2010.12.12

Well, Friday it came: my sweet CR-48. There are benefits to having a brother on the Chrome team - I get to beta test one of Google's new Chromium OS laptops.

First off, it started right up - like as soon as I put in the battery, plugged it in, and pressed the power button. It found our wireless almost instantly, asked for the key, then asked me to "log in." Logging in on a CR-48 means signing into your Gmail account. (There is an option to login as a guest.) It asked me if I wanted to take a photo with the on-board camera to act as my "account" photo, and that was it - the machine was set up. We're talking less than two minutes.

It takes a bit to get used to; you do EVERYTHING from within a Chrome browser window. Some "apps" were already installed, but even those run within the browser. There is an app shop (so far I have only installed free apps) and there seem to be a lot of them. I grabbed a couple games (Namco's Butterfly Mahjong is my favorite so far) and a nice simple photo editor called Pixlr EXpress. Then I discovered Picasa can do the simple stuff right online!

The hardware is plain; I miss the "Delete", "End", and "Home" keys which are missing from the keyboard. The "Giant Touch Pad" (so labled in the sparse documentation) is annoying but I am getting used to it. I will take advantage of the USB port and toss a mouse on there when I get to work tomorrow. There is an on-board camera, speakers, and microphone. The speaker volume is a little low for my taste, but there is a headphone jack.

The computer sleeps the second you close the lid, and resumes instantly when you open the lid. I mean, INSTANTLY. It is amazing. I've also never used such a stable computer. (Granted, I am a PC user...) It never seems to crash - I feel a little guilty because I've used it steadily for two days now and not had any real bugs to report. It has awesome battery life too - I use it for hours (like 5-6?) without it being plugged in, and did not come close to exhausting the battery.

The thing is the hardest to get used to is the file system. Since you don't install stuff, it feels like no effort put into the navigation. I wanted to upload a photo (which I had downloaded) but couldn't figure out how to navigate to the "downloads" folder. There doesn't seem to be a hierarchy but rather a long list of non-friendly-named folders. Again, since the point is to "live on the web," I expect this was by design but this could be the one "downfall" for CR-48 notebooks. I wonder if, by "launch", there will be an easier way to download/upload files.

There is a slot on the side that fits a SD card, but it has no functionality.

The notebook comes with 100 MB per month data free from Verizon (for two years) which is totally cool.

2010.10.07

Henry quote: "Let's talk about love. If I break your phone, you will still love me."

Grandpa: What's your favorite vegetable? Henry: Butter!

2010.09.20

So I have learned that parental lies come from panic:
Henry: Mom, how do they sing with those masks on? ("They" being Batman and Spiderman.)
Me: Um - sing?
H: Yeah, like, nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh BATMAN! And Spiderman, spiderman...
M: Um - they don't sing...
H: But where does the music come from?
M: Um - the chorus...
H: Who's that?
M: Um - people... you can't see them... they are nearby and they sing those songs...
H: Why?
M: Because Batman and Spiderman like it...

2010.09.10

A note to Henry's teacher:

Dear Ms. Kary,

At our family Rosh Hashanah dinner, we had this discussion:

Me: What country are you studying in school?
Henry: Sweden! Sweden is like cob on the corn.
M: Sweden is like…
H: Yes Ms. Kary told me that.
M: Um…
H: And dead comb leeten moose!
M: (to family) Did I just have a stroke, or is he no longer speaking English?
M: What did you just say, honey? The comb…
H: No, Mom, like, you know, dead. Dead comb!
M: (with barely suppressed hysteria, over the choking of our dinner guests) And a comb, like for your hair?
H: Leeten moose!
M: What is “leeten”?
H: A place in Africa!!
M: (now also choking, and with tears) And a moose?
H: (impatient now) Why are you guys laughing? These are words in our class. I will show them to you. Dead comb leeten moose.
(entire table is now in hysterics)
H: Mom, today my apple was red AND green!

I am SO HOPING you can interpret…

- Elisabeth, Henry’s very confused mom

2010.08.31

Random Henry quotes:
"Mom, I'm putting my food in the microphone so the dogs don't get it."

Me: did you eat a bite of that? Henry: Let me check my tummy... (slides eyes to the side, obviously checking in with his tummy) Yes, I did. But I did not like it."

2010.08.25

Henry speak: biller do
Normal speak: dollar bill

2010.08.21

Henry, after stopping his playing to watch a Progressive Insurance commercial featuring "Flo": (sighs deeply) "I love Flo." Aw, his first crush...

2010.08.04

Kid: Are sharks mean? Me: No, they just get hungry and accidentally eat a person instead of their real food. Kid: You mean their food is gross and they want to eat tasty people?

2010.08.02

Me: What do you want to eat? Kid: Bread. Me: 'Man shall not live by bread alone'. Kid: How about two pieces?

2010.07.18

Boy, dressed as Capt. Hook, on way to dinner for John's birthday: "Don't tell Grandma who I think I am."

2010.07.13

"Saying 'Good job' to people who lose under me makes the world a better place."

2010.06.21

Kid: when I get big the Bible will take my teeth away.
Me: uh - the Bible?
Kid: yeah, the Bible is God so God will take my teeth away
Me: um... God doesn't take teeth away
Kid: not even Gavin's?

2010.07.13

Henry quote: "Saying 'Good job' to people who lose under me makes the world a better place."

Nano Hexbugs are so cool

I feel the need to post about how cool Nano Hexbugs are.I stumbled on them while reading a review of another toy. I was intrigued. Two days later, I have 13 of them. They come in a variety of colors and designs, and are "collectable" - each comes with a unique code you can register online (http://www.handandstars.com).










View from the top. The colors and designs vary to give a variety of collectable "specimens."







View from the side. The legs do not actually move, but their slant makes the bug move forward as it vibrates.






View from the bottom; see the tiny on switch?

2010.05.05

I would just like to add "sandwif" (as in "I want a peanut butter sandwif") to the list of cute Henryisms. Also, when the dog jumps up somewhere and gets in Henry's way: "Quarky's budging!"

2010.03.07

Back in India, and the boy is here too. We did a little shopping yesterday - we can buy bananas and oranges which, since we peel them, are safe to eat here. We also bought a ball (49 Rs - less than a dollar) which Henry has been throwing and kicking all over Gurgaon. In fact, he lost it downstairs last night and one of the guest house guys found and returernd it at like 4:30 a.m. - since he heard we were awake. :-(

A few "Henryisms" I don't want to lose: "It was a accidink," "Stripey is my best friend," "Please be nice to my dog," "Grandma is cute."

Also, we spent like half an hour practicing saying "Ethiopia." Since I broke it down for him, he says it "Ethi Opi Ah!" which is adorable.

The office guinea pig, Ian, was sick so I brought him to the vet, then home to recuperate, which he did not. Henry was with me when I discovered Ian had died. Now, most of Henry's toys are "dead." "See him, mommy? See how he lays there all stiff? That means he's dead. Ian is dead, too - remember that, mommy?"

2010.01.12

Henry is obsessed with living in a trash can like Oscar the Grouch. Every toy box gets emptied - toys piled on the floor - so he can "live" in the "trash can." Finally, in the interest of keeping the toys picked up, we bought him a real trash can. He was thrilled. He eats in it, sleeps with it beside the bed (which means I have to carry it up and down the stairs), and gets dressed in it. Should I be worried?