People complain about their current situation. Big deal. However, when you constantly hear people talk about how they miss being a kid, miss being in (Chinese hard-core) high school, it becomes irritating.
Two possibilities: 1) their lives do suck more as grown-ups than being in a high school with incredible amount of course workload. 2) They simply only see what they don't have as adults but did have in high school, and not see the other side.
If 1), well, karma is a bitch. You enjoyed too much in high school, college, you suck at real life. Blame yourself. Sure, go ahead and blame your parents too.
If 2), which I believe is a more common case, I feel it is important to switch perspective and realize how people would envy your current situation.
Back to the first scenario, people want to go back to high school times, and feel high school kids don't realize how easy it is to be in high school.
Feeling mature? think again. Back in high school, (Chinese) students are forced to obey / listen to parents, teachers. Kids have minimum liberty, make up lies after lies just to go out with a "person of interest". Privacy and relationships are almost impossible, if not immoral. Then it is all those course works that you do without pay. It is difficult to make fully aware adults to learn new things just because new things *could be* good for the future, let alone high school kids.
Of course, vice versa. Adults need to take more responsibilities etc etc (whiners talked a lot of that, and high schoolers never really say adults get it easier)
Everyone knows long distance relationship sucks. However, instead of complaining about it and telling couples that they don't realize how fortunate they are, people who are in long distance relationship should really take advantage of the situation (of course, if they really want this relationship to work. Otherwise, just break up already).
There are a lot of good things about being in a long distance relationship. Having a stable relationship requires no need to constantly improve the dating game, or make strategies etc etc. There is no need to pretend to be somebody else. Caring each other to maintain this relationship is definitely easier. There is no need to go back home right after work for family and kids. Hitting the gym while nobody is there is absolutely a great perk. Enjoy the maximum utility to improve health and shape. There is also the extra free time, which could be quite beneficial if used on reading, learning and career-related things.
Without a doubt, I'd love to give up a healthy body and shape and even some career security for being together with my other half, so we can travel, go outside, do stuff, or just cuddle. However, since the long distance is a given, why not try to fully utilize all the advantages of this situation rather than envying others? Why not make others envy your healthy body and shape and career security? Otherwise, you would have nothing regardless what situation you are in.
Stop saying how high schoolers don't realize how fortunate they are, and start thinking how fortunate you are to be at where you are. Take full advantage of the current situation, especially when it is a given. Otherwise, you are no different from people who just blame the unchangeable for their own failure.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Chromebook, continued
Find one thing I miss a lot about my MacBook pro: the easiness to create a PDF out of ... well, anything, especially a web page.
A very good tool (chrome extension) I found is iWeb2x, which reads the current URL and makes a pdf out of it.
There is a deadly and unfortunately unchangeable imperfection to this approach. It cannot handle log-in sessions. For example, if you want to save your Facebook front page, iWeb2x will load that URL (http://www.facebook.com) itself without any log-in info, i.e. session cookies, so you will just get the log in page of Facebook.
Solution: if you need to make a pdf out of a private webpage (one that you can only see after logging in), save the webpage use Ctrl + S to your inferior file system, and go to http://pdfcrowd.com/#convert_by_upload to upload the html file you just saved.
However, pdfcrowd adds a (rather insignificant) logo watermark at the corner. Additionally, Chromebook doesn't save the "entire webpage", which means many images "might be" lost during the save (strangely not losing all images, which could be good news).
I tried many other websites, and although many of them don't add watermarks or even allow you to add your own watermarks, they either require you to give an email address to send the resulting file to or give you a zip file, which Chromebook doesn't handle very well, or just does a poor job in converting (probably because those sites have a poor html parsing tool).
pdfcrowd also makes an extension, called "Save as PDF", which works very much like iWeb2x, and as the website, it adds a small logo watermark at the corner.
If you wants to upload the PDF directly to Google Docs, use "Send to Google Docs". This extension works the same way as the other two, and in fact, it actually uses pdfcrowd's service to create the PDF, and then just directly sends the result to Google Docs. Of course, it also has the pdfcrowd watermark.
Speaking of all the files Chromebook doesn't play, I decide to keep a list of video and audio format that I managed to play on my Chromebook, and of course those that don't.
Working video format:
- Some .mp4 (yes, some .mp4 files don't work...)
- Some .mov
Non-working video format:
- .avi
- .wmv
Working audio format:
- .mp3
Non-working audio format:
- .aac (rumor)
- .wma (rumor)
All lists are continuously updated, of course.
