Getting my hands nerdy.

Sometimes I become a bit overzealous when I get into obsessive geek mode. Sometimes this leads me to erasing my entire Windows (or Mac) operating system in favor of something quite experimental. I create many e-hassles, but typically the new-found knowledge is worth the effort.

I've been interested in cloud computing ever since it became clear that almost every operation I use a computer for is online. More specificily, almost every operation is preformed in a browser window. Writing in Google Docs, catching up with friends in Facebook, reader the latest news in Google Reader, storing important files with Box.net, and listening to music in Pandora. The browser is my most valuable app.

The above explains my interest in Google's Chrome OS. The new operating system that is browser. Chrome OS is nothing fancy, but a bare bones OS that concerns itself with only one simple task: Getting the user online.

This weekend, I attempted to install Chrome OS on my Gateway LT2113U netbook. It was difficult because the OS hasn't seen an official public release yet. There are a number of ways I could have accomplished the install, but each proved difficult with my limited code knowledge. Sadly, I also spent a good chuck of time trying to install a version that I later discovered was fake. It was a frustrating experiment that left me with an OS-free netbook. I was able to get Chrome Flow and Chrome Vanilla installed (binaries created by Hexxeh), but the update servers weren’t working so my versions were out-dated. While I completely respect what Hexxeh has done, I still wanted something more official-like. In the end, I just had to wave the white flag and wait for a public release in the future.

It won’t be a problem to re-install Windows XP on my netbook, but my desire for a cloud-based OS still wasn’t sated. It was time to take another look at Jolicloud.

Jolicoud is a linux-based OS that focuses on cloud-based apps. While Chrome OS is a browser with OS functions, Jolicloud is the perfect marriage of the two. In Jolicloud, users can install web apps (like Gmail, Google Docs, or Facebook). These web apps are browser windows with the address bar stripped away (I’m oversimplifying it). What you get is a website that looks more like an application you would run from the local hard drive. Also, on a netbook this saves some valuable screen real estate. The benefits of Jolicloud over Chrome is that users still can access and run apps from their hard drive. Something Chrome currently won’t do and probably won’t in the future. What is nice about Jolicloud is that it has been tweaked to work with many netbooks and can actually breath some new life into older models while Chrome OS is currently being tested to run on specific hardware.

I used Jolicloud almost a year ago before dropping it for Ubuntu Netbook Edition. I did this because of my experimental obsessive nature. Jolicloud was the first linux distro that I’ve played around with. This also meant that I started to install things on Jolicloud that the OS wasn’t meant to do. Jolicloud works best when you use the apps and tools the developers give you (which is a lot.) At the time I just wanted to mess around with linux and after breaking Jolicloud, I installed Ubuntu. Now, I want to have an OS that is quick and cloud-based which describes Jolicloud perfectly. The newest update also replaces Firefox as Jolicloud’s web app base with Chrome. In a way I’m getting my cake and eating too.

One negative is that Flash and linux are still problematic together. There is some YouTube relief in the form of HTML5, but don’t expect Flash video to be smooth. Also, Jolicloud really sucks down my battery life when compared to Windows XP. Lastly, while it hasn’t happened enough to be annoying, I have had a restart where my screen is just black and nothing is happening. A hard reboot brought back the computer fine, but a couple more of those could be a deal breaker.

So, by the end of the week I’ll have a netbook dual-booting Jolicloud for every day use and Windows XP for some old games like Baldur’s Gate. As curious as I am for Chrome OS, the OS duo seems to offer the best options for now.

Although, I could still try and install Android instead?

In defense of what I don't own.

I wrote a response to my friend and future brother-in-law's blog. He wrote about gaming and Apple products.

Since it took me a long time to formulate a response, I decided it would be good to also turn my response into a blog post. Enjoy!

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I'm not sure we're being entirely fair to Apple brand of handhelds. I agree the iPod Touch isn't a conventional gaming system, and I don't believe that Apple saw the gaming potential when they released the iPhone and iPod Touch. Although, in 2010 we are seeing data of just how successful it is.

