SNSD – Oh!
Honestly, for those in the NU region, I hardly have to explain this. Asian guys just like SNSD.

Taeyang – Wedding Dress
The 2nd most overplayed song at Celebrasia (where Bad Romance was 1st)

Matt Duke – Rabbit
Thanks Katie Hsih for a nice song! I feel like if i were to do a cover this would be fun to do. As in, it would be doable and quite fun!

Little Boots – Remedy
Yes, this is, in fact, a fun song. Little Boots in general is pretty fun, but i think this is probably the best on the album.

A Fine Frenzy – Blow Away
I guess technically “New Heights” is the song that most people like, but I find that this one is pretty good as well. It’s light and enjoyable to listen to, of course!

? – A Suprise!
Well I guess putting a good description would give it away, but it’s now my ringtone on my cell, as well as a nice way to reminisce on childhood things!

I apologize – to me, it seems the pickings are slim, and not as interesting as they were last time. I just wanted to share some other stuff that people might not have heard – maybe I’ll have some more inspiration at a later date (ie when I am not going through final projects). And, of course, if you want to download any of these songs, let me know.

Basically, the Nexus One is probably the best phone I have ever used (though the HTC HD2 comes in close second – I only played with the hardware). Apps marketplace is pretty robust, though it might not be as big as the App Store. Managed to kill the battery once by forgetting to turn off a GPS app (phone was dead by dinner) and also managed to get hit by a $200 data fee (luckily diverted by a last minute $15 unlimited data addition). But really, that just highlights how Google Apps connectivity is just baked into the phone so you’re always connected. Love it!

I went to the Chicago Auto Show the first night i got the phone, and took some pics of new cars! Since I am pretty car illiterate, i just call them “shiny” and “faster than my van”. Photos were taken on the Nexus One’s 5MP camera. Apologies for pieces being cut off.

 
Cars are fun, and it was a good night out with Chenfei, John, Matt, and David. We went to Lao Sichuan in New Chinatown afterward. It was spicy and good.

Following was a week of class, and lots of busy work.

Programming in Tech for 10+ hour shifts is always fun! But is OK because the night it was due, I was able to go to a David Choi concert! He is an amazing singer and a funny guy. For the NU-ites out there, look for him at KASA show this Spring!

What a good singer. Apologies for the fuzziness in any pics – I am still getting the hang of taking dark photos (as in, I have no idea).  I also notice that this was the first “this is what I did” blogs in a while. Enjoyable?

But then look at Google buzz. At the end of the Google press conference, the product had already launched for the media who were there, and by the end of the day, many people already had it. It is built into Gmail, allowing – no, forcing – users to be force fed updates from their friends. And really, it’s quite interesting what has resulted from it.

Over the first 24 hours of launch, Google logged over 9 million posts and comments (http://techcrunch.com/2010/02/11/google-buzz-security-stats/). That is an insane amount of activity. I can actually see this as supplanting Twitter as the go to microblogging page. Twitter did a good job as the first to market, and trained people to type message in sub 140 characters. Now that people get it, Google doesn’t need to limit “buzzes”.

I personally have already seen people’s messages with up to 15 comments following it, many of those people who have never used Twitter. Google incorporating the Buzz inbox in your Gmail just makes it so easy. This is really just my own prognosticating, but people are likely to pick this up, and continue using it. That is, if they aren’t sick of all the updates and turn Buzz off altogether.

Sometimes you just see stuff that makes you really happy.

In other news, I created an account at Formspring.me, where anyone can ask questions (anonymously) and I can answer them. (truthfully or not, i suppose). It seems to be an interesting product where people ask some good, some weird questions, and people give some interesting answers. My URL is http://www.formspring.me/byroncheng , send me a question or two.

It snowed a ton today, and my shoes and pants got kind of wet. While getting a ride back home, I commented that I still hadn’t bought boots (in the almost four years I’ve been here). But it’s time for me to buy some boots. Chicago is no longer just a temporary location – I’m in it for the long haul.

