Chrome should be a Google Experience

Ok Google, we get it. You love your Chrome it is your baby and brain child and setting the internet on fire with growing attachment rates by the day. You killed the use of Google Toolbar on other platforms to support Chrome more. You are constantly tweaking and creating add-on’s for your baby like +1 Button for all and Offline usage of Gmail. But I have a question. Why isn’t Chrome a fully tooled Google Experience? I know it is trying to be a browser but as anyone that uses Chrome knows… it can do so much more. You may know that I am an android phone user and one of the main reasons for this is I was already a hearty Google user. I have multiple active gmail accounts as well as Calendar, Reader, Maps, GTalk, Picasa and anything else they have to offer. It was one of the reason why going to Android was so flawless. It imported my contacts and made everything a dream for me.

I can’t do everything on my phone though (no matter how much I want to) and I am not ready to become a Chrome OS user. (though I know some who are making the leap) When I open my Chrome it is pretty much perma-linked to open Gmail, G+, Reader, and now Google Music. I have to log into these sites or some will auto-log depending on the last time I was here. Maybe I am being selfish here but I want the experience to more match what my phone has to offer. When opening a Chrome window I wouldn’t mind “logging in” and during that session all of my Google sites work as such. Also I want the cross functionality that my phone offers. Send to calendar? Send to Gmail? Share in Reader? I want all these at the click of a button. I want Google to be more program than browser interface. I use Chrome more often than any other item on any of my computers. That beats out Firefox, Windows Media Player, VLC, Word, everything. Chrome has my soul!!!

XKCD said it wonderfully with this comic

All I ask it a little more functionality. I want my Google programs to be always present whether I am in the actual website or not. I want with a shortcut key my calendar pops up or maybe even Google music so I can switch song. I want Chrome to be more of an experience than a browser. Maybe it is already there and I have yet to find it. I am more than happy to be lead in the right direction. What do you think is missing from your Google/Chrome/Android experience? What could be added to give a more wholesome experience for you?

I see a lot of content

So I was perusing my Google Reader account (this is where a lot of the content from my fan page comes from) and I was greeted by this banner.

From your 24 subscriptions, over the last 30 days you read 4,385 items, clicked 11 items, starred 1 item, shared 208 items, and emailed 0 items.

I was thinking about this today. On average I take in about 100-200 articles a day depending on content. This reduces over the weekend but is made up for heavy Monday’s and Friday’s. These aren’t all skimming (there is a lot of skimming though as a lot of it is repeated) and post them to the appropriate resources. Some items get shared on the Facebook Fan Page some on Twitter. Some never make it farther than just being shared on Google Reader and some go into making blog posts like this one.

There are also the other fan pages and products I’m connected or “Liked” on Facebook. There is some carryover in content but Fb tends to provide a lot more local coverage. Twitter provides tons of content but it is heavy carryover or nonsense and my likelihood to retweet something that wasn’t directed at me is slim to nill. I do have to promote reader as a handy RSS reader though. Google has done a fine job and allows me quick access on my desktop, phone, or netbook. How do you absorb your content during the day? Are you a feed-reader? Do you RSS, how so? Read it later? Stumbleupon? I’m curious. Let me know

Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 and why you shouldn’t care

First off I am not saying you shouldn’t buy this game. Far from it. I will probably be purchasing this  game day of.

This is Ultimate MvC3 it is an update or half-sequel as some would like to call it to Marvel vs Capcom 3 released early in 2011. This game is set for a fall release making for two title updates within the same year. Some of the fans of the series are stating they are “betrayed” by the games release and being ripped off for us of additional content. Capcom states the reason for the additional title launch is due to the 2011 tsunami’s and earthquakes which put a damper on their DLC release window. Instead of releasing the bulk of this content in bundled DLC they decided to make a reduced price standalone game. I for one agree with this tactic. Let’s take a look on current DLC for MVC3

$5 each... you're kidding me right?

