CR-48

So, I've got a Google Chrome notebook, called the CR-48. It came in the mail yesterday, and I was quite thrilled. You see, this is a prototype notebook that Google is giving to developers and early adopters to try out, test, and give feedback on. Last week they made an announcement about it, and then opened up the Pilot Program (found here). I was travelling for work at the time and wanted to apply but got sidetracked and didn't remember to do it until Monday this week. At that point I thought my chances were probably somewhere between slim and none, as they only have 60,000 devices to give away. Imagine my surprise when I got home yesterday to an unexpected package! I was pretty excited, to say the least.

I really probably have nothing new to say that all the tech blogs have already hit upon, but I'll spew my initial impressions here anyways. First, the packaging: it arrived in a relatively bare box. There are only 3 pieces of paper included; a little business card sized one that says it has an Intel processor (a 1.66 Ghz Atom actually), a one page 'Getting Started' style guide, and a Safety Notice.



The Safety Notice is Hilarious! I loved it. You probably think I'm nuts, "the paper that's full of legal jargon, like don't blow this up or use it in unintended ways? really?", yes, it was funny. They filled it will little quips and funnies, such as the line below:

‎"This product contains small parts, which may present a choking hazard to small children, as well as men who have not emotionally matured. Keep the device and accessories away from small children, regardless of how much they want to bang on the keyboard."

The hardware itself is really quite nice. I like the minimalist look a lot. There isn't a single brand on the notebook at all, but overall it resembles a black Macbook. The finish is a matte black that has a slight rubberized texture. The screen is also matte, which is a rarity in notebook screens these days, although many still prefer it. It is a 12" screen, with a webcam and mic in the top center. There is a big, buttonless trackpad as well (the whole pad acts as a button and depresses if you click it). It has a whopping 5 ports: power, VGA out, USB, audio, and an SD card reader. The keyboard is very nice, but different, because they assigned functions (forward, back, refresh, ect) to the F-keys and replaced the Caps Lock button with a Search button instead. I waited about 2 hours for the partially charged battery to finish, holding my curiosity in until it was done.

Since Google already knows way too much about me, the setup process was simple. The laptop powers on just by simply opening the lid, it looked for and found my wireless connection, then proceeded to download an update (which only took a few minutes). Once that was done, I simply logged in with my existing Google account, took a webcam picture for my account and WHAM! I was done. All of my bookmarks were organized and laid out exactly as my desktop Chrome browser, as well as all of my plugins and extensions, pretty cool. The first page is a little guided tour of the OS (which is just a browser) which I went through to pick up any little nuggets of useful info. Lets get this straight, Chrome OS is really just a browser, lower your expectations... now.

This thing is literally completely built for the Internet. Without it, you can't accomplish much. You can 'install' applications in Chrome, but they are really mostly just glorified bookmarks. Chrome can use HTML5, which does allow for offline data storage, and when more developers utilize this I'm sure there will be more that you can do when not connected. I'm not trying to complain here, because when I compare this laptop to my primary laptop, there is only 1 application that I use on a regular basis that won't work on Chrome: Adobe Lightroom. That's not much of a big deal if I don't need to edit photos or whatnot. Even on Chrome, I could go to Picnik.com or SumoPaint to edit photos online if I wanted. I haven't really had any issues getting around since I am already acquainted with the Chrome browser, and any settings for the OS are found in an expanded version of the browser settings. The one weak area for Chrome OS is Adobe Flash. Adobe hasn't made the hardware acceleration tweaks to Flash for Linux (which is really what Chrome OS is on a basic level) that it has for Windows, which leads to really sluggish/instable performance. One of the first things I did since discovering this is to install a Flash-blocking extension that kills any Flash banners or other elements in websites and allows me to selectively choose what Flash elements to enable. Pandora.com, for instance, requires Flash, so I easily made an exception for it.

The only real complaint I have with the notebook hardware at the moment is the touchpad. I really want to like it, but it just doesn't cut it. I've read a few reviews before this thing came and they mentioned how horrible the touchpad was. Ok, so maybe I've always had crappy touchpads, its not THAT bad, but it is definitely the weakest link when comparing the hardware. General pointing is fine, but clicking is kind of difficult. Left clicks are sometimes intermittent, and right clicks are just downright frustrating. A right click on a buttonless pad involves clicking with 2 fingers, and on this notebook its more of a 'wishful' gesture than a reliable operation. The thing is, it's not a huge deal because you can almost completely navigate this notebook by keyboard, and the keyboard is really nice. Also, I can plug in an external mouse if it really bugs me - I just haven't yet.