The touch-friendly Apple products offer a main function that is different then the DS and PSP, but when Konami, Capcom, EA, Rockstar, and many indie developers jump on board to create quick $.99 cent games that make a profit it is unfair to try and say the iPhone/iPod isn't a video game system.

* Besides PC, iPhones (and I suspect Android) are the cheapest system for an indie developer to jump into gaming development and to feel their success in the form of cash.

* While parents may not buy their children an iPod Touch for games, they do buy them for their kids for music. My point is that these handhelds are already in everyone's hands include kids. So I agree people probably don't buy an iPod just for gaming, but since everyone has one a market for games is already in place.

* While we could debate the value of Dragon Quest IX vs Metal Gear Solid Touch, we can't ignore the pricing difference between DS/PSP games and iPod games. $20-$40 range for DS/PSP while $5.99 is the highest iPod game price I've seen. This makes me think that a good number of iPod games are impulse buys. This is conjecture, but I believe it is the main reason that the Apple brand became a "gaming system" in the first place. Users were buying lots of games.

* I read an article (http://bit.ly/ce85Ab) which wrote that between 2008 and 2009 the iPhone/iPod Touch games rose from 1% of all US game sales to 5%. While still a small percentage, it is an impressive growth for one year. While Steve Jobs' statements might have exaggerated Apple’s place in handheld gaming, I'm not surprised Apple is using this information as a selling point in 2010.

I love playing games, but I don't play sports games. I know there are gamers who only buy the yearly editions of Madden, NBA, NHL, and whatever other sports games there may be. It wouldn't be fair for me to ignore those as video games. Farmville is another point of contention for most gamers, but it has 70 million players. While it doesn't fit the mold of Gears of War, Call of Duty, or World of Warcraft that doesn't make it any less impactful as game.

As gamers, we should play what we want to play on whatever system we like. One of the best perks in this era of video gaming is choice of hardware. We didn't always have so many options. Huzzah! Although, with variety comes bits and pieces we personally may not like entering our arena. While we don't need to play them, it wouldn't be right to try and strip these games or systems of a title they honestly deserve.

On the bright side, just because Wii gaming is a successful business practice, that didn't make hardcore FPS or RPGs go away. Farmville hasn't killed RTS games. So, I feel confident in saying that while most iPhone games will be casual experience, it won't kill the games I love on other systems. Heck, Chaos Ring by Square Enix is getting wonderful reviews. As IGN said, "... an all -new adventure created specifically for the iPhone (I hesitate to say exclusively because I could see this eventually getting ported over to DS or PSP), offers the thoughtful, engaging play you expect from Square's other big-name RPG franchises." (http://bit.ly/cMjU1z)

That makes me excited to see where portable gaming goes from here.

Overheard #1

My first bus ride is with college students, professors, and people whose status is somewhere in-between. Below is what I listened to this morning:

Guy on bus #1: I tried to read Don Quixote.

Guy on bus #2: Ahhhh...

GOB#1: I got about halfway and had to stop. It was just the same thing over and over. He goes from one situation to another, but the character never changes. He is always the same person.

GOB#2: I believe that is the point. It is about how unchanged he is.

GOB#1: I got that. It was funny the first 5 times, but then it just got old. I was just done with it. Move on already.

I wanted to turn to GOB#1 and say, "I know what you mean! Michael Myers, from the Halloween movies, is exactly the same as Don Q. He moves from one scene to the next and never changes. He is always the same serial killer. I mean, I get it, Mike. You hate your family."

I love horror movies, especially the Halloween movies. I'm just aware of how people view them. I've never read Don Quixote. The could-be-student/professor's discussion was probably legit. I just smile anytime I can compare criticisms on classic literature to "trashy" horror movies.

The $10 price hike

If you're an Xbox Gold subscriber, then I'm sure you've already heard about the $10 increase for the service. This rate hike is enough for me to sever my ties with my account, but it isn't simply due to the price.

I'm a frugal gamer by necessity. I rarely purchase a game at full price and I borrow more then I pay for. One steady income limits the amount of games I can get in a year, but this wasn't always the way. There was a time when I was buying up all my favorite games the day they were released. My first payment to Xbox Live was during this run.