Cheers!
Update July/10/2011
If you are a heavy keyboard user, i.e. use key shortcuts more than mouse click, you may see the Ctrl + Alt + / combo tip I talked about here.
If you use a Mac, you know how bad it is to go from "command" key to "ctrl" key due to their different locations. Well, sad no more! Settings -> System -> Language -> Modifier Keys.
When I first saw this, I was confused why would somebody wants to press "ctrl" to have "alt"'s behaviors. Now I know. "Alt" is in the same position as "Command" in a Mac keyboard, and by altering the behavior, Mac users wouldn't get frustrated when switching between Chromebooks and MacBook. Genius!
Update Oct/21/2011
Finally got my butt around and rooted my chromebook.
Took quite a few tries, but the result of integrating two articles leads to success.
First one: http://goo.gl/f9JFS < this one would be sufficient, unless you are a Mac user, which I am. If using Mac to burn the recovery image to USB, then you need to reference the second link for completing Step one in this link
Second: http://www.google.com/support/chromeos/bin/answer.py?answer=183098 < Only the step 2 in this link is useful
Also, I used a 2GB USB, and it was sufficient, so...
A very good tool (chrome extension) I found is iWeb2x, which reads the current URL and makes a pdf out of it.
There is a deadly and unfortunately unchangeable imperfection to this approach. It cannot handle log-in sessions. For example, if you want to save your Facebook front page, iWeb2x will load that URL (http://www.facebook.com) itself without any log-in info, i.e. session cookies, so you will just get the log in page of Facebook.
Solution: if you need to make a pdf out of a private webpage (one that you can only see after logging in), save the webpage use Ctrl + S to your inferior file system, and go to http://pdfcrowd.com/#convert_by_upload to upload the html file you just saved.
However, pdfcrowd adds a (rather insignificant) logo watermark at the corner. Additionally, Chromebook doesn't save the "entire webpage", which means many images "might be" lost during the save (strangely not losing all images, which could be good news).
I tried many other websites, and although many of them don't add watermarks or even allow you to add your own watermarks, they either require you to give an email address to send the resulting file to or give you a zip file, which Chromebook doesn't handle very well, or just does a poor job in converting (probably because those sites have a poor html parsing tool).
pdfcrowd also makes an extension, called "Save as PDF", which works very much like iWeb2x, and as the website, it adds a small logo watermark at the corner.
If you wants to upload the PDF directly to Google Docs, use "Send to Google Docs". This extension works the same way as the other two, and in fact, it actually uses pdfcrowd's service to create the PDF, and then just directly sends the result to Google Docs. Of course, it also has the pdfcrowd watermark.
Speaking of all the files Chromebook doesn't play, I decide to keep a list of video and audio format that I managed to play on my Chromebook, and of course those that don't.
Working video format:
- Some .mp4 (yes, some .mp4 files don't work...)
- Some .mov
Non-working video format:
- .avi
- .wmv
Working audio format:
- .mp3
Non-working audio format:
- .aac (rumor)
- .wma (rumor)
All lists are continuously updated, of course.
Cheers!
Update July/10/2011
If you are a heavy keyboard user, i.e. use key shortcuts more than mouse click, you may see the Ctrl + Alt + / combo tip I talked about here.
If you use a Mac, you know how bad it is to go from "command" key to "ctrl" key due to their different locations. Well, sad no more! Settings -> System -> Language -> Modifier Keys.
When I first saw this, I was confused why would somebody wants to press "ctrl" to have "alt"'s behaviors. Now I know. "Alt" is in the same position as "Command" in a Mac keyboard, and by altering the behavior, Mac users wouldn't get frustrated when switching between Chromebooks and MacBook. Genius!
Update Oct/21/2011
Finally got my butt around and rooted my chromebook.
Took quite a few tries, but the result of integrating two articles leads to success.
First one: http://goo.gl/f9JFS < this one would be sufficient, unless you are a Mac user, which I am. If using Mac to burn the recovery image to USB, then you need to reference the second link for completing Step one in this link
Second: http://www.google.com/support/chromeos/bin/answer.py?answer=183098 < Only the step 2 in this link is useful
Also, I used a 2GB USB, and it was sufficient, so...
