Using Chrome OS

My boyfriend won a free CR-48, which is Google's new notebook that uses the Chrome Operating System.  I'm still getting used to this keyboard (apparently it is like a Mac's keyboard, and my experience with Mac's is limited).  The most annoying thing is the mouse.  It's just one big button!  I usually have my left hand on the click button and my right hand on the mouse pad, but when its all one big button and I have two fingers on it things get crazy.

Anyways. I'm liking the idea of cloud computing and being able to have my settings no matter what computer I'm using.  I know that cloud computing is not specific to the Google OS but this is my first time learning anything about it.

Anyways, Bones is on now, so gotta go!  More later.

Ender Series review

For the past three weeks, I've incredibly negligent of my online hobbies (mainly Facebook and webcomics). What have I been up to?

I've been deeply engaged in Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game series. More specifically, the Bean books, I think they are called the Shadow saga or something like that.

I finally finished Ender in Exile on Saturday, so I can now say that I've read all the books in the Ender series - of course, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind in high school, so my memory is quite faint on those, and I don't have any desire or intention to reread them. In fact I'm quite upset with how the Bean books turned out, so I don't think I'll have any patience for Novinha, who I recall being incredibly annoying. (Speaking of annoying, oh how I'd love to see a match up between Novinha and Virlomi for most annoying character... but I'm getting ahead of myself here).

SPOILER ALERT!!! Warning, the rest of this post will be a SPOILER.

Now Reading: Sir Apropos of Nothing

Finally decided that I wasn't going to finish The Count of Monte Cristo any time soon, so now I am reading a fantasy satire called Sir Apropos of Nothing.

Interesting things about it...

• Narration is completely anachronistic for the medieval setting (uses modern vernacular in some cases)
• Main character can be a total douche at times

It's refreshing to find a pragmatic and cynical character, but at times he's just a downright jerk. Sometimes it's a little annoying. I continue reading in hopes he'll grow up and mature a little bit more.

I'm about halfway through right now, things are getting more interesting.

Summary will come in the next post.

Google Makes Car that Drives Itself

An article recently appeared in the NY Times describing how Google has made a car that can drive itself. In other words, a robot car.

Immediately reminding me of the cars in I, Robot, I realized that as amazing as this sounds, there could be some potential drawbacks.

Now, I was just ranting the other day about how amazing it would be if we had cars that drove themselves. Needless to say it would make the roads safer and traffic more efficient (I live in New Jersey, so you must understand that traffic is already bad, but when people are driving that refuse to let someone into their lane, this actually slows traffic down ... at least in my opinion. But I feel like I'd have to write a whole other post on that).

Anyways, there are obviously some great improvements these cars would bring to the road, and it is truly impressive how a computer can recognize a red light, and stop, or the speed limit is X, so slow down or speed up... etc. That needs to be said that Yes, it's truly impressive, and Yes, this has many beneficial implications for society.

HOWEVER.

Eventually, when this car is mass produced, once it has been out on the market for awhile and becomes as common as cell phones, laptops and iPods, what will this mean for humans and our ability to learn?

Our ability to drive?

Will driving become a lost skill?

What does that mean when a car computer malfunctions and a human does have to take over?

Will we need to get drivers licenses anymore? How would that process work? How old will you have to be to get behind a car, if a robot is driving? Will that change?

Will driving become more technical? What will that mean for older people who have trouble with computers?

When technology makes our lives easier, it makes us more reliant on technology. We will no longer have to make split second decisions on the road - which is a great thing for many reasons. But what does that mean for the human mind... not just pertaining to this driving technological improvement, but to any technological improvement in general?

With a robot to make decisions for us, will we become less critical? Lazier than we already are?

If life is easier, does that mean we need to know less?

Lately I've seen a few articles about people relying on their GPS's and ending up in some pretty tight situations... one woman got stuck in a swamp and had to climb on top of her car and be rescued. Another guy drove onto what was more like a hiking path and it got too narrow, car got stuck on a cliff and a helicopter had to come.

These people were so reliant on and trusting in their technology that they did not use their own brain to make common sense decisions.

People already lack a good sense of direction. Despite a few occasional navigational mishaps, I do consider myself pretty good at getting around, and that is a skill of mine that I highly value. (As a few friends of mine who went with me to Atlantic City could easily explain, even while drunk I can not only navigate a casino I've only been in for an hour or two but I will also loudly proclaim how great I am at remembering how to get from point a to point b).

