Thing 16:

For the customized start page, I chose iGoogle which probably is no surprise. Google has never failed me, so I like their products. There are so many different themes and gadgets to choose from; it is very customize-able. I chose to add the Google Calendar, Google Translate, and Google Maps gadgets to start with. I chose a theme that pictured snow covered trees near a creek. I was disappointed to see, however, that iGoogle will not be available after November 1 of next year. So, I probably would not use this as my personal homepage. I do not use my current one as it is, except to check my email.
For online calendars, I chose to explore 30 Boxes. I did not really like this set-up. I would rather just keep a planner or a physical calendar instead. If I actually write it down, I am more likely to remember it. If I need important reminders for events in my calendar, I put them in my phone's calendar or I use my iPod touch's calendar app to alert me.
For online to-do lists, I explored Remember the Milk. They even have an app for that (literally)! It looks like it can also work with your Gmail account, Google Calendar, Twitter, and even Microsoft Outlook. It can email, text or instant message you reminders which I thought was really neat. You can even share your lists and put the tasks, like errands, on a map. This seems to be a very handy service. However, again, I like to actually write down my to-do lists so that I am more likely to remember them. This could serve as a back-up though with the reminders.
I also explored Zamzar which is an online file conversion service. It convert files to pretty much any kind of image (jpg, bmp, gif, etc.), document (pdf, ppt, html, etc.), music (wma, mp3, m4a, etc.), video, e-book and other formats. It will convert files under 100MB for free; if you want more, you will have to pay for it. It sends the converted file to the email you provide.
I would definitely recommend all of the above tools to others, minus the 30 Boxes online calendar.