I spoke to my to-be supervisor last week. It’s just crazy to see how quickly I am moving towards the next stage of my life. During the benefits call, we discussed things like 401k and its vesting, and the various pension plans. For the first time, it really hit me that this new change in my life would really be a new step. Some people work at their jobs for years before changing – some never do. My mom has been working at the same company for at least 15 years now, and my dad just switched after about 8. Now it’s my turn to start working and building a career for myself. I realized on new years eve that it would probably be one of my last days living in my California life. Since I start right after school ends, I really won’t have much time at home.

Bob Dylan – The Times They Are A-Changin’

A good project for a 3 day weekend. Fun stuff!

Thanks Pepsi! (and Alison + Team!) I look forward to our formal introduction in June!

Lenovo U1

Google/HTC Nexus One

Skiff Reader

From wutuwaitn4

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly. So I asked, ‘Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital. This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, ‘The Law of the Garbage Truck.’

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they’ll dump it on you. Don’t take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on… Don’t take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets. The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day.

Life’s too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so…Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don’t. Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!

Update: David J. Pollay is the author of The Law of the Garbage Truck™. You can read the original story on David’s blog, http://davidjpollay.typepad.com/david_j_pollay/lawofthegarbagetruck.html

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It’s been a while since I’ve been able to write anything. I guess when you’ve got a lot to do, it means you have way more than you expect. I’m kind of running short on time and sleep (related) these days, so trying to work with that. A couple days off next week for Thanksgiving – really looking forward to it. I really hope that this year I’ll be able to take advantage of the extra time that I’ve been given and not squander it like in years past.

Got my h1n1 vaccination up my nose yesterday, it was kind of odd. Though, I guess it means that I will be h1n1 free! Which is a good thing.

Stressed about the future – long and short term. I don’t know what classes I want to take, because basically my selection now will dictate if I am able to graduate early. But, I guess all that is moot, since I need to find a job first. I’m still waiting to hear back from the company I interviewed with a few weeks ago. I am super excited for the job, and really like the company and the environment, but I won’t really be able to express it if I don’t get the position, so cross fingers for that.

Discovered in my calculations that I actually can’t pull my overall gpa up to 3.0 this quarter – I’d need something like a 4.16, which is not going to happen. Hopefully this won’t matter.

Lots of changes going on in my life right now – priorities are shifting, my attention is focused on different things, people are changing, and I don’t know what is going on. But, the quarter is winding down, and I gotta keep up with it. So, let’s just follow along and be happy about it, OK?

I know I promised a music post, but it takes more time than I have. Plan to write a bit about the new albums that are coming out/have come out by various artists (Leona Lewis, Lady Gaga, One Republic, Kris Allen, John Mayer, Justin Bieber). But if you want to get a head start hearing what I think about them, shoot me a message – I love to chat about music anytime.

Press on! And just for the multimedia content, here is a Baby Otter playing. It is super cute and makes me want to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium again.

Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/byroncheng

Google has been all over the news in recent days due to their huge amount of products coming out, Namely Google Music and Google Navigation, the new maps app on Android 2.0

Folks who know me and see my computer at any time during the day will see that my entire life is basically utilizing things that are made by Google.

So a huge list of what things I use is probably too boring for you to read, but it’s just interesting to see how much information, time, and effort i have invested in Google. I’m sure they could create a clone of me, learning my interests from GChat and Google Reader, my voice from Google Voice, my friends from GChat and Gmail, what things I have to do from Calendar and Gmail, and the work I am doing on Docs and Wave. I guess it’s a little scary to see that they have so much information about me, but i guess when you’re good, you’re good. All I know is, whatever Google comes out with next, I’m sure I’ll be one of the first on the bandwagon.

If a huge list of things is really what you want to see, It’s below. The graphic below eases you into it by showing the various products I am currently using in order of how often I feel i use them. After is the fatty list that mentions some of the things I use them for. Got any suggestions or questions? Let me know, I am always reachable! (on Google talk and Gmail)