Ok, I'll touch on two more impressions and then close this ridiculously long post. When you close the lid of this notebook, it goes to sleep, duh. The amazing thing happens when you open it: blink and it's on. There is NO wakeup time. None. Supposedly from a cold boot it finishes in 10-15 seconds, but I haven't really experience that yet. But really, opening the lid to browse is instant, it's that simple. The last thing I'd like to mention is about battery life. I've used this thing constantly since I finished charging it last night and it is currently at 47% and there is still 3.5 hours left. I didn't lower the screen brightness, the only battery-optimizing thing that I've done is turn off the 3G cellular modem, since there is no cell service at my house. This thing will easily get 8 hours on a charge if you are even moderately careful by adjusting screen brightness.

Alright, I'll shut up now. My first impression of Chrome OS is good, and I' trying not to be blinded by the excitement that I just got a free laptop. I'm going to try to use this thing as much as possible over the coming weeks and I'll be posting further impressions here. Leave a comment with any questions if you have any!

New blogging/FB post tools!

Well, my blogging frequency really hasn’t improved… that’s ok, uhm, I guess.  However, one thing that really bugs me is the whole paradigm of getting my posts onto Facebook.  To put it short and sweet: Facebook blog imports are terrible.  If I post something here, good luck reading about it in 2 DAYS on my Facebook page.  Seriously, it takes FOREVER to update with Facebook. 

In more recent news, I tried to help my wife import her blog to her profile.  No can do.  The stupid tool just errors out, so I tried googling the error, and found users all over the place having the same issue at different points in time.  So, I looked around for alternatives.  One application often mentioned was RSS Graffiti, so I checked it out.  It has lots of options, can post to your profile, any of your pages, and even events, simultaneously! It can also be set to check for updates MUCH more often (yeah, laugh it up, like it matters for my once-a-month posts).  I set it up for here, and hereby declare that I will be setting it up for myself as well! Hopefully if I configured it correctly, this post will be my first using RSS Graffiti.

Finally, since this is a photography blog and all… I’ll leave you with a kind of humorous picture. This groomsman was THRILLED when a bridesmaid asked him to hold her bouquet!  I think he kind of reflects my attitude towards Facebook and their inept blog post import system. Really Facebook, really!?

Slowly…

Well, 2 weeks is better than 2 months, haha. 

Here is an ever so SLIGHTLY (stressed, slightly) photo related story:

Last weekend we were ALMOST on our way to photograph a wedding.. running a bit late, hopped into the truck.. threw it into reverse, put the hammer down and then….

SLAM!!!!

I hit my wife’s car.  No.  I REALLY hit her car.  Wow, a fullsize truck can sure do damage. I destroyed a headlight, the hood, the grill, and punctured the radiator (please don’t fine me for leaking coolant!).  Then I looked at my truck.. oh yea, just a bent bumper and a little paint damage.  Not wanting to be any later, I hopped back into the truck and away we went to the wedding.   I was SO mad at myself.  It took me about 10-15 miles on our trip before I started thinking rationally and making plans on how we might deal with this issue.  I love Shawna.  All the while she remained calm, listened to me and tried not to rake the coals.

By the time we got to the wedding venue, we were pretty much ready to joke about it.  The bride and groom of this particular wedding were good friends, as well as many of the family and friends that attended the wedding, so we had a fun time relaying to story and joking about it with them. 

I called to file a claim, my first ever, on Monday, and my insurance company has been great about it.  We’re still working through the details, but right now it looks like I might have done so much damage to the car that it could be totaled.  Wow. 

So. Yeah. That’s what everyone will be making fun of me for, for the foreseeable future.  Enjoy.

How about a set of entirely unrelated pictures? Enjoy!

Long time, no talk

Well hello dear readers… uhm, all 1 of you. 

So, it hasn’t been too hard to see that blogging isn’t exactly my forte’.

No worries, I’m trying to get back on the bandwagon, and I’ve got loads of photos from the past, erm, year to show!  So, kick back, relax, and check back every once in a while for some new photos!

I love this photo, and I think it is probably the best from a camping trip I had with friends a few weeks ago at Ricketts Glen State Park.  I’ll post a few more later!

After a long siesta…

It’s Memorial Day weekend!  I’ve been a little negligent on the interwebs lately, but I’ll be getting back into it soon. 

This weekend my wife made baklava with one of her friends, and it sure was fantastic!

We also made some big waffles and dressed them up with some of the leftover walnuts, whipped cream, and strawberries.  Yum!

I also got a chance to refurbish an old door into a sort of dressing vanity for Shawna.  I’m pretty sure I could’ve bought a brand new door for the 5 or 6 trips I took to the hardware store, but it’s all but done now and I’ve gotta say, it looks pretty good!

Holy Summer!

Talk about one extreme to the next! I was literally driving in sleet and icy slush on TUESDAY and today Central PA was probably near or above 80 degrees! So today I have a picture of some crocuses and a little bee starting his spring pollination!

