(Okay Go’s latest video “All is Not Lost” [an HTML5 video created for Google’s “Chrome Experiment” program] can be watched in any browser–but only Chrome users get the full experience!)
A couple of weeks back, amidst the initial “I got a golden invite” hub-bub over on Google+, I asked, “Would my Google+ experience be any different if I browsed with Google Chrome? In other words, given my growing fondness for Google+, was there any reason why I should up and switch browsers?
Understand: Firefox has been my browser for a number of years now, and while we haven’t sent out “save the date” postcards or booked a band, I like to think we’ve built a strong foundation of open, honest communication and grown to meet each others needs in a good, giving, and game manner. I’m not really in the market for a new browser–we’ve got the apartment fixed up the way we like it, Firefox washes the dinner dishes and gives awesome foot rubs. Really, this is the happiest I’ve ever been…
Anyway, word came back that, no, I wasn’t missing anything significant on Chrome. Still, as I was exploring Google+, I couldn’t help but think: “Man, look at all the wet, sloppy media love Google+ is getting right now! This would be a great time to pimp Chrome out and convince Plusers to move out of their browser comfort zones…
Fast-forward to today, when I discovered that video-marketing geniuses Okay Go! (the band that brought sexy back to treadmills and Rube Goldberg) have released their latest video as a Chrome Experiment best viewed (wait for it…) on Google Chrome.
Here, in no particular order, are the reasons why this project is fraught with awesomeness:
- The song is great. Halfway through, there is this guitar-cascade of a bridge where I believe I held hands with 8-year-old-me–all while rainbow-colored unicorns gamboled innocently around the two of us.
- The video was imagineered by choreographer Trish Sie, sister of Ok Go! front man Damian Kulash. Fun fact: according to Wikipedia, Sie is a one-time star of Discovery Health Channel’s television show Deliver Me, where “her second pregnancy and second unmedicated natural childbirth was shown [on television] in 2008.” In other words, the woman is an honorary GeekMom with a high pain thresh-hold and an under-developed sense of modesty. I feel an irresistible pressure to buy this woman a drink the next time she’s in Manhattan…
- The video was done in tandem with the modern dance troupe Pilobolus and is a clever, kaleidoscopic treat of lithe limbs and skin-tight aquamarine body-suits.
- The video is masterpiece of marketing. I immediately loved the song and obediently downloaded Chrome in order to get the full effect, complete with personalized message. And I’d do it all again.
This project is such a clever endeavor from beginning to end–I just had to share.
So, can anyone tell me if I should adopt Google Chrome as my primary browser? Benefits vs. liabilities? Anyone, anyone?
I can tell you why I made the switch.
1) WordPress 3.2x runs extremely slow on Firefox. It was taking me 20 minutes to format a post instead of 2 because the autosave function slowed every thing down, each time it did its thing. I would type something and would have to wait a good 30 seconds (which is a lifetime) just for one sentence to appear.
2) Chrome uses way less system resources than Firefox does. Once upon a time, I used Firefox over Chrome because of the radio station. For every tab you have open in Chrome, there is a new process. This cut down on my bandwidth. That was until the last two updates to Firefox. Now, I can do my shows using Firefox because just having 1 tab open (and I need 4 just to run my show) uses 150,000 K. Firefox’s plugin container is a resource clog.
If I were just doing straight browsing, I’d stay with FF, especially as it wouldn’t allow me to export my bookmarks or passwords.
But because of my job needs and FF was running way too slow, or completely preventing me from doing my job, I made the switch as now Chrome uses less resources. The latter was not the case until just recently.
Jules: Do you do your radio show from your home?
I do!
The joys of technology, allowing me to do all my work whilst in my pyjamas.
All the personalities do their shows remote. It is pretty awesome that even if you are away from home, you can broadcast from anywhere with a strong internet connection.