I've been called-in to work no less than three extra days both this week and the next. I'm not used to this 9:30 start time ;)
I'm still confused by the RAM situation with my Linux machine; MemTest is reporting a bandwidth of 999MB/s... Which is, what, PC133 speeds? Like, isn't DDR333 supposed to have a bandwidth of about 2700MB/s? I'm confused... Especially since I noticed MemTest reporting the RAM bandwidth on an Athlon 2800+ machine (BIOS settings to DDR333 speeds) as under 999MB/s. Can anyone help me find out what speed my RAM is actually running at? Please? :)
Funny thing about that K6-2 PC I gave away the other week. Another friend from that side of town had been asking me for some time to fix-up his computer, and I finally got around to it this past weekend. The core system (500MHz AMD K6-2, 256MB RAM, Aladdin 5 chipset) was identical to the one I gave away. Weird... Anyway, I replaced Windows 98 with Windows 2000, his 1.5GB HDD with a 7GB, his sketchy 40x CD-ROM with a 48x, his ISA SoundBlaster with a basic PCI one, and his Linksys wireless card with another one that didn't crash his system. I also ditched his ISA 56k modem.
Finally, that kid with the 1.4GHz P4 went the $75 route, so he's getting a 1.8GHz P4, a new ASRock P4VM800, and two 256MB sticks of DDR400 RAM.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
What's up...
So this Wii thing is supposed to be backwards compatible with the GameCube, eh? That kinda defeats the purpose of my pending GameCube + Metroid purchase, doesn't it...
Also, the motherboard 'n DDR400 RAM in my Linux box is acting funny; I can't seem to run it faster than DDR266 (coincidentally synchronous with the FSB of the new 2.4B Pentium 4). Hrmmm...
A guy I know just moved into his first apartment, and he was computerless. I gave him a computer. I gave him this computer, actually: 500MHz AMD K6-2 || 256MB PC100 RAM || MSI MS-5169 Motherboard (ALi Aladdin 5) || 8MB PCI ATi Rage Pro || SoundBlaster Live 5.1 Digital || 20GB HDD || 40x Samsung CD-ROM || D-Link DFE-530TX || 3.5" FDD || 400W PSU || 17" Dell CRT Monitor... I also included a mouse, keyboard, power cables, and licenced software.
Finally, I'm fixing a computer for one of my little brother's friends. It's an old 1.4GHz Socket423 Pentium 4 with some PC133 RAM on a really sketchy PCChips motherboard. Right now I'm cleaning-out viruses and spyware, but I've noticed physical damage to the AGP slot and the CPU HSF clips! I think I'm gonna get him a new ASRock board based on a more recent VIA chipset (they're under $50 CDN, and even that'd be upgrade from what he has) and trade my extra 1.8GHz S478 P4 and DDR266 RAM for his stuff.
Also, the motherboard 'n DDR400 RAM in my Linux box is acting funny; I can't seem to run it faster than DDR266 (coincidentally synchronous with the FSB of the new 2.4B Pentium 4). Hrmmm...
A guy I know just moved into his first apartment, and he was computerless. I gave him a computer. I gave him this computer, actually: 500MHz AMD K6-2 || 256MB PC100 RAM || MSI MS-5169 Motherboard (ALi Aladdin 5) || 8MB PCI ATi Rage Pro || SoundBlaster Live 5.1 Digital || 20GB HDD || 40x Samsung CD-ROM || D-Link DFE-530TX || 3.5" FDD || 400W PSU || 17" Dell CRT Monitor... I also included a mouse, keyboard, power cables, and licenced software.
Finally, I'm fixing a computer for one of my little brother's friends. It's an old 1.4GHz Socket423 Pentium 4 with some PC133 RAM on a really sketchy PCChips motherboard. Right now I'm cleaning-out viruses and spyware, but I've noticed physical damage to the AGP slot and the CPU HSF clips! I think I'm gonna get him a new ASRock board based on a more recent VIA chipset (they're under $50 CDN, and even that'd be upgrade from what he has) and trade my extra 1.8GHz S478 P4 and DDR266 RAM for his stuff.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
I think I'm done...
Went with the 2.4GHz Pentium 4 on the 533MHz FSB, the Radeon 8500LE with ATi's proprietary drivers, and bought an LG DVD-ROM drive. These are the current specs of my Linux PC, and unless something phenomenal (and cheap/free) comes along, this is likely how they'll stay for some time:
Pentium 4 2.4B || 512MB DDR333 || MSI 651M-V (µATX) || 128MB Sapphire Radeon 8500LE || SoundBlaster Live! || 40GB WD ATA-100 7200RPM || 52x24x52x LG CDRW (8523B) || 16x LG DVD-ROM (8164B) || ASUS 400W PSU || Debian 3.1 r2 (2.6.8-2 kernel)
In other news, I've had a chance to play with the new MacBooks. The size and weight is very nice, the keyboard is surprisingly usable, and the price to performance ratio is pretty impressive. Now, if only it didn't have that damned glossy screen.
Pentium 4 2.4B || 512MB DDR333 || MSI 651M-V (µATX) || 128MB Sapphire Radeon 8500LE || SoundBlaster Live! || 40GB WD ATA-100 7200RPM || 52x24x52x LG CDRW (8523B) || 16x LG DVD-ROM (8164B) || ASUS 400W PSU || Debian 3.1 r2 (2.6.8-2 kernel)
In other news, I've had a chance to play with the new MacBooks. The size and weight is very nice, the keyboard is surprisingly usable, and the price to performance ratio is pretty impressive. Now, if only it didn't have that damned glossy screen.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Aaand it's settled...
I just finished playing through the first (derelict space station thing) mission of Metroid Prime on my brother's GameCube while house-sitting for him... Yeah, I'm buying me a GameCube and some Metroid games now :)
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Almost done?
I swear I'll stop changing the hardware on my Linux box soon, but I've still got a few concerns...
I remembered I had an old 128MB Radeon 8500LE lyring around, so that made more sense than leaving the slower 9200SE in there. The 8500LE, however, has active cooling, whereas the 9200SE's is passive. Also, regardless of performance or cooling solution, ATi's Linux drivers kinda suck. The official ones on their website (8.24.08) seem to be using MESA 4.0.4 (originally released 10/03/02)... Yeah. nVidia's Linux drivers, on the other hand, kick ass. I'm really wishing I hadn't given away the extra 64MB GeForce3 Ti200 I had :\ The best nVidia card in my pile right now is a GeForce2 GTS. Hrm.
My other lingering concern is with regard to the CPU. My options are between the 2.6GHz P4 on a 400MHz FSB I currently have in there and a 2.4GHz P4 on a 533MHz FSB. Performance is about the same, really, and I believe they came out around the same time, so... I dunno... Maybe go for the 2.4 just to keep-up with the DDR333 RAM...?
I remembered I had an old 128MB Radeon 8500LE lyring around, so that made more sense than leaving the slower 9200SE in there. The 8500LE, however, has active cooling, whereas the 9200SE's is passive. Also, regardless of performance or cooling solution, ATi's Linux drivers kinda suck. The official ones on their website (8.24.08) seem to be using MESA 4.0.4 (originally released 10/03/02)... Yeah. nVidia's Linux drivers, on the other hand, kick ass. I'm really wishing I hadn't given away the extra 64MB GeForce3 Ti200 I had :\ The best nVidia card in my pile right now is a GeForce2 GTS. Hrm.
My other lingering concern is with regard to the CPU. My options are between the 2.6GHz P4 on a 400MHz FSB I currently have in there and a 2.4GHz P4 on a 533MHz FSB. Performance is about the same, really, and I believe they came out around the same time, so... I dunno... Maybe go for the 2.4 just to keep-up with the DDR333 RAM...?
Soooweeet Doggie!
The Good News: Earthworm Jim is back, and is still being developed by Shiny!
The Bad News: Dave Perry's not there for the time being, and Atari still owns the publishing rights. Then again, given the last two Matrix games from Atari and Shiny, perhaps Perry's departure and Atari's intent to sell the team are good things ;)
Well, at least the new Jim game isn't being developed by these guys again (they made Earthworm Jim 3D).
The Bad News: Dave Perry's not there for the time being, and Atari still owns the publishing rights. Then again, given the last two Matrix games from Atari and Shiny, perhaps Perry's departure and Atari's intent to sell the team are good things ;)
Well, at least the new Jim game isn't being developed by these guys again (they made Earthworm Jim 3D).
