Monday, July 18, 2011

Google+ Review








So I know I usually review movies but a lot of people have been asking about Google+, and being a social networking nerd I'd figure I'd give a quick positive/negative list.




Positives:

- It's Simple. Like Facebook used to be...
- No Farmville! No one sending you tomato plants and asking you to join their Mob.
- Circles! It's a big feature on Google+. It's nice you can decide who sees what you say. You can seperate what posts your co-workers see from what your close friends do. Oh, and people don't know what circle you have them in (Nice!). Now, you can do this on FB but it's kind of a pain and most people don't know how to. (It's a little weird categorizing people at first, but you get used to it)
- It's connected to your gmail. I know it sounds lazy.... but now you can log-in into one place to check your email and see if you have any notifications.
- Chat system is also nice. You can chat with people through gmail or through Google+. So if a friend has gmail but not plus you can still chat with them. They also have 'Huddle'
so you can chat in groups (Facebook is trying to do this now too).
- Video Chat. The 'Hangout' feature is a great idea; You can v-chat with multiple people at once, without paying Skpe monthly. (Also see negatives)
- It's new! It's still small. No ads covering the page. No companies saying "Like Us" (but still like mine! lol) You also don't have to read you friend's 14 year-old sister pathetic updates, because she hasn't joined yet.
- It's gotten to see FB become what it is and take advantage of it's faults.
- It's Google, a name we know and trust. We know they're gonna do some cool stuff.
- It's more about sharing with friends than having friends.
- Lastly, if Mark Zuckerberg is as douchey as Eisenberg played him it's time he got his. Although, I don't think Google+ will bring down FB.

Negatives:

- It's new. I know this was also a positive, but they are still working out a lot of hiccups.
* An example would be the "great idea" I said the 'hangout' v-chat feature is. I've tested out a few times and it doesn't work so well, you can hear but not see or see and not hear. Hopefully they'll get it to work.
- Even though it's in a bar right above your email they still email you notifications. You can turn this off, but I think it's a dumb that you have to.
- You don't have to accept people who want to follow you. Anyone can follow you, so you'll have to put them all in a special circle, hide, or block them. It's kind of annoying.
- The switch over is going to be hard. I have been on Facebook for years. I don't think the switch over will be as smooth as MySpace to Facebook was.... if it even happens.
- It's a little weird going for "The Man". Google is no college kid starting a website or Tom our Myspace friend in the white shirt. You'll now notice you can '+1'(there equivalent to fb's 'like') anything you google. It just reminds you that they are trying to take over, and they are no underdog.


Overall, I like it. It's nice to be on with just a few friends for now, and fun to play somewhere new. I don't know what's going to happen with it, but it's growing fast so ask someone to invite you in.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Why I Love Harry Potter

I remember walking through the mall one day and my sister showing me the new book she had just bought, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone", I was about 10 years-old, I had heard about it but didn't really know what it was about. Little did I know that that book would forever change me. I was a horrible at reading when I was young, I even had to take special classes and it always embarrassed me. I had grown to hate books but when my sister read that first book to my little brother and I, I fell in love.

The Harry Potter series has truly become a part of my life. I have read and listen to the books many times. I can't sleep with my own thoughts so I listen to Jim Dale read the books. In high school my best friend and I called our crush, "You Know Who" so he wouldn't know we were talking about him. For the last 12 years whenever I needed to escape I would in the books. Most importantly, I have related the characters lives to mine and they've played a big part in who I am.

Of course the books will live on forever for future generations but I have truly been blessed to grow up with them. I got to feel what it was like to wait for books 4-7 to come out. I got to go to the bookstore and wait till midnight to get them. I had the luxury of imagining what the characters looked like in my mind without actors influence. Finally, I got to watch the books grow into a world phenomenon which turned into eight movies.

At first, I hated the movies for so many reasons but now I have grown to respect them for what they are, just another way to see it all, and I love how they carry on the legacy. It was cool to watch the actors grow up in many ways, like I did and Harry did. It was great to see the world in my mind come to life even if it wasn't perfectly how I imagined it. To even my surprise Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 will always be one of my favorite movies. And now part 2 is out.

Just tonight I watched it and so many emotions ran through me. Of course, while watching this last one, there were great moments and not so great moments. There were emotions missed that meant so much to me in the book. There was a lot of jumping around and it could have been paced better, but there also was a lot of great film making and a lot of tears on my part. In the end I don't want to over analyze it because it all means too much to me.

At the end of the day I'd rather just be sad. This is the last midnight showing I'll attend. This was the end of 10 years of waiting and wanting. Wizarding World of Harry Potter(which is awesome!) will always be there, and I am sure I will love Pottermore, but it's just not the same. This was the end in so many ways and I'll miss the anticipation more than anything.

So, although I am not one for cheese, all I have to say is, I love Harry Potter and thank you J.K. Rowling. Thank you for opening my imagination, for giving me a place to go when life sucked, for helping me become a storyteller, and for allowing me to realize how much I love to read.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Monte Carlo

This one is pretty simple. Here are some quick thoughts:

  • The Lizzy Mcquire Movie meets Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, but a little better.
  • It was cute but predictable.
  • Acting was ok. I think Selena Gomez is as cute as a button (too bad she's with stupid Bieber boy).
  • Made me want to go to Europe even more.
  • The guys in it were hot.
  • Perfect for 12 year-old girls who still think they can run off somewhere a find the perfect boy.
  • Girls might wanna rent it one day. Or just catch it on TV someday.