It's true that one of my biggest complaints about driving is that it means I can't do something else. For instance if I have to drive down to see my sister, that is two hours at least of focusing on the road and the road only ... and maybe listening to music or radio. But that means two hours of not writing or doing anything else productive. With a robot driver, obviously that means I can multi task (or can I? If I have to pay attention in case the robot makes a wrong decision?)

Of course the follow up to that is... sure it gives us more time to focus on more productive and meaningful problems... but the question is... how many people would actually use that time productively? Or would they just use it to play FarmVille a few minutes more?

I just want to say again that I think this is a great technology. But like any good science fiction writer, I do also want to consider any possible implications this could mean for mankind as a whole.

PS: I think it would be totally awesome for Top Gear to do an episode on the new Google car... would love to see their comments on it.

Unimpressed with Bones' Season Premiere

I was totally disappointed with this season's start to Bones!

The premise didn't make any sense.

First of all, Cam doesn't need saving. Cam would have been able to figure out that the child was Asian, in other words, NOT the missing child. I mean come on, it's not like Cam was the stupid one hanging onto everyone else's coattails.

Secondly, they didn't even need a premise to begin with. What would be so terrible with just starting the season exactly 1 year later? What was the purpose to bringing everyone back early?

Thirdly, what is so wrong with Bones taking a year off to study the origins of humanity or w/e she was doing? It was clearly established at the end of last season that she was stressed out with her current job as a forensic anthropologist. She needed a break. Furthermore, that was great opportunity for her to take.

Why was she alone with Daisy? From the sounds of it I thought she would be with a whole bunch of anthropologists. Why would they be in a dangerous jungle by themselves? And I am sorry, I can buy Bones being able to take some people on her own, but not that many.

The only thing I could guess at was that they were trying to emphasize the cohesion of the group and how much they all needed each other.

All in all, not impressed, and not a good way to start the season...

Wroxton, Wroxton, Wroxton

Sometimes I feel like a broken record, stuck saying "I miss Wroxton" over and over and over again... It's silly to live in the past so much, I know. I think of Wroxton every day, and I miss it every. day. And it's not like I'm not enjoying life now, because I am. It's just that my time there was probably the best time I have ever had, and even though someday I will go back, it just won't be quite the same.

Maybe I'm being overdramatic, but Wroxton is kind of like... Neverland. It's like something out of a fairy tale - a five story abbey, eight hundredyears old... with this large rolling lawn and a beautiful garden like something out of a Jane Austen novel. It's like living in a fantasy world.

And for those four months, you leave behind everything - you leave behind all your stress, your work, your whole life, and you're there in that Abbey with new people. Every weekend, you go to a new place -- possibly three new places if you do something Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It's truly an Adventure. It's about Exploration and Discovery. And not just discovery of this new, foreign land, but also discovery about yourself.

You can leave the rest of the world behind, it's like a dream.

And like Neverland, one day you do have to go back. You have to leave. Because you have life to get back to, people to get back to. And you fly across the ocean and it's gone, and you have nothing but memories and photographs and souvenirs. And you're left dreaming.

I miss so much. I miss the sense of excitement of going to a new place, the excitement of going to see Stonehenge, or the Roman Baths, or the Tower of London. I miss the humid air, yes I miss the rain. I miss the Abbey, with its creepy, ancient basement, I miss playing ping pong, I miss walking back to the Abbey after spending a night at the pub and looking up at that building and thinking, "Yeah, that's where I'm living..."

I long for the day I can go back, and I also long for the day I can travel to a new place and feel that sense of adventure again.


Post Note
Okay, sure, I'm going to Vegas in a month for work... and that will be exciting, sure. But Vegas is not my style. I miss Europe, with its ancient castles, with its signs that say "this chair is 500 years old, and we have no idea what it was used for or where it came from, but its 500 years old!" (Okay maybe I paraphrased a little).

Back home from grandmother's

This weekend I went to visit my grandmother. It still feels weird being there without my grandfather. I missed him a lot this weekend for some reason. More so than usual anyways. I'm not really sure why, but he was on my mind a lot.

I'm always afraid to mention him around my grandmother or to watch anything on TV about dying. I don't want to see her cry.