What a waste...
It's sad to see such a great name spoiled by such a shitty game; at least the concept is almost decent and the graphics only mostly suck...
I give you Ninjabread Man.
*sigh*
I give you Ninjabread Man.
*sigh*
"People are idiots."
"And we all shine on" ...An interesting read from the staff journals over at Ars Technica. Whether you agree or not, the two paragraphs towards the end about purchasing televisions and speakers are pretty insightful.
Anyway, I wouldn't mind a new laptop (I'm currently running a Toshiba Portégé 3480CT with 128MB of RAM and Windows 2000 Pro), and I was waiting to see what Apple had in store for their MacBook line-up. I'm not thrilled about the 13.3" screen, the weird keyboard, or the glossy finish. I do, however, like the price, especially considering what you get for it. I only ever use my laptop for mobile word processing and Internet access, so OS X seems perfectly suited to those needs. All I need now is something small and light enough to fit in my bag and go everywhere with me that will be viewable in all potential lighting conditions.
Anyway, I wouldn't mind a new laptop (I'm currently running a Toshiba Portégé 3480CT with 128MB of RAM and Windows 2000 Pro), and I was waiting to see what Apple had in store for their MacBook line-up. I'm not thrilled about the 13.3" screen, the weird keyboard, or the glossy finish. I do, however, like the price, especially considering what you get for it. I only ever use my laptop for mobile word processing and Internet access, so OS X seems perfectly suited to those needs. All I need now is something small and light enough to fit in my bag and go everywhere with me that will be viewable in all potential lighting conditions.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
"Curmudgeoning all games equally."
My brother sent me a very brief, but very interesting read: "History of Console Prices (or: $500 ain't the worst...)". It definitely puts next-generation console prices into perspective, and really reminds us of why, exactly, my parents were so loathe to buy me a video game console back in the '80s.
I'm gonna argue that their efforts had a damaging effect in the long-run, becuase I have owned no less than eight of the consoles on that list, including the NeoGeo (yes, the most expensive one, after adjusting for inflation)... Let's not even talk about the ones that aren't on that list ;)
I'm gonna argue that their efforts had a damaging effect in the long-run, becuase I have owned no less than eight of the consoles on that list, including the NeoGeo (yes, the most expensive one, after adjusting for inflation)... Let's not even talk about the ones that aren't on that list ;)
It's like reality TV for computer nerds...
...except that it's not TV. [H] Consumer, a division of [H]ard|OCP, has been posting OEM system reviews where they go under-cover and purchase computers from OEM builders such as Dell, eMachines, Falcon Northwest, etc... The results are pretty interesting, and often entertaining. The reviewers discuss all aspects of their experience, such as the ordering process, shipping and packaging, build quality, support, performance, and more. My favourite section of each review comes when they phone the provided tech support numbers; some of the answers they get are priceless ;)
Monday, May 15, 2006
What a pleasant surprise...
I recently acquired, quite unexpectedly, a 2.6GHz Pentium 4 (400MHz FSB), an MSI 651M-V motherboard (SiS 651 chipset... I'd prefer something from Intel, but this chipset has performance comparable to the 845 I had on the DFI board), a Gigabyte R92S128T (128MB AGP ATi Radeon 9200SE), and a SoundBlaster Live! 5.1 Digital. So, it was out with the old and in with the new on the Linux box... Well, except for the soundcard; the new one seems to hiccup every now and then when playing MP3s and CD audio :\
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Welcome, children...
Here is my cookie-cutter layout web log. One day I may make it a little more personal, but we'll see how that goes...
This is a sort of welcome post, explaining how this is more-or-less a continuation of my first web log, bnvs (a.k.a "Brent's News 'n Views 'n Shit Like That", February 1999 - March 2004), how it will continue the trend of detailing my adventures in IT and video gaming, and how I will be re-posting relevant entries from the past two years, which can be found in my other web logs (both established in April of 2004).
More than anything, this will be an outlet for me to pretend that people are interested in this crap and that my personal tastes aren't entirely weird.
Peace out, children.
This is a sort of welcome post, explaining how this is more-or-less a continuation of my first web log, bnvs (a.k.a "Brent's News 'n Views 'n Shit Like That", February 1999 - March 2004), how it will continue the trend of detailing my adventures in IT and video gaming, and how I will be re-posting relevant entries from the past two years, which can be found in my other web logs (both established in April of 2004).
More than anything, this will be an outlet for me to pretend that people are interested in this crap and that my personal tastes aren't entirely weird.
Peace out, children.
My Babies ;)
Originally posted here, 05/10/06
[Image]
On the left is my Windows machine; on the right, Linux. On top of the Linux machine are my Intel webcam and M-Audio recording interface (both connected to the Windows machine). On top of the Windows PC is my KVM switch, which allows me to control both computers with one mouse, keyboard, and monitor (switching between the two at the push of a button).
Since I last talked about these machines, I have added a 16x LG DVD-ROM drive to the Windows PC, and a new case to the Linux PC.
The current (final?) specs are as follows:
Windows:
Pentium 4 2.4A ("Prescott") @ 3.6GHz || 1GB DDR400 (Dual Channel) || DFI 865PE-ML Rev.C (µATX) || 512MB DDR2 ASUS N6800 (375/650, Vertex Unit Unlocked) || Audigy 2 ZS || M-Audio FireWire Solo || WD 320GB 7200RPM SATAII w/16MB Cache || NEC 16x DVD+/-RW DL (3550A) || LG 16x DVD-ROM (8163B) || Antec TPII-480 || XBOX 360 Wired Controller || Windows XP Pro
Linux:
1.8GHz Pentium 4 || 512MB DDR266 || DFI NB30-BL (µATX) || Intel Extreme Graphics (Integrated) || SoundBlaster Live! || 40GB WD ATA-100 7200RPM || 52x24x52x LG CDRW || 52x AOpen CD-ROM || ASUS 400W PSU || Debian 3.1 r2 (2.6.8-2 kernel)
I understand if none of you ever want to talk to me again.
P.S. Yes, that is a nifty orange LCD display on the front of the Linux box. It tells me the case temperature, fan speed, hard drive activity, running time (programmable), and power levels. When the case temperature reaches a certain (user-defined) level, extra cooling automatically kicks-in.
[Image]
On the left is my Windows machine; on the right, Linux. On top of the Linux machine are my Intel webcam and M-Audio recording interface (both connected to the Windows machine). On top of the Windows PC is my KVM switch, which allows me to control both computers with one mouse, keyboard, and monitor (switching between the two at the push of a button).
Since I last talked about these machines, I have added a 16x LG DVD-ROM drive to the Windows PC, and a new case to the Linux PC.
The current (final?) specs are as follows:
Windows:
Pentium 4 2.4A ("Prescott") @ 3.6GHz || 1GB DDR400 (Dual Channel) || DFI 865PE-ML Rev.C (µATX) || 512MB DDR2 ASUS N6800 (375/650, Vertex Unit Unlocked) || Audigy 2 ZS || M-Audio FireWire Solo || WD 320GB 7200RPM SATAII w/16MB Cache || NEC 16x DVD+/-RW DL (3550A) || LG 16x DVD-ROM (8163B) || Antec TPII-480 || XBOX 360 Wired Controller || Windows XP Pro
Linux:
1.8GHz Pentium 4 || 512MB DDR266 || DFI NB30-BL (µATX) || Intel Extreme Graphics (Integrated) || SoundBlaster Live! || 40GB WD ATA-100 7200RPM || 52x24x52x LG CDRW || 52x AOpen CD-ROM || ASUS 400W PSU || Debian 3.1 r2 (2.6.8-2 kernel)
I understand if none of you ever want to talk to me again.
P.S. Yes, that is a nifty orange LCD display on the front of the Linux box. It tells me the case temperature, fan speed, hard drive activity, running time (programmable), and power levels. When the case temperature reaches a certain (user-defined) level, extra cooling automatically kicks-in.
Holy Shit!!!
Originally posted here, 05/07/06
I am currently repairing Ken MacNeil's PC! That's right, kids, the lead singer of Rusty just walked into my store with (I assume) his kid and his wife/girlfriend! I love(d) that band! :)
I am currently repairing Ken MacNeil's PC! That's right, kids, the lead singer of Rusty just walked into my store with (I assume) his kid and his wife/girlfriend! I love(d) that band! :)
*UPDATED*
Originally posted here, 05/04/06
In true Brent-sucks-at-homework fashion, I'd like to unveil my latest Linux endeavor.
