Technically Speaking

2003-08-28T13:18:00.000-04:00

Are you still coming here?

It has been a long time since I have posted here. All the goods are at the new location.

Technically Speaking

Don't forget....This is the place to be .

2003-05-24T01:05:00.000-04:00

A BlogShift has occurred

Don't worry, its a good thing. I have been creating posts to this blog for a month now, and I must say that I really enjoy it. I feel that I am ready to move on to some more serious blogging. Unfortunately, the sevice I am currently with provides a minimal set of tools to create blogs. Therefore I have decided to buy a webspace and start creating with MovableType. Although my blogsite name has changed, to www.tonytalkstech.com, I was able to export all of the content, minus the comments, over the new site. This move is also good for you. There are features available that I will pass on as I learn to implement them. Things like,

BlogSite search capability
RSS Feed
Built-in comment system
Email notification of new posts
Mail this post
and others...

All of these features, along with a higher bandwidth provider, will help the site operate much smoother. I hope you are as excited as I am about this, so when you are ready, click here, and take a look around.

Tony S.

2003-05-23T00:57:00.000-04:00

Matrix 3: Revolutions Trailer

Theres a new Matrix 3: Revolutions trailer available for download! Just click the link below and checkout the trailer.

Patiences, this can take a while. Matrix 3: Revolutions trailer

2003-05-23T00:45:00.000-04:00

Using Patriotism as Bait...

Who could resist? “Show your support for our troops by downloading our free cursors!” says MyFreeCursors.com. One click, and your mouse pointer is an American flag. That click implies that you consent to their terms. The terms are that eUniverse Inc. has the right to watch your every move on the Internet. What’s more, the policy indicates that eUniverse has the right to install other software in the future on the users’ computer — and uninstalling the cursor program won’t remove this additional software from their system. A spokeperson for EUniverse claims that they are not in the spyware business and that customer response to the product has been positive. Excuse me but, I don't know many people that would think this is good business practices. I believe that they did receive some positive feedback from a few people but those people surly didn't know about the covert software keeping tabs on them.

MSNBC.com also reports some shady dealings within EUniverse, ...on April 16, when eUniverse was forced to lower revenue expectations for the current quarter, and its stock price quickly fell by 25 percent. Three weeks later, the firm announced the good news from earlier in the year had been a mistake. On May 6, the company said its two prior quarterly announcements “should not be relied upon” — restated financial results will actually be lower.

Two days later, the company disclosed that the Securities and Exchange Commission had opened an “informal inquiry” into the company’s finances, and Take-Two Interactive CEO Jeffrey Lapin had resigned from the firm’s board of directors. A shareholder lawsuit soon followed.

Read the Story

2003-05-22T00:38:00.000-04:00

How to Fake A Hard Day at the Office

I came across this little guide and thought that you all might be able to use it. So if you really have to be on the golf course right after lunch try these suggestions.

Faking It

A beginner's guide to making it look like you're working when you're not.

Technology	The Trick	Slacker Application
E-Mail Timers	Set e-mail timers so that messages send when you're out of the office. (In most MS Outlook programs, click "options" in your message and fill in the "Do not deliver before" window.)	Go to bed early, but make team members think you're burning the midnight oil by timing messages to send at 3 a.m.
RIM BlackBerry Handheld	Reconfigure the gadget so that e-mails look just like regular office messages. To remove the "sent from my BlackBerry" message, click your desktop icon, select Redirector Settings, choose the General tab, and delete the autosignature.	Leave work early to avoid traffic, but send a few BlackBerry messages from the road to cover your tracks.
GoToMyPc.Com	Download software to your office PC that allows you to control your work computer screen over the Internet from anywhere. You can even operate your mouse remotely. Costs $19.95 a month.	Log on to your work computer during vacations, and open up today's newspaper on the screen. Colleagues will think you just stepped away for a moment.
Instant Messaging	Crack the settings in your Instant Messenger program and disable the "idle" feature, which tells coworkers if you're online. (In AOL Instant Messager programs, go to "preferences," then "privacy.")	Perfect for three-hour lunches and mid-afternoon pedicures.
Yahoo By Phone	For $4.95 a month you can call in and have your e-mails read aloud to you by a computerized voice named Jenni.	Forward your office e-mail to a Yahoo address. When you travel out of e-mail reach, you can call in to make sure you're not missing anything urgent.
Call Forwarding	Available for a few dollars a month from most phone and cellphone companies, this feature allows you to forward your desk phone to another phone.	You can take the afternoon off for a massage, and still pick up your work calls in real time.

2003-05-22T00:05:00.000-04:00

It's time to rebuild the Internet

Ray Ozzie, the famous creator of Lotus Notes, shares his ideas on revamping the internet. Ideas of a next generation Internet like Internet2 or IPv6 have been proposed by others but Ozzie has his own ideas. Ozzie gave examples of what could be part of a rebuilding effort, including XML packets replacing IP packets, encrypted V-cards instead of the usual DNS, a message-switching layer more like the open source Jabber than SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol), or a dynamic DNS that works more like instant messaging for finding people.

