Google - in it's quest for media domination - may have finally conquered television by releasing Chromecast yesterday.
This USB-looking device is expected to revolutionize online streaming through television.
This is not Google's first attempt at online streaming through television. Most notably, Google TV was the companies latest & greatest failure at this.
Did you see that remote?!
I think it's awesome that the same team that developed Google TV learned from their mistakes and created a far-better improvement: Chromecast! From what I've seen, Chromecast is very easy to use - the major selling point.
Pros
Price - It's $35! The Apple TV is $99; these things can cost upwards of $100! $35 is a steal!
Minimal Hardware - Chromecast is the size of a Flashdrive! No boxes, wires, etc. No finding a place for it in your entertainment center. It just plugs into your television!
Minimal Software - One simple button press and voila!
Cons
Still kind of new - Sure, it's compatible with YouTube, Hulu, Pandora... But I'm sure that the Chromecast is still lacking when it comes to apps. But give it a few months, and it will be up to speed! However, who knows what glitches users will find once Chromecast gains more popularity...
Unsure how multiple devices work - What if you tried to stream video from both your phone and tablet? What would happen?
I don't typically write about new technology. (It's just so much to keep up with!) But this little gem caught my eye yesterday, and I had to share! Gizmodo highly recommends buying the Chromecast, and, for $35, you'd HAVE to be crazy not to get one.
I know it's been a while (and I should have posted something sooner), but I am still mourning G4's Attack of the Show and X-Play. As a young geek, these shows have been a great source of information and entertainment.
The entire channel will be undergoing a re-branding in September. On September 23, 2013, G4 will become the Esquire Network.
The Esquire Network is the channel's way of "growing up". G4 is apparently television for older boys, whereas Esquire Network is for young men. Along with games and technology, the Esquire Network will consist of programming about food, travel, fashion, and other things.
I'm too old for shows about video games... I like other things, too, now... but, yes, I still like games though.
Reading through the list of upcoming shows, I instantly thought it sounded familiar...
Cooking: Knife Fight / Top Chef
Fashion: How I Rock It / Project Runway
Real Estate: Risky Listing / Million-Dollar Listing
It all sounds like manly versions of shows on Bravo!
Add a hot guy & a few explosions, and rename it Knife Fight.
Television for men, television for women... Sure it's a little sexist to assume "men like this whereas women like that", but it's always interesting to see what network producers put together for these broad target audiences.
G4 was one of my favorite networks. I hope the new Esquire Network measures up to its glory - and is hopefully different than the Bravo network!
With online streaming and DVRs, a time will likely come where you're able to make a television channel that caters to your personal interests. What would your daily line-up be?
Although I'm sure a "post-graduate student" is a real thing in another context, I wanted to write a post about those of us who are finally in the "real world" and still crave the academic culture.
Upon graduating from The University of Michigan, one of the first changes I had to adapt to was no longer being a student. After work, I sometimes feel like there is an assignment I should be doing. I still occasionally have stress dreams about a final for a class I haven't attended!
Am I the only person here without a paper to write?
Don't get me wrong! The freedom of post-graduate life is sweet. No deadlines, exams, cramming, scheduling, or course catalogs. However, I sometimes feel the urge to learn.
Another freedom that comes with being released from an educational institution is the choice of what to learn next. Sure, you majored in a subject you were passionate about and learned quite a bit. But everyone has taken at least one class that had nothing to do with anything but served as a credit you needed to graduate.
I was reading an Forbes article about how to be an expert in your field, and it suggested teaching a course on the website SkillShare. SkillShareis a start-up site that allows experts to share teach their talents for free to anyone willing to learn.
Check out the submitted projects from this guy's class! Delicious!!! Note: Only some of the classes are free, but most are very affordable.
I remember spending a day of Spring Break in my dorm room watching Ted Talks.... I am a nerd. But, hey, TedTalks are entertaining, informational, and inspirational! Ted Talks are also great ways to spark intelligent dialogue. You'd be surprised at the decrease in intellectual conversation when you're not required to talk about readings at least once a week.
Here's an exceptionally entertaining Ted Talk I saw recently...
You've likely come across a Howcast video or two online before. They're quick tutorials on how to do things. It wouldn't be a bad idea to learn a few new things through the Howcastwebsite.
Tutorials for everything from "how to understand heart disease" to "sexy dance moves for the club" can be found on this helpful site.
Google
Duh... you can always google something you want to learn more about and follow the rabbit hole until you become an expert.
I hope this post inspires you to learn something new this summer. Just because you're not obligated to learn things doesn't mean you shouldn't! Everyone could use a little more knowledge here or there.
What subject matter are you yearning to dive into?