Monday, July 4, 2011
A brief review (and perhaps tricks) of Chromebook (not Cr-48)
My chromebook finally got here right before the 4th of July weekend (about time!) Like a 16-year old boy seeing his girlfriend naked for the first time, I pretty much jumped on it right away. The only difference is, my play time lasted the entire weekend :)
Enough with the useless, let me just get right into it.
It is very much what you would expect from a "cloud terminal". Fast, clean, right to the point, because there isn't much else. A few things I find very useful.
1. Key shortcuts
The best thing about Chromebook is, you only need to remember one combo: Ctrl + Alt + /
This gives you all the key shortcuts on a map. Yes, a map. A virtual keyboard shows up, and as you press Ctrl, Alt, Shift or any combo of these three, the virtual keyboard highlights all keys associated with them (and of course description of what those shortcuts do).
2. Move files
This may sound insane, but as a terminal to the cloud, the last thing Google wants to do is to encourage you to use the file system. Therefore, it is a little different to manage files stored on your chromebook from what you are used to do.
As the key shortcut map can tell you, press Ctrl + m brings you to the file manager, but this manager only allows you to rename, delete, upload (if applicable) and view (a very limited set of file types).
Therefore, if you want to move files between folders or simply get files from a external storage, such as an USB drive, you need to open a new tab and put the following in the omnibox (URL bar / address bar)
- Move files from external storage:
file:///media
- Move files within Chromebook (File Shelf)
file:///home/chronos/user/Downloads/
In there, it is the good ol' tree / directory view of your file system. You just need to navigate to the file of interest and right click. Ta-da!
3. Some geeky stuff
If you really feel like it, you can of course check out the task manager (Shift + Esc), and test features ("About Chrome OS" -> "More Info" -> Change "Channel" to Beta or Dev -> put "about:flags" in omnibox) at your own risk.
I will add more tricks in the future (if there are some essential ones left to be known)
Now it's the review part.
Compare to laptops:
- Pros
a. Incredibly energy efficient. One charge lasts me all day (that's what sh...)
b. Incredibly fast on start-up and shutdown, <= 8 secs and <= 4 secs, respectively.
c. Internet-optimized keyboard (one button press for back, forward, refresh, full screen, switch windows, brightness, and volume http://goo.gl/5m71i)
d. Light weight (both literally and technically)
e. SD card slot
f. Apps are updated automatically on "the cloud", so no more pop-ups for updates
g. Files are stored on "the cloud", so you don't need to worry about losing files when you dropped chromebook in a keg, and you can access all of them anywhere there is an internet connection and a (modern) browser (yeah, I am talking to you, IE6)
- Cons
a. Although threats are everywhere, cloud is still more dangerous than your hard-drive, so no sensitive content (unless you feel very adventurous and trusting)
b. It is almost (not entirely) useless when there is no internet, because there is no native apps you can run, and only few offline apps (nice work, Scratchpad and Angry Birds)
c. Can't do any technical work, such as professional video / photo editing, coding etc.
d. Not much layout customization (Firefox is doing a much better job on this)
e. The extension and app store needs some improvement (selection wise)
Compare to tablets:
- Pros
a. The screen and keyboard are separate, so you don't need to angle your hands to make your head more comfortable
b. Full keyboard, so you don't need to cramp your hands and give up the most efficient way to type
c. Full internet (not tablet web browser, but full web browser, and support Adobe Flash, unlike some)
d. SD card slot, two USB port, and one video output (WITH cable)
- Cons
a. Similar to the comparison with laptops, no native apps (but most native apps on tablets require internet connection too, and often times features they provide can be done through web apps as well. The lack of these apps makes the whole web experience quicker and smoother as well)
b. Heavier (about 1~2 pounds heavier)
c. Not many games, which is part of the no native / offline apps issue (I am personally not a big gamer, so, not a big deal for me)
d. Similar to the comparison with laptops, the file system cannot do much locally, and the most painful thing is decompression. I tried wobzip but never really made it working.
In general, after three straight days, I find myself surprisingly comfortable with living on the cloud. I did need to adjust and give myself an orientation at first, but now I feel completely comfortable to migrate my entertainment and casual life to the cloud and enjoy all the pros I stated above. That is when I realize how little I do on my MacBook Pro besides opening up a browser. Even among those few things, I realize how little I cannot do or am not willing to do on the cloud.
Bottom line: If you often don't have internet connection where you want to use a portable device (laptop / tablet), don't consider chromebooks. Otherwise, it could be a very good fit for you. You may be surprised to find how boring all portable devices are without internet (remember not wanting to take your laptop out from your bag in the airport with expensive wifi and long layover?).