Read Full Story

Internet2 is a consortium being led by 202 universities working in partnership with industry and government to develop and deploy advanced network applications and technologies, accelerating the creation of tomorrow's Internet. Internet2 is recreating the partnership among academia, industry and government that fostered today?s Internet in its infancy. The primary goals of Internet2 are to:

Create a leading edge network capability for the national research community
Enable revolutionary Internet applications
Ensure the rapid transfer of new network services and applications to the broader Internet community.

2003-05-21T00:37:00.000-04:00

Websites Don't Like Mondays

I came across this little thought in my daily readings and wondered if anyone thinks it is true. Needless to say, I am part of an IT department and we rarely have any outages. If anyone out there can relate to what this message is saying, please leave a comment to tell me all about it.

It turns out that Monday morning is the most likely time for a website to crash. It's not because hackers like to get up early and start the workweek off with a few extra machines to take down, but because in-house IT staff come into the office with their groggy brains chock full of ideas they had over the weekend. They have a "weekend inspiration" and come in Monday morning and tinker... and the website goes down. The researchers say the best uptime days are during holidays like Christmas and New Years when the IT staff stays home. But then, "as soon as you see the developers logging on again, the trouble starts." The study suggests that companies put into place better testing procedures and change control.

2003-05-21T00:13:00.001-04:00

The Einstein Archives Online

Monday was the launch of a new Albert Einstein website. This one site brings together more than 900 scientific documents and personal papers detailing the thoughts and emotions of one of the world's most fascinating minds. In addition to the voluminous collection of Einstein's writings, some never before published and none previously available online, the website will house an extensive database of 40,000 documents, images and research on Einstein's life and work, as well as digitized copies of Einstein's professional and personal correspondence and pages from his notebooks and travel diaries. The website is the result of a year-long cooperative effort between the Albert Einstein Archives at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Einstein Papers Project at the California Institute of Technology. Along with all the technical works of Einstein are some personal facts about the life and ways of Einstein, some refuting popular beliefs.

Want to know more about Einstein? Visit the Einstein Archives Online

2003-05-21T00:13:00.000-04:00

Napster will live again

Roxio, who bought Napster, really cheap, after it was sued and forced out of business, has just purchased PressPlay. "With our acquisition of Napster we obtained the most powerful brand in the online music space," said Roxio's chairman and CEO, Chris Gorog. "Now, with our acquisition of pressplay, we have the most complete and scaleable legal technology infrastructure to use as a platform to relaunch Napster." When the reincarnated Napster hits the market it will be going up against Apple's new iTunes Music Store, MusicNet and Listen.com's Rhapsody service. Roxio is hopeful that the Napster name will give them the leverage they need to make it big.

More...

2003-05-21T00:12:00.000-04:00

Flatulence Helps Fight Disease

Imagine going to medical school so you can learn how to smell farts. This just may be the case. British scientist have been doing studies on the pungent gas emanating from stool (flatus). "There are very specific (chemical) 'fingerprints' in the gas, so that you can make specific diagnoses very quickly," says lead researcher Dr. Christopher Probert. So the next time you smell some very bad gas and you think to yourself, "Damn, that guy/gal must be sick!" you may be exactly right.

More...

2003-05-20T00:09:00.001-04:00

Lord of The Rings - Two Towers Up for Pre-Order

Retailers have now begun to take Pre-Orders for the first release of Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers (the Theatrical Edition). Set for release on Aug 26th the Theatrical Edition (available in both Widescreen and Fullscreen releases with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio) will contain the version of the film seen in theaters and feature: a modest number of 'making of' featurettes, A 10 minute sneak preview of The Return of the King, and a short film by Sean Astin called 'The Long and Short of It' with an accompanying making of. The The Two Tower's Extended Cut won't be available for pre-order until June 20th. Pre-order Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers Theatrical Edition at Amazon, DVDEmpire or DeepDiscountDVD.

2003-05-20T00:01:00.000-04:00

High-Definition Decoder ATSC Tuner PCI Card

MyHD MDP-100 by MIT is the latest design PCI card based on TeraLogics' Janus decoder chip. The MDP-100 features broadcast tuning and display in 1080i, 720p, or 480p, delivering HDTV to your Windows based PC. Watch HDTV on Windows desktop or in full-screen glory, it's never been more affordable!

The hardware processing of TeraLogic's Janus 8VSB decoder ensures that today's PC's will have plenty of power. The single card design with breakout cable includes video input from S-Video and Composite sources. Both RF inputs can tune ATSC or NTSC. MyHD card features HDTV recording to your hard drive or upcoming support of IEEE 1394 based D-VHS tape (Windows XP only). Record HDTV, image capture of HD images, up-convert NTSC, it's all possible with the MDP-100 HDTV card. Full featured remote control is included for easy navigation of channels and formats.

More....