I've built a whole new Linux box out of even more spare parts from work and elsewhere. My last one was decommissioned and dismantled, and the parts were ultimately used in combinations with parts from my SCSI-based machine for![[info]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vIbpmhzI_sXREhzDxnyGE8hFxJIh3CpDJFZUOE7BmNOcGkz69yWTfQdy0yaJlHChQr33c0YJ87597euHMvOLifvo0-q9cuerXj7lw41mwl=s0-d)
kissthedollhead's Christmas present (1GHz Athlon system) and Culture Rising's POS machine (933MHz Pentium 3).
Here're the specs on my new baby (from which I am making this post):
1.8GHz Pentium 4 (Socket478, 400MHz FSB) || 256MB DDR266 || DFI NB30-BL (Intel 845GL) || Intel Extreme Graphics (Integrated) || SoundBlaster Live! || 40GB WD ATA-100 7200RPM || 52x24x52x LG CDRW || 52x AOpen CD-ROM || ASUS 400W PSU
It's running Debian 3.1 r2 "sarge" (stable) on the 2.6.8-2 kernel. I've installed OpenOffice.org for desktop publishing, Firefox (and Java and Flash) for web browsing, GAIM for instant messaging, The GIMP for photo editing, and VLC for media. I'm using all stable Debian packages, so even though they're a little out of date, the system is rock-fucking-solid. Took me a while to re-familiarize myself with Debian after so long, but I was able to manually tweak the display settings, GNOME, and the apt sources to make it all nice 'n pretty 'n smooth.
Here's a picture of my desktop:
[Image]
It's actually running at 1280x1024, but I scaled the image down to 1024x768 for you guys... And yes, I made it cluttered for this screenshot ;)
In other news, I've overclocked my new video card (ASUS N6800/TD/512M). The core is now at 375MHz (stock was 325MHz), and the RAM is at 650MHz (stock was 540MHz). I successfully unlocked an extra vertex unit, but was unable to unlock the extra pixel unit and still maintain proper stability and image quality. What this means in the end is that my games run an average of just under 10 frames-per-second faster at high detail settings.
UPDATE: Got me one 'o these!
In true Brent-sucks-at-homework fashion, I'd like to unveil my latest Linux endeavor.
I've built a whole new Linux box out of even more spare parts from work and elsewhere. My last one was decommissioned and dismantled, and the parts were ultimately used in combinations with parts from my SCSI-based machine for
kissthedollhead's Christmas present (1GHz Athlon system) and Culture Rising's POS machine (933MHz Pentium 3).Here're the specs on my new baby (from which I am making this post):
1.8GHz Pentium 4 (Socket478, 400MHz FSB) || 256MB DDR266 || DFI NB30-BL (Intel 845GL) || Intel Extreme Graphics (Integrated) || SoundBlaster Live! || 40GB WD ATA-100 7200RPM || 52x24x52x LG CDRW || 52x AOpen CD-ROM || ASUS 400W PSU
It's running Debian 3.1 r2 "sarge" (stable) on the 2.6.8-2 kernel. I've installed OpenOffice.org for desktop publishing, Firefox (and Java and Flash) for web browsing, GAIM for instant messaging, The GIMP for photo editing, and VLC for media. I'm using all stable Debian packages, so even though they're a little out of date, the system is rock-fucking-solid. Took me a while to re-familiarize myself with Debian after so long, but I was able to manually tweak the display settings, GNOME, and the apt sources to make it all nice 'n pretty 'n smooth.
Here's a picture of my desktop:
[Image]
It's actually running at 1280x1024, but I scaled the image down to 1024x768 for you guys... And yes, I made it cluttered for this screenshot ;)
In other news, I've overclocked my new video card (ASUS N6800/TD/512M). The core is now at 375MHz (stock was 325MHz), and the RAM is at 650MHz (stock was 540MHz). I successfully unlocked an extra vertex unit, but was unable to unlock the extra pixel unit and still maintain proper stability and image quality. What this means in the end is that my games run an average of just under 10 frames-per-second faster at high detail settings.
UPDATE: Got me one 'o these!
Centrino, Viiv, et al.
Originally posted here, 04/23/06
I just read this article, and kinda chuckled to myself about how the journalist missed the point of Intel's platform branding in his rant. A lot of you may have seen or heard of Intel's Centrino or Viiv (pronounced "five"). I'm a service technician and a salesperson at a popular computer store in downtown Toronto, and I constantly get customers asking me for laptops with Centrino processors or wondering if Viiv computers are going to create a disconnect for media PC users who don't want to use Intel CPUs.
Here's the simple truth to it all: Centrino and Viiv (and AMD Live! and any other stupid brand name that isn't Core, Xeon, Pentium, Celeron, Turion, Opteron, Athlon, or Sempron) are just a set of requirements laid-out to define a platform. A Centrino laptop is a laptop that has an Intel Pentium M or Core CPU, an Intel chipset on the motherboard, and an Intel wireless adapter. A Viiv PC is a PC that has a dual-core Intel CPU, a specific Intel chipset on the motherboard that has certain integrated multimedia features (HD video decoders, 6-channel audio, etc...), an Intel ethernet controller, and Windows XP Media Center Edition.
Here's the interesting part: You can get all of these things in other laptops and desktops in better (faster, more efficient) configurations, and/or potentially at a lower cost. There's nothing particularly special about Centrino or Viiv computers other than the fact that they meet Intel's pre-defined requirements to perform a given set of functions. These brands are, realistically, not meant to redefine the PC hardware world, but rather to offer general consumers (i.e. not enthusiasts or professionals) a guarantee that their new computer will be able to perform certain functions. Want a laptop that'll be good on battery life, low on heat, and connect to any standard wireless network? Get a Centrino-certified laptop. Want a PC that you can put in your living room for recording TV, watching DVDs, listening to music, and playing games? Get a Viiv-certified PC.
Want a good PC that does all of this, is easily upgradeable, and gives you better bang for the buck? Contact me, and I'll custom-build you one ;)
A Disclaimer: I've neglected a few points in this rant, such as (needlessly) hardware-specific software and superficial 'hardware features' because they are, in the forseeable future anyway, trivial to achieving the intended realistic goals of these platforms. They are little more than glorified advertising/recruiting/entrapment tools that are made to be proprietry for the sole purpose of shepherding consumers into a mindset that will generate hollow brand loyalties and greater revenues for big corporations.
I just read this article, and kinda chuckled to myself about how the journalist missed the point of Intel's platform branding in his rant. A lot of you may have seen or heard of Intel's Centrino or Viiv (pronounced "five"). I'm a service technician and a salesperson at a popular computer store in downtown Toronto, and I constantly get customers asking me for laptops with Centrino processors or wondering if Viiv computers are going to create a disconnect for media PC users who don't want to use Intel CPUs.
Here's the simple truth to it all: Centrino and Viiv (and AMD Live! and any other stupid brand name that isn't Core, Xeon, Pentium, Celeron, Turion, Opteron, Athlon, or Sempron) are just a set of requirements laid-out to define a platform. A Centrino laptop is a laptop that has an Intel Pentium M or Core CPU, an Intel chipset on the motherboard, and an Intel wireless adapter. A Viiv PC is a PC that has a dual-core Intel CPU, a specific Intel chipset on the motherboard that has certain integrated multimedia features (HD video decoders, 6-channel audio, etc...), an Intel ethernet controller, and Windows XP Media Center Edition.
Here's the interesting part: You can get all of these things in other laptops and desktops in better (faster, more efficient) configurations, and/or potentially at a lower cost. There's nothing particularly special about Centrino or Viiv computers other than the fact that they meet Intel's pre-defined requirements to perform a given set of functions. These brands are, realistically, not meant to redefine the PC hardware world, but rather to offer general consumers (i.e. not enthusiasts or professionals) a guarantee that their new computer will be able to perform certain functions. Want a laptop that'll be good on battery life, low on heat, and connect to any standard wireless network? Get a Centrino-certified laptop. Want a PC that you can put in your living room for recording TV, watching DVDs, listening to music, and playing games? Get a Viiv-certified PC.
Want a good PC that does all of this, is easily upgradeable, and gives you better bang for the buck? Contact me, and I'll custom-build you one ;)
A Disclaimer: I've neglected a few points in this rant, such as (needlessly) hardware-specific software and superficial 'hardware features' because they are, in the forseeable future anyway, trivial to achieving the intended realistic goals of these platforms. They are little more than glorified advertising/recruiting/entrapment tools that are made to be proprietry for the sole purpose of shepherding consumers into a mindset that will generate hollow brand loyalties and greater revenues for big corporations.
