Sci-Fi
Google Chrome - Just Another Browser?
I hadn’t really heard of Googles entry into the browser market until today, and frankly, when I heard about it I was probably more annoyed than anything else. Firefox has been great. I’ve really become addicted to a lot of the plugins (especially Firebug). But over the last few years, Firefox has become a little bulkier, and perhaps my plugin addiction has taken away from my browsing experience.
I still am not sold on the world needing another browser. At least, not unless it’s awesome. Well, the good news is I think that Chrome has a fairly solid chance at being something pretty close to awesome. The UI is very minimalist, and the rendering is lightning fast. Start up is fast. I like the bookmark system, and search. And some great developer tools are already integrated. I think a lot of this is thanks to Apples WebKit rendering engine. And that kind of sucks, but only because Apple didn’t make a good browser with what is obviously superior technology.
I guess it sort of frustrates that Google made the browser that Apple should have made. Apple made a great Web Rendering API in WebKit, but just because the API is doing all the hard work, doesn’t mean the Browser should be boring. Yeah, I’ve liked Safari, but it never really did anything for me. It seemed like a good browser, but nothing about it really stood out. Chrome on the other hand is just different enough to actually stand out, and shows enough promise for me to really keep an eye on new developments.
So overall, Chrome is just another browser for web developers to keep in mind, although Safari/WebKit is pretty standards based, so it should be all good. And, at the very least I’m glad that Google made something different enough to be a welcome addition to the market, even though it’s probably not a Firefox killer (yet).
More Battlestar Galactica TV movies on the way!
It’s pretty easy to guess that season 4 finale will come in the form of a TV movie, but there’s some good info regarding the future of BSG in this article. According to speculation in the article, the final 10 episodes might not air until 2009. Also, it’s been noted in the BSG fan community that the last supper photo has been altered. Tough to say, but it does seem very interesting.
Tricia Helfer Appreciation Day
Okay, so perhaps not officially, but perhaps it should be. Or, maybe everyday should be. At least if you are a horny sci-fi nerd from Alberta. Sure, Tricia Helfer plays the to-die-for Cylon siren “Number 6″ in the Sci-Fi series Battlestar Galactica (which I may have alreay mentioned that I LOVE), but as it turns out she’s amazing in nearly every possible way. I guess the only things that would keep her from perfection is that, well, she’s married. Or, more accurately, not married to me. Bah, I’m just joking. Seriously though, there are plenty of reasons to love this elegant woman. For starters, she loves animals, and she’s an environmentalist (one that actually does something). And so, please take a moment with me to appreciate this fine lady.
New Hosting, and Catching Up With BSG
Finally found a new host after keeping my eyes open for the last few months. GoDaddy served me well for the cheapness, and reliability, but things like the lack of control, and scalability, and not being able to use Zend Frameworks at all was really starting to get to me. I’ll be gradually moving my sites over to the new Media Temple server over the next week or so.
Also been catching up with season 4 of BSG, and it feels great. Oh, Baltar & 6, how I’ve missed you. So far I’m pretty happy, although all the new cylons is almost a bit too much to handle. You almost start to wonder who isn’t a cylon. Well, they do have a plan.
Finished BSG Season 3 Last Night
<maybe spoilers> And what made the experience even more awesome is that I had been listening to a song from the soundtrack several times throughout the day, and it ended up being stuck in my head. The song was “All Along The Watchtower”, and I had been humming it to myself. Watching the final episode and seeing some of the characters humming the song in a similar fashion to what I had been doing through out the day gave me shivers. This was a song I knew I already loved, but now seeing what it meant in the season 3 finale, all I can say is “holy frack, that’s awesome”. </maybe spoilers>
I still have Razor to look forward to, but I have a feeling waiting for season 4 will be agonizing to say the least. There are so many questions I have. Perhaps it’s no reason to get excited, but there’s too much confusion, and I can’t get no relief.
Frakken Awesome
I really love this word! I saw this license plate posted, and I think I’d have one if they weren’t so frakken expensive. Anyway, the following video is a pretty good compilation of some of the more memorable fraks on BSG. Enjoy!
Snow Day and BSG
It’s gross out today, so I figured it’d be a good day for gaming. I went out, and braved the elements with credit card clutched in hand to pick up some games. I found Battlestar Galactica the game for $24.99. It’s probably not a great game, but despite getting Sims 2 Deluxe, and Battle for Middle Earth Anthology, you can guess what I’ll be installing first. This should be a good day. If the game is fun, I’ll be trying to get people at work on it, as there are other BSG fans there.
About to grab my coffee. It should be a good day.
UPDATE: Yes, just as I thought, I’ve been playing BSG. It is actually quite good for a $25 game, but you need to have a game pad. I can’t see how anyone would play this with keyboard alone. Multiplayer seems like it would be wicked fun too.
Post Cloverfield
So I just got back from watching Cloverfield. It was a great rollercoaster of human emotion, and visual effects. I left the theater feeling nauseated, dizzy (both from the shaky cam), confused and a little depressed. Needless to say, this certainly isn’t a feel good movie. But, I’m sure that the creators of the movie accomplished exactly what they wanted. For that, I’d say it’s pretty close to a masterpiece. Some parts of the movie had me wishing the movie would just be over. This is not to say I regret seeing it. But the experience wasn’t an enjoyable one for me. But it is one I’ll remember. Again. Congrats to the makers of the movie, as I think they know what they were doing.
But, would I see it again? No. Nor do I have any desire to. The movie is worth seeing though, for the simple fact that it is really amazing. And after all, how often do movie goers get to see a movie that takes chances, and does some original things? Yeah, not often. So for that I give it big credit.