2003-05-20T00:00:00.000-04:00

Challenge-response (CR) technology

Challenge-response technology, is the concept behind the idea of being greeted with a response saying something like "click on this link to deliver this message" or "type in the word you see in the box above" when you receive an e-mail from a new sender. Spam-Arrest and EarthLink are both big providers of this technology to their customers. MailBlocks, of Los Altos, Calif., claims to own all rights to the concept and hopes to prevent anyone else from selling such a system without paying hefty licensing fees. So, MailBlocks has asked for a preliminary injunction in both suits.

Full Story

2003-05-19T13:49:00.000-04:00

Pioneer's 6th-generation drive

The Long Beach, Calif.-based electronics maker will announce Monday that its sixth-generation drive, the DVR-A06, will arrive in the United States in June. The drive will retail for $329 and support DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, CD-R and CD-RW. The DVD+RW format includes support for DVD+R media. The DVR-A06 will be for use inside PCs; an external version, which can be connected to a PC via a cable, will likely follow in three months to four months, said Andy Parsons, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Pioneer Electronics.

More...

2003-05-19T11:43:00.000-04:00

Program Lets P2P Users Roam Free

Free software called PeerGuardian creates a personal firewall that blocks the IP addresses of snoops. They can see the names of files being traded, but they can't download the file to tell whether it's a copyrighted file.

Find out More...

2003-05-18T06:36:00.000-04:00

Another 20 moons seen near Jupiter

I found this fact quite amazing. I had no idea that Jupiter had so many moons. Since they began their systematic search in late 2000, the team -- David Jewitt, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Hawaii and graduate student Scott Sheppard -- has found 43 of the planet's 60 moons. (Four were discovered by Galileo, four were discovered during a fly-by of the Voyager spacecraft and nine were discovered during the 20th century by other astronomers who painstakingly analyzed photographic plates.) Jupiter is predicted to have at least 100 moons that are at least 1 mile in diameter.

Read Full Story

2003-05-18T06:30:00.000-04:00

Investigator predicts shuttles will fly again

"At this stage, the board has not come across any show stoppers that in our mind would prevent the shuttle from returning to flight," Gehman said as he and five other board members examined the Columbia wreckage that has been gathered at the Kennedy Space Center. Read Full Story

2003-05-18T06:20:00.000-04:00

The New Samsung Phone

Samsung’s SPH-N270 is going to be famous for just one reason… It’s the Matrix phone. The phone went onsale in timing with the movie (May 15th 2003). There were only 10,000 initial units and so far there is no word that there will be a second run.

Don’t let the apparent bulkiness fool you—this phone is stocked with enough features to make even Neo smile. The screen is a 65,000 TFT LCD that boasts a very decent size (128×160 pixels). A feature not commonly seen on phones, but a must for the Matrix is included—GPS location.

The real design eye-candy is the ‘pop-up’ design… The ear piece moves up an inch to reveal the LCD.When you pop it up, the 65K color screen can be showing off the Matrix screen saver (yes, you too can have that green vertical text streaming across your screen).

Specs:

Size: 4.53” x 2.28” x 0.79”
Screen: LCD (65K colors), 128×160
Mode: CDMA
Price: $499.99
Availibility: Sprint PCS
Reviews: N/A
Purchase:Samsung, Your local BestBuy

2003-05-16T11:13:00.000-04:00

The Last of the Athlons

AMD released the Athlon XP 3200+ for desktops, the last scheduled member of a chip family that helped turn the company's fortunes around.The 3200+ features a 400MHz bus and runs at a slightly faster clock speed than other high-end Athlon chips. Graphics chip maker Nvidia, among others, is adjusting its chipsets to complement the faster bus found on the processor. Overall, the chip will be neck and neck in terms of performance with Intel's fastest products. The chip holds about a 15 percent performance advantage over Intel's 3GHz Pentium 4 processor when the Pentium 4 is connected to a 533MHz bus, according to AMD benchmarks. Intel, though, recently came out with a new chipset that runs at 800MHz and plans on coming out with another 800MHz chipset and a 3.2GHz Pentium 4 soon, according to sources close to the company.

Full Story

2003-05-16T10:47:00.000-04:00

Comments: The Matrix Reloaded

Yesterday, I took a half day off from work in order to catch a showing of the Matrix. To my surprise, it wasn't hard to get a ticket for the early afternoon show. I expected the theatres to be swamped with people trying to get in. This wasn't the case. The theatre was about 3/4 full for the 1:30pm showing. The movie was action-packed from the very beginning. The special effects; exceptional, although there is an instance in the "Burly Man" fight scene in which I was able to tell that the people where clearly computer animated. Continuation of the story; very interesting for the majority of the movie, a bit corny in one instance and a bit metaphysical in another. Overall, I would give the movie a 9.9 out of 10. I thouroughly enjoyed it, especially the "Burly Man" fight scene and the nearly 15 minute long car chase. The new characters added to the story but their parts were too small. Jada Pinkett and Monica Bellucci both looked great and made me wish that they were featured a little bit more. Well, that's my $0.02!

2003-05-15T00:28:00.000-04:00

What happens at the end of "The Matrix Reloaded"?