Originally posted here, 04/11/06
Anyway, in other news, my hard drive had a stroke. The "Master File Table" (and apparently its back-up mirror) went bad somehow. I'd been good about data back-ups though, so it was frustrating more than anything, and really just forced me to do some spring cleaning. The bad thing about serious MFT issues is that recovering data is nigh impossible short of spending ludicrous data recovery company prices or sorting through thousands upon thousands of unnamed and unorganized files (think of finding a specific MP3 without any artist, album, or track names). Here's where things get really annoying though: My data partition (personal stuff, MP3s, downloads, archives, etc...) was all intact, so ideally I'd just reformat the main partition and reinstall Windows. I didn't, however, bet on Windows XP automatically redefining my partitions because it couldn't detect the full 320GB of my hard drive (such feats require service packs to be installed; something that isn't done until after this stage in the installation). That's right, rather than just report that it couldn't detect the already-defined partitions, it decided to rape them. The data partition was then in the same state as the main partition. Long story short, rather than spend what would have quite literally taken days of mind-numbingly tedious recovery work, I bit the bullet and started clean. The lesson? Do not attempt to install Windows on a drive larger than 137GB that already has data on it, even if it's on another partition. It wasn't a complete loss though; I had my 6000+ MP3s, my school-related documents, most of my photos, bookmarks, e-mails, and instant messenger history backed-up in at least two other places.
Anyway, in other news, my hard drive had a stroke. The "Master File Table" (and apparently its back-up mirror) went bad somehow. I'd been good about data back-ups though, so it was frustrating more than anything, and really just forced me to do some spring cleaning. The bad thing about serious MFT issues is that recovering data is nigh impossible short of spending ludicrous data recovery company prices or sorting through thousands upon thousands of unnamed and unorganized files (think of finding a specific MP3 without any artist, album, or track names). Here's where things get really annoying though: My data partition (personal stuff, MP3s, downloads, archives, etc...) was all intact, so ideally I'd just reformat the main partition and reinstall Windows. I didn't, however, bet on Windows XP automatically redefining my partitions because it couldn't detect the full 320GB of my hard drive (such feats require service packs to be installed; something that isn't done until after this stage in the installation). That's right, rather than just report that it couldn't detect the already-defined partitions, it decided to rape them. The data partition was then in the same state as the main partition. Long story short, rather than spend what would have quite literally taken days of mind-numbingly tedious recovery work, I bit the bullet and started clean. The lesson? Do not attempt to install Windows on a drive larger than 137GB that already has data on it, even if it's on another partition. It wasn't a complete loss though; I had my 6000+ MP3s, my school-related documents, most of my photos, bookmarks, e-mails, and instant messenger history backed-up in at least two other places.
Best idea EVER!
Originally posted here, 04/07/06
"KittenAuth"; read all about it here. Read even more here.
In other news, I've started using iTunes as my default music player after years of dedicated Winamp reliance. It's really just a stop-gap solution until Songbird matures, but mostly it's to help update and organize the ID3 tags on my 5000+ MP3s.
"KittenAuth"; read all about it here. Read even more here.
In other news, I've started using iTunes as my default music player after years of dedicated Winamp reliance. It's really just a stop-gap solution until Songbird matures, but mostly it's to help update and organize the ID3 tags on my 5000+ MP3s.
Brent's GOTYs
Originally posted here, 03/20/06
These are my own personal "Game Of The Year" awards for the past ten years. I'm highlighting amazing games that you may never have even heard of, rather than the big blockbusters that everyone and their dog has at least seen at a friend's house.
2005: Psychonauts (PC, XBOX, PS2)
2004: Fable (PC, XBOX)
2003: Deus Ex: Invisible War (PC, XBOX)
2002: No One Lives Forever 2 (PC)
2001: Clive Barker's Undying (PC)
2000: Nox (PC)
1999: Nocturne (PC)
1998: Heart Of Darkness (PC, PS1)
1997: MageSlayer (PC)
1996: (Tie) Strife/Normality (PC)
1995: Astal (Saturn)
These are my own personal "Game Of The Year" awards for the past ten years. I'm highlighting amazing games that you may never have even heard of, rather than the big blockbusters that everyone and their dog has at least seen at a friend's house.
2005: Psychonauts (PC, XBOX, PS2)
2004: Fable (PC, XBOX)
2003: Deus Ex: Invisible War (PC, XBOX)
2002: No One Lives Forever 2 (PC)
2001: Clive Barker's Undying (PC)
2000: Nox (PC)
1999: Nocturne (PC)
1998: Heart Of Darkness (PC, PS1)
1997: MageSlayer (PC)
1996: (Tie) Strife/Normality (PC)
1995: Astal (Saturn)
I've got so much to tell all of you about, but I'll probably forget half of it...
Originally posted here, 03/12/06
Remember when I posted about my computers the other day? Go back and read it, and check-out the Pentium 4 machine... I decided to upgrade it one more time a few days ago. This was sort of an experiment in overclocking (something I've shied-away from in my many IT years; my only previous endeavour being my attempt to bump my Radeon 8500LE up to non-LE levels); a trip downtown and ~$130 later, I had a shiny new Pentium 4 2.4A ("Prescott" core; 533MHz FSB, 1MB L2 cache). While my motherboard isn't exactly designed for any hardcore overclocking, and Pentium 4s' multipliers are locked, it does offer decent FSB and RAM timing tweaking options. Long story short, I worked my way up to an 800MHz FSB. With a multiplier of 18, that gives me a clockspeed of 3.6GHz!!! I just got a $500+ CPU (sans-Hyper-Threading) for $130! So I popped-in two 512MB sticks of DDR400 RAM (dual channel), and now I'm really cooking ;)
Remember when I posted about my computers the other day? Go back and read it, and check-out the Pentium 4 machine... I decided to upgrade it one more time a few days ago. This was sort of an experiment in overclocking (something I've shied-away from in my many IT years; my only previous endeavour being my attempt to bump my Radeon 8500LE up to non-LE levels); a trip downtown and ~$130 later, I had a shiny new Pentium 4 2.4A ("Prescott" core; 533MHz FSB, 1MB L2 cache). While my motherboard isn't exactly designed for any hardcore overclocking, and Pentium 4s' multipliers are locked, it does offer decent FSB and RAM timing tweaking options. Long story short, I worked my way up to an 800MHz FSB. With a multiplier of 18, that gives me a clockspeed of 3.6GHz!!! I just got a $500+ CPU (sans-Hyper-Threading) for $130! So I popped-in two 512MB sticks of DDR400 RAM (dual channel), and now I'm really cooking ;)
Kind of a real post...
Originally posted here, 03/01/06
I had a customer named Orly Weinberg at work the other day... That kinda made me chuckle as I remembered the "O RLY?" owl that's all over the Internet.
When I couldn't sleep, I decided to do some upgrades I'd been planning with my computers. Here are the results:
[Image]
I had a customer named Orly Weinberg at work the other day... That kinda made me chuckle as I remembered the "O RLY?" owl that's all over the Internet.
When I couldn't sleep, I decided to do some upgrades I'd been planning with my computers. Here are the results:
[Image]
Here's a fun one...
Originally posted here, 01/31/06
My little brother had been complaining that when he converted MP3s to CD-Audio to play in the car, they kept skipping. I figured Nero 7 (my burning suite of choice) was just being funny, so I told him I'd have a look at it the next chance I got.
Anyway, this past Saturday, one Roz Doctorow comes to see me at work, asking for a rush order on her son Neil's laptop. It had been dropped and was not booting into Windows. While we don't officially do rush orders and I am now working my section alone on Saturdays, I decided I'd see what I could do for her. Turns out the hard drive was bad and I was able to replace it and re-install Windows (and hold down the fort) before 4:00pm. I told her I'd recognized her last name... I'm pretty sure I had just worked on one of her computers before. She suggested that perhaps I had recognized it because of her other son, Cory Doctorow, of Boing Boing fame. No dice; I'd never really read the site before, though I had heard of it.
