The guy sitting next to me on the plane home from Florida was a Droid Incredible user; while we were sharing app recommendations, I realized I had a few recommendations of lesser known apps that really rock that I should share with people.  Everyone knows about Angry Birds, Google Sky Map and ShopSavy … but here are a few hidden gems:

1.  ChromeMarks – If you are like me, you use Chrome on your Linux (or other) desktop.  One of the great features of Chrome is the built-in bookmark sync.  Unfortunately, the built-in Android browser does get in on this syncing action.  This is where ChromeMarks come in; it syncs your Chrome bookmarks to your Android phone.

2. aTrackDog – I like to download, install and try out a lot of apps.  I then tend to uninstall a lot of apps.  aTrackDog lets you track new updates of apps, even after you have uninstalled; so, you don’t miss a big improvement in an app that you previously uninstalled.

3. OS-Monitor – It is basically like running “top” on your phone.  You can see all the processes using cpu at any given time.  Isn’t it awesome how much info about your phone is available on Android?

4. Wikipathia – A fun game of degrees of similarity relating terms on Wikipathia.

Add your own lesser known apps in the comments.

It has been awhile since I posted here.  However, I am pretty impressed with Google’s buzz and its ability to syndicate wordpress sites, making this blog less of black a hole for content.  Combined with the nice wordpress app that was just released for Android, you might expect some more regularity in my updates in the future.

I am sure my fans (aka, the members of my family that are forced to read this blog by law) have been crying nightly wondering where I have gone.  Since I last posted, the most notable thing that has happened is that I passed my qualifying exam.  I also just finished writing a chapter with my advisor for a book on the fundamentals of semiconductors that should be out some time in the next year.  In the next month, I am going to be doing two physics related demos for a middle school physical science program with the Novato public library system.  At the first one, I am going to be getting the kids to build little electric motors out of paperclips, which was my favorite physics lab back in the day.  Hopefully I don’t end up getting beat up by a bunch of 12 year olds.

I am headed to Portland in a few weeks to to present at the APS meeting.  I am pretty excited to see Portland.  I have heard a lot of good things about the city (including its brewery scene) and am considering spending at least one afternoon after my talk stalking Linus Torvalds until he signs my Nexus One.  Perhaps I will be back for OSCON this summer.

The LUG has really taken off lately with very little effort on my behalf.  Berkeley has a pretty vibrant community of people interested in open-source software.  I am looking forward to some of upcoming events seeing how the Lucid Lynx release turns out.  Here is a picture of our booth at the Solano Stroll.

But this picture will last forever:

I just got back from a few summer trips.  First off I was in Winnipeg and participated in the Manitoba Marathon with family (10K Walk).

Then I went to the CSGF Fellows conference in DC.  After which, Lisa and I went to visit my parents in Florida.  It was pretty good – set up a new computer, got my Dad set up with MLB.tv and then hit the beach for a day.  I had forgotten how much I like the beach.    The whole trip the G1 Android did well.  Loves Android.

Anyway, here are some pics:

BerkeleyLUG

DC/Florida

Why haven’t I updated here lately?  Well, it is mainly because I have been spending most of my spare time working on the new Linux User Group in Berkeley: BerkeleyLUG.  I have been writing my Linux oriented blogs over there, with the benefit that I am no longer boring my family and non-linux related friends.  Due to the high traffic some of those post have received, it was also important to move them off of my home server.

Not a whole lot has been going on lately in my life.  I haven’t gone dancing in awhile, but plan to start again next week for the summer.   My plans for doing a marathon in Winnipeg on Fathers have slowly evolved to doing only a 2 mile “Super Run.”  Hopefully by the end of the summer, I will be up at half marathon level again.

I won second place in the CSGF essay contest, with my essay “Saving the World One Atom at a Time.”  I will link to the article when it is published in a couple weeks.  I plan to use the money I won to buy an Android phone as soon as the new models come out.

Went fruit picking with Lisa today.  We got apricots, cherries and berries.

Hope everyone is well.