I also use DropBox as a location where my active documents are located and worked on. This gives me access to me files I need on the go as well as at home. My mobile office suite of choice allows me to access and edit files on Dropbox. Now anything that I need or find that is important is now synced back up with the cloud. This means that I can make a change at home, on the go with my phone, or at a friends house if I need. That change will be on that document where ever I go now.

I am experimenting with Google Docs and Skydrive for storing documebnts that I would like displayed on websites. The ability to have a document live in the cloud and be able to edit from anywhere is very appealing. Unfortunately the level of compatabiliity that I need is not ther yet. Hopefully either Google or Microsoft will be update their cloud office products to be able to handle more advanced functions.

Everyone uses cloud storage differently and no one is wrong with how they use it. I like to think of it as a network drive that follows me around where ever I go.

Those stacks of magazines look very unwieldy.

I used to subscribe and get various magazines in print form delivered to my house. This was fine until I wanted to bring them with me or I didn’t have time to read them. I would have a stack of magazines in my bag or pilling up on my desk. This presented a problem for me. I want to have my magazines accessable in the same manor as my books on my kindle are. I take my kindle everywhere and I can read my books on the go no matter what I am reading. I have instant access to any book I own right on my kindle. I want the same thing for magazines. I only see two options to complete this.

With the release of Amazon’s kindle fire in the fall of last year they started to make a push for digital magazines subscriptions. Amazon is trying to become tghe one stop shop for all your digital needs. The android kindle apps took a while to receive this update and they are still waiting on a more complete experience on their apps. The newstand magazines on Android devices are just the text view of the article. On the Kindle Fire these same magazines look like a digital representation of the same one that is on the newsstand of your local store. Once Amazon impliments this into their kindle devices they will have a complete experience.

Zinio is the other side of the Digital Magazine coin. They have an amazing digital representation of the magazines, but have a not so good text view of the articles. Zinio has been digitizng magazines for the past 10 years. They have brought the magazine to life on mobile devices. The “look and feel” that you come to expect from your favorite magazines. This is how we are used to seeing and consuming magazines.

For the most part I use Amazon’s newsstand offerings as it keeps everything to one app, but I have been using Zinio for magazines that require a more visual look like photography magazines. One thing I wish both companies did was allow clipping of articles to services like Evernote. I use Evernote more and more as my digital database in the cloud. Do you subscribe to digital magazines and which services do you use?

Technology is at the very foundation of modern life for any developed nation. It is the cornerstone of life in the U.S. The way technology is going is a move toward digital landscape. The majority drive in this is the goal of a paperless office and the going green imitative. The dream of the majority of companies is to reduce costs by eliminating the paper they use. This digitization of our lives allows new products like tablets and ereaders into our lives. They make interacting with our books, movies, and friends easier.

Tablets give us a better interaction with our digital content. They are a portal in which we can see our digital content grow and interact with. Our ability to interact with data or files has never been so easy. Today we think of an iPad as normal. You can load up a picture and using your fingers you can enlarge that picture; when you are done you can  flick to the next picture in that album. Open up a book on a tablet device and you can move pages around like it was real paper. This make reading a digital book an experience like we are used to.

The idea of being able to instantly being able to access your library or watch a TV show whenever you want appeals to me. I have acquired a collection of DVDs and books that I love but is not very portable. The ubiquitous access to movies, books, news, and the world will be what will set apart this generation of computing from the next.

With the continued move to this digital world there will be bumps in the road with the content and the lack of tangible products. Digital products will also bring with them DRM or digital rights management. This tells you how, when, or where you can interact with your content you purchased. Different companies will take different ways to enforce DRM. While 95% of the time the protection is worthless and doesn’t stop piracy they do this to protect their interests in their segment of the media market. Right now most people except for the technological segment of the population will face theses issue now, but in time these issue will grow to a point that the polices and practices of these corporations will need to change.

As we move into the future the notion of how and where we access our data will continue to change. The devices of the future will continue to push the limits of how our lives are connected and the interaction we take with media along the way.

I also felt like something was missing in Windows 8. Since I use Windows 7 on a daily basis at work and have used 7 for a while at home it a feeling I could not quite shake. It felt like the comfortable chair you love was switched with a newer model that doesn’t feel like home. It it hard to describe how I feel about the new version of Windows. It does lay the ground work for a very mobile and radical future of how we do work, but at the same time it still needs more polish to be used in a non touch interface.

Besides the printer issues there were some things I didn’t like. This a quick list of some of those things.