Earlier today, while I was looking into my little brother's MP3-burning issue, I decided to look up this Cory Doctorow kid and see what he was all about... Just curious, I guess. Well, turns out he's recently been threatened with a lawsuit because of a recent post he'd made on Boing Boing. The offending post got me thinking: I have at least two games on my main machine here that use the copy protection software mentioned in his article, so I did some checking, and sure enough, I was getting reproducible CD device error reports in Windows' System Event Log. This could be the source of my MP3 problem.
I got a developer-provided removal utility for the problematic software and let it do it's thing. While the errors have completely disappeared, I can no longer play Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory or TrackMania Sunrise Extreme (two very fun games).
In the end, the real culprit of the skipping MP3s was the latest MP3PRO plug-in (2.0.5.1) that Nero 7.0.1.4 shipped with, and I fixed it by grabbing version 2.0.4.0 from Nero 6.6.0.16; the copy protection software was merely slowing things down. Strange how these things come about though... Synchronicity strikes again.
My little brother had been complaining that when he converted MP3s to CD-Audio to play in the car, they kept skipping. I figured Nero 7 (my burning suite of choice) was just being funny, so I told him I'd have a look at it the next chance I got.
Anyway, this past Saturday, one Roz Doctorow comes to see me at work, asking for a rush order on her son Neil's laptop. It had been dropped and was not booting into Windows. While we don't officially do rush orders and I am now working my section alone on Saturdays, I decided I'd see what I could do for her. Turns out the hard drive was bad and I was able to replace it and re-install Windows (and hold down the fort) before 4:00pm. I told her I'd recognized her last name... I'm pretty sure I had just worked on one of her computers before. She suggested that perhaps I had recognized it because of her other son, Cory Doctorow, of Boing Boing fame. No dice; I'd never really read the site before, though I had heard of it.
Earlier today, while I was looking into my little brother's MP3-burning issue, I decided to look up this Cory Doctorow kid and see what he was all about... Just curious, I guess. Well, turns out he's recently been threatened with a lawsuit because of a recent post he'd made on Boing Boing. The offending post got me thinking: I have at least two games on my main machine here that use the copy protection software mentioned in his article, so I did some checking, and sure enough, I was getting reproducible CD device error reports in Windows' System Event Log. This could be the source of my MP3 problem.
I got a developer-provided removal utility for the problematic software and let it do it's thing. While the errors have completely disappeared, I can no longer play Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory or TrackMania Sunrise Extreme (two very fun games).
In the end, the real culprit of the skipping MP3s was the latest MP3PRO plug-in (2.0.5.1) that Nero 7.0.1.4 shipped with, and I fixed it by grabbing version 2.0.4.0 from Nero 6.6.0.16; the copy protection software was merely slowing things down. Strange how these things come about though... Synchronicity strikes again.
MS Paint!?
Still love Slashdot...
Originally posted here, 01/05/06
USB wristband?
(Score:5, Funny)
by YrWrstNtmr (564987) on Wednesday January 04, @10:24PM (#14397942)
So?
USB wristwatch, keychain, swiss army knife, rubber ducky...wake me when someone gets one implanted in their finger.
And no...not the one that looks like a thumb. An actual finger.
---------------------------
Re:USB wristband?
(Score:5, Funny)
by DaedalusLogic (449896) on Wednesday January 04, @10:40PM (#14398028)
At first when I read your post I thought... Wow, that WOULD be cool.
Then I thought about having to stick your finger in your computer...
Reaching around an old computer just to get your data off.
Your friends catching you stuck in a particularly fat computer.
The jokes practically write themselves...
---------------------------
Re:USB wristband?
(Score:5, Funny)
by Levine (22596) on Wednesday January 04, @11:07PM (#14398142)
(http://thirtyfour.org/)
Or one that's 12 years old...
(You're right, they do!)
USB wristband?
(Score:5, Funny)
by YrWrstNtmr (564987) on Wednesday January 04, @10:24PM (#14397942)
So?
USB wristwatch, keychain, swiss army knife, rubber ducky...wake me when someone gets one implanted in their finger.
And no...not the one that looks like a thumb. An actual finger.
---------------------------
Re:USB wristband?
(Score:5, Funny)
by DaedalusLogic (449896) on Wednesday January 04, @10:40PM (#14398028)
At first when I read your post I thought... Wow, that WOULD be cool.
Then I thought about having to stick your finger in your computer...
Reaching around an old computer just to get your data off.
Your friends catching you stuck in a particularly fat computer.
The jokes practically write themselves...
---------------------------
Re:USB wristband?
(Score:5, Funny)
by Levine (22596)
(http://thirtyfour.org/)
Or one that's 12 years old...
(You're right, they do!)
Originally posted here, 12/19/05
Damnit! Someone at MIT beat me to it! ;)
D'ah well, I've still got the 0T5+1 grad prank at U of T.
Damnit! Someone at MIT beat me to it! ;)
D'ah well, I've still got the 0T5+1 grad prank at U of T.
Was my shadow ever mine?
Originally posted here, 12/13/05
Apparently Yorkdale is where all the attractive people shop... And I got my replacement iPod (and bought an "Arctic Frost" iSkin Duo for it, just to be safe).
P.S. If you own a PS2 and you haven't played Shadow Of The Colossus yet, you're missing-out on something amazing.
Apparently Yorkdale is where all the attractive people shop... And I got my replacement iPod (and bought an "Arctic Frost" iSkin Duo for it, just to be safe).
P.S. If you own a PS2 and you haven't played Shadow Of The Colossus yet, you're missing-out on something amazing.
Things 'n stuff 'n junk...
Originally posted here, 12/09/05
So there's this video game store downtown... It's dangerous, mostly because it always seems to have something new in that I want. Like when they had a Neo Geo Pocket Color after they'd been discontinued but before the excess stock was sold-off at EB, or when they had a SEGA Stunner (arguably the best lightgun ever) with a game for $14, or when they had Virtua Fighter 2, Virtua Cop, and Daytona USA for Saturn together for $8, or when they had a NEO GEO MVS SYSTEM(!!!) modified to include composite A/V connections and s-video, with four games (Metal Slug X, The Last Blade 2, Samurai Shodown 2, and Art Of Fighting 3), an AES controller, and a memory card, or like today when they had a brand-new, factory-sealed copy of ICO (this game is no longer manufactured, and was never produced in large quantities; it is quite hard to find used, let alone new). I have purchased all of the above and much more over the years. Dangerous, I tells ya.
Also, as good of a game as Metal Slug Advance is, it just doesn't feel like like a true Metal Slug game. The relatively choppy animation, complete lack of blood, lackluster bosses, and respawning enemies... Omissions and changes like that really take away from the unique experience that the first four games (1, 2, X, and 3... Let's not talk about 4... I guess 5 was okay) brought to the table. D'ah well, maybe Gunstar Super Heroes will do better.
In other news, Apple agreed to replace my malfunctioning iPod nano with a brand new one. I just got the call about the replacement unit about ten minutes ago, so I'm off to Yorkdale shortly (stupid only Apple store in Canada, all far away).
So there's this video game store downtown... It's dangerous, mostly because it always seems to have something new in that I want. Like when they had a Neo Geo Pocket Color after they'd been discontinued but before the excess stock was sold-off at EB, or when they had a SEGA Stunner (arguably the best lightgun ever) with a game for $14, or when they had Virtua Fighter 2, Virtua Cop, and Daytona USA for Saturn together for $8, or when they had a NEO GEO MVS SYSTEM(!!!) modified to include composite A/V connections and s-video, with four games (Metal Slug X, The Last Blade 2, Samurai Shodown 2, and Art Of Fighting 3), an AES controller, and a memory card, or like today when they had a brand-new, factory-sealed copy of ICO (this game is no longer manufactured, and was never produced in large quantities; it is quite hard to find used, let alone new). I have purchased all of the above and much more over the years. Dangerous, I tells ya.
Also, as good of a game as Metal Slug Advance is, it just doesn't feel like like a true Metal Slug game. The relatively choppy animation, complete lack of blood, lackluster bosses, and respawning enemies... Omissions and changes like that really take away from the unique experience that the first four games (1, 2, X, and 3... Let's not talk about 4... I guess 5 was okay) brought to the table. D'ah well, maybe Gunstar Super Heroes will do better.
In other news, Apple agreed to replace my malfunctioning iPod nano with a brand new one. I just got the call about the replacement unit about ten minutes ago, so I'm off to Yorkdale shortly (stupid only Apple store in Canada, all far away).
MVS!!!
