.  I don't use IE and it runs constantly.  Unfortunately, IE does not lend itself to be uninstalled.

I disabled it.  Turned it off.

Interesting thing happened.  The computer works like brand new.  Brand new.  

Multitasking Chrome-Style (Google Tip)

Google Chrome is truly a fully customizable browsing experience.  Besides the security and ease of use, Chrome has so many features that are just downright cool.

The one I use daily is the ability to open multiple tabs on startup.  If you are a heavy user of online tools, this saves time and lots of clicking around.  I understand that this sounds pretty lazy...how long does it really take to click on a new tab and find it?  

I like to look at my computer as my toolbox.  When I DIY at home, I hate realizing I forgot a tool in the garage or can't find that elusive allen wrench or misplaced my flashlight (this one is entirely my kids fault, btw).  Searching for it with patience and grace don't seem to be in my nature.  It's best to start the job with all of your tools available.  Chrome is my work tool.

Every day, I use multiple gmail accounts, this blog, Pinterest, Hangouts.  To have them right at my fingertips, I set up Chrome to open them at start up.

• Click on Settings
• Under the "On Startup" settings, click the circle next to: Open a specific page or set of pages
• Click on "Set Pages"
• Enter the URL of all the pages you would like to open on Startup

That's it!

Have your "toolbox" work for you.

More Cool Chrome Tricks

It's All Shiny and New (Google Tip)

By far, my favorite, "shiniest" part of the Google Chrome browser experience is the extensions and apps.  The second best feature, in case you are interested, is the security...no random toolbars!


Chrome provides an excellent, customizable browsing experience with a wide variety apps and extensions through the Chrome Store.

• Apps...programs the run directly in the Chrome Browser.  These can include games (Angry Birds, anyone?), software like Evernote and many other programs.
• Links...apps that are really just links to the online website of a cool tool.
• Favorites...you can turn your favorite websites and tools into a Chrome app icon...COOL!
• Extensions...apps the run in the Chrome browser but that generally run all the time.  Normally, once installed an icon appears on the top right of the Chrome window.  Many of these are utilities for smoother operation.

My favorites extensions:

• Awesome Screen Capture...easy screen capture tool that lets you select the part or parts of the screen you want to capture.
• Boomerang for Gmail...excellent way to write an email and save to send for a later date.
• Scratchpad...quick and efficient way to take notes
• Google Hangout...who doesn't like to Hangout?  Much of my work collaboration with colleagues is through Google Hangouts.
• Evernote with Web Clipper...clip sections of web pages, add notes, edit, etc...
• Reviews of others
• More Reviews

My favorite apps...or at least the start of my list!

The Professional Essayist (Google Tip)

With a vast majority of schools moving towards Google Docs, particularly with students, the question of "professional" or "scholarly" quality work being produced using a simple Google Doc keeps coming up.  I've had discussions over the past month or so at several school districts about quality (i.e. college level) using Google.

We can certainly agree that:

• a Google document does not have the same feel or adaptability that Word does.  Formatting a scholarly essay has its challenges with the framework of Google tools.  Finding and formatting headers, for instance, is a unique experience (headers are under "insert", btw).
• Docs don't have all the same bells and whistles that Word does.

So why the urgency of switching?

1. The whole attachment/submission issue...no attachment issues, file formats not opening or lost (or blocked) emails to worry about.  
2. Immediate feedback...add comments, corrections and other notes directly on the document and students have immediate response for correction or improvement.
3. Immediate access...access to Google docs is from any wi-fi or cellular device.
4. Plagiarism...at any point in a Google doc, you can highlight text and search for it using Google.  This is one of the most efficient and quick ways to find plagiarized work.
5. Universities, most notably the UW system, has gone or is going Google.

Zoho also makes a great online suite of programs (presentations, docs, spreadsheets, etc...) which are the "middle ground" between word and Google.  Zoho is also online, has similar sharing features and includes more bells and whistles than Google's baseline docs.

[Please note that both Google and Zoho have the ability to "save as" wither a Word document or a PDF so students with no internet access at home have the ability to convert files and still work productively at home.]

Spicing Up Your Social Life (Google Tip)

If you are anything like me, your calendar is booked solid.  Finding white space on my work or personal calendars is like finding a needle in a haystack...or better...like finding the fountain of youth.