Shut Down/Power Controls - It takes me now three clicks to shut my computer down instead of the standard two clicks. This like an unnessecary extra click to me. This was always two clicks in previous version of Windows. Plus now you also have to have your mouse hit a “Hot Corner” in the top right of the desktop to get to the pull out tab that you can start clicking on.

Hot Corners -  In theory this is a good idea, but in practice I find it to be not so useful. I am so used to the Start button that I can’t fathom Windows without it. The problem is that it doesn’t get easier to use. How are these going to work in a multi-monitor setup?

Duality - Pretty much the fight between the Metro interface and the regular desktop interface as much as we know it today. On one hand I really like the way the look and feel of the new Start Menu, but it also feels out of place on the desktop. The Metro Apps just don’t really connect with the standard desktop. The bookmarks between IE Metro and IE on the desktop don’t share. While I do like the idea of Metro I was never a fan. I believe that steams from useage of the Andriod OS and how it feels like a mobile version of Windows.

Metro Reader - The nice thing about this app was it was supposed to able to read pdf files in a nice slick interface. The complex PDF files I threw at it pretty much just got ripped to shreds if it was text. The margin images looked like they were a bunch of garbled junk. I hope this gets fixed before release.

I plan on getting Windows 8 back up and Running on a  separate partition in the near future and start going through some more features of it. Maybe I will find some sort of killer app that ties the whole interface together.

Start Menu - The new Start Menu is a nice and sleek look. It has some nice features like live tiles for your email. This is now the focal point of Windows. If you need access to any of your installed programs you need to go through the Start Menu. The all Apps list now is organized like it belongs on a tablet. The whole Start Menu gives me mixed feelings.

TaskBar - The taskbar has remained unchanged from Windows 7. The biggest change is there is no Start button. To access the Start Menu you have press the Windows Logo Key or hover in the lower left corner and click. This takes some getting used to.

Explorer – Explorer has gotten a ribbon in the interface that makes it so much more useful. The ribbon in explorer gives you access to many tasks you would want right at your finger tips. This is one of the best upgrades of Windows 8.

 Windows Reader - The built in pdf reader for Windows is horrible. Opening a complex pdf it shreds the images and choppily scrolls through the text portions. It really needs an upgrade to be a replacement for Adobe Reader.

That is just scratching the surface of Windows 8. There will be plenty more to check out in the coming days.

No longer does the app feel unintuitive to use it or clunky in it’s appearance. The WordPress team deserves a bunch of credit for their work on the redesign.

The layout is now a nice set of 10 buttons that reflows nicely between landscape and portrait view. The buttons give you quick access to creating new blog posts and changing settings. These bring creating content on the go to the fore front. The best part is the quick posts for video and photos. With smartphones this is a very welcome improvement.

The post editing experience has gotten a lot better. The new content window allows you to scroll through long posts and edit it seamlessly. With the ability to directly add links, photos, or format text right on the phone makes this a very welcome update. This entire post mins some editing was all done one my phone.

You can check out the updates on WordPress at the Android Market.

To me when I think about a digital file I think about being able to take the file on my tablet with me. The digital file then can go with me where ever I bring my tablet. From waiting at the mechanic to the beaches of Waikiki. I could view the movie I purchased. With being tied to iTunes or Windows Media files there are no current players in the Android market that allow you to view the videos. This in my mind completely defeats the purpose of having a digital copy. It makes me tied to my PC.

I could go out and buy an iDevice to be able to access the digital copy on the go, but that defeats my decision of picking an android tablet. Another option is to get a laptop to be able to watch the movies. While this is probably the best solution, it will allow me to do what I want. This also defeats why I purchased a tablet.

Today’s technology changes at a quick pace that old media are slow to be able to embrace new technology because they fear that all their customers are pirates. In today’s digital lifestyle it is far easier to pirate a movie then it is to get a digital download to play nice with your computer or mobile device. I believe that when the digital movie copy becomes as open as the mp3 has in the last 5 years that there will be a drop in piracy. Piracy will never really go away, some people will refuse to pay for any entertainment.

The group that won’t face this issue is the one with the tech smarts. They will be able to successfully figure out a why to format shift their media to take it with them. I do not advocate piracy. The format shifting topic is being discussed by the FCC as an exception to the DCMA and would make it legal for users to do that, like it is legal to root/jailbreak your phone.