Jill Valentine and Shuma-Gorath are both currently being offered for $5 each as DLC characters. I know a lot of people who have bought MVC3 and have yet to pick these characters up. Why? Because why pay $10 for two characters you might not even play as. The community balks that the content of UMvC3 was not included as DLC yet I don’t believe a lot of people realize the cost this would add to their game. Currently there are 12 additional characters slated for the game. At $5 a character that’s $60 right there. I know I’ve spent $60 in DLC before but that was for Rockband which is a completely different story. Just the cost of the characters alone justifies the new disk. Secondly this is a fall release to help cap out the holiday year for Capcom. I wouldn’t really consider this a new release but more of a “Game of the Year addition” plenty of games are using this tactic and I think this is one that will end up helping Capcom in the long run.

Also have we forgot which company we are dealing with here? Capcom for the longest time it was unknown if they could count to 3, let alone 4. With five variations of Street Fighter 2 alone the company went on to spin-off the series in Alpha, Super, Ex, and the Vs series that we are talking about now. It is about selling discs. It is about time Capcom got back into doing so. This is not only for corporate profit however (ok well mainly it is) but the success of MvC or any Capcom fighting game spawns more iterations of the company’s vast portfolio of fighters. Want to see another Power Stone? Or Rival Schools? or even Plasma Sword? Then this is a step in the right direction. It just needs to be watched. Each update should include increased content and feel like an addition to the game or series. The last thing we want is the same game reskinned with either updated graphics or more character colors.

I am excited for UMvC3 it makes it so I don’t have to buy a bunch of needless DLC and I can have everything on one disk. I am slightly annoyed that I will still have to purchase those two characters for completionist sake but the game balancing tweeks and additional content I think will speak for itself. The real question is when can we expect Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 Turbo?

Raising my phones IQ the path from dumb to smartphone

I love my smartphone. It goes everywhere with me. I carry a charger on me at all times including a car charger for those emergency situations where I can’t find an outlet. Currently I’m using a G2(HTC Desire Z)

Oh you sexie beasto you

I have never been more in love with my phone than I have these days. I update my social media from the phone. I even wrote most of this blog post from it. It is quick, efficient, not without its flaws but a pretty awesome device. I feel naked without my phone. It hasn’t always been this way. It wasn’t that long ago that I could quote myself saying a cell phone is for making calls and little else. You didn’t need all the bells and whistles. I really stayed true to this idea until I was smitten by the Motorola Razr.

So shiny

This is the first phone I ever bought out of design instead of function and stability. I was one of the many ignorant few to buy a Razr day one even with the minuscule pittance of a paycheck I had in those days. I can almost still remember the unboxing. So slick so sexy. The first commercial I saw for it almost made me weep. But with great joy comes great sorrow as my new beauty died. Then broke. Then died. Then broke. Then died again.

Why you no love me no more

This is how I was introduced to the vicious cycle of new technology. My Razr died about 8 times during its stay in my life and only 2 of those were accidents caused my me. During this time I watched as the Razr was introduced to new versions and upgrades as my bladed beauty was replaced time and time again with warranty replacement. T-mobile got to know me by first name after a while until it got to the point where I became sick of the whole ordeal and switched to the Samsung t629. This was a lovely phone by comparison. The operating system was simple but efficient the call quality was excellent and it introduced me to the slider motif. This phone had a nice little life and I managed to fill the mini-sd card so much I had to buy a bigger one. It was a good phone but this was the dawn of texting and T9 just wasn’t cutting it anymore. Once my contract was up for renew I switched to something more my speed.

Enter the new Challenger

The T-Mobile shadow introduced me to the half keyboard and my addiction was just getting ramped up in the cell phone arena. This phone was perfectly marketed to me. I wanted more power but I didn’t want the clunky un-fun blackberry like devices being offered. It had mobile internet, email, and many other perks (including wi-fi) that I would grow to love and increasingly become addicted to. It got bogged down by apps and since it was a Window’s phone I’d have to reset the damn thing five times a day but I loved it. I never knew how many emails I would write while exploiting free wi-fi (I wasn’t going to pay for data) The keyboard made me fast and efficient at it. I also got my first taste at a GPS-like navigation which always died but the idea would stick in my brain forever.