Originally posted here, 12/03/05
FUCK YES!!! I just bought a two-cartridge Neo Geo MVS system! It came with an AES controller, four games (Samurai Shodown II, Metal Slug X, Art of Fighting 3, and Last Blade 2), and a memory card!!! It even has the universal BIOS!
Here's the best picture I could find (mine's red, not grey) without trying too hard:
[Image]
ENVY ME!!! ;)
FUCK YES!!! I just bought a two-cartridge Neo Geo MVS system! It came with an AES controller, four games (Samurai Shodown II, Metal Slug X, Art of Fighting 3, and Last Blade 2), and a memory card!!! It even has the universal BIOS!
Here's the best picture I could find (mine's red, not grey) without trying too hard:
[Image]
ENVY ME!!! ;)
Yay!
Originally posted here, 11/20/05
Yay!
My iPod Nano is dead. It was working when I put it down on Friday, and I hadn't touched it until about ten minutes ago. I am confused. I can reset it, put it on "hold", charge it, and use it as a really pretty 4GB USB flash drive... But that is all. All that crap about breaking screens and scratches is bunk; I've had mine since the day after they came out and it's in great physical condition (and I keep it in my front pocket almost every day)... But this is odd. Perhaps it's karma for missing Vanessa's going-away party and Colin's birthday party, but I have a good excuse: I was sick in bed after I got home from work! At least it's still under warranty... Maybe I'll get a new one... Or see if they'll let me upgrade to a 30GB video.
The past few days have been kinda bad... Today at work, I was doing a routine RAM upgrade on Mohammed Al Ican'tremembertherestofhisname's G4 Cube, and when I booted it post-upgrade it said there was no OS. I was able to boot it as a target machine to another G4 PowerMac and see his data, but there was some pretty serious corruption... Then I found a virus. Yeah, this guy had a virus... On his MAC!? Ugh. Just my luck. Turns out this guy's a pretty big deal or some such, and won't allow us to keep his computer overnight (to run diagnostics and such) because his data is oh so valuable. Yay stress! He's bringing it back today (yikes, I should get some sleep)... I can hardly contain myself. One of my friends suggested the possibility that he might be a terrorist.
Yay!
My iPod Nano is dead. It was working when I put it down on Friday, and I hadn't touched it until about ten minutes ago. I am confused. I can reset it, put it on "hold", charge it, and use it as a really pretty 4GB USB flash drive... But that is all. All that crap about breaking screens and scratches is bunk; I've had mine since the day after they came out and it's in great physical condition (and I keep it in my front pocket almost every day)... But this is odd. Perhaps it's karma for missing Vanessa's going-away party and Colin's birthday party, but I have a good excuse: I was sick in bed after I got home from work! At least it's still under warranty... Maybe I'll get a new one... Or see if they'll let me upgrade to a 30GB video.
The past few days have been kinda bad... Today at work, I was doing a routine RAM upgrade on Mohammed Al Ican'tremembertherestofhisname's G4 Cube, and when I booted it post-upgrade it said there was no OS. I was able to boot it as a target machine to another G4 PowerMac and see his data, but there was some pretty serious corruption... Then I found a virus. Yeah, this guy had a virus... On his MAC!? Ugh. Just my luck. Turns out this guy's a pretty big deal or some such, and won't allow us to keep his computer overnight (to run diagnostics and such) because his data is oh so valuable. Yay stress! He's bringing it back today (yikes, I should get some sleep)... I can hardly contain myself. One of my friends suggested the possibility that he might be a terrorist.
SCSI
Originally posted here, 10/13/05
At approximately 4:30am today, I successfully set-up my first SCSI-based computer. I've serviced SCSI-based systems at work, so this wasn't entirely new to me, but I wanted to share anyway. The computer won't be anything particularly special when it's done (750MHz AMD Duron, MSI MS-6378 Ver.3 motherboard, Adaptec AHA-2940UW SCSI controller card, 4.3GB 68-pin SCSI HDD, 9.1GB 50-pin SCSI HDD, and a 50-pin SCSI CD-RW), but it's a good way to learn how to do this shit properly so that when those really weird service orders come in at work or from friends, I have some clue about where to start :)
Really, I just wanted to show everyone this picture...
At approximately 4:30am today, I successfully set-up my first SCSI-based computer. I've serviced SCSI-based systems at work, so this wasn't entirely new to me, but I wanted to share anyway. The computer won't be anything particularly special when it's done (750MHz AMD Duron, MSI MS-6378 Ver.3 motherboard, Adaptec AHA-2940UW SCSI controller card, 4.3GB 68-pin SCSI HDD, 9.1GB 50-pin SCSI HDD, and a 50-pin SCSI CD-RW), but it's a good way to learn how to do this shit properly so that when those really weird service orders come in at work or from friends, I have some clue about where to start :)
Really, I just wanted to show everyone this picture...
[Image]
Cases are for suckers.
Why I love Slashdot...
I've been distracted...
Originally posted here, 09/23/2005
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Find a way to see this. If you're not in Japan, then download it or find a friend who has already downloaded it. If you need help finding and/or using the English subtitles, let me know.
Fable - The Lost Chapters
This has probably been the biggest drain on my social life. Think Zelda-style gameplay mechanics (action-RPG), but with a stronger RPG element; however, that RPG flavour is presented in sort of a Sims-esque manner. Basically, the weapons you use, clothes you wear, decisions you make, tattoos you get, people you hit on (male or female), etc... They all contribute to how your character grows and evolves, as well as how people react to you. It's a little short, but it's definitely sweet.
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Find a way to see this. If you're not in Japan, then download it or find a friend who has already downloaded it. If you need help finding and/or using the English subtitles, let me know.
Fable - The Lost Chapters
This has probably been the biggest drain on my social life. Think Zelda-style gameplay mechanics (action-RPG), but with a stronger RPG element; however, that RPG flavour is presented in sort of a Sims-esque manner. Basically, the weapons you use, clothes you wear, decisions you make, tattoos you get, people you hit on (male or female), etc... They all contribute to how your character grows and evolves, as well as how people react to you. It's a little short, but it's definitely sweet.
Originally posted here, 08/26/05
So I've had this Google Talk thing for a little while now (you could access the network through Linux and MacOS with a Jabber client), but I still don't have a single contact... Kinda defeats the purpose, doesn't it.
So I've had this Google Talk thing for a little while now (you could access the network through Linux and MacOS with a Jabber client), but I still don't have a single contact... Kinda defeats the purpose, doesn't it.
Grand Theft Auto
Originally posted here, 08/21/05
A few years ago, I was playing GTA Vice City on my PC, and the most amazing thing happened; as I recall, it was during a mission in which I had to pick up a package at an airport. I had ditched my car earlier and run to the hangar for the package. When I picked it up, I was suddenly swarmed by FBI agents, vans, helicopters, etc... With no transportation available, I booted it across the tarmac, bullets and vans whizzing by. It was a pretty intense chase, and somehow I managed to make it to the road, but there was a tall fence between me and my escape. That's when I spotted a pile of wood near the fence. I bolted for the pile, climbed atop, and lunged over the fence. Right then, a Lamborgini drives by... So I jack it and hop-in just as the chorus of Gary Numan's "Cars" ("Here in my car, I feel safest of all...") comes on the radio... Eerie, eh?
I figured it was just a one-time fluke, but the other day I was playing GTA San Andreas and something similar happened. It was a mission that entailed chasing a limo for a pimp. Inside was a priest-type guy trying to "cleanse" one of the pimp's hookers; the guy was just a dirty old man taking advantage of his position. Anyway, all throughout the chase, you hear the guy instructing the hooker do all kinds of dirty things. At one point, he says something like "Put your hand right there". Right after he said this, Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus" begins on the radio ("Reach out and touch faith...").
I've tried to recreate these events, but it's been different every time.
I have waaay too much time on my hands.
A few years ago, I was playing GTA Vice City on my PC, and the most amazing thing happened; as I recall, it was during a mission in which I had to pick up a package at an airport. I had ditched my car earlier and run to the hangar for the package. When I picked it up, I was suddenly swarmed by FBI agents, vans, helicopters, etc... With no transportation available, I booted it across the tarmac, bullets and vans whizzing by. It was a pretty intense chase, and somehow I managed to make it to the road, but there was a tall fence between me and my escape. That's when I spotted a pile of wood near the fence. I bolted for the pile, climbed atop, and lunged over the fence. Right then, a Lamborgini drives by... So I jack it and hop-in just as the chorus of Gary Numan's "Cars" ("Here in my car, I feel safest of all...") comes on the radio... Eerie, eh?