To create our family budget, chaff was cut. We didn't get rid of the XBL Gold subscription, though. While it would have freed up some extra cash, the Xbox didn't seem complete without the Live connection. I had some wonderful nights of online gaming on the original Xbox (few as they were) that the price seemed justified.

So why am I not re-newing a full-price membership? By raising the cost, Microsoft forced me to re-examine what I'm paying for. For as long as I've been paying for XBL, I've haven't examined the "value" of the service. I've been paying without question. It doesn't matter the exact amount Microsoft raised the price to. Living by a budget means knowing exactly how much money is being spent. When something increases, money needs to be shuffled around. We don't like to shuffle without knowing it is worth it. Here is a quick breakdown as to my usage of XBL.

1) I play L4D and lately RE5. I don't play Call of Duty or the Halo games online. If I did, I'm sure I could justify the cost more. I love playing Co-Op games with my friends and I'd love to do it more, but life gets in the way. At this point, I'm not available for spontaneous play. I need to schedule my gaming exploits on Google Calendar or it doesn't get done. I'd say I probably spend only 3% of my gaming time online with Xbox live. 3% doesn't quite seem worth a $60 tag.

2) There was time when Netflix was probably the most used function of our Gold account. We weren't going to buy a Roku box and we didn't want to watch movies on our computers. Now, the PS3 and Wii offer the function of watching Netflix films on our TV. I've heard the PS3 set-up isn't as nice as the 360 app, but it doesn't require a separate cost to watch our Instant Queue on the television.

With Microsoft raising their XBox Live price, they've forced me to reassess how valuable I find their service. It hasn't been worth $49 for years. It isn't worth $59 now.

The Funniest Movie Ever

It is hard to explain why The Big Lebowski is the funniest movie I've ever seen. The first time I watched it, I hated it. Years later, I watched it with friends and fell in love.

The dialog is quoted by my circle of friends almost daily. "Over the line" and "Mark it zero" are the easiest to use in most occasions. Any instance of "He's a good man" is followed up with "... and thorough". We also enjoy describing varying activities as being a "Zesty Enterprise".

I don't believe there is another movie (nor will there ever be) that shares, so closely, the humor I share with my friends. To borrow another line, "It really ties the room together."

What is your biggest regret?

I cheated in Wolfenstein 3D like crazy when I was growing up. I'm not sure I've ever beaten that game fairly. No, not my biggest regret but the one I don't mind sharing.

Ask me anything

What's your favorite frozen food dinner?

I think it is a tie between those frozen fish fillets and frozen pizza. So, if there was a frozen fish fillet pizza... that would be the best.

Ask me anything

Who's your favorite Sopranos character?

I hate being cliché, but Tony Soprano is my favorite. In the same scene that I start to see him a human being he can turn into someone I fear. What a great character!

Ask me anything

Where would you go on vacation if you had to stay there for an entire year?

I'm thinking Tokyo. I don't know the language, but I'm sure I'd pick up enough to get around if I was there for a year.

Ask me anything

Who's the most talented person you know?

My wife. Trust me... I know that answer is sickeningly sweet, but it is the truth. I look at a task and think, "Do I have the know-how and understanding to do this?" She looks at it and thinks, "I can do this!". Plus, have you seen her art?

Ask me anything

What video game have you played the most?

Based on Raptr's stats, I've played 112 hours of Fallout 3 so far (with more left to explore.) I should count Final Fantasy XI and World of Warcraft because they ate a lot of my time. Honestly though, I've played DOOM more then any other game. I've been playing it for 17 years. It is installed on every computer I own, I've played it on Xbox Live, Gameboy Advance, and the updated Nintendo 64 version. I even bought DOOM RPG when we owned a Razr. I don't think any other game could claim more hours of my life then Doom.

Ask me anything

What was the worst concert you went to?

A Dave Matthews concert at Alpine. It wasn't Dave though, it was the grass seats that made the concert unbearable.

Ask me anything

Best S'more Ever!

Last night, my friends introduced me to a new type of S'more. I'm here to tell you that THE FUTURE IS NOW!

Replace the single square of chocolate with a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.

I'm sorry, but I'm never going back.

FOUND IT!