As you all can tell, I have been doing some homework this week on The Matrix Reloaded. Everything I have read, predicts this as a movie of epic proportions. If all goes well I will be one of the lucky ones to see it opening day. I found one tip that we all should keep in mind. After The Matrix Reloaded is over, stick around to see the trailer for the next Matrix film, The Matrix Revolutions.

More....

2003-05-15T00:15:00.000-04:00

Monica Bellucci Talks 'Matrix Reloaded'

Courtesy of KillerMovies.com

MatrixFans have posted a translated article from French magazine Studio in which Monica Bellucci spoke about her upcoming role as Persephone in The Matrix Reloaded. Beware of some minor spoilers.

“The only thing I can tell is the three main characters are still the ones played by Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Laurence Fishburne ; that I’m among the new characters who appear in the second movie and that I have a very small role in the third one. I got no action scene, well only one in fact, but one very special. Then I didn’t have to jump on walls, nor practice martial arts like Carrie-Anne Moss who executes some unbelievable technical valors! [...]

“Actually the first thing I do when I arrive on the set is the rehearsals. I understand pretty quickly the Wachowski have a very definite idea of what they want! I meet Lambert Wilson who is absolutely lovely. I meet Keanu again. I’ve known him on Dracula (Coppola) when I started my carreer. I had only a small role in a sublime erotic scene ; I had to jump on a bed with some other girls and to kiss this handsome lad! And almost ten years later I have to make something very big with him – which I can’t spoil, but it’s not bad either! [...]

“Then comes my first day of shooting. This won’t belong to the movie but to the video game which is meant to be released with the movie! The Wachowski are directing me... which is fun. Anyway, we shoot it like a movie. It’s cool because it allows me to enter this universe in a soft way. The next step is the real shooting. The place where it’s done is extremly well protected and... HUGE! A city! Some days I’m sure more than 2000 persons are working on these sequels. Amazing!

Check out the link above for more!

More On 'The Matrix Reloaded'...

2003-05-14T10:09:00.000-04:00

What about Monica Bellucci?

Some had asked me, "What about Monica Bellucci?" She is a newcomer to the Matrix story. If you look closely, you can see her in the "Final Trailer". She is the very cute woman standing there training her gun on something. Look closely, you'll see her. Well, I found a little something on her on the AskMen.com site. This should hold you for a while....

We'd like to say that Monica Bellucci is just a woman, but we would be lying. She is not a mortal woman; she is a cruel joke from Mother Nature with the sole purpose of driving men of all ages to the point of insanity. How can anyone be so beautiful? Why are examples of the perfect woman like Monica rarer than a Chicago Cubs World Series title?

More...

Here are some pictures of Monica Bellucci

2003-05-14T00:24:00.000-04:00

Minute-by-Minute Guide to the May 15-16 Total Lunar Eclipse

For those of you that are intersted in the Total Lunar Eclipse, Space.com has a guide to help you through the event. No enthusiastic skywatcher ever misses a total eclipse of the Moon. Yet during the time that the Moon is entering into and later emerging from out of the Earth's shadow, secondary phenomena may be overlooked by any observer who isn't prepared.

More....

2003-05-14T00:07:00.000-04:00

Who are the Wachowski Brothers?

They also happen to be the elusive co-writers and co-directors of The Matrix and its sequels, the most significant and popular sci-fi film franchise since Star Wars. The first Matrix, released in March 1999, made $460 million (U.S.) worldwide and the long-awaited follow-ups The Matrix Reloaded (out next Thursday) and The Matrix Revolutions (Nov. 7) are likely to each top that figure.

Read Full Story

2003-05-14T00:06:00.000-04:00

Interview : Keanu Reeves

Keanu Reeves has always had the reputation of revealing nothing to the press. Even those who work with him find him a tough nut to crack. His co-star in the Matrix films, Laurence Fishburne, laughingly admitted that he "can’t tell you a fucking thing about Keanu. I’ve been working with him for five years. I don’t know a fucking thing about him. All I can tell you about Keanu is that after I’ve spent that much time with him, I love the motherfucker, but I can’t tell you a fucking thing about him."

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2003-05-13T10:08:00.000-04:00

Niveus Media releases ONEbox Media Center.

A startup company called Niveus Media introduced its ONEbox Media Center This PC is built around a VIA Mini-ITX M10000 Motherboard with a 1 GHz processor. Priced at $999 it includes a standard settop box case, 80GB hard drive, a DVD-ROM drive, an ATI All-In-Wonder VE TV card, 10/100 ethernet, firewire, USB serial and parallel ports. Operating system is the home edition of Windows XP. Niveus Media has developed its own software -- called ONEbox Media Center -- to control playback of DVD, video, music, photos and TV. Titan's electronic programming guide (EPG) is also included in the package for TiVo-like PVR functionality. The OneBOX will work with Comcast's digital cable, but other digital cable services are also not currently supported. The system has left room for user enhancements like swapping in a DVD burner or adding wireless networking. Niveus Media is currently testing an HDTV version with PVR capabilities.

