Monthly Archive for November, 2005

Time for an upgrade?

Published on November 28, 2005 in Hardware and Random. 0 Comments

At what point is it time to upgrade your aging desktop? Is it based on financial limitations or performance needs? Does your PC do what you need it to (in a timely manner)? Is it better to build your own box or buy a whitebox machine? And if it is time for an upgrade, at what point do you say enough is enough?

Unfortunately I don’t have any one answer to these questions. But I can offer a couple suggestions that should probably be taken into consideration when buying/building a new PC…

1. Do you need it? – Now, I must admit that I don’t always live by this rule, but it is a good way to determine if its truly time to throw down. The important word here is ‘need’ though and how you happen to define it. Some might say they ‘need’ an upgrade because their computer won’t even run the latest version of Quicken. Others may say they ‘need’ an upgrade because they keep gettin’ fragged due to low frame-rates on their favorite multi-player FPS. Bottom line… this is a personal thing and it depends on how you use your computer.

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So you want an XBox 360 do ya?

Published on November 22, 2005 in Games and XBox. 0 Comments

OK… I realize that Microsoft has done a pretty good job of inducing a false sense of urgency around the Xbox 360 launch, but crimeny.

I stopped by my local small business stifling big box retailer last night to snag some A1 for my steak (yeah, I’m guilty too) and I just about fell over some guy chillin’ in the isle on his lawn chair. As I continued down the isle weaving in and out of the lawn chair parade, I finally came to the source of the urban robot army… a gigantic ‘XBOX 360 Line Starts Here’ sign.

Now, I personally have a hard time understanding why movie fans would sleep in front of a theater, but I have an ever harder time trying to grasp why people would camp out in Wally’s Palacial Pile of Crap to buy an XBox. Props to MS for making them think that its vital to their existance, but c’mon people. And if that weren’t bad enough… check out this eBay auction:

YOU BID HOW MUCH?

I guess I’m just not a console guy at heart. That’s the only thing I can think of that might explain my total disinterest in the XBox launch.

(post has been mirrored in the forums HERE if you’d like to comment on the insanity)

Creative Zen Vision 30gb

Published on November 16, 2005 in Gadget Reviews. 0 Comments

The latest gadget in my personal stable is the Creative Zen Vision. This is the latest PMP from our buddies at Creative, and I’ve had a pretty good time with it so far. It’s not without its quirks, but it’s pretty good at what it does too.

The Vision’s design is head and shoulders above any other player I’ve had lately, with the possible exception of iRiver’s PMC-120. There are separate, tactile buttons for each function. As sexy as touch-panel style controls look, they’re pretty lame when you’re in the car or in the dark. It’s fantastic to have a player that lets you feel your way around when you need to.

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Soltek Qbic Mania 915g

Published on November 14, 2005 in Hardware Reviews. 0 Comments

I was trolling Newegg.com the other day looking for a cheap socket 754 board to stick in my wife’s machine when I stumbled onto one of these little Soltek cubes. Newegg had a refurb at a pretty decent price (about half off, actually) so I thought I’d grab one and see what I thought. It arrived while I was at EHX, so I had something to play with when I got home.

Soltek shipped it inside the padded backpack that comes as an accessory, which actually seems to give it decent protection. I ran a check for blemishes or other obvious ‘refurb’ type problems, but nothing stood out, so I got to disassembly.

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Mars Station in your bedroom…

Published on November 11, 2005 in Case Mods and Geek Fun. 0 Comments

To be honest I didn’t really think Doom III was as good as all the hype. I suppose I’m just a wuss and it kind of creeped me out (in a bad way). But regardless of how much I did or didn’t like the game, damned if I can find an reason not to want this wicked-cool mod:

The project is called Crimson Sky and it’s a dang fine re-creation of a portion of Mars Station along with all the bells and whistles. This guy is truly a fabrication/air-brush magician. You can check out the complete work logs over at [H]ard|Forum here:

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=802808&page=1&pp=20

The project isn’t quite finished yet, but we’ll let you know when its done and post a pic of the final results.

EHX – wow, I’m in home electronics heaven!

Published on November 9, 2005 in Gadgets and Geek Fun. 0 Comments

I don’t want to say the word pr0n, since our ads are keyword based, but I will. I’m at the Electronic House Expo in Anaheim, and it is heaven for a guy like me. I’ll have more detailed reports, but right now the coolest stuff is integrating home automation with Windows Media Center and all sorts of other sweet apps. Lots of cool displays here – be prepared for more links and info as the show goes on.

Sprint PPC-6600

Published on November 3, 2005 in Gadget Reviews. 0 Comments

So there I was, a happy person with both a wireless phone and a trusty handheld, my iPaq h4355. I got sucked into the idea of a converged device at CTIA in New Orleans, though, when I had a chance to play with a PPC-6600. It had an integrated keyboard, bluetooth, and I figured I wouldn’t miss the WiFi once I was on the web through Sprint. So I put the phone and iPaq up on eBay, and took the plunge.

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Aopen’s Pentium M Mac Mini clone – x86 and proud of it!

Published on November 3, 2005 in Hardware. 0 Comments

I am so going to buy one as soon as TigerDirect.com gets them in stock. This is the solution I’ve been looking for in my kitchen. In fact, until Aopen came to the rescue, I was on the verge of crossing over to Apple’s dark side. Who knew a little Taiwanese company with a can-do attitude would save me from losing my hard-won dignity? Here’s a little computer I can run Linux or Windows on, and tweak a little bit at my own discretion.

Thanks, guys, for sticking a thumb in Apple’s eye – they were getting a little too uppity out there and needed a little smack to remind them they’re second fiddle. Ok, they’re not so much fiddle players as they’re like the dude playing a lute at a renaissance fair trying to take on Megadeath. Long live PCs we can work on, non-proprietary software, and cheap parts from our buddies in Asia.

Here’s a link to one of the original posts with some nice pics.

Halloween Gallery is up!

Published on November 1, 2005 in Announcements and Games. 0 Comments

For those of you that have been playing Guild Wars over the past couple days, you’ve probably noticed a few changes to some of the environments. For those of you who haven’t been playing, I’ve posted a gallery of screenshots for you to bask in.

ArenaNet has created some sweet Halloween treats for all us loyal players including some fun and games with the Mad King. I was able to meet the Mad King last night and he gave me one of the coveted Pumpkin Helms (pictured below). You can see the rest of the changes to Lions Arch by visiting the ModStomp Guild Wars Halloween Gallery.

MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!