Happy 4th of July!
Enough with the useless, let me just get right into it.
It is very much what you would expect from a "cloud terminal". Fast, clean, right to the point, because there isn't much else. A few things I find very useful.
1. Key shortcuts
The best thing about Chromebook is, you only need to remember one combo: Ctrl + Alt + /
This gives you all the key shortcuts on a map. Yes, a map. A virtual keyboard shows up, and as you press Ctrl, Alt, Shift or any combo of these three, the virtual keyboard highlights all keys associated with them (and of course description of what those shortcuts do).
2. Move files
This may sound insane, but as a terminal to the cloud, the last thing Google wants to do is to encourage you to use the file system. Therefore, it is a little different to manage files stored on your chromebook from what you are used to do.
As the key shortcut map can tell you, press Ctrl + m brings you to the file manager, but this manager only allows you to rename, delete, upload (if applicable) and view (a very limited set of file types).
Therefore, if you want to move files between folders or simply get files from a external storage, such as an USB drive, you need to open a new tab and put the following in the omnibox (URL bar / address bar)
- Move files from external storage:
file:///media
- Move files within Chromebook (File Shelf)
file:///home/chronos/user/Downloads/
In there, it is the good ol' tree / directory view of your file system. You just need to navigate to the file of interest and right click. Ta-da!
3. Some geeky stuff
If you really feel like it, you can of course check out the task manager (Shift + Esc), and test features ("About Chrome OS" -> "More Info" -> Change "Channel" to Beta or Dev -> put "about:flags" in omnibox) at your own risk.
I will add more tricks in the future (if there are some essential ones left to be known)
Now it's the review part.
Compare to laptops:
- Pros
a. Incredibly energy efficient. One charge lasts me all day (that's what sh...)
b. Incredibly fast on start-up and shutdown, <= 8 secs and <= 4 secs, respectively.
c. Internet-optimized keyboard (one button press for back, forward, refresh, full screen, switch windows, brightness, and volume http://goo.gl/5m71i)
d. Light weight (both literally and technically)
e. SD card slot
f. Apps are updated automatically on "the cloud", so no more pop-ups for updates
g. Files are stored on "the cloud", so you don't need to worry about losing files when you dropped chromebook in a keg, and you can access all of them anywhere there is an internet connection and a (modern) browser (yeah, I am talking to you, IE6)
- Cons
a. Although threats are everywhere, cloud is still more dangerous than your hard-drive, so no sensitive content (unless you feel very adventurous and trusting)
b. It is almost (not entirely) useless when there is no internet, because there is no native apps you can run, and only few offline apps (nice work, Scratchpad and Angry Birds)
c. Can't do any technical work, such as professional video / photo editing, coding etc.
d. Not much layout customization (Firefox is doing a much better job on this)
e. The extension and app store needs some improvement (selection wise)
Compare to tablets:
- Pros
a. The screen and keyboard are separate, so you don't need to angle your hands to make your head more comfortable
b. Full keyboard, so you don't need to cramp your hands and give up the most efficient way to type
c. Full internet (not tablet web browser, but full web browser, and support Adobe Flash, unlike some)
d. SD card slot, two USB port, and one video output (WITH cable)
- Cons
a. Similar to the comparison with laptops, no native apps (but most native apps on tablets require internet connection too, and often times features they provide can be done through web apps as well. The lack of these apps makes the whole web experience quicker and smoother as well)
b. Heavier (about 1~2 pounds heavier)
c. Not many games, which is part of the no native / offline apps issue (I am personally not a big gamer, so, not a big deal for me)
d. Similar to the comparison with laptops, the file system cannot do much locally, and the most painful thing is decompression. I tried wobzip but never really made it working.
In general, after three straight days, I find myself surprisingly comfortable with living on the cloud. I did need to adjust and give myself an orientation at first, but now I feel completely comfortable to migrate my entertainment and casual life to the cloud and enjoy all the pros I stated above. That is when I realize how little I do on my MacBook Pro besides opening up a browser. Even among those few things, I realize how little I cannot do or am not willing to do on the cloud.
Bottom line: If you often don't have internet connection where you want to use a portable device (laptop / tablet), don't consider chromebooks. Otherwise, it could be a very good fit for you. You may be surprised to find how boring all portable devices are without internet (remember not wanting to take your laptop out from your bag in the airport with expensive wifi and long layover?).
Happy 4th of July!
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