2003-05-13T00:11:00.000-04:00

Interview : Hugo Weaving

"Mr Anderson". Ah, Who else could pull of that sly speak but the ever-so-versatile Hugo Weaving?, back reprising his role as Agent Smith in "The Matrix Reloaded". But believe it or not, there was a time when it didn't look like Weaving was going to accept the offer of doing a little film called "The Matrix", as he explains to PAUL FISCHER.

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2003-05-13T00:09:00.000-04:00

Interview : Jada Pinkett-Smith

"The Matrix Reloaded" is about to make anyone associated with it a big star. For Jada Pinkett-Smith this has been a long time coming. Better known as the other half of actor Will Smith, Pinkett has appeared in a slew of movies - including "Woo", "Scream 2" and "Jason's Lyric" - but none are about to raise her public-profile as much as her starring in two of the years biggest movies - "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions".

Read Full Story

2003-05-12T22:07:00.000-04:00

Interview : Laurence Fishburne

Believe it or not, Val Kilmer was the one man who might have prevented Laurence Fishburne from nabbing the role of Morpheus in "The Matrix" movies. Thankfully, Mr Kilmer turned his nose at the role, and Fishburne claimed it as his own. And can you imagine anyone else in the role besides Larry? Now, he's back starring in the first of two super-sequels "The Matrix Reloaded".

Read Full Story

2003-05-12T13:11:00.000-04:00

CountDown to the Matrix Reloaded with Carrie-Anne Moss

Borrowed from Coming Soon

Monday, May 5, 2003 8:38 CDT

Carrie-Anne Moss kicked a lot of ass in the original "Matrix", so it would be expected to see her in action again in The Matrix Reloaded. The increased sophistication of the fight scenes was indeed more difficult for the actress, but at least she had some idea what to expect this time around.

"The first time around, I had no idea," Moss said. "Ignorance is bliss. I just wanted to be in this movie and do what I could. The second one was much harder. It was a lot longer. And I broke my leg right away during training. It was tough. I broke my leg in the beginning of training, so that was six months before we started shooting. So I had eight. weeks where I was really forced to sit out and watch. It was brutal."

It wasn't just fighting this time. Moss has an extended motorcycle chase during the film's highly touted freeway chase, and she spent several months learning to ride before shooting the chase. "On the day that I did it, I didn't allow myself to doubt myself for one minute. Whereas like, on the wire and doing other stuff, I have kind of a process that I found that I would do in action sequences, which is where I come in kinda serious, I'd give it and give and then I'd have a bit of a breakdown somewhere. Sometimes I'd need to have that breakdown in order to overcome it. It's like I'd have to go, 'Oh, I can't do this' to 'Okay, f*ck, I can do this!' Whereas on the bike, I was like, 'Today, Carrie-Anne, you don't get to indulge in any part of our neuroses about who you are as a person and la la la. You are going to be hardcore serious. This is about having a goal.'"

The Wachowski Brothers definitely put the pressure on Moss to complete her riding stunts. "They wanted me to do it. They let me know, pretty early on, that they expected it of me. And it sells the whole thing that I did what I did, and I understand why I needed to do what I did because without it, it wouldn't have worked. You needed to see me on that bike, you needed to have those shots."

Indeed, the brothers were under pressure themselves. "After 270 days of shooting, they were pretty thin. They're definitely evolving as human beings, growing and changing just like all of us have changed so much. They're even more committed and even more dedicated. And they also had so much more on their plate. They were setting the tone for the whole thing, so they're responsible for inspiring a big group of people. I don't know if you remember at the end of the movie, [reading the credits and] all the people that it took to make it? And every person, from the set decorators to the set painters to the construction, people were so inspired to work on this film and really cared and really wanted to do it. And why? Because of them."

Sometimes, Moss could look to her costar, Keanu Reeves, for inspiration in his dedication to the fight scenes. "Keanu's fights are just incredible to me. I wish you could all see the extent of his commitment, because you would respect him even more. He is unlike any actor I have ever met, any person I've met, actually. Physically, he just takes himself to the edge. He is willing to do whatever it takes to learn. He is so hardcore with himself and so hard on himself. It took that kind of commitment. He's the One. I don't think there's any other actor that could have played that character. I know it. And without any kind of movie star bullsh*t. He's not in it to be hot and strong and aren't-I-cool. There's just none of that. He's there because he loves this character and he loves the brothers and he loves the movie and he really wants to be."

The sequel develops all of the characters, and some developments call into question characterizations from the first film. Most notably, we learn that Morpheus has some defiant tendencies. As that relates to Moss's character, Trinity never loses complete faith in her leader. "I always had an idea about Trinity, about her backstory. One thing that I always thought about her was that she was taken out of the Matrix very young, like 11 or 12. And I always thought that her conviction was just very strong. What I love about Morpheus in the second one is that you almost start going, 'Is he crazy?' Whereas in the first one, it's just like there's Morpheus and you believe in him. But all of a sudden you go, 'How does he know what he knows?' And so many people are doubting him and other characters are going, 'The guy's wacky,' and you suddenly have this whole different perspective. Whereas for Trinity, I've always believed that she so full-heartedly believes in what she believes in."

