1) I don’t trust the cloud enough at this point to be willing to store all my data there

2) On my netbook (which would be the primary device for this software) – I work more offline (on planes or travelling) than on.

Of course, there is a 3rd – I have big reservations when it comes to giving up so much of my information to one company – or utilizing a solution that essentially is a vehicle for a single organizations tools (this is the biggest reason I can’t bring myself to buy a Mac – the EULA is regressively restrictive) – but given that the source is open, I’m certain that if the product has merit, someone will provide a version free from Google’s services.

However, with that said, I noticed on Slashdot that some folks have taken the code Google has currently provided and mashed up a VMWare image.  Since I use Sun’s VirtualBox software (and it can run a VMWare image) – I decided to give it a spin.

Anyway – here’s what I got so far:

At this point – everything points to Google services (including the hotmail and yahoo icons – though I imagine that will change at some point) – but that makes sense since Google has put in a fair amount of work to build robust web-based tools that are optimized for Chrome.  And essentially, that’s what this is – it’s Chrome Plus.  I’m not sure I’d characterize what Google is doing as providing a new OS – rather, they are taking Linux and putting a new windows manager on top of it. 

The pluses so far – even within a virtual machine, the overlay boots very quickly and is directly integrated into my google services (that’s actually how you log into the system).  The downside – as I see it – is the reliance on Web-based applications.  At this point in time, there are really too few of them in my option, to take the place of the work I do daily.  Looking at this virtual machine instance, I could only see using if I was browsing the web or doing some light document editing with Google Docs.  However, if I was creating a presentation or writing a document for publication – I’ve often found the present Google Docs applications to be limiting.  They get better all the time – but I constantly find myself falling back to working with either Open Office or MS Office, depending on my audience and complexity of the document or if the document will be shared within a business environment, where tools like Microsoft’s SharePoint or equivalent my be used for signing and locking documents. 

However, I think that the biggest thing that I’m missing in this first implementation is the lack of my file system and the ability to install tools.  On my travel computer, I have versions of eclipse, Visual Studio, gimp, etc. for development.  I have my organizations VPN software for remote desktop access, ssh+sftp, my blogging software, email client, etc.  And I add tools, develop tools to make my work life easier – and in this Browser-based OS – I currently lose that.  Will Google’s OS eventually become something more hybrid – to allow users to work in multiple spaces (both the cloud and outside of it) – not sure, but I guess we’ll find out in a year or so.

For now, anyone wanting to give this a spin and happens to have a copy of VMWare or Sun’s VirtualBox, find your way over to: http://discuss.gdgt.com/google/chrome-os/general/download-chrome-os-vmware-image/ and have a look.  You may have to register to see the article (I did) – but the image is there and you can download it and play around with it yourself.  It’s definitely worth tracking as the code continues to develop.  And while this first release is definitely pre-alpha, I think it will kind of give you a taste of where Google is going.

–TR

Devil Flanders in the light

Devil Flanders in the dark

–TR

First, what did I do?   Well, I gave two talks, if you will.  The first was on using MarcEdit to deal with vendor records.  Given the length of time allotted (60 minutes) – I focused primarily on two main aspects of the program – the MarcEditor and the Delimited Text Translator.  The goal of the session really was to help attendees be able to leave the room with the knowledge that they would need to start editing records right away.  Hopefully, that was accomplished.  However, this talk also represented a first for me, in that this was the first time that I gave a presentation on MarcEdit while running MarcEdit natively on Linux.  This is something that I do at work because I can live with a few of the less polished aspects of the program – but over the past month or so, I’ve been doing work on MarcEdit to specifically address those areas in need of polish on non-Windows systems and this weekend was kindof the coming out party.  I know that this will make a number of people happy (a small vocal few that have been asking how to run MarcEdit on non-windows systems).  I know the first question I may get in regards to this development is, how can I run MarcEdit on my [insert non-windows] system?  And to those with that question, I’m going to ask for more patience.  There are 4 or 5 significant areas where I still want to correct before I officially start hosting and posting instructions on how to run MarcEdit on a non-windows platform.  Some of these things are simply UI things to update, others are related to ensuring that MarcEdit’s many ancillary tools can be initiated.  But I am working on it, and give my “test” run this weekend, I’m a lot more comfortable with how the program looks and runs than ever before. 

Anyway, the second talk that I give was really more of a question and answer period.  I hosted a round-table on MarcEdit, allowing people with specific questions or issues to come and ask their questions.  This was also a good time for me, because I get a chance to talk with folks using the program and get a feel for the types of problems that they may or may not be having with the application – as well as get some great ideas for where I might make improvements.

Oh, and while I was at AALL, I did take a chance to drop into a few of the sessions though I quickly realized that I was out of my element when the discussion turned to the bar, laws and codes in general. 