On my way to catch the bus home, I found this:

When my friends and I -played Final Fantasy XI, if someone discovered a location or anything noteworty we would yell (type) the name followed by "FOUND IT!". Examples include: "Cave Entrance. FOUND IT!", "Big Chicken. FOUND IT!", and "Chillzilla's dignity. FOUND IT!... just kidding"

Fake Leg. FOUND IT!

Becoming a moot point...

I completely understand social networking isn't for everyone. I know there are people who do not want anything to do with digital social contact. That is cool, I don't want to garden. No amount of grandiose jibba-jabba on the merits of gardening will make me want to garden. It's just the way it is. Congrats to the people who like it. I wish you and your spade well. I see the correlation.

When I'm around such a person, I attempt to keep my social networking piety from seeping into the conversation. On a few occasions, the topic came up and I've noticed the responses are exactly the same.

"I don't want to know what you had for lunch!"

Seriously? I follow a lot of people on Twitter and I can say that the majority of them are not about lunch. (I can't deny that there are some, but at least those that I follow, they are few and far between.) Please, lets change the talking point up. If your saying the sentence above because you find tweets to be pointless then just say:

"I find most tweets to be pointless."

Honest and to the point. Maybe you're saying the former sentence because you don't "get" Twitter and don't want to learn. Then I could suggest:

"I really don't understand the hubbub around Twitter and I don't have the time (desire/curiosity/need) to figure it out."

I didn't expect this to turn into a full blog post, but I'm getting tired of having to explain that Twitter isn't all about lunches. You either get it or you don't. Just embrace whichever camp you fall into.

I'm sorry, Christina Aguilera. It's me, not you.

I loved Xtina's Stripped album so much that I wanted to play it on two CD players at the same time just to absorb the music faster. I couldn't listen to the disc enough. There is nothing wrong with Back to Basics or her newest album, Bionic, but I'm a little disappointed I don't have the desire need to hear it over and over and over again.

The onus can't fall completely on Christina, right? I've created a fictional album in my head so great, Xtina can't possibily deliver it. I wouldn't call that fair.

Just so we are all on the same page...

While I've had this blog and my Tumblr blog for awhile, I've never mentioned. Here is a quick clarification.

http://www.chillzilla.com = This under-used blog. This space is used to write things that can't be said in 140 characters... in theory. Chillzilla.com posts are the movies of my blogging style.

http://www.chillzilla.net = My (also under-used) Tumblr Blog. This space is used to share random Internet packets I gathered from Google Reader, Tumblr, or my general surfing (which I don't do as much because of Google Reader.) I have an "Ask Me Anything" button posted there, so feel free to ask me anything. I like that Tumblr added this feature because it means I don't have to create a Formspring.me page. Chillzilla.net posts are the television shows of my blogging style.

If you know me and/or like me, feel free to follow both blogs. If you don't, you can send me nasty messages on either.

My style of helpfulness.

As the bus stopped to pick up an old man, the driver asked, "Where are you going, sir?"

"Hilldale?"

"I don't go to Hilldale and I don't believe the 4 does either. Why don't you get on and I'll help you find the right bus."

The old man shuffles on, finds his bus pass in his pocket, slowly slides it through the machine, and finds a seat close to the front. The driver watched to make sure the man was seated before stepping on the accelerator.

I sat in my seat remembering that my next bus, the 71, passes by Hilldale. I see the driver reach for a Ride Guide and start looking for a route. The problem with anxiety disorder is that I can't just walk up and help in a situation that I can clearly able to help. What if the old man can't hear me? What if I'm stuck talking to him? What if while trying to tell him the bus number I say it too loud and everyone on the bus thinks I'm yelling at him?

I don't know the bus driver's name, but we've talked before. I feel comfortable enough approaching him. I walked past the old man and instead told the bus driver that the 71 which I'm going to be getting on after will pass by Hilldale. He thanks me. I again walk past the old man and take my seat. I do not make contact, eye or otherwise.

When the bus made my stop, I saw the bus driver start talking to someone else. He pointed at the old man and pointed at my bus. I then saw the instructed man walk over and help direct the older gentleman to his final bus ride.

In a long and round about way. I helped. That makes me happy.