The Matrix Reloaded opens May 15.

2003-05-12T11:23:00.000-04:00

Windows XP tip.

I don't know about the rest of you guys out there, but for me, I hate it when Explorer opens into the "My Documents" folder. I personally don't like putting stuff where windows thinks it should go. So I really have no reason to go to this directory. Here is a way to get around the problem.

1. Click Start, point to Programs, then Accessories, then right-click Windows Explorer, and click Properties.
2.Under Target field, which reads %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe, add to make the line read %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /n, /e, /select, C:\
3.Click OK.

In the command "%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /n, /e, /select, C:\", Explorer will open a two pane window(/e) allowing you to select a drive to start in(/select), with the c:\ drive highlighted(C:\). I like to set this up so that I don't have to select a drive, so by removing the "/select" command , the Explorer will open a two pane window with the c:\ drive expanded. Now I find this a lot more useful than the "My Documents" folder.

2003-05-11T23:21:00.000-04:00

Indiana Jones Comes to DVD!

Lucasfilm Ltd. and Paramount Home Video have officially announced the DVD release for the highly anticipated Indiana Jones Trilogy! The Adventures of Indiana Jones - The Complete Movie DVD Collection is set for release on November 4th as a 4 DVD box set and will include: 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom' and 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,' available in separate THX certified widescreen or full frame versions with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. The set will also include a special fourth disc with newly produced documentaries that explore the making of the Indy films, including brand-new interviews with the cast and crew – including Spielberg, Ford and Lucas – plus scores of other surprises from all three films. The three Indiana Jones films will be available only as a collection and will not be sold individually. We'll let you know as soon as the The Adventures of Indiana Jones - The Complete Movie DVD Collection is up for pre-order!

2003-05-11T23:13:00.000-04:00

Omega Laser has plans to be the most powerful laser in existence.

University of Rochester’s Omega laser heats up its target to 100 million degrees Celsius in a quest to duplicate the power of the sun. UR is planning on extending the back of it's laser lab some 82,000 square feet, in which they will be adding a pair of petawatt lasers. The Petawatt is currently the world's most powerful laser, located at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. It can produce pulses of 1.3 quadrillion (peta) watts for half a trillionth of a second, more than 1300 times the entire electrical generating capacity of the U.S. This power is several hundred times more powerful than the Omega, and would let the lab make significant advances in its fusion research. The $70 million addition will help keep UR technologically current, a must to stay off the "ripe for closing" list. With the petawatt, UR would leap into the emerging and promising field of “fast ignition” fusion. Hypothetically, a burst from the petawatt would serve as the metaphorical spark plug, igniting a fuel source and setting off a fusion reaction. Researchers also foresee using the petawatt bursts to “see” into the plasma generated when the Omega laser array is fired at a target. More....

2003-05-11T12:48:00.000-04:00

Morpheus Rises In Reloaded

Interview with Laurence Fishburne, borrowed from SciFi.com

Laurence Fishburne, who reprises the role of Morpheus in the upcoming Matrix Reloaded, told SCI FI Wire that his character is revealed as a military leader in the Real World. In one scene, Morpheus delivers a rousing speech to about 1,500 extras crowded into an underground cavern set, representing the last human settlement of Zion.

"I can tell you that the speech in Zion was like being on stage," Fishburne said. "I was playing to 1,500 people. ... It was wonderful. Oh, it was fun."

Fishburne added that he got to interact with several new characters. "It was great to have some new energy," he said. "It was great to have all those new people. Anthony Wong and Jada Pinkett Smith and ... the Rayment twins, Harry Lennix, Lambert Wilson, Monica Bellucci, everybody. It was nice to have more people." The Matrix Reloaded opens May 15.

2003-05-11T06:06:00.000-04:00

Blogger: Catch Me If You Can

Wired Magazine Reports: A mysterious weblog purporting to be the journal of an anonymous heiress on the run from her wealthy family appears to be a hoax. But the site and offline elements supporting it are so elaborate and so well executed that many bloggers suspect the whole thing just might be true. The Flight Risk weblog tells the incredible story of Isabella V., a wealthy young woman who claims she went into hiding in early March to avoid an arranged marriage. More....

2003-05-11T05:39:00.000-04:00

Millennium Falcon Case Mod

Sometimes the Star Wars followers take things a bit to far. This is a case of just that, but I must admit it is pretty cool and very creative. In yesterday's blog, I talked about the MiniITX form factor motherboard. This case mod takes advantage of its small dimensions. This article takes you through the step by step process used to create the ultimate mod.