This phone also connected well to my computer. I could easily transfer over pictures, music, and movies with a few clicks of a button. I was able to sync my contacts and even download updates. I could feel the next step already as this phone’s mana seeped into my veins. I needed more and I needed it soon. This one’s contract couldn’t end quick enough as I watched the ongoing battle with the iphone murdering Blackberry and talks of a new Google operating system in the works. I eagerly awaited updates and what would T-mo offer me to get another new device that I didn’t really need but becoming more of a lifeline than I ever would imagine.

Hello Moto

I know what you’re thinking. Didn’t you learn anything from the Razr experience. No, no I didn’t. I feel right into Motorola’s grubby little hands with the Cliq. The G1 was outdated by the time I wanted to join team Android and the Cliq seemed to be the shiny new thing that could solve all my problems. Also it had a full keyboard. When my Shadow died momentarily I borrowed a friends Sidekick 2 and realized how inefficient my half keyboard was. I should have known something was off with my Cliq when I first got it but ignorance is bliss. I got all the nuance of the smartphone revolution and all the bells and whistles of social network integration. It was a great life until I realized Google likes to update their products… A LOT. My Cliq was quickly left in the dust as Moto decided it would focus its attention on its Droid line. I saw many of the features I desired (Looking at you navigation) being added in additional updates while my Motoblur lagged behind the competition. I waited for what seemed like forever all while being immersed in options I now take for granted. I didn’t even notice how attached to my email, facebook, RSS, maps, and mobile internet I had become. It wasn’t until my Cliq took a fatal fall (months after its 2.1 update) and cracked the screen that I realized the bind I had put myself in. I dusted off my Shadow and tried to use it again as new. This was not going to work. It was slow, and almost barbaric. All the form function and design I had gotten use to (albeit slow as dirt) was gone. Where were my applications. Where was my f-n Angry Birds!!!

I waited forever to play you.. Only to hate you soon after

I had become an Android addict and learned that I desperately needed to satiate my fix. I held out for what seemed like forever but finally broke down for my birthday and bought myself the G2 I am using today. I can’t say I will ever go back. The cell phone game has changed. They did what all good technology should. They made me need something I never needed before. They made me crave and desire something that I had no use for. My phone almost does more work than my computer and it is almost toe-to-toe with my Netbook in data usage. Each week brings me a new application to try out as it integrates into my life.  Last week was the Google Music Beta, next week I may be able to park my car with it (ok maybe a few more weeks than that) It makes me wonder what is to come. What new device can they add to the phone to make it smarter. I remember when I hated touch screens and now I can’t live without mine. I still loath touchscreen keyboards but one day I am sure that too will pass. Are you part of the smartphone revolution? Are you reading this from your phone right now? What was your first taste? Do you think you can go back to the Nokia 1110 for a week? I know I can’t. I am happy here. Can’t wait for the next upgrade.

Motion In Gaming

I want to take a moment to discuss the state of Motion Control Gaming in the industry thus far. I’ve played more Wii hours than I care to admit, I own The Playstation Move, and have even spent some time with the Kinect. Each system gets something right with its application of motion control and each system has their own glaring flaws. This isn’t an article about these systems though but the style of gaming they are hoping to promote.

Since I started gaming in the long long ago gaming was only done one way, with a controller. I have grown comforted in the controller and even the feel of one in my hands brings great times past to mind. One could argue any input device is a controller and that person is well… an asshole. You know what I’m talking about.

Feels good in your hands

This generation of gaming has brought a new type of controller into view. It isn’t the first time it has been utilized but one of the most popularized and mainstream efforts thus far. I am disappointed in motion gaming. I really think we are missing the mark and full potential of what these devices can do. They not only can broaden and expand audience borders, they can add immersion or just a new fun way to play. I know these all seem like corporate buzzwords but honestly it is true. I would like to call out a cry for help. So excuse me.

“INDIE DEVS!!!! DO YOU HEAR ME!!!! PLEASE SAVE MOTION GAMING! I KNOW YOU DON’T CARE, BUT I REALLY THINK YOU SHOULD! CORPORATE GAMING ISN’T GOING TO TAKE THE TIME TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THIS RIGHT SO WE NEED YOU!!!!”

/End Capslock.