The world is coming back to life after the dead, cold winter. Rather fitting weather for the Easter weekend!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Holy Sleet!

So… like 2 weeks ago we had a few days in the high 60s, and even one or two reaching into the 70s.  It cooled off, no problem, and it wasn’t even too cold today but on my way home from work I encountered about 1-2 inches of icy sleet/slush along the road!  It is also coming down in full force as sleet and rain, or as the weather forecasters like to call it: a wintry mix.  Inevitably this will lead to a kiddie pool sized puddle in our basement by tomorrow morning. Awesome.

Please enjoy the photo while I grumble and mutter to myself about water, basements, and cleanups…

This photo is all about those few days in the 60’s and 70’s!

And this is finally the last blurry picture I have for you for a while.

Don’t try this at home…

Ok, so this is the picture I said yesterday that I really liked. This image came out of being sort of like a controlled camera-toss.  Some of my friends from college might remember my camera tossing ‘incident’.  Haha. Wow. Bad idea, for sure.  I had just read about a technique to get some surreal images with the camera by essentially throwing the camera in the air as the shutter is pressed.  Well, looking at the results from the article, I decided I HAD to try this. So, being careful, I grabbed my laundry basket with dirty clothes to catch the camera if I missed.  I took about 20 pictures, and got a few really cool ones (which I’ll have to dig up and show here next week).  I stopped shooting for the day.  The next day, after showing a friend the pictures, they refused to believe they came from the camera.  So I insisted on showing them. “Yeah, it’s safe, I did this like 20 times yesterday and nothing bad happened..” I insisted. In my first demonstration toss to them, the camera went up, came down, and as I caught it kind of roughly it landed with a ‘SNAP’.  Looking down at the display on my camera, it read ‘ERR’ and the camera would not take pictures. Whoopsie! Well, I eventually got the camera fixed by Nikon, and my mom is still using it to this day.  You’re a trooper little Nikon D50!

So this time, with my considerably more expensive D300, I held my camera out the window while my wife was driving 70 mph down the highway near the end of sunset.  I just rotated the camera in my hand as I took a little longer exposure.  So much better right?

Well, I’m a little wacko, but I really liked how this turned out.  I even posted it XL here for you to enjoy!

It's Friday!

Happy Friday! Whew, what a week! I worked a lot of overtime this week at my day job. So, for my friday update, I have some more pictures for you, hopefully followed up by another post tomorrow or Sunday with a picture I think is really super cool. Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy the weekend!

Are you getting tired of blurry pictures? Well, too bad, I have like 2 more, coming soon!

A Purry County Weekend

Well, I get ragged on a bit for being from Perry County (and yes, the title is spelled wrong on purpose).  No problem, I don’t mind, and I definitely like where I’m from.  Shawna and I had a nice weekend down there, visiting and going to a retirement party for a good friend of mine.  Saturday night I helped my dad by towing a piece of landscaping equipment up to Bellefonte while he drove a dump truck to the same destination.  Later that night we vacuum packed some pork chops, ribs, and roasts. 

Sounds like a Perry County weekend to me, and I’m completely alright with that. 

Hope you enjoy the photos!

A Quick Catch Up

Well, it’s been a crazy couple of weeks.  My wife and I have been quite busy, travelling back and forth, and attending to *stuff*.  Sorry to those who hate that terribly ambiguous word –stuff – I not the biggest fan either, but sometimes it’s just fitting.  We’ve just had our heads and lives wrapped around a myriad of different things and quite frankly at the moment my brain can barely remember any details. 

This past weekend our house looked like a train wreck, but thankfully we worked together to rein it in and clean up.  Shawna was excited to see all of the birds that started gathering around her feeders this weekend.  We didn’t get pictures of every bird, and what we did get wasn’t fantastic, but I really needed to take some pictures.  So below are three shots from the day, taken from our kitchen windows since rain is bad juju for cameras.

Also, how about this great weather we’ve been getting?  Sure, the weekend was a bit dreary, but we’re slated to have some pretty nice weather for the next few days. 

I’m gearing up for a fantastic wedding season and am very excited to continue growing in this area! Please pass the word onto anyone you know looking for a wedding photographer!

The Pronounced Promise of a Procrastinator

There WILL be a post, with at least 1 picture, tonight.

I Promise.

For now, please settle with an iPhone photo taken the other morning on my way to work...

Slow photo week

It's been a slow week for photos for me. Shawna's been pushing to finish a quilt and my day job has me kinda worn out..whew! We've got a trip planned for the weekend and hopefully we'll get a nice photo or two in Perry County. Hope everyone else has been having a good week!