2003-05-11T05:13:00.000-04:00

DVD Video Recorder with 80GB Hard Drive

The RD-X2 is a collaborative product by Toshiba and Tivo. One of the main reasons why I never bought a Tivo was for the fact that you couldn't easily save your recorded programs off the machine. Including a DVD recorder is the next logical step in the evolution of Tivo. Toshiba improved upon Tivo's unit by incorporating a DVD-RAM/DVD-R burner. DVD-RAM offers all the benefits of DVD including high-capacity, (double-sided: 9.4 GB total storage), high speed (x2/x4/x8 dubbing from HDD to DVD-RAM) and backwards, maintaining the integrity of the MPEG2 digital signal. DVD-RAM is re-writeable, offers quick access with high-quality images and sound. Overall, the RD-X2 is a step in the right direction but until the price settles a bit (original : $1499, now can be found for $820) I won't be making that move. To read more about it, checkout the key features and the technology and benefits.

2003-05-09T23:43:00.000-04:00

The Hush PC

Hush Technologies has released what they would like to be a Home Theater PC (HTPC). Some of the most interesting features of this machine are that it is virtually quiet, the case is like that of piece of audio equipment, and its motherboard is a MiniITX form factor. What is MiniITX? The form factor was originally proposed by VIA to be an ultra small form factor, smaller than the FlexATX and MicroATX form factors that were the smallest at the time. The original MiniITX boards were feature rich boards with a CPU soldered onto the board. This was cheap to produce as there was no discrete packaging cost for the integrated processor. The case is designed to fit right in with existing media equipment. The review of this product shows the many different colors the case comes in. It is of a sturdy design that allows for optimal passive cooling of its contents. Cooling of the Hush PC is done strictly by the case. There are no fans in this setup. Now normally on the Via EPIA M-9000 the CPU is cooled by a small heatsink with an 40mm fan. Hush have taken this off and thrown it away as it's far too noisy. To replace the original cooling the heatsink has been replaced by a solid aluminium heatsink with a heatpipe that is then attached to the side of the case. This means any heat is transferred to the case and is then cooled by the use of the fins on the outside of the case. The overall configuration works well for the Hush PC. My concerns would be in the areas of personal customization. The components have been carefully picked for this machine with careful attention heat specifications and noise output. Can you add a second hard drive or replace the existing one with a different brand? I don't know. How about expansion cards? The motherboard looks unable to accept expansion cards. To me, this Hush PC is a nice start at a media PC but there is room for improvement. I will keep an eye on this company to see what they turn up for their next cut. Read the review, here.

Hush Technologies Silent Mini-ITX PC

Black or Silver Hush Mini-ITX PC Enclosure
VIA EPIA Mini-ITX Form Factor motherboard (EPIA M9000)
933Mhz VIA C3 CPU, VIA CLE266 Chipset
Passive cooling solution utilising heatsink linked to finned chassis 
128MB PC2100 DDR RAM (configurable up to 512MB)
40Gb Seagate Barracuda Hard Drive (configurable up to 120Gb)
TEAC Slimline CD (or TEAC Slimline DVD/CDRW Drive)
6-Channel Audio and SP/DIF
VGA and TV-Out (RCA and S-Video)
10/100 Base-T Ethernet Port
4 x USB 2.0 Ports
2 x IEEE 1394 Firewire Ports
Serial, Parallel, Mouse, Keyboard Ports
32MB Integrated VIA "Castlerock" Graphics with MPEG2 Decoder
Full-length PCI Slot for PCI Expansion
External Universal 110V - 240V Power Supply
Supplied without Operating System (or with Windows XP Pre-installed)
Case dimensions: 370mm x 340mm x 59mm (W X D x H)

Price: $667.25

2003-05-09T11:53:00.000-04:00

Matrix on Blogger

Here is a site that Blogger has taken note of. The Blog is about the Matrix and some of the controversy around it. I briefly read through it and found it a bit interesting. I hope you do too! Take a look.

2003-05-09T11:00:00.000-04:00

More info on DVD burners

So, I'm still researching the DVD burners and I am uncovering a few facts that may be of interest. Below I have listed the attributes of the various formats of DVDs. My conclusion from this research is that it doesn't matter what format you buy. It would be nice to have a burner that will do it all, but it really isn't necessary. The most important thing, for me, is to be able to make a DVD that anybody can use. When creating a DVD for distribution, it will be made on either a +R or -R disc and from the data that I have viewed both will work in any DVD player. The -R format, for the time being, has the advantage over the +R, for the -R disc comes in 2 sizes, the 4.7GB and 9.4GB. This fact has pretty much made the decision for me, but Plextor's latest DVD+ burner has scored well in reviews. I would love to buy a Plextor, I have a CD-RW made by them and it works flawlessly. Their products are known for this and upon reading reviews of their product this fact is continously reminded to us. I will try to hold out from buying a burner for a month or two, hopefully either they will come out with a 9.4GB +R disc or Plextor may decide to make a -R burner.

Another review of Plextor's DVD burner.

