These days everyone seems to have Gmail. They “Gtalk” on it, they share documents and calendars on it, and they believe it or not send emails to each other on it. But, remember when no one knew what Gmail was except for über geeks who praised it for its spam protection and unrivaled 1gb of disk space? So, where was the breaking point? When did Google go from secret geek weapon, to the gold standard for online correspondance that is it today? Do people use Google applications just because their “Google”? Or, are there honestly just no better alternatives out there?

Let’s face it, you need at least one Gmail account, and here’s why:

• It’s the cheapest way to get a respectable email address. For the most part you’re guaranteed to be able to get you name, and hey “Gmail” sounds good. Because well it’s GOOGLE.

• Some people only do Google. While this may sound like no big whoop, it is. Cause if you don’t have Gmail, you don’t have Gtalk, and if you don’t have Gtalk then you might as well not exist. Seriously how fucked up is that? I mean AIM has 100 times as many users, and yet somehow Gtalk is the one that matters.

• You can access it anywhere, and it always works. Let’s face it, your email maybe good, but it’s nowhere near as reliable and accessible. Having a Gmail account ensures that you can always send out that last minute message, or save that Word file you just wrote on your friends computer.

• Those damn Google Docs. People who use them love them. People who don’t, usually hate them. But, guess what? Those who use them, aren’t going back. Damn!

Now the juicy stuff, why you should feel stupid for ever using Gmail:

• Have you never heard of a mail client? Gmail is great, but there are just somethings that fancy AJAX web-interfaces just can’t do. Not to mention they don’t integrate multiple email address into one slick interface. I have over 10 email address that I must maintain, and let me tell you I haven’t known which one is which for over a year. Why? Because my client does all the dirty work for me. One client, one address book, one inbox.

• Everyone has Gmail, and therefore, whether you want to believe it or not, it looses it’s “officialness.” Ever wonder why company email address always sound so important? Because you don’t seem them everyday! Not to mention is nice to actually see something like john@starbucks.com

• Have a Blackberry, Treo, Windows Mobile, or iPhone? If you don’t, well then you should know that Gmail doesn’t play nicely with any of their default clients. Why? Because Gmail only uses POP email servers. Don’t know what that is? Let’s just say your email is not the same everywhere you go.

• Google Docs sucks. Period. I don’t care if your documents are everywhere you are, mine are too. But that’s not the point. It’s never been a good word processor, spreadsheet editor, or presentation creator, and it never will be. Don’t be lazy. Don’t use something shitty.

• Lastly what happens if Gmail decides to go away one day. You will loose everything, and have no way of getting it back. No back-ups, no offline files, NOTHING!

So is Gmail good or Bad? I am not sure. All I can say is I now have two email address, and one of them is a Gmail address. (Hosted on my own server of course) *wink*

Since the dawn of society people have been getting sick, and it’s always been a bad thing. However, in recent times, people seem to have these secret little “guilty pleasures” associated with getting the latest bug that’s passing around the office. Does the ability to just stand back and take a break from the everyday, outweigh the inherent loathsomeness of getting sick. Has the Twenty-first Century life we all live become to entwined in our lives, that the only possible way to escape is to become ill? And, even then we pump ourselves full of drugs to pretend like were not, as if to pretend that we are “too good” to be stick.

So I have decided to come up with the Top 10 Dirty Secrets About Being Sick:

1. You can always use the excuse “I’m just to sick to…” and it never gets old.
2. You can blow “snot rockets” in the shower as loud and as often as you want.
3. You can do almost nothing the entire day, and still feel very accomplished.
4. Sitting in front of the computer like a zombie is completely acceptable.
5. You can watch bad soaps on TV, and no one can say a thing.
6. You can masturbate as much as you want without feeling guilty. (Hey it releases endorphins and makes you feel better. Isn’t that the whole point about being sick, to feel better? )
7. Pumping your self full of over the counter medication is perfectly reasonable.
8. You don’t have to feel obligated to listen to other peoples problems, as obviously you are in just far too much agony to have to deal anyone but yourself.
9. You can sleep so much that it’s probably unhealthy, and think feels almost better than sex.
10. Lastly, you are readily equipped with the perfect reason not to go to: work, school, your sisters’ house for dinner, or those annoying PTA meetings in which you usually don’t attend in the first place.

So, with all the being true I am surprised that people don’t get sick more often. Stupid modern day sanitation.