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1. GMail. This is the big daddy of Google products. I use this to aggregate my personal, Northwestern, and TechCrunch email. It’s sorted into various categories, and I try to utilize some pseudo form of Inbox Zero that John turned me on to (ask me for details)
2. Google Talk. I use the program when I am at home, and GChat when I’m not. It’s gotten more popular, and IM is always useful
3. iGoogle. Currently my home page, it holds various useful at a glance info, including North by Northwestern, CNN, BBC, and the Weather. I’ve also got Google Voice (and Latitude for kicks)
4. Google Reader. Simple RSS feed reader that channels all the information I will ever need about technology (and food) to me directly. Yeah, TechCrunch says that RSS is dead (I agree, it’s really slow compared to twitter) but it works when I’m not always connected.
5. Google Calendar. I organize my life around this. Probably the most critical to my mental health – I need to know what i am doing.
6. YouTube. Biggest time sink in the world. And I love it.
7. Google Voice. One of the newer guys in the party, Google Voice got a lot of press for being rejected from the App Store. Was really useful when I had no cell signal in Slivka, but with the addition of cell phone repeaters, was not as useful. It’s there as a stopgap measure if i get a new phone number
8. Google Wave. Probably the most cutting edge and WAY demanded ( get @ replies asking for invites still), I’m using Google Wave for some work with TechCrunch. It’s also being used for other collaborative work.
9. Google Docs. Was really useful before I discovered Dropbox (link) but now used for more info distribution.
10. Google Chrome. Something that will soon become an OS. It’s my browser of choice for work on my 2133 because Firefox sometimes slows it down a bit too much.
11. Google Analytics. The product I started using the most recently. It’s what I use to track my views and clickthroughs on this page.
12. Goog-411. Use it on the road all the time to find out information of my destination. Great when I’m late for a dinner reservation – I just get connected to the restaurant and push it back.
13. Google Maps. Although I had some problems with nonexistent addresses before, it’s gotten better. I’m sure if i pick up and Android phone I’ll  definitely take advantage of its increased capabilities.
14. Google Apps. U.Northwestern runs on this. I go to NU and have an @u email. That’s about it.

Some songs that have come across my radar via various sources. Just as a beware, I don’t know how this post will appear in Facebook or in Xanga, so feel free to click through to the permalink (http://www.calvyno.com/byroncheng/2009/10/here-have-a-listen/). Also I am not using imeem this time, so full tracks!

Britney Spears – 3. As the title so cleverly puts it, it is about three-somes and such. It really isn’t as fun as Circus was (overall). I imagine that it will end up as the first single that is eclipsed by the second, the way Circus took over Womanizer.

Fall Out Boy – Alpha Dog. If anyone listened to “Citizens for a New Administration”, the Fall Out Boy mixtape that came out before Folie a Deux, this song was one of the openers, though the lyrics were “Welcome to the New Administration” instead of “Welcome to the New Deja Vu” which is quite disorienting for me (but how ironic the words become). Good song.

Jason DeRulo – Whatcha Say. Wrote about this last time. Still a good song, samples from Imogen Heap’s Hide and Seek while making the song mainstream ready. Hope people appreciate the sample.

John Mayer – Heartbreak Warfare. Pulls out John Mayer’s great vocals but is backed against a full band. It reminds me of the old stuff that he did. I’m really happy to hear some new stuff coming out.

Lady Gaga – Bad Romance. Keeps the Lady Gaga beat going, and clearly has her voice in it. The rambling bit in the beginning is oddly addicting to sing. Not sure how it will chart, but it _is_ the first single, so can’t be too bad.

One Republic – Secrets. Oh. My. God. I heard this song and just thought “This is totally One Republic”. And it is a GREAT song. Starts with the cello again, and then goes into Tedder’s insane vocals. Is this the One Republic formula for winning songs? Whatever it is, it is AWESOME.

Rihanna – Russian Roulette. A new song from Rihanna (first after the assault i guess). I’m a bit surprised that is it so dark – normally the first single back is the fast, upbeat dance track, and the second is the slow ballad. This one is the slow song, kind of dark. Not bad.

Ryan Tedder – Halo. Ryan Tedder gets to things written about him today. If you were unaware, he wrote Halo for Beyonce (and repeated the background for Kelly Clarkson’s Already Gone – though he says that isn’t true). Regardless, it was a great hook, and here we get to hear his demo for Halo. It’s got an interesting bridge in the middle (but personally I’d say Beyonce carries this song better than Tedder. And Mike Posner’s version isn’t half bad either)

That’s all for now. If you want anything, ask me for it! Or we can talk about music, because I love it.

Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/byroncheng