If you are anything like me, you also guard this white space like it's gold.

Our calendars really section our lives off into meaningful sections providing guidance, purpose and even a little sanity to what could be an otherwise hectic and chaotic life.  I love my Google Calendar.  It is on my phone, iPad, my wife's phone, my kid's iTouchs, etc...

One really interesting feature of Google calendars is the ability to subscribe to "interesting" calendars.  Currently I subscribe to the Packers and Badgers football schedules.

The real power of this option is the ability to create your own (or district) calendars to share.  For example, a district's entire calendar can be imported and shared via Google calendars.  Subscribers receive updates and alerts to upcoming events in real-time.  Districts can update their calendars, add scores, documents, newsletters and subscribers receive them automatically.

Other possibilities:

• Classroom or Assignment Calendars
• Activity calendars (student council or clubs)
• Athletic events
• More!

Document Updates (Google Tip)

Now that students are fully in the swing of using Google Docs and sharing, collaborating, moving and shaking the world...easy for them, not so much for us...there is one important feature that Google Docs is lacking.  But an easy workaround makes it not so important.

In Google Spreadsheets, there is an option to receive/send email notifications of updates on any Google spreadsheet.  Docs does not have that feature.  To be honest, I am not sure why.  I find it to be an awesomely cool way to receive updates on Docs other than having to go to Google Drive and look at the last modified date or the revision history.

Easy Workaround:

• Students update their document in Google Docs
• Automatically saves.
• Make sure you, as the teacher/collaborator, are listed under their sharing permissions
• When they are ready to share their update, they go to File--Email Collaborators
• Type a short email message.  It is also possible to include the update in the email.
• All collaborators receive the notification and/or update via email.

This is a real quick and efficient way (and time-saver for you) to receive notifications of updates/changes/revisions.

Google Play (Google Tip of the Week)

We all know how cool the Apple App Store is by this point.  Easy to use, easy to search,...and for the most part, the good apps are either free or $0.99.

Google recently (last summer-ish) relaunched its app store in the form of Google Play.  With roughly 45% of smartphone users owning an android phone (iPhones are around 27%) and with android tablets making a dent in tablet market, Google finally decided to invest its considerable talents and resources in designing a user-friendly store.

Same apps, different format.  Nice experience.  Movies, books, music, apps and more.

I just recently bought my son a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7 inch) for his birthday.  He will be 9.  As much as I love my iPad and use it as my main means of media consumption, I bought the Samsung for my son for a number of reasons:

• Price...$179 vs $329 for the iPad mini...great deal for a tablet.
• Customization...Android devices are much less restricted by software and "whatever" Apple is selling.
• Expandable memory
• File formats...much easier to watch, read, enjoy multiple formats for books, videos and documents
• Apps...Google Play and the Apple Store have the same number of apps available
• Challenge...for my tech-savvy soon-to-be 9 year old, I love the challenge that android devices provides.  He might not excel at reading, but he overachieves in technology.

Check out the Google Play store. 

3rd Down Conversions

My colleagues at CESA 6, even the Boss, knows of my intense dislike for paper.  I don't like receiving paper anything and prefer digital copies of notes, handouts, presentations.  I find it much easier to add notes of my own, keep track of calendar items and work remotely.  Being a remote employee, I also don't like having to carry packets of materials everywhere I go.  My thought is that I need to carry suitcases on vacations, not when I go to work.


Simple solution:  Get documents in PDF format and convert them to Google Docs

• Worksheets
• Forms
• Manuals
• Books
• Handouts
• Agendas

Google Drive makes it easy and relatively reliable (keeps its formatting) to convert PDFs to Google Documents.

1. Upload a pdf to Google Drive
2. Click the check box next to the PDF once it is uploaded
3. Click on "More"
4. Click on "Export to Google Docs"
5. Once the file is converted, you will have the original PDF and a Google Doc (square blue icon with 3 white lines).  You can edit the Google Doc version.

Possibilities:

• Adapt company or colleague's worksheets or forms to your classroom needs
• Convert a book or manual and add your own comments or highlight important sections
• Add links to other online resources within the text to make a structured "webquest"
• Convert it to an editable online assignment to share with your students...SAVE PAPER!
• Use your converted document to take notes during meetings from ANY device
• Others...

