The Facebook dilemma

I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook. It's been around for quite a while and is a solid way to keep in touch with people. But it's also a privacy advocate's nightmare and is very unhelpful with moving data around. Not to mention the extreme proliferation of ridiculously annoying and useless information.

Inspired by a friend who recently deleted his Facebook account entirely, I have begun to reexamine my usage of the site. There are definitely good things about Facebook, but there are lots of not so good things, too. The question is whether the good outweighs the bad or vice versa.

Using Android 2.1

It's been a few days now since I rooted my G1, and I am really enjoying using the newest version of Android, version 2.1. On the whole, not a whole lot is different from past versions, but there are dozens of small improvements that add up to a really nice experience.

I've been using Android since it was first launched, and I've seen it go through multiple iterations and improvements. Each one has built on the previous one and added new features, new applications, and new ways to use the phone. In addition, the past year and a half has brought multiple new Android devices to market, including the Nexus One, Google's own handset that they're selling themselves.

The Nexus One was the first (and currently only) device to ship with Android 2.1, though Google and the various phone manufacturers have promised that many existing Android phones will receive the update. The G1, however, has yet to receive the update and there has been no communication regarding the update. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands and update myself. You can read my post about the rooting process for that story.

Rooting my G1

I've had my G1 for a year and a half now and have been using it the way it originally shipped since then. I've patiently waited for and used the updates I've gotten, and nothing more. I've long known that there were other options available to those who wanted to do a little hacking, but I was apprehensive to try it due to the risk of bricking the phone.

But due to the the lack of updates, and lack of any communication regarding future G1 updates, I decided to finally take the plunge and root my phone. Rooting means wiping the whole phone blank and reinstalling a custom version of the operating system. There's nothing underhanded or illegal about this, it just requires some patience, technical ability, and a good set of instructions.

Switching to Google Voice

I've been using Google Voice in some form or another for several years. I was actually using it back when it was Grand Central, before Google acquired it. I never switched to using it full-time, though, instead opting to keep my existing phone number and use Voice for voicemail only. They make it pretty easy to simply forward your unanswered calls and turn Google Voice into a robust voicemail service for your existing number, and that's how I used it for the last year or so.

In order to get the most out of Google Voice, you have to switch to using your Voice number as your primary number. This is a bit of a headache, since it means letting all your friends know that you have a new number...annoying to say the least. But that's exactly what I did.

Pro tip: Windows Live Sync

I recently discovered this most excellent tool that has already made my life easier. I've only been using it for a week and I find myself wondering how I lived without it.

It's Windows Live Sync, a free service from Microsoft that syncs folders across various computers. It works with Macs and PCs and is completely free, though it does require a Windows Live ID.

Setup is pretty easy and is all web-based, meaning changes to your sync setup can be made from anywhere. The service uses peer-to-peer networking, so there's no limit to the size of files and folders you can sync.

How to: YouTube 3D

Making a 3D home video, like the ones I recently made, isn't as hard as you might think. YouTube's excellent 3D processing system does all the heavy lifting, meaning all you have to do is simple editing.

Humans have two eyes, which is what allows us to see 3D in real life. Our eyes are 2-3 inches apart and both facing the same direction. So filming in 3D requires using two cameras with the lenses 2-3 inches apart recording simultaneously. Then, one of the various 3D technologies is used to separate the resulting video and show each of your eyes a different image.

The simplest of these is the age-old red/blue pair of glasses. One eye only sees the red image, and one eye only sees blue, producing the 3D effect. For big budget movies in the theater, a more advanced type of 3D is used called circular polarized. This produces a full color 3D effect, but requires a special screen and a very expensive projector.