Google's Cr-48 - Part Two

Our 8 hour drive was pretty uneventful... as far as the Cr-48 and the internet are concerned. I blew through the 100mb of free data during the first few days of having the netbook, so I caved and paid the $9.99 unlimited data day-pass. I’ll admit, I was impressed watching Jenna check in to Facebook and surf the web in ease while I was driving through some small towns in rural southern Georgia. Now, in all fairness, Jenna doesn’t like to be constantly connected like I do, so she didn’t spend much more than an hour or so on the web, but the signal never faltered, which is really saying something considering how far away from civilization we were. No amount of cows or silos blocked the 3G signal. It is now our 2nd morning in South Carolina and the only time the Cr-48 has NOT been connected to the cloud is when I turned it off... which is when we were sleeping.

Google's Cr-48 - Part One

The unboxing was rather uneventful due to the fact that I was at work and had no idea the Cr-48 was even coming. I received a phone call at close to 5 on Wednesday afternoon by my girlfriend asking if I ordered anything because there was a package for me. After a minute or two, the only thing I could think of was..... Google! So I asked Jenna to open it and let me know if the box inside had a hamster on it. Imagine my surprise when she said "Yeah, and a helmet, and a wheel, and a rocket..." 

Holy crap. I REALLY got one.

The next few entries in this blog will be about my experience with the Cr-48, Chrome’s experimental netbook running the Chrome Operating System (Chrome OS). For those that don’t know, Cr-48 is the periodic element for Chromium.
First, I’d like to thank Google for sending me one, especially since they wanted me to tell them why I am unique and why I should be part of the lucky 60,000 test subjects to receive a Cr-48. And what exactly did I tell them? I simply said that “Out of the hundreds of thousands that will be applying for this program.... I am not unique”. But I do know how to play online. So either my name got chosen by mistake, or they really want to test people from all walks of life.

So stay tuned for Part One.

Santa Google, I really hope you visit me!

It’s that time again. When the air gets a little chilly, and people all over the world enter a berserk-like frenzy in trying to go to all the retail stores in town and spend their next 9 paychecks to buy gifts for friends and family. While a very select few will get an early Festivus gift from Santa Google. Even though I signed up for the Pilot Program, sadly, I doubt I will be counted in that lucky few category that will be receiving a CR-48 Netbook from Google, as they are probably sending them to programmers, developers, and tech websites, and I am none of the above. Of well, I can still read all the reviews and watch the videos and learn as much as possible about ChromeOS that is loaded on them. I would tell you what it is, but there are so many better places to learn that from. Engadget.com has the best review I’ve seen on ChromeOS and the CR-48 and you can read that here (it has pictures and video too!). And yes, that’s really all I’ve been reading about for a few days since Google announced it.

Well, the next few weeks will be kinda busy. We are hosting a Christmas dinner for my girlfriends family (20+ people) tomorrow night (help me!), so that should be interesting. Follow that up with one more week of work, with some last-minute hectic berserk-like shopping, and then a beautiful 10 full days away from work with a trip to my dad’s place in South Carolina thrown in. I really need this break too, as the last “vacation” I had was when we bought our house and I took a week off. That wasn’t a vacation. That was working at home. Moving, unpacking, cleaning, driving, lifting, and sleeping somewhere in between. So it’s been close to 2 years since I’ve taken any decent amount of time to recharge my batteries.Yes, I really do need this.

I do apologize for the infrequent posts, but I'm not that great at keeping a schedule. Unless there's food involved. Or video games. Or sleep.

Happy Turkey Day!

It seems that another Thanksgiving is upon us, and do you have any idea what that means? If you guessed a long weekend and plenty of leftovers, you’re right! So let’s start off the Turkey day with a new blog post!
I’d like to take this chance (because I haven’t posted since the news came out) to congratulate all of the employees of Google for getting a 10% raise. Now I know that every one of you that just read that sentence were imagining me using a LOT of sarcasm. Don’t. I am genuinely happy for Google’s employees. Why wouldn’t I be? I am a loyal Google-ite and I want to continue to see quality products produced by this team. Google made a lot of money this year, as they do every year, and their employees worked hard, so Google does the right thing by showing their appreciation for a job well done by providing raises. I’m just jealous that I don’t work for Google, or at least a company that shares the same values.

Now, the (former) employee that leaked the raise intel has been fired for doing so and I really feel bad for this guy. Yes, it was an inter-office memo from Eric Schmidt for Google employees only and leaking that memo was incredibly stupid, but firing him for it? Seems a bit harsh. Well..... if he was a quality employee, it seems harsh. If his superiors were just waiting for a good reason to fire him due to poor work, then that’s another thing. I don’t know anything about the guy, well except the fact that he is now unemployed. Happy holidays! I hear Facebook is hiring.

