My Blog in Review: 2009

Well, the end of the year is here already. I thought I’d look back at what I had on my blog, talk about what is to come, and a little bit of other stuff.

It’s hard to believe that this new blog (code named Jerenspeak) went up back in April. Since then, I’ve covered a variety of topics, from a browser comparison, domain slamming, and Eric Clapton, to Twitter, Star Trek Online, and Doctor Who. It’s been an interesting year, with a range of subjects that I hope my (limited number of) readers have enjoyed.

I do have quite a bit to post on the same subjects. Articles are already written. However, they will be posted more regularly than before, especially after I get my entire site redesigned.

So, what is there to look forward to? More Twitter/online safety tips, Doctor Who news and reviews, information about Star Trek Online, web design/programming tips and guidelines, music/guitar information… it’s all coming! Just be sure to subscribe to my RSS feed or Twitter account to stay on top of it.

I hope everyone stays safe tonight. And we’ll see what comes with my site for 2010!

Google Announce Google Chrome OS

In what seems like another big announcement today, Google has announced that they are working on a new operating system.  The Google Chrome OS is said to be different from Android and targeted towards netbooks.

It is little wonder that this new OS is targeted towards people that want to get online fast.  In fact, their blog post mentions the intention of the OS itself:

Speed, simplicity and security are the key aspects of Google Chrome OS. We’re designing the OS to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the web in a few seconds. The user interface is minimal to stay out of your way, and most of the user experience takes place on the web.

For someone that has seemed to do a good job at providing both a great internet search engine and a simple, straight-forward browser, it is no surprise that they are pointing towards the web as the platform for their applications.  And, what applications would one use on a netbook?  Documents? Spreadsheets? Google Docs covers that.  Email? Gmail has that down, too. What about talking with your friends online? Google Talk handles that.

“Alright,” some of you may be saying. “So you’re suggesting that Google does it all?”  Not necessarily.  There are times where you might find a need to chat with friends on Yahoo or MSN quickly, which is where a service such as Meebo can come in.  Or if you need to pop on IRC to get some Ubuntu support, you can use a variety of web-based solutions, including Mibbit.

Overall, this may lead to a very versatile application environment:

For application developers, the web is the platform. All web-based applications will automatically work and new applications can be written using your favorite web technologies.

With the web as your platform, that gives you quite a few options.  And, if we can assume that Google Chrome will be the standard browser in Google Chrome OS, then you’re looking at a fairly stable, smooth operating environment for your applications.  Plus, there’s the added benefit:

And of course, these apps will run not only on Google Chrome OS, but on any standards-based browser on Windows, Mac and Linux thereby giving developers the largest user base of any platform.

If some app happens to stand out on Google Chrome OS, it is possible it either already exists on the web or would be easily available for the rest of us to use (should we not be using Google Chrome OS).

As people use the Internet more and more for work, communcation, and the overall sharing of ideas, simpler and smaller internet solutions may be required.  Netbooks cater to that audience.  And, given how Google Chrome itself has jumped into the browser pool, Google Chrome OS may make a similar splash with netbooks when it is released.

Share your views on this!  Leave a comment or send me a tweet about this post.

New Site Coming

At least, I’d like to think that I have a new site coming.  Well, I have several new sites coming.  But, when it comes to this site, it’s a new design that I’m talking about.

The last couple versions of JoshsPadd have been darker, though I was proud of the last version when I created it years ago.  At least, I was of the design.  I never did get around to really making a site out of it.

Now, I’m going for a brighter look.  Something professional, sleek, and hopefully attractive.  Just like me! (At least, that’s what I think…)

How will the new site look, exactly?  That hasn’t been created yet.  All I do know is that, soon, a new site will be there.  The splash page is a little sample of the kind of look that I’m going for (and borrowed from a splash page I made for another site I recently did).  It hopefully will be something people like.  And if not, then I may have to tweak it a bit (depending on who the people are that I ask).

But if anyone has ideas on how my new site should look, let me know!  This is going to be a my portfolio site, showcasing work I’ve done and being about me and what I do.  So, any ideas to add? I’d love to hear them from you, no matter how you choose to contact me.