I figured it was just a one-time fluke, but the other day I was playing GTA San Andreas and something similar happened. It was a mission that entailed chasing a limo for a pimp. Inside was a priest-type guy trying to "cleanse" one of the pimp's hookers; the guy was just a dirty old man taking advantage of his position. Anyway, all throughout the chase, you hear the guy instructing the hooker do all kinds of dirty things. At one point, he says something like "Put your hand right there". Right after he said this, Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus" begins on the radio ("Reach out and touch faith...").
I've tried to recreate these events, but it's been different every time.
I have waaay too much time on my hands.
Linux!
Originally posted here, 08/21/05
I figured I should learn how to use this Linux thing everyone's talking about; it's like Windows, but completely free (legally), less evil, more efficient with your hardware, and completely customizable... Oh, and it's also a complete bitch to learn, even if you think you know your way around computers :) After learning the hard way with Debian (prolly a good idea in the long-run), I've recently started working with Ubuntu. It has taken a lot of the pain out of the process since it comes with a really good set of default packages (drivers 'n stuff) and applications: OpenOffice 1.1.3, Firefox 1.06, a music player very similar to iTunes, The GIMP (think Photoshop), Gaim (universal instant messaging; MSN, ICQ, etc...), BitTorrent, and the all-important card games (Solitaire, FreeCell). The dependency hell of Debian just got the best of me in the end, and Ubuntu alleviates a lot of those issues.
So after perusing a few starter guides and forums and picking my brother's brain (he does this shit for a living), I learned how to do a lot of the important stuff from the shell (think DOS), install new hardware, and install third-party software (like games :) ).
My Linux box's current specs are:
933MHz Pentium III
512MB PC133
ASUS CUV4X-V
64MB GeForce3 Ti200
20GB HDD
12x DVD-ROM
SoundBlaster Live!
So in the end, built at no cost (all spare parts), I have a very fast computer that can browse the Internet, do instant messaging, help me do my homework, play movies and music, play games (currently Quake III Arena, Unreal Tournament, and Tux Racer), and download pr0n with the greatest of ease ;) I am 1337.
In other news, I made my first /. post today... It was about a Quebec-designed, feature-rich, but underpowered video card from a few years ago.
Good lord, I'm pathetic :(
I figured I should learn how to use this Linux thing everyone's talking about; it's like Windows, but completely free (legally), less evil, more efficient with your hardware, and completely customizable... Oh, and it's also a complete bitch to learn, even if you think you know your way around computers :) After learning the hard way with Debian (prolly a good idea in the long-run), I've recently started working with Ubuntu. It has taken a lot of the pain out of the process since it comes with a really good set of default packages (drivers 'n stuff) and applications: OpenOffice 1.1.3, Firefox 1.06, a music player very similar to iTunes, The GIMP (think Photoshop), Gaim (universal instant messaging; MSN, ICQ, etc...), BitTorrent, and the all-important card games (Solitaire, FreeCell). The dependency hell of Debian just got the best of me in the end, and Ubuntu alleviates a lot of those issues.
So after perusing a few starter guides and forums and picking my brother's brain (he does this shit for a living), I learned how to do a lot of the important stuff from the shell (think DOS), install new hardware, and install third-party software (like games :) ).
My Linux box's current specs are:
933MHz Pentium III
512MB PC133
ASUS CUV4X-V
64MB GeForce3 Ti200
20GB HDD
12x DVD-ROM
SoundBlaster Live!
So in the end, built at no cost (all spare parts), I have a very fast computer that can browse the Internet, do instant messaging, help me do my homework, play movies and music, play games (currently Quake III Arena, Unreal Tournament, and Tux Racer), and download pr0n with the greatest of ease ;) I am 1337.
In other news, I made my first /. post today... It was about a Quebec-designed, feature-rich, but underpowered video card from a few years ago.
Good lord, I'm pathetic :(
WHOOOOO!!!
Originally posted here, 05/26/05
Google's got this new personalized main page/portal dealie they're testing right now... I dig it so very much. You can try it out here.
Here's a picture of my personal layout:
[Image]
bickety-BAM!
That only tells half of the story though; go make your own and start playing around to see the level of control it offers... Wow!
Google's got this new personalized main page/portal dealie they're testing right now... I dig it so very much. You can try it out here.
Here's a picture of my personal layout:
[Image]
bickety-BAM!
That only tells half of the story though; go make your own and start playing around to see the level of control it offers... Wow!
I am so fucking... Blah.
Originally posted here, 04/16/15
These are my computers:
AMD Athlon XP 3200+
ASUS A7N8X Deluxe Rev.2.00
2x512MB DDR400 RAM
128MB ATi Radeon 9700 Pro
SoundBlaster Audigy2 ZS
2x80GB 7200RPM HDD
Pioneer 16x Slot-Loading DVD-ROM
NEC 16x DL DVD+/-RW
AMD Athlon XP 2200+
MSI K7N2 Delta-L
2x256MB DDR333 RAM
128MB Sapphire Radeon 8500LE
SoundBlaster Live!
60GB 5400RPM HDD
Lite-On 52x CD-ROM
LG 52x24x52 CD-RW
Intel Pentium 4 1.8GHz (Socket 478)
DFI 865PE-ML
2x256MB DDR266 RAM
128MB Sapphire Radeon 8500LE
SoundBlaster AudioPCI
40GB 7200RPM HDD
LG 32x10x40 CD-RW
Intel Pentium III 866MHz
ASUS CUV4X-V
256MB PC133 RAM
S3 Savage4 (Integrated)
CMI-8738 (Integrated)
20GB HDD
Creative 12x DVD-ROM
AMD K6-2 500MHz
MSI MS-5169
192MB PC100 RAM
8MB ATi Rage Pro (PCI)
SoundBlaster AWE64 (ISA)
6.5GB HDD
CD-ROM
All of the above systems are running Windows XP Professional Corporate Edition except for the K6-2, which is running Ubuntu Linux 5.04. This list does not include any of my laptops (my main one is an old Toshiba Portege 3440CT with a broken port replicator port running Windows ME; I have two more Toshibas, a Laser, and a generic) or unassembled systems. The pile of spare parts in my house is ridiculous :)
These are my computers:
AMD Athlon XP 3200+
ASUS A7N8X Deluxe Rev.2.00
2x512MB DDR400 RAM
128MB ATi Radeon 9700 Pro
SoundBlaster Audigy2 ZS
2x80GB 7200RPM HDD
Pioneer 16x Slot-Loading DVD-ROM
NEC 16x DL DVD+/-RW
AMD Athlon XP 2200+
MSI K7N2 Delta-L
2x256MB DDR333 RAM
128MB Sapphire Radeon 8500LE
SoundBlaster Live!
60GB 5400RPM HDD
Lite-On 52x CD-ROM
LG 52x24x52 CD-RW
Intel Pentium 4 1.8GHz (Socket 478)
DFI 865PE-ML
2x256MB DDR266 RAM
128MB Sapphire Radeon 8500LE
SoundBlaster AudioPCI
40GB 7200RPM HDD
LG 32x10x40 CD-RW
Intel Pentium III 866MHz
ASUS CUV4X-V
256MB PC133 RAM
S3 Savage4 (Integrated)
CMI-8738 (Integrated)
20GB HDD
Creative 12x DVD-ROM
AMD K6-2 500MHz
MSI MS-5169
192MB PC100 RAM
8MB ATi Rage Pro (PCI)
SoundBlaster AWE64 (ISA)
6.5GB HDD
CD-ROM
All of the above systems are running Windows XP Professional Corporate Edition except for the K6-2, which is running Ubuntu Linux 5.04. This list does not include any of my laptops (my main one is an old Toshiba Portege 3440CT with a broken port replicator port running Windows ME; I have two more Toshibas, a Laser, and a generic) or unassembled systems. The pile of spare parts in my house is ridiculous :)
I am a nerd...
Originally posted here, 01/11/05
The other night, I familiarized myself with and installed Debian GNU/Linux 3.0 (“woody”) on an old 500MHz AMD K6-2 with 192MB of RAM, a 4.5GB HDD, an 8MB PCI ATi Rage Pro, and an ISA SoundBlaster AWE64... I am hardcore, ph34r me!