This could be because Amazon wants to keep this exclusively for the Kindle Fire right now and not undermine the success of this launch just yet. They probably will update the Android Kindle app with the ability to read magazines in the future. I was just hoping that they would be able to do that now with the launch of the Fire. I am slowly turning my Acer tablet into a dedicated reading device for full color items and this will give me even more of an incentive to get some magazines.

Amazon will be competing with Barnes & Noble, and Zinio for digital magazines. Which both of them allow you to read their digital magazines on any device that supports their apps. Hopefully Amazon will be updating there Kindle apps quick to get a larger user base to read magazines through Amazon.

For the most part these two phones are very similar from the thinness to the phone specs. Both phones are supposed to launch on the same day November 10th. Compared to each other I say that the phone most people will want is the Droid RAZR. Either phone will be fine but since the RAZR is part of the Droid line it will receive a marketing push behind it. It also has standard features that most Android users have come to expect like expandable storage.

It will be interesting to see how well the Galaxy Nexus does on Verizon’s network since this will be the first time that a pure Google phone will be on a major carrier. I am very eager to get my hands on the RAZR though.

Update: It looks like the Galaxy Nexus will be out on Black Friday.

Google has also created a new typeface for ICS that looks modern and sleek. ICS will start to usher in phones with now hard or soft menu buttons. The Home, back, menu, and search buttons are now part of the user interface. The web browser now has tabs which bring it up to date with the other browsers being offered in the market.

Googles own apps receive a much needed face lift. Also there will be a data usage application integrated into the system. This looks like it will be a very nice upgrade for Andriod. I am very stooked about the new version of android. I can’t wait to get it on my tablet.

What really sets this apart from the Nook Color is the media integration. Amazon is not only an e-book store they also serve up videos, music, and house your files. The ability to include all the above content is really nice. Plus you can order anything you want from Amazon through their included app.

While I am not a fan of the 7 inch tablet form factor they are appealing for certain people. To me this form factor seems like a large phone. I love the 10 inch tablet form factor better. I am excited to see what a large format tablet will do next year from Amazon.

What I like:

• Amazon integration (Apps, music, movies, and cloud drive)
• sleek look
• Nice custom version of android
• New magazines
• The price is right

What I dislike:

• 7 inch form factor
• battery life

The major obstacle Netflix has right now for its streaming service is content. While there are some gems on streaming like UP and Toy Story 3. If they can get more streaming content they will be ahead of the game. The problem is that content creators don’t like this because if you can just stream their new releases then they lose money by lower DVD/Blu-ray sales.

As part of the next generation I want to be able to have access to all the digital media. I want to be able to sit down and just search for the program I want to watch. This allows me to take control of the media that I consume.

Now with Netflix, even if they didn’t have a title available for streaming you could get as a DVD in the mail. It was integrated and made things easier. Now with the split they are separating their services and making it harder for subscribers who use both services to continue using it.

Do I like this move by Netflix? No not really, but I understand where they are coming from. I would like to have my streaming and DVD rentals under one roof. When I need to rent DVD I will have to rely on Redbox for new movies that aren’t on Netflix.

http://www.timesunion.com/news/slideshow/Aerial-photos-of-Irene-damage-30587.php

http://www.watershedpost.com/2011/schoharie-county-irene-update

The price increase email

Many people who comment on this are threatening to cancel their Netflix subscription. To me this is a rash decision. I don’t mind paying for quality service and I find Netflix to be a quality service. My current plan with Netflix is the DVD/Streaming for $10 a month. I haven’t used the DVD portion in a while and mostly get DVDs from a local Redbox. I am probably going to drop to streaming only when I am forced to choose in september. I have a Netflix DVD sitting at home just collecting dust since sometime last year. In the end Netflix will still be receiving my money and I will be very happy with their service, plus they will save on the shipping costs. I do expect that the streaming cost for the consumer to increase in the next several years and I hope that Netflix will increase their streaming catalog aswell.

This is very much a piece of history we are witnessing. Over the next several years NASA will be facing the difficult nature of our financial issues and it will be interesting to see how they get ready for the next part of space exploration. We as a race have done amazing things with our space program and it is sad to see the shuttle go, but that is the future we look at now. after this lauch we need to look to our next biggest goal and get working on that ASAP. The science and technology that we learn from space exploration is something that will help everyone.

Imagine a modern rocket built using cutting edge technology will allow the next generation of astronauts to journey farther into space and allow a new generation to be influenced by our Apollo moment. The future of our species is out there in space. We can not stop going out into space.