We’ve Got Alice…

Alice.com that is.  So, Shawna stumbled upon their mention in a magazine, which sounded kind of neat, so I did some checking online to see if they were legit.  Alice.com is a new company that is trying to offer consumers non-perishable goods & household supplies direct from the manufacturer.  They have lots of name brands, and they also apply coupons or other available promotions to the products.  The other really nice thing is that they ship your first order completely free, and consecutive orders ship free with at least 6 items purchased. They also offer a reminder system that will email you when it anticipates products you have purchased or are interested in are getting low.

The prices seem pretty competitive, some things are a bit less, and some are a little more but it is extremely convenient!

So we decided to give it a try.  Shawna ordered things on Wednesday, it was scheduled to come Friday, but was delayed because of snow in our area.  For free shipping, a two day turnaround is pretty good!  We got our first order today (because of the weather delay) and everything was packaged very nicely, with the detergents in a separate bag and sealed lids.  They also mail free product samples if you like!

Check it out at http://www.alice.com 

Snow!

We finally got some snow!  We’re currently buried in approximately 18ish inches of snow up here, which is pretty cool.  It’s been kind of humorous watching everyone to the south of us being hammered with snow while we yawn away the 2-3 inches we seem to be getting every other week.  I like snow. Many folks do not.  To each his own, but I’m happy to see a bit more precipitation here.  Below, I have a rather boring shot of the snow, just to hopefully give you the perspective of my wife’s nearly drift-covered car. 

Also, below is shot that Shawna took this summer while I was shooting a family portrait session.  I thought it might make a nice wallpaper, so if you like it, go ahead and click on it to load a larger size.  Feel free to right-click and save-as to save the file to your computer. Thanks, enjoy!

Wednesday… Oh fun.

Well, it’s officially the middle of the week! We’re supposed to get a pretty heavy amount of snow tomorrow through Friday, we’ll see what happens.  Every other large prediction of snow up here has ended up being a dud, while DC through Central PA have gotten slammed!  I’ve got a pretty cool weekend planned as long as we aren’t snowed in.  No fear! I have a big ridiculous truck!

On a side note, a little while ago Shawna’s great grandmother gave us this neat bottle that she had laying around because she knew Shawna liked old stuff.  It’s from White Horse, a whisky still produced today, actually made with Lagavulin malt (which is good stuff). Anyways, please enjoy the shot below (no pun intended)!

Cake!

Shawna made me a fantastic cake last weekend for Valentines Day. Ok, the picture isn’t very good, but it sure tasted amazing!

Some Summer Pictures…

Well, since most of the northeast is still buried under the snow, and since the roads were getting a bit dicey on my way home tonight, I’m posting some pictures from the past summer.

The first, my ole’ college roommate Mark. I’m not sure if he even knows what he’s sitting on (it’s called a tractor bud). But, this was his ‘pensive/thinking’ pose. I’d say he makes for a good gentleman farmer!

The second, just a nice, not really macro shot of a lily. Shawna’s great grandmother has quite a knack for flowers, and this was a gift she gave us this past summer.

Finally, the third is from the good ole’ Perry County Fair. I’m not sure if the man who invented theme park rides “on wheels” deserves a medal or an OSHA investigation, but I thought it made a decent picture.

So my friends, it’s nearly Thursday, which is nearly Friday… which is nearly always a good thing!

Enjoy!

A quick ‘About Me’

In the first of many ‘oops’ moments on my blog, I haven’t really introduced myself. 

So, hello, I’m Clayton!  I’m married to the most wonderful gal in the world, Shawna, who somehow manages to put up with me. I’m an engineer/computer geek trying to make my way as a part time professional photographer. I discovered photography in college when I bought a simple digital camera as an experiment to see if I would enjoy taking photos.  Soon, I was eager to learn more and filled my spare time with photography.  Eventually I bought some more complex equipment and further developed my skills to where I am today. 

In 2009, I decided to give wedding photography a try, shot a few weddings and discovered I love it!  This year, I’ve already got many more weddings booked, and hope to meet more clients along the way. I love having a part in documenting the memories of such an important day!

I look forward to all of the challenges and experiences yet to come, knowing that I have so much yet to learn. 

Over the coming weeks, I will begin blogging and documenting life, liberty, and the pursuit of a career in wedding photography. Enjoy!

-Oh, and yeah, I need to put some sort of picture of myself up here somewhere… I’m getting to it!

New Blog!

Hello my dear Internet friends!

First of all, Happy Valentines Day!

A few weeks ago, I visited my college roommate Mark, who is now living in Cortland, NY. We decided to make a trip west to Seneca lake to visit some wineries and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I’ve lived up here for about 2 years and never made it up to the finger lakes until this trip.

We had a great time, making it to 4 different wineries and a distillery. As always, Mark was a great host! Below are some pictures I took that weekend, I hope you enjoy them!