Google calendar

This is a bit of an easy one for me, because I use Google Calendar at work anyway. However, I didn’t set it up myself; it was already in use at one of my library sites, so I just linked my newly-created work-based Google account to it and hey presto! I could probably set one up for my own personal use at home, but it would be a question of how much I’d use it.  My wife keeps me organised at home (for which I’ll be eternally grateful), so I’m wondering just how much use I’d get out of it.

One thing I have done, though, is to add the calendar gadget to my iGoogle page. I’ve been quite bad at using the calendar at work recently, so hopefully this’ll help me get back into the habit. While it lasts, that is: iGoogle itself is being withdrawn in less than a year and a half, apparently. Google is withdrawing it because there just isn’t any need for it in this time of handheld devices that can do the same functions, that everyone has. In case you weren’t sure, that’s sarcasm. I don’t have one of these devices, partly because I can’t afford one, and partly because I’m not sure how much I either need or would use one. Perhaps if I got one, though, I’d change my mind rapidly?

Technology, and being unable to use it.

It's occurring to me, having read a few of the other blogs available, that doing CPD23 is going to be difficult. Now I'm not a technophobe, far from it: I like getting to know new technology. Well, when I can afford to, that is. But I work in NHS libraries, which I'm finding are notorious for not letting you use a lot of stuff online (mainly social networking such as Twitter and Hotmail). I had to fight to gain access to Hotmail so I could use their skydrive, which was useful because I work between two different NHS Trusts and there's no communication between the two systems. If I saved a document in one, I simply couldn't access it from the other (without filling up my email in/outbox with lots of pointless emails). Having a Twitter account would be a great idea as well, and my main Trust has one, but no one can read the tweets while they're on Trust property because it's blocked.

I'm also having the trouble that I can't download a better version of Internet Explorer. I have version 7, which is rapidly becoming obsolete because Google no longer supports it for iGoogle so it crashes and makes Explorer simply close down. I've tried updating it, and downloading Chrome, but I don't have administrator rights. My head's against the metaphorical brick wall, and my skull's rapidly developing a dent.