Reality wins!

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We’ve had many chuckles here over Photoshopped-induced idiocy, so I was delighted to see 18 Images You Won’t Believe Aren’t Photoshopped at Cracked.com.

The above landscape image is #15 on their list. I had to show that one because I’ve seen this myself. I was in a project meeting up on the 10th floor of the corporate headquarters tower, which has a beautiful view of the northern skyline. And these were the clouds over the Twin Cities. This was just within the past few months. Sadly, they were gone by the time I was out of the meeting and could think about snapping a picture, else y’all would have seen it much sooner.

Google Drive – Initial Thoughts

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I have used multiple cloud computing services, going back a few years now, looking for what works best for my workflow and optimizing around that. Early on, I had one service for syncing mail and contacts (IMAP/MAPI/Exchange clients) another for Calendar (a MAPI/CalDAV bridge for Exchange) another for personal file storage (heavy duty storage ie. personal file manualbackup) another for automated backup, and finally one for synchronized file management for frequently accessed/edited files. Over time, I condensed to using Google Apps (professional version) for Mail, Contacts, Calendar and File Sync, as it’s convenient to use one service for multiple synced functions/web-based use, the cornerstone of Google’s strategy. I still use another service for automated backups (Backblaze) and my own server for massive manual file backups. But I’ve used the Google Apps suite for about 18 months now and loved it. The file management, Google Docs, has not been synced, but it’s been a cloud storage/access tool with built in editing functions such that i only use Google Docs for ‘office’ style document creation and editing, unless I absolutely need to move to a separate application for fine grain formatting control. But I moved all of my important text docs and spreadsheets and such to Google Docs and just kept a periodic backup on my machines. in other words, I was JUST working in the ubiquitous cloud.

Google Drive, which is now being rolled out to replace Google Docs, works the same way, except it allows you to drop the Google Drive app on all devices and thus keep a synced folder with content married and dynamically synchronized across all machines and the webspace. For those, like me, that worked in the cloud ( or like Lung, who email in the cloud) this doesn’t have an immediate impact. But I actually enjoyed having a way to separate the data: I wanted to be able to have a web browser session (or 33 of them) over here, and then jump into Google Docs over here, and work on those files, see the directory, etc divorced from the other work.

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So, I created an applet for that. This is a packaging of a weblink, essentially, as a launchable application, which in turn creates a microbrowser web connection of it’s own. All files you’re working on are in this browser session, no toolbars or any interface to actually suggest web page use.

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With Google Drive, I get the same sense of separated files, via the synced folder, but I don’t have to use my applet to get to them. Clicking on a file in my Google Drive folder launches it in my browser. So if I want to divorce that work from other browsing, I have to pull the tab apart. But the benefit is a file structure I can navigate and sort and edit locally.

Nothing really new here for users of Dropbox, Box, Amazon, etc. But what i like about it is that it’s integrated with my Google Apps so i still can seamlessly work on those files, when on the web, and share them with my other Google applications. You can integrate Dropbox and others, no problem, but this is cleaner.

Starts at 5Gb. I have something likt 150Gb of Box space, and an assortment of data pockets on other services, but my files of this use are small, so I haven’t begun to eat into it.

The next stage will of course be when our apps like Photoshop can access a net-based document file. Or even better, operate AS a net based app. But until then, I won’t need a ton of space and the free account will work perfectly. I still pay for Google Apps, but only to get certain back end hosting features. Anyone can use Google Apps as a free account.

So, Google Drive. So far, I like it.
https://drive.google.com/start

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Iron Man 3: All Extremis All the Time

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The casting for Shane Black’s IM 3 is coming together pretty quickly. First we had Ben Kingsley, and a few other smaller actors, and now Jessica Chastain (The Help) apparently was cast as a rival scientist and love interest.

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This would also point to the Extremis storyline, specifically Maya, his former lover and creator of the Extremis bioware program. It’s interesting that she looks like a LOT like Gwenyth’s redhead Pepper. Whether Kingsley will be playing the Extremis-loaded physical baddie, or is really the Mandarin despite their protests, remains to be seen. But come on. How can he NOT.

http://geektyrant.com/news/2012/4/24/je … man-3.html

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