All and all, it was a nice trip.  I learned a few things, got some great feedback, and had an opportunity to spend a little time in our Nation’s capital (a place that never fails to leave me inspired). 

–TR

As always, you can pick it up from: MarcEdit_Setup.msi

–TR

–TR

–TR

Up! is exactly what you’ve come to expect from Pixar (but in Digital 3-d).  First, the story.  Up is a sweet story about an old man keeping a promise to his wife – and along the way, he meets a number of new friends.  Now my wife, she will tell you it’s a tear jerker (she shed many a tear) – as for my boys and they will tell you that it was hilarious.  With my boys, I can always gauge how good a movie is for them by how involved they are.  For this movie, they were laughing, hollering at the screen and having a good time.  I’m not sure my oldest every really sat in his seat (he gets fidgety when he’s engrossed) and my youngest was telling me all the time how bad the villain in the story was.  By the end, they were walking out the movie telling me how much they would like to get it when it comes out on DVD. 

Anyway, I won’t talk at all about the plot, etc. – but if you have kids – especially young kids (mine are 4 and 7) – they will like this movie.  And as a bonus, you will too. 

–TR

From the conference, there were a few gems that I came away with.  One came from a presentation by the folks at BYU discussing the VLC media player/server for setting up your own home grown video streaming service.  It was an interesting talk – primarily because I’d primarily associated VLC media player use with folks that tend to utilize unofficial copies of media.  Its very popular with that crowd due to its ability to pretty much read any media format (including some fairly rare codex).  And while the folks from BYU did comment that by requiring the student body to utilize the VLC media player has resulted in an increase in what you might call, questionable media use by their students, it also provided an infrastructure for setting up high-quality streaming video. 

For me, much of the remainder of the conference was getting to meet new people, talk to folks about issues related to the licensing of academic content and spending time with my family on the mountain.  Unlike many other conferences that I attend, since this one was in Oregon, my wife and kids accompanied me to Timberline.  For the boys, the trip was one that they had been looking forward to for months.  They were really excited about the possibility of getting to play in the snow.  And I think that Alyce was looking forward to getting to have a bit of a miniature vacation (especially since I was travelling to Columbus right after my time at Timberline). 

So a couple of things about Timberline.  Most people, whether they realize it or not, have likely seen the lodge.  The Timberline lodge stood in as the hotel for The Shining (at least, for the outside shots of the lodge in the movie).  I’ll admit, when I found out, I was wishing I would have brought the movie, and was, somewhat disappointed that I didn’t see the river of blood getting off the elevators.  Oh, well.  Timberline is also the only place in Oregon where you can ski year round.  The lodge is located at the base of one of the many glaciers that reside on the mountain year round.  Though, at this point of the year, there is still probably 120 inches of snow on the mountain around the lodge.

Back to the fun.  I was able to do a few things with Alyce and the boys.   We played in the pool (yes, there was snow around it), had snow ball fights and just played.  I’ve attached a few pictures below for anyone that is interested.

–TR

Playing in the pool – yes, that is snow in the background

 
From above the lodge on the mountain

From the top of what is known as the Miracle Mile – around 7500 ft.

Snowball fighting

 
Burying Kenny in the snow

LRTS:
Reese, T. (2009, April). Automated Metadata Harvesting: Low-Barrier MARC Record Generation from OAI-PMH Repository Stores Using MarcEdit. Library Resources & Technical Services, 53(2), 121-134. Retrieved May 26, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.

ReadEx Newsletter
Reese, T.  (2009, April).  How Libraries Can Win in Today’s Web 2.0  Environment.  Readex eNewsletter, 4(2).  Retrieved May 26, 2009, from http://www.newsbank.com/readex/newsletter.cfm?newsletter=237

OLA
Reese, T.  (2009, Spring).   LibraryFind™:  The Development of a Shared  Library Platform at  Oregon State University Libraries.  OLA Quarterly, 15(1), 17-19.  Retrieved May 26, 2009, from http://data.memberclicks.com/site/ola/olaq_15no1.pdf

Coming: Article in the OSU Messenger

I’ve also been doing a bit of grant writing, helping the OSU libraries sheppard two grants (one an LSTA grant and one a joint NSF grant with MIT, Georgia Tech and Rice University) through the writing and submission process and a little outside consulting, including putting on a handful of MarcEdit workshops this spring/summer.

And finally, I’d mentioned this on facebook, but this month I was notified this month that I have successfully navigated the promotion and tenure process here at OSU, meaning that in July, I’ve joined the ranks of the tenured academic community.  It represents a lot of work by many – especially my wife who sacrificed much in terms of time and patience.  

–TR

You can find it at: MarcEdit_Setup.msi

–TR