In a previous post, I mentioned that my boyfriend of 5.5 years and I broke up...
We're back together now!!!
I also found something worth sharing other than the ups and downs of my personal life...
In that post, I also talked about an idea that had been floating around in my head about an app or website that gives you songs to listen to in any situation. I didn't find THAT per se, BUT I did find this site called 8Tracks!
8Tracks is a cool virtual community where people put together playlists and share them! (It's just like my idea except with more human labor than computer algorithms.) I found it on Pinterest while looking for tips for incoming college freshmen; there was a rather long (6+ hours worth) playlist of study music.
If you've never heard about it, it's something to check out! At the least it will bring life to a silent night. It'll likely introduce you to new songs, too!
I've had this idea floating in my head for a while now - I even wrote a paper about it - but I thought I'd share it... along with a little personal drama.
You see, my boyfriend [of the last 5.5 years] and I broke up yesterday. However, don't worry about me, friends, I will be all right. I'm a pretty tough girl.
I seriously thought this would depress me, but it actually made me laugh!
Even though I consider myself a bit of an expert when it comes to relationships, I am still a geek. One of the first things I did when my pre-engagement disintegrated completely was look up how to handle a break up. The first credible source I found was this MSN/Cosmo article.
"Obsess over the break up...for 15 minutes."
This part struck a cord with me! I had been so prideful thinking: "Man, f*ck this break-up sadness sh*t. I don't give a f*ck!" However, though it is remarkable to stand strong through an ordeal like this, it is necessary to release that stress lest it eat you up inside.
So, I decided to come home and think about the epic fail of a relationship for a couple hours. I typically de-stress by listening to music that relates to the situation...
But there really isn't an app or website for songs relating to a specific situation, is there? Someone should totally do that! I should be able to click on "Break Up - Empowered" and hear Katherine McPhee's So Over It and other songs that make me feel empowered about a break up!
Just a thought... App Wizards, feel free to get rich off of it. I just could use it right now.
In the meantime, here are a few songs that have helped me recently:
So Over It - Katherine McPhee
Survivor - Destiny's Child
So What - P!nk
Return of the Mack - Mark Morrison
Exhale - Whitney Houston
Cry - Rihanna
Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye
Real Love - Mary J. Blige
Not Gon' Cry - Mary J. Blige
Smile - Lily Allen
Label or Love - Fergie
It's My Life - No Doubt (my anthem lately)
"If your phone doesn't ring, it's me."
Share a moment when a song fit a situation perfectly on Facebook!
The article goes into the various reasons why Superstar Beyonce Knowles should not be considered an inspiration for today's young women based on the way she puts herself out there. I'm sure Beyonce fans - who oddly don't have a name like Little Monsters or Beliebers - were outraged by the article, but I can see where the author's head is.
Honestly, although I've been a Beyonce fan once or twice in my life, I've never considered her an inspiration. Here's a list (in no particular order) of 10 people/characters that inspire me!
Paul Lynde
In a previous post, I mentioned how much I love game shows. One game show I simply had to watch growing up was (the original) Hollywood Squares because of its center square: Paul Lynde.
At a time when being homosexual was controversial (even in Hollywood), Paul Lynde made no secret of his sexuality in a humorous way then even the biggest homophobe could laugh at. Although, he never officially came out, he still had the courage to at least address the issue. Furthermore, the media had enough respect and admiration for Paul Lynde that they avoided outing him in order to preserve his career.
His courage and wit make him an inspiration in my life. His death in 1982 was a true loss in Hollywood.
Fun Fact: American Dad's Roger the Alien was based on Paul Lynde.
Conan O'brien
From Saturday Night Live to late night television, Conan O'brien has been a funny man for decades now. Not only is his career admirable, but the personality that gave him such success is something to be admired.
First, one of the reasons I find Conan O'brien so funny is that he acknowledges his hits and misses. He knows that all of his jokes aren't going to land - at least not the way he wants them to - and he's not afraid to point it out. In fact, he's very transparent with his audience.
Second, the way he handled the Tonight Show incident with NBC & Jay Leno was very admirable. Not only did he stand his ground on not moving the show back an hour, but when he left NBC his fan rallied around him (myself included), pledged our allegiance to #TeamCoco, and he didn't let us down.
Thanks to TBS, Conan was back on late night television, funnier than ever, within months of leaving NBC.
His humor and tenacity makes him one of my most inspirational people!
Bethenny Frankel (of The Real Housewives of New York)
It's a bit of a guilty pleasure, but who doesn't love The Real Housewives? The Real Housewives of New York was the first one I ever saw and it had me absorbed in the drama. The cattiness of wealthy/powerful women can be appalling! However, there always seem to be one woman on those shows who rises above the immaturity and tells it how it is. On RHNY, that housewife was Bethenny Frankel.