And just for reference, my main system is an AMD Athlon XP 3200+ running on an ASUS A7N8X Deluxe rev2.00 (BIOS ver1008) with two 512MB sticks of DDR400 RAM (dual channel), a 128MB ATi Radeon 9700 Pro, and an Audigy 2 ZS. I have a Western Digital 80GB 7200RPM w/8MB cache as my main hard drive, and a Samsung 80GB 7200RPM as my secondary (storage) drive. For optical drives, I have a Pioneer DVD-106 (slot-loading) DVD-ROM drive and an NEC ND-3500AG 16x dual-layer DVD+/-RW burner. This is all powered by an Enermax 350W EG365P-VE (FC). Oh yes.
More work-related happenings...
Originally posted here, 08/14/04
I was feeling kinda down this morning... Due, just about entirely, to the fact that I've hardly slept all week. The first customer of the day was a woman who was with her son (who was going into grade eight), and she ended up buying nearly $2000 worth of used equipment... That's a lot of used equipment. Essentially, she bought her son a kick-ass computer (P4-3.0GHz w/HT (800MHz FSB)/512MB DDR400/160GB 7200RPM HDD/DVD+RW/etc...), a flat 17" Trinitron monitor, software, and a whole wireless networking setup. It was all very purrrdy.
It was kinda funny to watch the kid get more and more excited as I rang everything up. Towards the end, his mom kept trying to shut him up because he wouldn't stop asking me questions; it was cute. I helped them carry the stuff out to their car, and that's when the kid asked me if he could play LAN games with this new setup. When I said yes, he freaked-out! He was all but dancing in the parking lot... FunStuff®. Anyway, as I was walking back into the building, they drove by on their way out, and the kid was waving madly to me the whole time :)
I was feeling kinda down this morning... Due, just about entirely, to the fact that I've hardly slept all week. The first customer of the day was a woman who was with her son (who was going into grade eight), and she ended up buying nearly $2000 worth of used equipment... That's a lot of used equipment. Essentially, she bought her son a kick-ass computer (P4-3.0GHz w/HT (800MHz FSB)/512MB DDR400/160GB 7200RPM HDD/DVD+RW/etc...), a flat 17" Trinitron monitor, software, and a whole wireless networking setup. It was all very purrrdy.
It was kinda funny to watch the kid get more and more excited as I rang everything up. Towards the end, his mom kept trying to shut him up because he wouldn't stop asking me questions; it was cute. I helped them carry the stuff out to their car, and that's when the kid asked me if he could play LAN games with this new setup. When I said yes, he freaked-out! He was all but dancing in the parking lot... FunStuff®. Anyway, as I was walking back into the building, they drove by on their way out, and the kid was waving madly to me the whole time :)
I am offended...
Originally posted here, 08/12/04
I work at a computer store in downtown Toronto. I do service and sales. It's essentially glorified retail that pays well, and I don't not look forward to work; sometimes I really enjoy it. We have a great staff, and are as helpful as can be. Our prices may be a bit higher on certain items (think Future Shop prices; we're definitely not an enthusiast store), but we're great when it comes to service; we often go out of our way to help customers beyond the initial purchase at no extra cost.
This past weekend, two sisters came into the store and wanted to purchase a computer. My co-worker helped them initially, walking them through the entire spectrum of our inventory. Before long, one of the sisters began to ask me questions, and I ended-up taking over the sale. They decided on a decent low-end system, capable of running their word processing software and getting them on the Internet. They also indicated that they would be putting their own copy of Windows XP on the computer. They bought it and left, done and done.
An hour or so later, they called the store, complaining that their new computer was not working properly. I tried to walk them through the problem over the phone based on what they had described to me, but it appeared to be more serious than we had thought. I asked them to bring the system back in to the store so that I could have a look at it for them.
When they returned to the store, I noticed a few problems with the system (prepping guy's fault), and I fixed them on the spot - right in front of the sisters - for free. It was nothing too serious: I opened the case and added more RAM, then edited their config.sys file to prevent a problematic DOS audio driver from loading (which was keeping Windows from starting properly). The whole time, the three of us were shooting the breeze, talking about their day at Canada's Wonderland, and all seemed well.
Apparently, however, they came back into the store on Monday and complained about "some brown guy" (my co-worker) who walked away from them when they didn't buy the "turbo-charged" computer, and this guy named Brett (me, Brent) who was very "smug" and "had no idea what he was doing". They said that Brett had made all of their files "read-only" (simply not true), and that they didn't appreciate having to log-in every time they turned-on their computer (standard "Client for Microsoft Networks" login screen, easily disabled). They claimed that they had been sent to the store by their IT friends (and they supposedly have many IT friends), but they were completely unsatisfied and were going to tell all their IT friends how inept we are; they wanted a full refund without paying the restocking fee (10% = ~$23). Even after my manager agreed to the full refund (it was only $23, so he didn't really care either way), they kept on bitching.
I mean, really... I went out of my way to help these people. They walked away from my co-worker, they called me for help (and I helped them, quickly and effectively, and for free), and they got what they came for. I'm not sure that they're in a position to judge my capability as a technician (especially since I fixed the problems that they were unable to fix). I dunno... I'm not gonna go into it any further.
It's just upsetting to hear these things, is all. My manager gave me the benefit of the doubt, and just wanted to hear my side of the story (yeah, he didn't care; he knows I know my stuff; my job's safe), but this never should have come up in the first place. If they weren't happy with their purchase, then return it. They agreed to a 10% restocking fee when they bought it. I can only imagine that they wanted to avoid that whopping $23 fee and decided to attack me and my co-worker to achieve that end. If that's the case, then I'm not only deeply offended, but disgusted as well.
Bleh.
I work at a computer store in downtown Toronto. I do service and sales. It's essentially glorified retail that pays well, and I don't not look forward to work; sometimes I really enjoy it. We have a great staff, and are as helpful as can be. Our prices may be a bit higher on certain items (think Future Shop prices; we're definitely not an enthusiast store), but we're great when it comes to service; we often go out of our way to help customers beyond the initial purchase at no extra cost.
This past weekend, two sisters came into the store and wanted to purchase a computer. My co-worker helped them initially, walking them through the entire spectrum of our inventory. Before long, one of the sisters began to ask me questions, and I ended-up taking over the sale. They decided on a decent low-end system, capable of running their word processing software and getting them on the Internet. They also indicated that they would be putting their own copy of Windows XP on the computer. They bought it and left, done and done.
An hour or so later, they called the store, complaining that their new computer was not working properly. I tried to walk them through the problem over the phone based on what they had described to me, but it appeared to be more serious than we had thought. I asked them to bring the system back in to the store so that I could have a look at it for them.
When they returned to the store, I noticed a few problems with the system (prepping guy's fault), and I fixed them on the spot - right in front of the sisters - for free. It was nothing too serious: I opened the case and added more RAM, then edited their config.sys file to prevent a problematic DOS audio driver from loading (which was keeping Windows from starting properly). The whole time, the three of us were shooting the breeze, talking about their day at Canada's Wonderland, and all seemed well.
Apparently, however, they came back into the store on Monday and complained about "some brown guy" (my co-worker) who walked away from them when they didn't buy the "turbo-charged" computer, and this guy named Brett (me, Brent) who was very "smug" and "had no idea what he was doing". They said that Brett had made all of their files "read-only" (simply not true), and that they didn't appreciate having to log-in every time they turned-on their computer (standard "Client for Microsoft Networks" login screen, easily disabled). They claimed that they had been sent to the store by their IT friends (and they supposedly have many IT friends), but they were completely unsatisfied and were going to tell all their IT friends how inept we are; they wanted a full refund without paying the restocking fee (10% = ~$23). Even after my manager agreed to the full refund (it was only $23, so he didn't really care either way), they kept on bitching.
I mean, really... I went out of my way to help these people. They walked away from my co-worker, they called me for help (and I helped them, quickly and effectively, and for free), and they got what they came for. I'm not sure that they're in a position to judge my capability as a technician (especially since I fixed the problems that they were unable to fix). I dunno... I'm not gonna go into it any further.
It's just upsetting to hear these things, is all. My manager gave me the benefit of the doubt, and just wanted to hear my side of the story (yeah, he didn't care; he knows I know my stuff; my job's safe), but this never should have come up in the first place. If they weren't happy with their purchase, then return it. They agreed to a 10% restocking fee when they bought it. I can only imagine that they wanted to avoid that whopping $23 fee and decided to attack me and my co-worker to achieve that end. If that's the case, then I'm not only deeply offended, but disgusted as well.
Bleh.
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