It Seems I Have My Head (and other things) in the Cloud.

The en suite (or toilet room) is progressing. The floor tile and grout are down and will be sealed today. The vanity, sink and toilet will go in tomorrow or Thursday. Wanda and I will take our time and paint later. It would have been easier to paint first but the timing was off. 

I'll post pictures when it's finished.

We got our new Xfinity X1 Platform yesterday. I'll write a simple description and explanation. 

It's a new thin black box with numbers on the front and a remote control with numbers and letters on the top.

Comcast describes it like this: 

XFINITY TV on the X1 Platform is a new XFINITY TV product that combines a vast library of traditional TV and OnDemand programming with additional content and features. With the X1 Platform, customers can enjoy seamless access to live TV, Xfinity OnDemand, DVR recordings, video clips, weather, traffic applications and more.

It has a beautiful on-screen guide. I can read detailed information on just about everything. The movies even have a picture of the original poster advertising the film and the Rotten Tomatoes ratings.

Maybe you have seen the commercials that use Jimmy Fallon or the crew from Star Trek to hype the Voice Activated feature? I can do that. I can talk to my tablet and find programs to watch. I no longer need my thumbs to push remote buttons. I can save them for texting.

I can record up to four programs at the same time and watch a fifth. All recordings can be viewed on as many as five devices so I won't miss a thing while on vacation. Gosh, I hope I can get my Wi-Fi on the cruise.

This system is the "Future of Now" (I just made that up) and I love it.

I must admit, I am somewhat confused. The service guy was talking about the new and improved X2 and I'm not sure if I have the X1 or X2. From what I can tell it looks like the X2. I checked the help forums on Comcast and based on all the people complaining about their switch from the X1 to the X2 I think I have the 2. 

I'm glad I was on the waiting list for almost a year. I have no problem with the X2 since I never had the X1. I've come to realize people are resistant to change and I certainly understand it. Things are getting more complex and our older brains are getting softer. Come hell or high water I am determined to learn and understand every aspect of this new system.

After almost 24-hours I still haven't figured out how to turn it off.

The service guy also said, "The new X2 will store all your information in THE CLOUD."

THE CLOUD?

It wasn't the first time I've heard or read about THE CLOUD. Wanda has an Amazon Prime account with a special e-mail address that opens up her CLOUD. I have a Kindle so I can use it too. After almost a year our Amazon CLOUD is as empty as a rain cloud over California.

I know a little about clouds. 

Stratus and Cumulus hang out below 6,000 feet, Cirrus are found above 18,000 feet and Cumulonimbus (that's for you Russell) are found from near the ground to above 50,000 feet. I know on a warm day when the sky is blue it's fun to lie on your back and pretend the white puffy clouds are animals, people or anything your imagination allows.

I know grey/green clouds in Michigan bring storms and funnel clouds over Oklahoma bring destruction. I know hail and rain and snow fall from clouds. I know a little about clouds.

But THE CLOUD.....I don't know what the Hell is. (A nod to Neil Simon's "The Sunshine Boys.")

I hate to write about subjects I know little about so I read a few articles on THE CLOUD.

I didn't understand 90% of "The Beginners Guide to the Cloud." I got a bit more from "What is Cloud Computing For Dummies" and hit the mother lode with "Understanding Cloud Computing for Senior Dummies."

Here's what I think I know. 

Every big company that deals with computer information has a cloud; Amazon has a cloud, Google has a cloud, Microsoft has a cloud, except they're not in the sky and they're not really clouds.

The term cloud refers to the network where information is stored. It can be accessed by individual computers. So when I record a movie it isn't stored on my equipment but somewhere in THE CLOUD. That's why I can watch it anywhere on any device I have connected to my account.

Someday all my information will be somewhere in THE CLOUD. 

All my mega and giga and tera bytes will be in THE CLOUD. All my e-mail and pictures and movies will be in THE CLOUD. All the books I've read and web sites I've searched will be in THE CLOUD. 

I hope I have my own private cloud but that's probably too much to ask. I suppose my information will co-mingle with lots of other people's.

Wikipedia: A cloud is called a "public cloud" when the services are rendered over a network that is open for public use. Technically there may be little or no difference between public and private cloud architecture, however, security consideration may be substantially different for services (applications, storage, and other resources) that are made available by a service provider for a public audience and when communication is effected over a non-trusted network. Generally, public cloud service providers like Amazon AWS, Microsoft and Google own and operate the infrastructure and offer access only via Internet (direct connectivity is not offered).

"What did you ask? No, that naked picture of Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga is NOT mine."

If you have THE CLOUD I hope all your days are sunny.