Along with seeing through the mess the other women made all the time, Bethenny is also a self-made success. She comes from a hostile family environment and continues to be a lovely, classy, sane successful woman.
Overcoming obstacles and remaining her wonderful self makes her an inspiration to me!
L (of Death Note)
Aside from being one of the greatest anime characters of all time, L is an individual whose mere description is something to model yourself after!
He's world-renowned, brilliant, and not self-righteous. It took a lot for the protagonist, Light, to gain L's trust (for good reason, as his eventual trust was misplaced), and no one ever learned his real name.
His intrigue and logical talent makes him inspirational!
Vegeta (of Dragonball Z)
At first glance, this one is a stretch. How could that foolishly prideful prince be inspirational? Beneath his hard exterior, Vegeta has a heart and beneath his pride is a lot of will.
Vegeta taught me at a young age to always give everything my best and always think highly of myself regardless of the accomplishments of those around me. He "takes orders from no one" and acts for what he deems important.
"You may have invaded my mind & my body. But there's one thing a saiyin always keeps: his PRIDE!"
Oscar Wilde
Much like Paul Lynde, Oscar Wilde was gay when being gay wasn't the most popular thing to be. (In fact, it was illegal in his day.) Oscar Wilde was a skilled writer, a man who made his way through the world exploring many different things, and maintained an enviable level of style!
When a homosexual relationship he'd been having came to light and he was facing prosecution, he never denied being gay. Instead he made the argument that it shouldn't matter who he loved and brought humor to the courtroom.
Aside from being courageous, Oscar Wilde also has an interesting world view as you can tell from the many quotes we see from him today.
"Children begin by loving their parents; after a time they judge them; rarely, if ever, do they forgive them."
Tupac Shakur
I once wrote a five-page paper about how misunderstood Tupac Shakur is, so forgive me for being brief here. Unlike 99.99% of the rappers today, Tupac tried to make statements through his rhymes. He grew up living a hard life and watched those around him live just as hard; he hoped to inspire change as well as entertainment through his lyrics.
Growing up listening to his music & over time realizing how educated he really was, inspired me to examine the content of the music I was listening to. So often people are more concerned with a dance-able beat than a world-changing rhyme when it comes to rap. While his contemporaries rapped about shootings and riches, Tupac spoke the way he felt about serious issues facing the African-American community at the time.
(Confession: I seriously cannot listen to Brenda's Got A Baby. It makes me uncomfortably sad.)
Olivia Munn
I know Olivia Munn wasn't the first woman to trailblaze her way into the Geek world, but she was my inspiration when I began to embrace the geek in me. Before any bimbo in glasses called herself a geek, geeks were typically young men who were interested in science, technology, comic books, etc. As you can imagine with any male-dominated group, women were not exactly welcomed with open arms.
Women like Olivia Munn and Morgan Web actually made female geeks look right. It was okay - even a little sexy - to be interested in things boys were interested in. In short: We don't all have to be Barbies to be cool or attractive!
Plus, she often pointed out the juxtaposition of her being a hot chick, a geeky boy's holy grail, who was geeky herself.
Whitney Cummings
Whitney Cummings is one of my favorite comediennes! She's relatable, beautiful, and out-spoken. I love the way she blurts out the truest things unapologetically. She's also the creative mind behind two hilarious shows: Whitney (which I'm almost certain is based on my life somehow) & Two Broke Girls.
I love her style and her sense of humor. I also admire the way she's put her creativity out there for the world to see. That's what makes her an inspiration!
After I read the Beyonce Is Not A Role Model article, I immediately went to Facebook to find out who my inspirational people are. (Sadly, I couldn't think of them all instantly.) These are the ten people I chose to call inspirational. I hope by sharing they can be of inspiration to you, too!
Random: I've decided I want to be more active on Polyvore. Polyvore, "the web's largest fashion community", is a great way to express your fashion/beauty creativity online.
First, I feel I should have more of an online presence. For a person with a degree in Social Computing Informatics, I'm not exactly making anyone's Top 10 List of Pinners to Follow, etc...
Second, I need a creative outlet to keep me from going insane from everyday monotony. In high school, I spent hours watching E! or The Style Network. I developed a great sense of style; the only problem is...
Of course, you can look good for less, but it's not as fun!
I got the idea to take a stab at becoming notable on Polyvore. Making sets and collections is fun anyway, and I could put a little effort into it.
So far, I have participated in a couple of contests:
And joined a group:
I've read a little on the subject, and it seems popularity really relies on participation. So I suppose it's time I get started!
For more of my insights on random things (on & offline),
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