E-Tools evolved: Flock 2.0 Beta after Firefox 3

This is my first blog entry after installing Flock 2.0 Beta almost a week ago. It has been very interesting. There are good and bad parts. Most of the bad parts have to do with added security that was part of Firefox 3. I have many useful add-ons installed, but because many did not have secure updates they were disabled. I really hope the capable folks who put these extensions together can make the necessary changes to allow me to continue using their products. Some keyboard shortcuts are not working properly yet. Ctrl-Shift-B should open the blog editor, but instead opens the Bookmark manager.

The good news is that Flock is now much faster to load, even on my laptop (hmmm... is that because my add-ons were too bloaty?). It also benefits from Firefox 3's revamped address bar.

As my usage of facebook has continued, I've become even more greatful for Flock's People Bar (not exactly new). I can see all of my friends' updates on twitter and facebook at once from the sidebar. It really is rather convenient.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Facebook: Initial Pros & Cons

I just started auditioning Facebook this last weekend, and while I like the simple elegance of the interface's layout, I haven't completely bought in to what it can do for me. Allison has jumped in wholeheartedly, so I am relying on her enthusiasm to carry me forward. She's been enjoying Twitter for it's social uses, but wished that she could use it for uploading pictures as well, so Facebook answers that need nicely. There are many other social networking comforts she is able to soothe with it as well.

I have a different usage model in mind, I guess. I would rather use Facebook as a way to let my friends and family access the other content I already have online. My phone has Blogger support built in, so I use that to post a few pictures. If I want to post more, I have Picasa web albums for that as well. I want to keep each of my blogs active, and have updates appear on Facebook. Except for the occasional game or movie question, I want to make my Facebook persona into something where I can set it and forget it, and not have to worry about the information becoming stale.

Cons:

• Some Apps that I'm interested in are not quite functional.
• Adding multiple news feeds is problematic at best.
  

Pros:

• It is almost impossible to make your page painful to look at. It can be cluttered, but not ugly.
• Playing games with your friends is simple to do, and fun.

I'm optimistic, but I'm not going to hold my breath. I've been hesitant to join such social networks in the past, but I'm willing to give it a go now.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

New Computer Diggs For Me!!

Hooray for me!!! I found a "new" monitor for sale and snatched it up. It is a Samsung 21.6" wide screen LCD, and it works pretty nicely. OfficeMax wanted to get rid of their floor model, so I volunteered to help them out. Allison says she is jealous, but she should remember that her screen is actually taller than mine, and that games are a bitch to get running at strange resolutions like 1680x1050, so she's better off by adding a second monitor later on instead.

One day later, I have my desktop computer up and running again. Just like Allison's, it sits me next to a front window in our house. Unlike Allison's, I get to see our cars and more of the street (and it is closer to a bathroom, with a shower even). The challenging part in all this is that I'm now in yet another corner of the house not serviced by our Ethernet router. In anticipation of installing all new hardware in Allison's computer, I ransacked the HTPC (still not set up yet, duh) and took its video card and laptop wireless adapter. After buttoning it back up, I opened up my desktop system, extracted the video card from that, then installed the HTPC components in there.

Allison will get my old video card, but she's getting a similarly "new" motherboard & dual-core processor. She's also getting genuinely new memory for her system (Mother's Day Present #1) as well as the more dependable connection to the internet (Mother's Day Present #2). I currently need to twist my desk a bit to get a decent signal. I need to find the extra antenna I squirreled away somewhere. If that doesn't work, I can always add another Panasonic Powerline Ethernet Kit to my Father's Day wish list.
That's it for now. I can see the bed calling to me.

Blogged with the Flock Browser