I don’t believe that the corporate profit structure is going to be able to save motion gaming. They are trying to make their money back from research and development of these products and are more obsessed with attachment rates than making a decent game. In their eyes it is another cash cow that will bring in soccer moms and little kids. Recently the independent developers market has brought new life into the gaming spectrum.

Murder is so much better with friends

It is with this I plead with Indie devs to save motion gaming before everyone loses interest. Currently our plethora of motion games comes in a few select forms.

1) The hodge podge of mini games

More games MOAR

If you have ever been near a Wii you have played this. It is a bunch of fun simplistic games that took little time with very simple concepts and very loosely based motion controls. It is an ADD kids dream. Play, win, change game, repeat. There isn’t that much depth and even the best with depth doesn’t make it more of a mini game gallery. The problem I have for these titles is all of them “loosely” use motion in each of the games. They neglect most of the functions of motion aside from simple left/right, up/down, in/out or shake controls.

2) “This appeals to hardcore” games

We're not playing... oh wait we are

Motion gaming has been universally panned as “Casual” by the gaming crowd so now we have these games that are “EXTREME” that use motion controls as a separate control scheme or the only option to add “immersion” and “depth” more catchy bullet points for the box. These games mostly lack fun. They also try to ignore the fact that we have all been using controllers forever. Your new control system sucks. It will not make me throw away my trusty D-pad enabled games. Also even if the control scheme was utilized since development it doesn’t make it fun. It doesn’t make it a better system than of the controller. It makes you think… why am I playing it like this, instead of just enjoying the moment.

3) WTF is their motion controls in this

The last games sucked, why not make one with motion

You take an average game and add motion control to it. Why? Because fuck you that’s why. These companies didn’t spend millions of dollars on research and market testing for you to not have their control schemes shoved down your throat. So you will play with that waggle, no matter how much it sacrifices gameplay. It doesn’t even need to be a good game. The bare bones game can be crap as long as it makes you wiggle, waggle, push or somehow look stupid. It not only makes you question motion gaming as a whole, but why you wasted your money on such an abortion of gaming.

I actually give a crap about motion gaming. I honestly like it. I just think it has failed us so far. Motion gaming in concept reminds me of the old days at the arcade where you would have that one game where you’d pick up the modified controller and play your life away. I want that joy back again. Console gaming has killed my arcade but they haven’t replaced my arcade experiences. We keep trying for new and innovative, why don’t we renew and innovate some classics. Here are some genre’s I would like to see redone in motion and see if we can’t get something done.

1) Light Gun Games

Oh you sweet sexy bitch

Seriously I don’t even know why I had to write this. I know we live in a world of FPS and walking around holding our gun and pew pewing at things but Light Gun Games were the shit, still are the shit, and can be the shit once again. I had spent literal days at an arcade pumping money into Time Crisis, Virtual Cop, House of the Dead, and even a bunch of lesser known titles. These games are still fun. They have had a paltry reception in the console world with the best being poor knock-offs of arcade originals. For this I say start slow. Don’t build a better bridge, just build a new damn bridge that works. Also don’t latch on crappy motion control gimmicks into my light gun game. I don’t want to spin around, stamp my feet, or anything. I want to point and destroy things with bullets. Can you make your fancy hardware do this without me having to re-calibrate it 20 times in game.

2) Sword/Sword and Shield games

Like this but at home

The game I’m showing is Blade of Honor which is a light gun game but with a sword. I am not talking about recreating this experience but building off of it. The idea of a 1:1 motion slice cutting apart an enemy on screen makes me weep. This doesn’t even have to be a rail game. Just give me this action along with movement and my money is pretty much yours. The Wii has made much better leaps at this idea with games like Red Steel and No More Heroes but the actions just aren’t there. Also why not a sword and shield game? Could you picture a more first person Gauntlet or Golden Axe experience where you were the hero fighting off waves and waves of the horde. Also picture the workout you could get. Speaking of workout…

3) Boxing/Street Fighting games

Awesome concept, horrible game

What better way to use motion than to let out some of that pent up aggression you have. Not all of us have access to that UFC gym of our dreams but a lot of us would love to pummel something with our fists without getting the cops called on us. The more recent offerings of this either go to slow clunky not fun exhibitions of failure, or wagglerific flail wildly into the nothing games. The harder part of fighting games is feedback. You aren’t really hitting anything so what is stopping your punches. There has to be a way around this, vibration? sound feedback? Something’s got to give.

