- Because of the lack of updates, I've felt compelled to explain why I've been on Cloud 9 for nearly 2 months... -

Hello everyone,

As many of you might now know, I have quit the AMCP Tech Blog. It took me a long time to come to the realization that I needed to reorganize my life - Take a step back, see what needed to be fixed, and do it. Trust me, it's been hard for me to come to this. I've been letting this blog take front stage instead of much more important things in my life and I had to change that. But that doesn't change the fact that for nearly two years, this has been my home on the Internet; A place I come to share my thoughts on the technology world and talk about it with friends. In that time, I've written nearly one thousand posts talking about everything from a Swiss Army Knife with USB Storage to Google shocking everyone and buying YouTube. And in that time, there has been nearly 100 thousand visitors. So yeah, I'm just as surprised as you are that I don't have carpal tunnel.

More importantly, I've met some of the coolest computer nerds ever (OMG!? Can he say those two words in the same sentence?!) who shared the same passion in technology as I did. The connections that I've made with people have been one-of-a-kind, allowing me to gain a new look into how people view the tech'osphere. I can't even put how I feel about this small slice in the large pizza of the Internet into words (Great analogy, eh?). I will never forget the friends I made, those historical moments on the Internet that I was apart of and the way that I look at nerds wordwide. But seriously, you guys rock and I'll never forget at these moments in my life.

This maybe my last post, but I invite you to look over the Archives and relive some of the most exciting moments in any tech blogger's life....

Forever yours,

Alex M.

Hello again,

It's felt like it's been ages since I've taken a look at this blog, remembering all the fun times posting and talking about something I was passionate about. Looking back, I remembered that it's right around AMCP's 2nd birthday. Two years ago, I started this blog hoping to gain an audience from which I could talk about everything tech. At first, it was hard work, posting day after day, answering comments and e-mails and more. However, as the months past, it started to pay off. I found writing here as something relaxing, to pass the time and get away from the real world. It's hard to write this after having been absent for so long, but I'd just like to throw it out there - Our first birthday post can be seen here. I sometimes wish I could take up posting again, but when I really think about it, I know I made the right choice.

Peace guys,

-Alex

Today Google released Google Base that will allow users to upload files all types of information and make it searchable online to the site. However, should eBay be worried? According to Bindu Reddy, a product manager @ Google said that it is just an extension of Google's effort to organize content. "Anyone, from large companies to website owners and individuals, can use it to submit their content in the form of data items. We'll host the items and make them searchable for free," Reddy said. This comes after screenshots were leaked and rumors were spreading. Examples of files being able to be uploaded include job and rental listings, items for sale, academic data like a database of protein structures, or even recipes.

We managed to get our greedy little hands on MSN Messenger 8 and since we love all of you, we've posted screenshots of it running live from my computer. Please do not Email me asking (or even begging) to see where you can download it; I can't tell you (sorry!). I was shiped the first build, meaning that all features promised in v.8 may not be working yet. To your left is the login screen of MSN Messenger 8. As you can see, it has a huge UI makeover. I love that orange look with the grey. To your right is your buddy list. This too, has gone through a makeover. Moving your mouse over the contact shows some quick information that you may have been looking for. As you can see, my information is behind a nice looking orange. With Messenger 8, however, you can change the color (you can change it to the normal colors, blue, red, purple, ect.).

There are some new features in MSN Messenger 8 such as: MSN Phone. This software doesn't yet work in this build, but it will be in the final public release of MSN Messenger 8.

I'm guessing they're basing this on the code of that VoIP company that they bought awhile ago (who knows?). As for the launch of Live.com: I'm not sure if this will stay MSN Messenger 8 because of Microsoft changing the MSN brand around. It might become Live.com Messenger or something like that. As I said before, please do not Email me or leave comments asking for the download location or how I got it: I can't tell you! However, when MSN Messenger comes out, I'll tell you.

Recently I've been very interested in AJAX, not only because of the cool applications already out there, but also because of the format's potential. I like the way AJAX allows you to take your desktop away from your desktop, so to speak. In other words (for the benefit of any non-geeks reading this--though I doubt there are any ; - ), AJAX allows developers to write programs as powerful as conventional programs that run in a browser. This is good for several reasons. The main one is the fact that running several AJAX programs inside a browser uses far less CPU than it would to run programs with the same capabilities outside the browser in the operating system. Another advantage is the fact that you can access your favorite programs from any computer with internet access. There is one disadvantage with AJAX: you need to be connected to the internet to use most AJAX programs effectively. However, I don't see that being much of a problem in the future. I believe that dial-up will die soon, leaving the vast majority of people with an always-on connection. Those who need to work "on-the-go" will use BlackBerries, Treos (and other PDAs), and laptops with nation-wide wireless cards like those currently sold by Verizon, Sprint-Nextel, and (most recently) Cingular. High-speed connections will become less expensive, and enough people will switch to superfast connections (like Verizon's new FiOS service) to make them considerably less expensive. The same will happen to the cellphone-service providers' nationwide wireless plans. So in the future that I envision, basically everything would be connected to the internet all the time.

Therefore, why have an operating system at all? It sounds pretty drastic. There is a lot of convenience that goes with an operating system. People like to have all of their favorite programs in the same place. However, I'm thinking of something different from a bunch of seperate AJAX programs. I'm thinking of a web-based operating system. It wouldn't have to be fancy. There are services out there that offer free web-based storage. It would be very easy to build a "virtual computer"; all of the parts and pieces already exist.

An early version could be made right now, with the goowy user-interface, Writely as the word processor, a slick AJAX email client (there are dozens of them), a calender/to-do list ("Remember the Milk" is one of these) . . . There are not many widely-used desktop programs that do not have an AJAX counterpart. Now, linking all these AJAX programs together in this fashion may seem a bit clumsy, but, from the non-techie user's perspective, what is an operating system but the glue holding a bunch of programs together? In this futuristic vision, the actual computer would be nothing but a gateway to the internet, running a full-screen lite browser and nothing else.

This idea may be before its time, or it may be crazy nonsense. But I think it's a good one, and that's why I'm going to try it. I'm in the process of recruiting people to help me. If you're interested and you can write AJAX, do web design, promote the idea on your site, or provide helpful ideas, please contact me: Jbw1291@gmail.com. You can also visit http://apos.illumeon.com.