I mean really, is anyone genuinely mad at Google for giving raises this year? Am I mad at Google? How can I be? I don’t work there. People take offense to things that in no way affect their lives. What is wrong with us?

People aren’t very smart.

And if that offends you, then it’s most likely you that I’m referring to. You see, the internet has been buzzing lately with all this talk about privacy on the web, and how much information do you really have floating out there for anyone to see. There is a very simple answer to that question, and I know what it is. The amount of personal information about you that is floating out in cyberspace is the exact same amount as the information that YOU put there in the first place. Now, I know some of you are shaking your heads in disbelief but let’s just think about this. The most common information about you would be what? Your contact information. Name, address, phone numbers, etc. Do you have an email address? Then odds are, you have voluntarily given that information to the internet. Many websites that you have signed up with have required that you put in some personal information. Date of birth, gender, etc.  Almost all of the information that can be found about you online has been put there by……you. So who is to blame here? Is it the search engine that points people to what they are searching for? Or is it your fault for supplying the info in the first place?

Good idea? We’ll find out in 8 years.

Google has recently announced they have secretly been working on cars that drive themselves. Although Google is the first to admit that this is not a replacement for the driver, but more of another tool to be used… like cruise control. I think this is a fantastic idea, but sadly, even an optimistic view puts the mainstream use of it at least 8 years in the future. Dangit, I wanted to drive and text NOW! Seriously, this is a great idea and I hope it gets implemented into the cars of tomorrow.

I am part cyborg.

Not that that is a bad thing, but it’s something that I just realized. You see, our internet just went out (thanks Comcast, you truly are ‘comcastic’). I can only compare it to the 50’s and 60’s when everything was run on electricity, and if the power went out, your life was at a standstill until it returned. Sure I could go outside, or get in my car and go somewhere, but it is currently 11 o’clock on a Sunday night. The only reason I can blog is I can save a copy of this post locally on my laptop (YAY technology). So the thing about me being part cyborg isn’t a physical thing, but more of a mental one. Along with no internet, we have no TV. I can live without one, but if I go without both for too long, I start having withdrawal symptoms. Usually I can use my smartphone to go online, check email, and send texts whenever I am not near a computer, but it just so happens that my cell phone died earlier today. I have no idea what happened to it, but I will be visiting my nearest Verizon store at some point tomorrow to find out if they can fix it. I say “fix it” only because I can’t afford to get the Droid 2 yet, and my contract isn’t close enough to allow me to purchase it at the discounted price.
I think normal people would probably go to bed, or find a good book to read (as I see Jenna has done), but not me! No sir! I bring my laptop to bed, and while she is perfectly content to read her book, I am clacking away at my keyboard and talking about what happens when I am no longer connected to the virtual world and must live in the real one.

Blackberry's Playbook. What about the smartphones?

So Blackberry just made a rather large announcement introducing their newest product, the Blackberry Playbook. I don't have any official specs on it, but it looks to be around 7x5 inches and 9.77mm thick, according to the video feed. It has a 1080p non-proprietary HDMI port, supports Flash 10.1 (which was a very clear shot at Apple's iPad) as well as front & rear cameras.

Is this where we are heading now? Handheld tablets instead of smartphones? Would you rather carry around a bigger screen that can do a bit more than your current smartphone? I'm not so sure I would. I like having a phone that can fit in my pocket. Don't get me wrong, I love technology, and I'm always excited to see it moving forward, but do we really need tablet PC's? I'm know that in the years to come I will end up eating my words, but I don't see the appeal for them. I'm sure, 10 years ago, someone said they didn't understand the why you would want to get your email on your phone because you already got it on your computer. At least back then, getting email on your phone was a huge technological leap forward since you are no longer tethered to a computer. What are the benefits of a tablet? Sure, you can pair up the Playbook with your Blackberry phone, but now you have to carry around two devices. Who wants to do that? Sure, it has an HDMI port, which is great, but there are many other devices out there that already work with HD video so why should you shell out more cash for Blackberry's tablet? Call me crazy, but I just don't get it.

For those of you that have trouble remembering all your passwords (or those that use the same password for all your sites... you know who you are) take a look at LastPass.com. It's a password memory bank, and it works on all major Operating Systems and browsers. I've been using it as a Chrome extension for a couple weeks and am really enjoying it so far. Give it a shot and let me know what you think!