We were talking about him in the car ride home though. I think maybe it's because Thanksgiving is getting close. And he would always say the prayer before the meal. I didn't get to see him the Thanksgiving before he passed because I was in Wroxton. Just Christmas. And then in February .. that was it.

I can still remember the deliberate way he talked, the way his hands would shake all the time. He would make up stories for my sister and I, like "Gogo the cat", the animal actor who was so amazing that he could play dogs like Toto in the Wizard of Oz. I remember the time we went out walking with him and I tripped and scraped my hands and knees, and I didn't cry or anything and he was really proud of me. I remember he would take us out to the movies or out to eat, but he'd always say "the girls took me out to eat", despite the fact that he drove and he paid for everything. And for my eighth grade confirmation, I needed to do community service so I helped him deliver meals on wheels. This one woman talked to me for fifteen minutes about this huge doll collection she had displayed in her living room. And we climbed back into the car and as we drove away, my grandfather explained how some of the people we delivered to really just were lonely and wanted someone to stop by to talk to.

My grandmother is lonely now. She always wants us to visit. When we leave, she hobbles with her cane down the hallway to the back room. You can see her little face watching us leave through the window.

Even though I saw him for so much of my childhood, there was so little that I knew about him. There's things I'm only finding out now, like the fact that he visited Japan during the Vietnam war for R&R. It would have been nice to know him as an adult, instead of through the eyes of a child. I wish I could have heard stories about his life... from him. Not necessarily about the war, since I don't think he liked to talk about that. But about his childhood.

Well that's all for now, I need to go to bed. Work tomorrow.

Thoughts of Learning New Things

I'd rather see someone say "Hmm, that's interesting. It will be interesting to see follow up studies and further information on this," than to have them immediately start pointing out errors, why they're wrong and counter points.

Like if you are observing/reading something new, I think you should read it and think about it a little before jumping into "I am smarter than this person and will prove them wrong mode".

I just feel like there's some wisdom in taking the time to digest something instead of having the mindset of trying to poke holes. Its the difference between unraveling something and poking holes in it. Like maybe if you poke holes in an argument, you're poking holes in your own ability to understand the argument.

People would do better if they took the time to understand WHY another person/group thinks something, rather than to try to change the other person's mind.

Have a great night with "Date Night"

I just watched Date Night tonight with my parents. It was pretty funny. It's been awhile since I've really laughed out loud to a movie. I really like Tina Fey and Steve Carell. They were both hilarious. And the surprise cameo by Mila Kunis aka Jackie Burkhardt from That 70's Show was much appreciated. I didn't really hear much buzz about Date Night when it originally aired in theatres. Maybe it didn't exactly appeal to graduating college students, but the commercials looked funny and I have wanted to see it since then (didn't have the time/opportunity). I don't know how well it did, but I thought it was definitely worth it and would greatly recommend it.

There is a more sobering subplot - Fey and Carell's characters are struggling with boredom but still love each other and each want to spice things up a bit. It's not a unique idea, but I think its set up a little differently than usual, despite reminding me of True Lies, at least in the sense that the couple is also drowning in boredom. Of course in Date Night Carell is not a spy and Fey isn't cheating. So there's a serious marital issue as a set it, but I think its handled carefully enough so as to still be heartfelt and important but not serious enough to be depressing or drag down the fun.

In other news I'm getting back into Linden after a summer of not working with it. Just in time for the "school year", I guess. Maybe that will help wean me from school - I'll have a project to work on in the fall months.

It's been a pretty busy summer after all. I've hardly had any time to myself, between work, hanging out with Fuz, hanging out with high school friends, and various trips. This weekend was more laid back but still hardly any time at the computer at all. I'm having fun, but it's just nice to be able to relax in my pjs and hang out surfing the 'net, catching up with web comics and of course, writing.

I'm in the process of saving up for a car too. Scary and exciting. I feel like an adult and yet not an adult at all... it's weird. Just read a good article that Fuz linked to me about an emerging new age group (kind of like how a century ago, "teenager" was a new idea). It's very interesting and definitely worth checking out: "What is it About 20 Somethings?: Why are so many people in their 20s taking so long to grow up?"

Just Random Thoughts

We've had an unfortunately hot summer, but it seems like with the change of the week, the first feelings of autumn are upon us. At least, it's been noticeably cooler around here, like a preview of fall.

