Into the Cloud

It's been buzzing around for a while, but how applicable is it to the masses?
Thanks to a friend and peer, I've learned a little about the Amazon Cloud. Since I've had limited experience with the cloud services offered by various companies, I'll just be sticking with Amazon.

In my experience, the cloud is quite easy to work with. I used to think the cloud was only for big companies, for heaps of data processing, or hours of video rendering. While it can certainly be used for that, it can also be scaled down so that I can use an instance in the cloud for even the most mundane tasks. While I don't profess to know much, I know enough to make great headway when I have the time. Did I mention that there's a free option?

(From here on, I'll be getting technical. You can smile and nod if it's not your thing)

What skill set do I need to continue?
IMHO, you'll need to know a little something about Linux boxes: ssh, package managers, public and private keys, and other things that go along with whichever linux flavor you choose.

What does the cloud offer me? It's just some huge omniscient computer, right?
There are a myriad things the cloud has to offer you. First, a linux box of this accessibility (anywhere from the web) with such control (root access) is usually not too cheap. Amazon charges a cheap hourly rate (right now 2.5¢/hour micro instance in US-West). Second, even if we're not comparing prices, no other service gives you the ability to change your mind, shut down your virtual machine, or start a new one on a whim. Finally, the cloud community offers a series of pre-configured images for a good quick start.

Here's an example:
VPN's are precious commodity. You'll pay anywhere from $5 to $8 per month for a subscription to have your traffic tunneled to an endpoint. From security over networks (keep people from spying on you) to content filtering bypass, a VPN has a many uses. In less than an hour, I was able to launch an Ubuntu instance, login, install the correct dependencies, configure PPTP, and sign up for and configure DynDNS. Within that time, I was logged in and browsing the web securely (at least more than before).
A shout out to Peter Dikant for his guide on his personal blog. Thanks!

I think the cloud and I are going to get along quite nicely. There are so many more things to explore.