*UPDATE*
The kind folks over at Crackberry.com have posted their review, along with specs and a video. Follow this link to go read it.

It's been quite a busy week.

A number of things happened this week, and I will touch on a few of them in the order in which they pop into my brain. So here we go!

I'm breaking up with my BlackBerry

 But not yet.  I just wanted to let my Storm know that its days are numbered. It's not that its a crappy phone or anything like that, but there are a few things that could have been made better.

Photo from CNET Reviews

  For instance...

So I may suffer from a bit of road rage.

I just don't like traffic. OK, that's a lie.... I HATE traffic. It's only a small part that dislikes the extra amount of cars on the road, but the extra amount of stupidity really puts me in a bad mood. I enjoy the summer break because it's mostly locals on the streets that know where they're going, but it's at the end of the summer when things start going to hell. The gaggle of 17-18 year olds driving a car that daddy bought for them as a graduation present who think they are special and we should clear the road for them, add about 50% more traffic to our streets. Just once I'd like to stop one of these idiots and try to explain that there is a reason that a blinker is not an optional accessory. Not surprisingly, those are usually the cars that are missing a bumper, or have a busted taillight, or just a dozen dents and scratches all over their car. My only hope is that most of them drop out in the first few weeks. Needless to say, my middle fingers get quite the workout while school is in, and my car horn starts wheezing from over-use, and on some weekends I can lose my voice.

I'm trying to end each post on a good note, but the only good thing I can think if at the moment is that HBO is airing a new episode of True Blood tonight. So, wee?

We're sick. *cough*cough*

My girlfriend and I, that is. We both have some sort of sinus infection or head cold or something. The strange part is, I had it a couple weeks ago, and got over it. Now, Jenna is about a week into it, and I'm getting it again! If you would like it too, here are the ingredients:

"The Funk"

• 1-part sore throat
• 1-part sinus congestion
• 3-parts coughing.
• Mix thoroughly in a glass of exhaustion
• Serve at an inopportune time with a shot of NyQuil

At least, that's what it feels like to me. Results may vary. I smoked cigarettes for almost 14 years, and during that time I would catch a cold once every 2 years or so. Usually a head or chest cold that would pass within a week. Now, after just over a year being a non-smoker, a get a head cold 2 times within a month. No sir, I don't like it.

On to more interesting things. It seems as though we have finally caught up on the shows we have been watching. True Blood, Hung, Weeds, etc. While I thought we were up to date with 30 Rock, I just checked their website and we're still a season behind. OK, so we're not current on ALL our shows, but we're close enough for government work. My awesome girlfriend got us signed up for HBO and Showtime last week, so now we can watch True Blood on Sundays at 9 like all the other normal people. It is by far, my favorite show this year.

"And now, time for the weather. Tiffany?"

I have turned 30.

OK, in all honesty, my birthday was just over a month ago.  We didn't do anything special to celebrate it, which was perfectly fine with me.  A day sitting on the couch in front of the TV doing nothing was exactly what I wanted to do.  To me, it was just another day... nothing special about it. I didn't feel old, or get depressed that my 20's were now behind me, I just enjoyed the day and watched a few movies and a baseball game.  I haven't put much thought into the fact that I am in my thirties and am now, in my very own words, old.

That is, until yesterday.  You see, yesterday, my younger brother by eight years graduated college.  It felt somewhat like a revelation when they called his name and he walked across the stage that my younger brother was now an adult.  So what did that make me?  Old.  Or at least... old enough.

Old enough to be incredibly proud of all the achievements my younger brother has accomplished.  Old enough to be happy to even spend a few days hanging out with him whenever I can.

I'm proud of the person you have become, and I'm glad you're my brother.

Well....

I guess it was only a matter of time before I started a blog with Google, considering Google is slowly but surely taking over the world.  Not that I am complaining.  Honestly, I welcome our Google overlords.  Let's see, I have a Google account, so that means, I have Gmail, Picasa, Google Talk, Orkut (even though I'm not exactly sure what that one is), I use the Docs (for personal lists & to keep track of work hours), and most recently, I signed up for Google Voice, and have since notified everyone of my new phone number.  The last phone number I'll ever need.  Google makes my life easier.

I had for quite some time a blog through LiveJournal, and while I'll still log-in and catch up with the few people on my friends list there, I found that I rarely post anything of substance anymore.  I'm not sure if it is because I don't have time to blog, or because I rarely think to go to LiveJournal anymore.

So I'll give Blogger a shot. Why not, right?  If it's Google, it has to be good. Or..... is that Smuckers...