I love the fall. I cannot wait until it comes fully - the crisp autumn air, the changing of the leaves, back to school excitement and the thrill of Halloween. For now, I'm stuck with just a hint - the cooling air. Last night I went to my friends house, and as soon as I stepped outside not only was it cooler, but it just felt like autumn. I know that fall is still a whole month away, and maybe it's just my mind playing tricks on me in its eagerness, but I breathed in the air and it felt like autumn air.

I'm also very interested in what it's going to be like working in the fall instead of going to school. Part of me is really excited just to see what the experience is like, to see how strange it's going to be, if strange at all... I'm sure it will be strange. I mean I ought to be shopping for new school supplies, ordering books, packing and preparing to move in. But no. I'm at home, quite lonely actually as Fuz has left after visiting for a little over a month. The room is distinctly empty. And instead of weekend trips to look forward to, I have quiet evenings of laundry and catching up on all my internet haunts and whatnots that I've been neglecting definitely over the summer, and partially during my years at college.

I keep telling myself that I am going to resume working on Linden. I have to! But I do need to settle in a little bit, get used to working my room again... after all, I haven't really done a lot of work in my room since high school. It's difficult to focus in this house (it's rather small). So cannot wait until I can have my own place!

Updates & Movie Review: Despicable Me

So not so much progress in the reading area I'm afraid. I got a job, so I've been busy during the day, and then when I get home I'm either busy going out with friends, or relaxing and unwinding watching tv and... okay, I'll admit it... playing Frontierville.

I did, however, see Despicable Me recently. Unfortunately it was a bit of a disappointment, and I blame Pixar. See, Pixar makes such awesome movies, that I've come to expect computer animated movies to be fantastic and relevant not only to kids, but to adults. While Despicable Me had its fair share of subtle references for older audiences, it mostly just felt silly and cutesy. Which is great - for a kid's movie. So basically, I just had different expectations. It was a good movie, sweet and perfect for kids, and I'm sure enjoyable for anyone who has kids. But it just didn't quite live up to the high expectations I now have after seeing (and loving) so many Pixar movies. Especially since it came out after Toy Story 3.

Ah, yes, Toy Story 3 - saw that recently as well. Great movie. Very sad. If anyone still hasn't seen it, you'll have to wait til it comes out on dvd now, but when you do watch it, bring a box of tissues. Amazing that a company has now produced 2 sequels that have been as good as the original. Bravo.

I swear I'm going to read Count of Monte Cristo, really. I've just been super busy this past month. These were my past three weekends: trip to Wildwood, trip to Washington DC, and trip to Atlantic City. This weekend will be just as busy, with a trip to the New York Renaissance Faire, and then, sadly, driving Fuz to the airport. :(

Count of Monte Cristo

Alright. Attempt #1,485,332 at reading The Count of Monte Cristo. Seriously, I will get through it this time. Maybe.

It's not that I am not enjoying it. Life just gets in the way.

Only 920 more pages to go!

Kushiel's Dart, by Jacqueline Carey

Just finished Kushiel's Dart a few days ago. If you recall, I accidentally read the third book, Kushiel's Avatar, first; Kushiel's Dart is actually the first in the series.

You will like this book if you:

• Like long, epic fantasy narratives (it's 901 pages long)
• Enjoy detailed descriptions
• Love to immerse yourself in a truly well constructed fantasy world
• Appreciate complex characters
• Are open-minded

I enjoyed this book so much that I seriously could not put it down for days. My schoolwork suffered. Even my facebook games suffered! (All those withered crops...) Kushiel's Dart was one of those books where you cannot put it down, you just have to get to the end and find out what happens, and then when you finally do finish, you're sad because now you have no more to read. Since I do not own the second book, Kushiel's Chosen, I, uh... went on wikipedia to find out what happens next. Very shameful, I know, but I just had to find out what happened! Granted I knew some of it because it had been vaguely mentioned in Kushiel's Avatar. Last night, my roommate came in at 3:30am and yelled at me for being awake still (since I am sick). I was reading the first chapter of Naamah's Kiss, which is posted on Jacqueline Carey's website. I just can't get enough. It's a good thing I do not have a car, otherwise I'd probably be at a bookstore buying all the books. Heh. And as a college student I don't think that's exactly the best use of money...

Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien

My suite mate works at a bookstore, and she was reading an advanced copy of the novel Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien. I saw it on the common room table and was intrigued, so she let me read it. It's a young adult dystopian novel about a sixteen-year old girl, Gaia, who assists her mother, a midwife. She must deliver the first three babies born every month to the Enclave, a walled city which she resides outside of. These advanced babies are taken from their mothers within the first 90 minutes of their lives. When Gaia returns after her first delivery by herself, she discovers her parents have been arrested and taken inside the Enclave, and she embarks on a journey to rescue them and discover the mysteries within the Enclave.

The inside flap included an editor's note describing the book as a cross between The Handmaid's Tale and Hunger Games. I've never read The Hunger Games, but The Handmaid's Tale was one of my favorite books that I had to read for school and I definitely see a resemblance between the two books. I liked Birthmarked, although at times I definitely felt like I was reading a book targeted for younger girls (middle school or early high school age). The world was interesting, intriguing, and my biggest problem with the novel as a whole would be underdevelopment. I wish I could have seen a little bit more of both the outside of the Enclave and within, as I feel my picture of those places is vague and gray around the edges (then again, this could be due to a fast reading). I also felt some of the characters were a little vague as well. Overall, I just wanted more, especially with the ending. I feel like it's open for a sequel as the ending does not really resolve much ... unfortunately the book isn't even out yet! So waiting for a sequel will take awhile. Alas.

While I did enjoy this book, I would recommend this book for younger audiences. It comes out March 30, 2010. If you liked The Handmaid's Tale, you'll probably like this one. See the book on Amazon.

Return

Books I've Read in the Past Week:

• Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
• Make Lemonade, by Virginia Euwer Wolff
• Cardcaptor Sakura: Master of the Clow, by CLAMP, books 1-6

I haven't read this much in such a short amount of time in awhile. It was nice to just be able to read a book and enjoy it, and not have to worry about analyzing it and whatnot.

I don't really feel like reviewing them. The first three are books all written in interesting formats - Go Ask Alice is in a diary format, published in 1971 and apparently based on a real girl's diary. It takes place in the late 60's and is about a girl who becomes addicted to drugs. A sad story. Perks of Being a Wallflower is in letter format; main character Charlie writes letters to an unknown person whom he admires for the fact that he could have gotten with some girl, but didn't. Of the all the books I read, this one was probably my favorite, though I'm not sure why. I guess I like the narrator's voice the most. Make Lemonade was formatted like poetry and is about a 14-year-old girl who babysits for a 17-year-old mother who is struggling to make ends meet. It was a good story but it was difficult for me to read it the way it was formatted. Although it is a fast read because of the format.

My friend lent me the Cardcaptor Sakura manga and I read it in kind of a nostalgic mood for my middle school/early high school years when I was really into anime (Cardcaptor Sakura being one of my favorites).

Anyways, I just wanted to post to show that I am still here, still reading. Sometimes its difficult for me to write about what I read. When I read, I get so into the story and the characters that it's difficult to kind of distance myself from them. It's an emotional connection and attachment. I haven't read this way in a long time, since mostly I've been reading for school, and it was nice to be able to do that.

Also, I'm currently reading Kushiel's Dart, by Jacqueline Carey. You'll note that I read the third book in the series (by accident) while I was in Wroxton. There's something that I envy about these books, as a writer, which is that Carey is able to just start the series while Phedre is a child. And she basically is chronicling Phedre's life and her growing up. It's a long book (and even part of a trilogy) and I thinks she's lucky that people are willing to read through all of that. Granted I have skimmed over a few passages that I feel are a little too descriptive. It would be interesting for me to find out a little bit information about how she got published.

I still haven't finished The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas, which I first started in 2004, read until page 400-something, then just got busy/lost interest. I picked it up again last summer, and I have gotten to page 543 (note that my copy is 1462 pages long). I read a little bit now and then, and I have enjoyed what I have read so far, it's just intimidating when you read 100 pages and barely make a dent.

Yes, it is typical of me to read more than one book at a time (although this isn't really something I've done since middle school). It helps to have different things to go to, depending on my mood. I read the books I have in the past week, despite being in the middle of Kushiel's Dart, because I knew they would be fast reads (as they are young adult lit, and one is manga). So I knew they wouldn't be too distracting from my other readings.