These are just a few of my ideas. What I want most though is fun. The tech is there we just need the implementation. I remember the first time I played Wii bowling I thought, “This is cute, I wonder what more can come of it” and not much did. Some games go far too little into motion and some games go way too extreme. They forget about the player. They want so badly to create immersion and box art bullets that they leave us out in the cold holding onto our little motion controllers. I know the tech is new and with time great things will happen. Great things will only happen if we go in the right direction. I am starting to believe that motion cannot just be tact onto a game but has to be in the start of the idea. It has to be part of the basic concepts.

Who do you love?

So I follow a few blogs that my friends started. You can find their links always on the left (well the left at this time). They are an eccelctic bunch so here is a brief overview of each one.

• Becks-n-Effect

Inside the mind of a manic. Wondrous rants and raves of various commentary from pop culture to politics anything that gets her going at the moment. Decent length editorials with personal fact checking and source links. Always reliable to get you going “For real???”

• Campbellzc’s Blog

A great opinion piece blog with varying topics from Tech, Public opinion, and science. A detailed blog sure to get you talking about something.

• Fyre’s Den

Sister of Rabid and fellow Damien Enterprise employee Fyrestata brings you whatever is on her mind at the moment. From Anime, Tech, Gaming or anything shiny or sharp Fyre puts her two cents in.

• InfinityBeard

You have now reached the ends of the internetz. Brother of Rabid and Damien Enterprises other Co-founder Needsnaming brings you an eccentric mix of his tastes, likes, and inside the scary black hole that is called his brain. Meme and internet humor as well as current music likes varying from Pop, Rock, and Electronica.

• My Happy Mailbox

She loves the things you put in her box. Happy Mailbox is Randi’s one woman army to keep the US Postal Service alive. More seriously it is a blog about various Post Card, PenPal, and letter swapping sites. Tons of photos of all the wonderful things she gets in the mail as well as sends out all over the globe. Who says postage is dead?

• Path to Ataraxia

In his words, “a lucid state, characterized by freedom from worry or any other preoccupation” Path is a brother of Rabid as well as Damien Enterprise employee. With posts varying from Anime, Foreign interests, Tech, Gaming, and more Path shows you his take on the internet and what floats his boat. Excellent links, and great commentary.

• The Craftafarian

We’re talking Semi-homemade! Lindsay brings the world of the busy-bee crafter to light. A little hippie a little crafty all easy going. She has a love for animals that are also very prominent part of her site. With projects and giveaways there is always something interesting here. Varying topics from arts and crafts, to animal welfare, and randomness.

• The Grown Life

Following the lives of Lindsay and Adora The Grown Life shows the world though the eyes of no longer being a kid. Full of wonder and spirit TGL deals with spirituality, adventure, and just living. With two authors there are varying but similar views that will leave you wishing for more to read.

• Unapologetic Sass

A tumblr site showing the snarky side of her own personal daily life as well random things she finds interesting. Great insight and rants. Very few TL:DRs and always something that will give you a smile.

So that’s it for now. If you’re a personal blogger in my realm let me know and I’ll check you out. I keep current on all the sites above and will liberally use them to my liking.

-TRS

Rantings of a Nightowl

If you know TRS or its typist well you know that we are quite nocturnal. We have been this way for quite some time and we have to say life isn’t very fair for the late night dweller. If you’ve ever been wide awake past 2am you can relate. Our reasons may be different but our feelings are the same. The night life is not the right life for good entertainment in some circuits. Some may read this and go “But I know this 24 hour coffee shop, or wonderful after hours bar” and bless you for that but it is not what we’re talking about. If we wanted to be “out” we are sure we could find something to entertain us. We are referring to home entertainment.

With the novel inventions of Netflix, DVR, and Hulu+ TV now bends at the whim of the user instead of the other way around. But some night owls are awake all day and night. There is only so much television we can tolerate. By hour 8 in an 24 hour day you start to visualize all the ways corporations are advertising to you. You wonder if the person in this show is drinking a Pepsi because it was the beverage of choice or because it was a crafted ploy to get you thinking about Pepsi. All of that becomes quite unnecessary and the TV goes off.