The beauty of this trick is that once in Google Drive, you have access ANYWHERE you go.

Google Commercial of the Day:

They still make that? (Google Tip)

Remember Tab soda?

Called "Tab" for people who want to keep "tabs" on their weight. 

I still consider it odd how the mind works because I hear "Tab" and automatically think of the soda, popular in the 60s and 70s.  Truthfully, however, I was working on one of my favorite features of Chrome.

Along with Chrome's speed and security, the ability to customize your browsing experience with Chrome is super easy.  If you are anything like me (please tell me I am not abnormal), you open your email, a search tool (Google, please!), and other favorites on a pretty regular basis.  My daily tabs include email and calendar, for instance.

Chrome makes it easy to open the browser and have all your favorite/daily sites open automatically as a new tab.

Quick guide:

• Go into Settings (three lines icon on the right) and click on settings.  

• Under the Settings page, go to On Startup and fill in the circle next to "Open a specific page or set of pages"

• Add as many pages/websites as you like.

 Just an easy way to have all your tools open separate Tabs when you start up. 

Take Your Browser EVERYWHERE (Google Tip)

Google Chrome has quickly become the Internet browser of choice.

[I am biased and I am more than happy to admit that.]

There are multiple reasons for Chrome's rapid success...security, ease of use, speed, quick access to Google Docs and Mail, etc.  Nothing beats Chrome's universal ability to sync to any device and be entirely user-friendly on any device.

As an example, I can add bookmarks in my Chrome browser on my work computer...currently a Dell Laptop, soon to be a MacBook.  These bookmarks sync automatically to my Chromebook, Chrome app on my iPad, my son's laptop at home, my Android phone and my wife's iPhone, also running Chrome.

But why do I want to do that?

For me, as a mobile professional, I generally take different devices to different events.  For school...a laptop; for conferences...an iPad, maybe a Chromebook; at home...my home laptop or my iPad; at basketball tournaments...yes, even there...my Razr Maxx phone.

We are truly 24-7 professionals, having links and information readily available is important and timely.

An Excellent Step-by-Step Tutorial

Boomerang (Google Tip)

If you are anything like me...and I am so sorry if you are...work is really a 24/7 experience.  Great ideas come to me once my kids are in bed sleeping peacefully, dishes are put away, lunches made for the next day,  sports gear stowed and my body (and mind) has time to wind down.

The ballpark is 11pm.

Now...as much as I love to share my brilliant and well-conceived ideas (you're reading this blog, right?), I am not a believer in making everyone 24/7 workers.  Truth be told, people who send emails at midnight or 3am or even 5am about work should really seek therapy...or at least seek a wonderful new trick I found.

Boomerang.

Boomerang is a Google extension that allows you to schedule an email to be sent at a later date and time.  For instance, when I am inspired in the middle of the night with yet another awe-inspiring lesson or idea, I can quickly compose an email, BUT use Boomerang to send it at an appropriate time...say 8am.  If it's a weekend, send it on Monday morning.

This way my wonderful idea is saved and sent but I don't appear to be work-psychotic.  While saved, I can always go back, edit and add to my email.

The Boomerang extension adds a button to your Google Mail composition screen and a folder to your list (left side of screen).

Just a quick tutorial:

Let's Chill and Hangout! (Google Tip)

As a mobile employee--being in 5 different school districts as well as having an office not located at a central location, I learned quickly the value of mobile technologies for communication beyond the simple phone call. One of my favorites is Google Hangouts.

Hangouts is part of Google+, Google Apps and allows for videoconferencing/chatting with up to 10 different people for FREE.  Hangouts opens up a new world of face-to-face contact with groups of people/collaborators.  Think Skype (limited to person to person contact) on steroids.

Additionally, since most school districts are moving to Google Apps in one form or another (including student accounts), Hangouts is included with the package, browser-based--no software downloads necessary, and runs on virtually any browser or platform.  There's even a Chrome app/extension for it!  IPad/IPhone users are also able to "hangout" and Google is putting more effort into their iOS apps even as we speak.