In the next several years private companies are working to take over the shuttling of men and materials to the ISS. SpaceX is the most far one and hopefully they can pull it off. I await the day that private companies land a man on the moon to prove they can do it. The future of space travel does look bright but right now we have a small dark ages to go through and when get out the other side we have some large goals to accomplish.

The structure is currently looks like this:

Image from Android Central

The unlimited plan will turn into a 2GB cap for $30. If you go over you will have to pay $10 per GB after that. Your first two GB’s are charged at an upfront cost of $15 per GB and you have to pay for both of them even if you only use half of the alloted price per month. If Verizon wants to charged on a tiered model going toward a pay what you use model is a good idea. If you only use 1 GB you can pay for that, if you use more than that you pay for that total use.

This is a good scare tactic to get people out there to sign up for Verizon or upgrade their phones now. The problem is this doesn’t fix the “problem” of data hogs. If you already are on Verizon’s network and being a data hog you are not punished If you are or were data hog on another network you will run to Verizon to get grandfathered in on the unlimited data.

If you are in contract with another cell provider I don’t know why you would buy out you contract for the prospect of “unlimited” mobile data. I use about 1GB of data a month. I don’t know how I would even cross 2 or 3 GB in a month. Tiered data packages will start to kill the streaming media that is making its way to the cell phones. How much Hulu, Netflix, or streaming music can you use on a two GB plan with out going over?

During Hal’s introduction to the audience we get to see how cocky, reckless, and self-serving he is. It’s hard to get to like him or really identify with him as he is a complete jerk. He shows off his flying skills and we meet his human friends. We never really get much of a back story on how they became friends or why people stick around Hal. They are just there and support him not matter how much of a jerk he is.

From this point we get to see Hal training in the Green Lantern Corps and his self-doubt about his ability to do this. The main human bad guy is a man called Hector. He is introduced and a lazy and socially awkward person who gets taken to a government facility to do an autopsy on an alien. Where are never introduced into the agency that does this or why they want it done. This is where he gets infected with a part of Paralax that is still in Abin Sur.

We continue to move the plot forward but it never seems to really be all that entertainment. Hal’s love interest Carol Ferris is never really believable in that role. He jerks her around and she still stays by his side. Hector we learned is “friends” with Hal and Carol, apparently knowing them since they were little. His father is also an US senator who wants to give him political favors to help Hector’s career.

During the climax of the movie Hal actually fights and defeats Paralax and using his cocky attitude to outsmart the evil alien being. Never once during the movie did I think Paralax had a chance of winning or putting our hero in danger. There felt like no difference between if the Green Lantern or Paralax wins. The victory seemed hollow and empty. I felt this way when I saw Ghost Rider.

I saw this in 3D and felt like if you wanted to see a reason why 3D is a fad this is it. the 3D effects were bad. I did not feel like I had a better experience with this movie. I felt like the 3D effects were like watching cardboard cutouts act on-screen. There was no depth of field at all. If you see this in theaters see it in 2D and save some cash. If you want to save more cash rent it when it comes out on DVD.

You can find the link to access the theme website if your right-click on the desktop and choose Personalization. Then just scroll down to “Get more themes online” and you are good to go. You can also just click on this link to access the same website.

This is just some basic customization of Windows 7, and it’s quick and easy. If you would like to do some more customization there are plenty of websites that can help you. I’m not a fan of spending too much time thinking about making windows look good since I would be tweaking it all the time.

I decide a couple of weeks to make one final design change. I never really found a design I absolutely loved until now. The layout is exactly what I was looking for. It stands out from the “crowd” a bit and offers a nice layout that works for me. Every time I look at the design it shouts “me.” I know I am supposed to pick a layout and stick with it for a while, but I am never one to follow conventional wisdom. There are a few things I am still need to complete like a header image and one or two more pages I have some ideas about plus update the about section.

Spring Clean

Since spring has come and almost gone I have been working on cleaning out things from old magazines to digital files I have kept around. In am effort to keep things in order and cut clutter down I have begun to move items of interest into digital format. I do plan to keep some physical items that I deem important, but that will be the exception not the rule. I am also going through my digital items and making sure things are sorted and tagged correctly. I will be reuploading items to my flickr account in the coming months.

Spring Fresh

Since I have a new layout I plan to reboot of sorts. There will be a bit of change in what I am going to be posting about. I will expand to write about my hobbies and talk about other things that interest me. I will still talk about technology, but it will also be about ways it impacts our lives and what the future may hold for it that I can in vision.

I hope you will continue to let me entertain you and I hope you enjoy reading what I write.