On being a Google whore

I now use Gmail, Blogger, Picasa, and Google Reader. I'd say I'm fairly happy with the results. Here's a quick run-down of the pros and cons that I've discovered so far.

• Gmail: The best choice of a technology product I've made in ages. When combined with the Firefox extension Gmail Manager, I get up-to-the-minute notification of new email. I've got all of my mail forwarding to my gmail account, and since gmail allows sending from multiple addresses, the whole thing is pretty seamless. Now I can check and send all of my email from one place, from any computer with an internet connection. Oh, and there's also a really nifty Greasemonkey script that makes all 'mailto' links open a gmail composition window. If you're not using Firefox, you really should be.
• Blogger: Well, you're looking at it. It's pretty decent blogging software, and though there are a few glitches here and there, I really have nothing major to complain about so far. I like the malleability of the template, and the BlogThis! bookmarklet is pretty convenient, as it allows me to select text on a website and publish it to my blog with a couple of clicks. Another benefit is that it is a widely supported format, so that for example, I can install the del.icio.us Firefox extension which allows me to post links to this blog in a couple of clicks - way more convenient than copying and pasting links, with the added benefit of having everything conveniently tagged. Did I mention you should really be using Firefox?
• Picasa: Disappointing functionality, but fantastic interface. For one thing, it should have integrated uploading ability to your photo-sharing website of choice (it does have a convenient BlogThis button, but I discussed previously what makes this mildly undesirable). For another, its labeling system is so far completely incompatible with the tagging systems found on sites like Zoto and Flickr. I want to upload photos from my camera, tag them for organization on my desktop and website, and then upload them to my website, all in a couple of steps. I'm not aware of any one piece of software that does this yet.
• Google Reader: The partial answer to my prayers. I wanted a replacement for Thunderbird that could read and remember my RSS feeds, no matter where I logged in, and I wanted a snazzy AJAXy interface. Google must have read my mind. It's still a young product, so I won't complain too much about the little things. I would like some sort options, or perhaps an interface that shows the list of all feeds with a "(unread number)" to the side. Also, for some reason Pharyngula's feed keeps reposting several duplicates, and they haven't implemented any way to read secure feeds yet, nor have they integrated the Reader into the Personalized Home Page. These idiosyncrasies notwithstanding, it's a terrific news reader.

One thing I'd like to see Google get in on? The online photo-sharing business. Do like Yahoo! and snag yourself a Flickr, Google (preferably Zoto, so I don't have to migrate). Then integrate everything and send me a t-shirt and baseball cap.