Professionally, I use Hangouts to collaborate and coordinate with my colleagues.  I am not a phone person and prefer email (or blogs!) and face-to-face conversations.  Hangouts suits me needs expertly...FREE, no software needed, multi-platform.  There is also a "share" feature with Hangouts that allows for quick sharing of documents, YouTube videos, links, screen shots, etc...for collaborative efforts.

Two Examples for Personal Experience

1.  I had a grant meeting scheduled for one afternoon.  In the morning, I need to be in-district and after school I was running a seminar in the same district.  The meeting was taking place over Distance Education equipment across the state.  Instead of driving from the district I was in, to my office, then back to my district...about 2.5 hours of driving, I used a Hangout with my tech "buddy", aimed a laptop at the DE TV, adjusted the microphone to the laptop speakers (at the office) and was able to view and converse with everyone else.  I used my Chromebook in district. 

2.  We regularly chat via Hangouts while working on Google docs and sites.  This is really the best of all worlds when it comes to working in a mobile environment.

What Can I Do With Hangouts In School?

The options are limited to your imagination...and I work with a large sampling of creative teachers.

1.  Use a Hangout to connect with students in other parts of the U.S. or world.  Global communications and connections are important.  Hangouts gives an entire new level to "pen pals."

2.  Collaborate with local schools on Science, Social Studies, Math or English projects.  For example, communities surrounding marsh areas can take water samples, air quality data, etc...and share with students in other surrounding communities.  They can compare data, make inferences and possible develop community-based plans to help the environment.

Google with Chat and Sharing

3.  Connect with experts.  If authors can't come to your school (i.e. location or funding), contact the authors via Hangouts.  Most authors, for examples, are more than willing to chat this way.  The same holds true to local business people.  Free, easy connections.

4.  Readers Theater

5.  Student-led conferences (not like parent-teacher) in which students from all over can lend expertise, interest and passion to discussions.

6.  As a teacher, the day before a big test, I would be tempted to offer virtual "office hours".  Connect with students via Hangouts to discuss problems, issues, etc...

7.  Take a class offered somewhere else.  Fancy software is not really needed any more.

8.  So many others.

If you want to test it out, let me know.

Cool Google Trick (Tip of the Week)

Google is "big brother"...I understand this to be true.

BUT, at least they can poke fun at themselves...nerd humor.

1.  Search for anagram and check the "Did You Mean" results.  (Image Below)

2.  Search for "find Chuck Norris" and click I'm Feeling Lucky (Image Below)

3.  Search for "Google Gravity" and click I'm Feeling Lucky...this one you just have to do!

The F&P of Searching (Tip)

I generally take searching online for granted.

• Keyword "strings"... the old-school Boolean
• Google makes life pretty easy on spelling, Boolean operators (+,-), etc...
• Results are fast and ranked reliably

The one consideration I overlook much of the time is reading level.  The question I need to ask myself when working with students on research or searching behavior is "can you read this?"  Are the results, as awesome as I think they might be, understandable to a second grader, fourth grader, even a high school student?

As an example, I search for "evaporation".  The first site listed as a result is the first one listed under almost every search...Wikipedia.

Just skimming the test, I can grasp the idea...my fourth grader (way above average reader, btw) is stifled.

There are certainly some good search engines for kids (listed below), but we can still use my favorite tool...Google...to modify the results with some extra clicks.

Using the advanced search tool, I can limit the results by reading level (basic, intermediate, advanced) and find sites that are much more suitable to the level of my students.  In the case of "evaporation", the first site listed using the "basic reading level" is Chem4Kids.

Amazing difference.

DIY Searching

1. Enter your search term in Google
2. On the results page, click on the "cog" on the right side of the screen.
3. Select "Advanced Search".
4. There are LOTS of options on the advanced search screen.  For reading level, scroll down to "Reading Level" and select what looks appropriate for your students.  Since this is not straight Fountas and Pinnell levels, you might have to experiment.

Search Engines for Kids

• KidRex is a Google search tool for kids.
• YahooKids
• KidsClick, by Kent State University School of Library and Information Science
• Boolify is a fun, visual way to teach Boolean searching to kids.

A HUGE thanks to Marsha Primeau at Oakfield Elementary for this tip.