We find the later it gets the less likely we are to create anything of value or add to society. We could write, draw, do something create something but the mojo isn’t there like it is in the day. Maybe it is the fact that everyone around us is sleeping. So we lurk.

Lurk Moar

With the internet more options are available to keep the nocturnal mind open. In the long long ago we lurked chat rooms and AOL profiles. After that was link sites like the still running entensity.net (don’t go there, we swear that place is infested with malware) there was midnight roleplayers and even friends in other countries (Sup to our Australian homies). Nowadays we have the ever updating feeds of present such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler, and the other lurkings of the blogosphere (feel dirty just typing that word) but we can’t say it was for the better. Before when we were awake at all hours of the morning it felt like we were conversing with others. We had chats with like minded villains of the same nature. Now it seems like everyone is just yelling into the cloud hoping not for a response but for everyone to “like” or “retweet” their yelling. This is how we prove our existence.

You know you’re getting older when you crave the times of past. I don’t think any late night ranting would be complete without my dear friend Stumbleupon. You greedy time killing bastard. You are a dear friend and a hated enemy in one program. Times when sleep called for us, yearned for us, that button called a little bit louder. A siren or temptress saying “just one more click” we were lured to you after a friend explained you as “Teh randomz button for teh internetz”. This came to be more than true as hours and days were wasted upon you. With more than 63k stumbles (honestly thought there would be more) time has been wasted here.

We guess there isn’t that much to complain about that there isn’t something that keeps our eager little minds busy in the wee hours of the morning. We think it would be better if we could find more like us. So we ask… are you nocturnal?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Google+ and why I entered the fold

There is a lot of talk about G-Money’s (yes I just called Google G-Money which will now be shortened to G$) new social network Google plus and if there is such a need for a thing.

In tech I believe there is always a need for new advancements or new products even if it does the same thing as its predecessors. I see tech as a constant battle and if there is only one survivor they are claimed as “the winner” and advancements are not made as steadily as when their was competition.

Take some time to remember Myspace. Myspace claimed dominance over friendster and other social sites of its time with an iron fist. So much so that Tom took the money and ran after selling the company to NewCorp (who has recently sold the dying site again) Myspace was riding the cloud high as a small site Facebook who was primarily used by college students started to open its doors. By the time Facebook had open registration people were already foaming at the mouth to get out of Myspace’s grasps.

I bring this up because I feel the same thing is happening with Google. For months now I have been needing an escape from Facebook as every person who has ever passed me in the street as well as every advertiser ever (bit of exaggeration) tries to find me and delve into every part of my life. I was fine with Facebook when it was just my friends. The main reason I came to Facebook is because of their superior folder photo uploading in the long long ago. Now Facebook is like Myspace of old, large and overpowered. They take my information and past and hold it in their own little box. Ever try to get your stuff off of Facebook? It isn’t as easy as you would think. Also every try to go back in time? Other sites made it very easy to see what you were doing a year ago or even two years but FB doesn’t allow this option. The information is still there it just isn’t yours to get to at this time. (Though they enjoy posting pictures of old on my friends and lovers walls)

Facebook needs to embrace change. With the addition of Google+ they will have no choice but to update and innovate less they fall victim to the Myspace-esque peril of internet yesteryear. In the mean time I would like to see Google place down all the things I have wished for over the years. I know I can control how I post on FB but I want more. It is my internet life and I want to dictate how it is shared upon the masses. I am taking to embracing the new challenge on the social hill. Will there be one winner? Or will Google+ be a new twitterlike device that people integrate their FB habits with. Time will tell.

Spookys Orlando

So this is cool. Live from the post I’m at Spooky’s on Mill’s 50 this place is amazing look at this sandwhich. It is a meatloaf sub.

Its a very nice quaint indie place in Orlando. The menu changes frequently the staff are friendly locals. The food was superb.

Hello world!

A distorted smile. Twisted and open. Is it true happiness or the delusion of grandeur that went a little to far. The Rabid Smiley grins wide at you enter his gaze. Can you escape before the overzealous grin gets you?