Ran[dumb] Junk

Chrome is a misnomer.

I downloaded Google’s new internet browser today with low expectations, and I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. Chrome comes packed with a few features that are just “Nifty” enough to make me look forward to the final release (it’s currently in beta) Here’s a list of some of the cool new features:

• “Isolated” tabs designed to prevent browser crashes and a more powerful JavaScript engine.

• Every time you open a new tab, you’ll see a visual sampling of your most visited sites, most used search engines, and recently bookmarked pages and closed tabs

• the ability to use web apps without opening your browser. Application shortcuts can directly load your favorite online apps

• You can drag tabs out of the browser to create new windows

• Google Chrome warns you if you’re about to visit a suspected phishing, malware or otherwise unsafe website.

• No intrusive download manager; you see your download’s status at the bottom of your current window

• Incognito mode - Don’t want pages you visit to show up in your web history? Choose incognito mode for private browsing

There are definitely some cool features there that I would love to see make it to Firefox. ( I love the dragging tabs feature…I know, I know, the most underwhelming is my favorite…) That being said, there are a few things I don’t like about Chrome.

Incognito mode, for instance is rather sleazy in it’s very nature. Google billed it’s purpose as “For times when you want to browse in stealth mode, for example, to plan surprises like gifts or birthdays.” Bull. As an online acquaintance of mine so excellently put it: “…Incognito Windows were designed for kids to surf pr0ns.” Surprises like gifts or birthdays my butt. I think that I would, oddly enough, be less offended if they had the balls to just come out and say they’re for your “adult privacy.”

Another thing is the speed. I ran side by side tests on Chrome and Firefox, and Chrome is clearly slower, despit Google’s claim that it will make the internet “faster, safer, and easier.” I give it a little bit of leniency in this department, as it is in beta.

Chrome just feels way too drab. From the boring blue task bar at the top, to the tabs that really fail to stand out in any way, It just seems so bland. Shouldn’t something called “Chrome” be a bit flashier? I don’t want bling, I just want something that stands out. And yes, that is a little vain, but this is the 21st century, and I want a sleek design, darn it! What do IE and Firefox have in common? The interface is blocky, boring. This is Google’s chance! Give me eye-candy!

I must like Chrome deep down, because I can’t really think of anything else to complain about. A few things I would love to see make their way to the final version:

1. Swappable colors for the user bar at the top, the blue doesn’t do it for me.
2. A one-click, drop-down list of your bookmarks.
3. A Rick-Roll detector that warns you when you hover over a link.
4. More cowbell
5. Pirates.

Yep, that about sums it up. Chrome is a solid browser, but lacks the polish that it will take to make me set it as my default browser. Maybe in the future…maybe…

An awesome site for photoshop tutorials: www.psdtuts.com Basic to advanced tutorials that are easy to understand. Deals mostly with CS3

Tony’s Incoherent Rants: Vol. 1 

If you are reading this, I would first like to thank you for taking interest in the things that anger me! Secondly, I would like to point out that I have you. Even now I am stealing your time, second by precious second. You are mine, you hear me?! Mi…oops. Sorry. My inner narcissist got loose. Anyway, today’s rant is about something that happened to me in school. Or, since I’m home schooled, in my mom’s office if you want to get all technical. As you may know, I am now a senior in high school. As a part of my studies, I am required to read a book on classical music. Herein lies the problem: Why does everyone who writes about classical music come across sounding like an elitist? Don’t get me wrong, I like Vivaldi as much as any other American teen…do you see the irony in that statement? How many American teens know who Vivaldi is? Or, better yet, how many actually give a rat’s hindquarters? Which leads into my main question: Is classical music REALLY that relevant in today’s society? Francis A. Schaeffer, founder of L’Abri community certainly thought so. “Incidentally an ignorance of classical music separates Christians from people with whom they might wish to speak, and this is a hindrance in communication with them.” Just to cover all my bases, let me say that while I respect Dr. Schaeffer (Honorary Doctor of laws, Simon Greenleaf School of Law, Anaheim, California) I seriously doubt that the common man (or woman, if you prefer) will find themselves in a situation where their lack of knowledge or even interest in classical music will ostracize them from a segment of society. So, once again, I ask: Is classical music really so relevant in today’s society? Will you go into a local bar and find a group of intellectuals sitting around, smoking pipes and sipping champagne while discussing the intricacies of the latest composing genius? NO! You will walk in and find a bunch of meat-heads listening to Skynyrd, while swearing and throwing back one beer at a time, while making lewd comments about any female within a 50 foot radius. When you are stuck in a traffic jam, will you hear Tchaikovsky being blared out of a set of subwoofers the size of small children?  When your neighbors are having a pool party, will you call the cops on them because they are playing “Four Seasons” too loudly? Have you pre-ordered your copy of Piano Hero: Beethoven? The bottom line is this: classical music has been largely reduced to the background noise in the elevator or grocery store. You know, the stuff you can’t hear because the lady down the isle won’t do anything to stem the constant flow of unearthly screeching her hellion child is making, or the stuff the guy in the elevator who’s been on his phone for 3 hours shouts over while trying to select his floor and rummage through his briefcase at the same time.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that it’s absolutely ridiculous for anyone to scoff at forms of music they don’t care for, and claim superiority for their genre. It’s stupid, it’s a sure sign of a closed mind, it’s arrogant, and it makes you an elitist prick. Why are we so afraid of expanding our horizons? While it’s not much, I did listen to Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” today. I kinda liked it. The guy had talent. I wouldn’t even consider saying that Mettalica was a better artist. They are two totaly different styles! (How’s that for an understatement?) Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder. So go get a life and ditch the smock…stupid wine-o’s….oh, and all you Ozzy Osbourne fanboys that boo people off stages…go back to your mom’s basement….and take a shower!!! Oh, and all you rabid Hannah Montana fans…I don’t know what to say to you….just…why?!

P.S.  I did prefer “Enter Sandman” over “Four Seasons.” (Shocking, isn’t it? *cough*)