Googlize Your Newsletter (Tip of the Week)

Funny thing happened on the way to school this morning.  I received an email update from my children's school.

Since they haven't emailed me before, I thought the worst might have happened...school bus accident, fire...something that would involve me rushing to get my kids.

It was the school newsletter.  I read it on my phone.  Thank you!

Using Blogger and about 15 minutes to set up your very own blog, it is possible to create a whole new dynamic for your personal, classroom newsletter that can include pictures/slideshows, videos, attachments, notes and other thoughts.

Blogger is a Google product included with your school district (or personal) Google account.  You can find it along the black bar on top of your Google mail under "More" and then "Even More".

WWIB...Why Would I Blog?

• Posting (adding an entry) takes only as long as it takes you to write the post.
• It's an awesome and timely way to share assignments, send homework reminders, attach worksheets or forms, etc... Here's a sample.
• You can Post multiple times, as events happen...you don't need to do a once a month blog, printed out and put in a students take-home folder.
• Immediate connection with parents through email or RSS feeds (I get feeds sent to my iPad for reading)...MY FAVORITE
• Think of the multimedia power of field trips, school events, etc...when you can add slideshows, actual videos and real-time results.
• If you're adventurous, you can blog on-site.
• Blogging gives you more control than other social media (i.e. Facebook)
• Save trees
• Professionally cathartic

Teacher Blogs

Ms. Cassidy

Science Fix

Cool Cat Teacher Blog

More

Un-Google Tip of the Week

A Google Form is an incredibly powerful tool for collecting and organizing data.  Through the simple act of creating an online form, you can gather data into a spreadsheet, then apply formulas and other data analysis tools to process and manipulate your results.  Great uses of Google forms include:

• Surveys
• Entry/Exit tickets
• Quizzes or "refreshers"
• Planning and event scheduling
• Homework guided study
• Others?

There are so many ideas currently floating out there, other educators and tech sites have begun compiling lists.  I would certainly hate to steal their thunder or re-invent the wheel.

HOWEVER...

Google Forms do not include the option for attaching or uploading a file as part of a response.  Why would I want to do this?

Imagine for a minute, you have a beautifully crafted test in which you want to collect an essay or a sample of student writing.  With Google Forms, the student essay will be forced into one cell on a spreadsheet sans formatting, nuances of the English language, rhythm and meter.   Probably not the best option.

I found another online form maker (you mean...it's not Google?) called JotForm.  JotForm is amazingly easy to use and customize your forms with more options than Google Forms and a clean, professional look.  The free account allows for 10MB of collected data or 100 user responses.  It uses similar types of questions as Google forms (text, checkbox, etc...)

The cool things about JotForm, however, are the upgraded survey tools (slider bar, spinner, thumbs up/down, grading form), captcha/password and other security measures and the ability to upload files as part of the survey.  The uploaded files can be synced to your dropbox account for easy access from any device and to maximize your storage space.  Pretty slick really.

Why would I want to do this:

• Collecting writing samples are part of an example...remember the old "blue books" from college?
• Collecting writing samples for scholarships...the form will collect the major data and the file upload collects the writing sample.  From Dropbox, you can share the samples with other scholarship reviewers.
• Homework assignments with multiple types of question formats.
• Others?

JotForms are able to be embedded on Google Sites and most other types of websites as well.  I am currently in the review stage for JotForm...I'll let you know how it goes...positive so far.

I always try to remember the motto:  "One device (or website), multiple uses."

Crowd-sourcing Your Classroom (Google Tip #3)

"Crowd-sourcing" as it is becoming defined is really a means to increase interactivity and participation by all participants.  It is the idea that the "crowd" (i.e. audience, students, etc...) have meaningful contributions to add to the discussion while the discussion is going on.

At conferences I have been attending lately, Twitter has been the back channel of choice for making comments, asking questions, or sharing information.  Normally, adding the hashtag (#wemta2012, for example) for the event aggregates all the relevant comments.  

For your classroom, however, where Twitter is generally not available to students, I highly recommend trying Google Moderator.

President Obama used Moderator for Open Questions and Answers

As an instructor, you set up a series of questions from the general to the specific and your students are able to make comments and ask questions in real-time...even during class-time.  The normal question I get from teachers is "Isn't this distracting?"  

Well...no.

What do you do when you get lost during a lesson, miss a key piece of information...You ask your neighbor.  This is more distracting because it involves more than just you, as well as drawing the ire of the presenter or teacher.  With the opportunity to "post" your question to Moderator DURING the lesson, it allows other students or the instructor to go over the question immediately without disturbance.

The other awesome benefit of Moderator is that it allows participants to "vote" on other people's questions. Unlike Survivor, the most voted-for questions go to the top (American Idol, right?).  This helps prioritize Q&A sessions, information that needs to be reviewed or concepts misunderstood.

Possible Uses:

• Back channel during instructional times/lectures
• Questions for clarification after reading, either in class or at home.  Literature circles, whole-class readings, readings for further information...this is an excellent chance for students to post follow-up details and questions as well as prioritize.
• Use a Flipped Classroom model and have students generate questions from their reading/instructional lessons (e.g. Khan videos, etc...).  This will drive your agenda for the following day.
• So many others...

Here is a sample to check out PLUS the responses.

Google Moderator is also iPad friendly...as are all Google Products.

Google Wassailing (Tip of the Week)

I received a text from a friend the other day...or rather my wife received a text and I read it on her iphone (avoid giving your unlock code to nosy spouses)...that Shopko had Christmas trees up already.  I can only assume the texter meant the artificial ones inside the store.

I did the classic double take.  Christmas trees?  (add classic texter language here)

Gets me in the mood for wassailing, however.  Wassailing is an age old custom of caroling.  One of the first uses for wassailing was called apple wassailing, or singing to your apple trees so they would grow more fruit...talking to your plants.  I thought I would Google wassail for you in this post...sing to Google to make your knowledge grow. 

Tip of the Week


One of my favorite Google tools is the calendar...as you can tell from my last tip.  If you create an event on one of your calendars using the "Edit Event" entry method.

On the right side of the screen, there is

Add: Guests

You can enter email address of anyone you would like to invite to your event/meeting.  They will receive a notification in their inbox and be able to reply Yes/No/Maybe.  When you click on the event on your calendar, you will be able to view the attendees (yes, no, or maybe).

This is an easy and efficient way to organize events and meetings (e.g. IEPs, staff meetings, etc...) without sending the traditional all-school email or paper notice (did I just say "paper"?).

Google Tip of the Week

This year, I am starting a new section of the blog with a Google tip for this week.  Some are old hat, but favorites, some are efficient time-savers, and some are just plain cool.  Today's is a bit of all three.

Adding Weather to your Google calendar:

1. Open your calendar and click on "Settings"...if you are unfamiliar with settings, it is the "cog" on the right side of the screen.
2. This will take you to the general calendar settings.
3. Scroll down and enter your location in the appropriate box.
4. Select Fahrenheit next to "Show Weather Based On My Location"
5. Click Save at the bottom.

The weather icon will appear above your agenda for the day.  Click on it to get more information or click on your city to get the entire Google Weather package!

The Princess & The Wart

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess desired across the land because of her perfection, grace and excellent hygiene.  Her name was Princess Google.

[I know that Google is a princess--beautiful, fun, easy to connect with, entirely frustrating bordering on diva level, and sometimes impassable....but back to the story]

Many the young (and sometimes old) admirer would chase the princess when she came to town.  Crowds lined the street merely to gaze upon the wonderful Princess Google.  I, myself, have carried tales of her loveliness to the corners of the realm and, in some small and large ways, fallen for her charms.

But she was hiding a secret, the blemish that only the most wise across the land has seen...she had a wart, a wart so heinous that should it become common knowledge her beauty would be lessened.  Princess Google is a control freak of "big brother" levels.

Should you dare to cross the Princess' "terms of service", she will disable you in all possible haste.  Beware.

I had believed that Princess Google beyond the fickleness of her evil stepmother Apple or the wicked witch of the east Microsoft, but alas...I was foolish.  This pumpkin driver has returned to his life as a rodent...

On a technical note...I was trying to embed a Prezi into my Google site.  I would recommend not trying this.  Once the mechanics of the APPEAL process goes through, I will update...

Updated 8/12...my site was just "up" and running again...no email or explanation.  Still digging.