Format	Pros	Cons
DVD-ROM	4.7GB storage capacity can be accessed in set top DVD players and computers	cannot be written to by the user
DVD-R	can record on 4.7GB and 9.4GB DVD-R discs can be accessed in set top DVD players and computers	can only be written to once by the user
DVD-RAM	is re-writable many times available in capacities up to 9.4GB	can only be accessed in a DVD-RAM drive cannot be used in set top DVD players or computers equipped with DVD-ROM drives
DVD-RW	can be written to up to 1,000 times can be accessed in set top DVD players and computers	DVD-RW discs may not play back on some older or entry-level DVD systems
DVD+R	can record on 4.7GB DVD+R discs can be accessed in set top DVD players and computers equipped with DVD-ROM drives
DVD+RW	can record on 4.7GB DVD+RW discs can be accessed in set top DVD players and computers equipped with DVD-ROM drives	DVD+RW discs may not play back on some older or entry-level DVD systems

2003-05-07T11:06:00.000-04:00

Nano technology is advancing

IBM has been working with nano technology for a few years now. They believe that "nanotubes" will replace our existing silicon-based chip architecture for we are rapidly coming to our limits in terms of speed and performance of data transfer.A nanotube is essentially a sheet of graphite rolled into a cylinder forming a single molecule. These molecules, depending on how they are arranged, can function as metals or semiconductors, making them the perfect material for futuristic chips and electronic devices. The Register reports that IBM has been able to get these nanotubes to emit light. This is a major breakthough for light will be our method of data transfer. Read more about it here.

2003-05-06T22:09:00.000-04:00

On the Edge: Interplanetary Internet

This is an interesting article on some of the future's possible uses for the internet

2003-05-06T21:54:00.000-04:00

AMD 400MHz FSB Athlon to be launched in mid-May, Intel 800MHz 3.2GHz P4 soon after.

This is good news for AMD will be able to take advantage of faster memory.

2003-05-06T21:48:00.000-04:00

Plextor PX-504a

After writing the previous blog, I found an article that is favorable towards the Plextor DVD burner. This is good to see. I really have some research to do, now.

2003-05-06T11:54:00.000-04:00

Sony vs. Pioneer, DVD burners

As of late, I've been in the market for a DVD burner. I have been researching them and trying to decide which one I would like to purchase. I believe that I have narrowed my choices down to 2 diffferent models; Sony and Pioneer. The brand I would really like to buy is Plextor for their reputation in CD-RW drives. Unfortunately, all the reviews I have read on their DVD burner are not favorable. Sony's DRX-500ULX is the most flexible having the ability to burn in several different formats; DVD-R, +R, -RW, +RW for DVD discs and CD-R, CD-RW for CDs. On top of all this it is relatively easy to install and setup and it is fast, but not faster than the Pioneer model. My liking of the Sony is mainly based on it flexibility. The flexibility comes at a $50 price tag making the DVD burner $349 for the internal model. Sony has a external model that connects using Firewire or USB2.0, at a price of $429. All reviews classify this unit as a first-rate product. The Pioneer DVR-A05 is also a very solid product priced at $299. It is able to write in DVD-R, -RW, CD-R and CD-RW. It has tested with the best times in burning a complete DVD-R disc, 6 minutes and 15 seconds. Pioneer choose to make this unit with a minimal set of features, for instance, this drive doesn't recognize DVD-RAM, DVD+R or DVD+RW. The + formats are mainly supported by the DVD+RW Alliance (Sony, Philips and others) and the purpose of the Alliance is mainly for receiving royalties from those who choose to use their formats. I would like to buy a unit that will allow me to not worry about the different formats and be able to work on any type of DVD. This is the Sony unit. On the other hand, how many DVD+ Discs are out there? How often will I come across one? If the answers are "few and very rare", then my choice is the Pioneer. The research continues....

2003-05-05T14:27:00.000-04:00

Sony increases the storage of their memory sticks

Sony's Memory Stick Pro was released in January 2003. The new product that Sony is developing will be able to use the old format as well as the new. Jointly developed with SanDisk Corporation, the new generation of memory cards features high capacity, high-speed data transfer, high-level security and future expandability. The Memory Stick PRO format-enabled devices with high-speed data transfer capabilities can reach unparalleled levels of performance, such as real-time recording of high-resolution moving images.

Available at retail in April, 256MB, 512MB and 1GB Memory Stick PRO media will sell for about $190, $440 and $880, respectively.

More....

2003-05-05T13:53:00.000-04:00

Sony Clie is turning heads

A co-worker/friend of mine showed me his Sony Clie, model PEGNX70, and I must say it was quite an interesting piece of electronics. So went to Micro Center this weekend and while I was in the store I went in search of the Sony Clie to get a better look at it. I found the model above my friend's, the PEGNZ90.This is a pretty amazing pocket PC. Some of the built in features are; Built-in 2 Mega-Pixel Camera with flash and 2X digital zoom, Built-in Bluetooth for wireless connectivity with peripherals, Video recording (MPEG-4) and playback (MPEG-1, MPEG-4), Integrated wireless communication slot3 (for PEGA-WL100 card), High resolution TFT color display (320 x 480 pixels), Swivel LCD design, Voice recorder function. By adding a wireless LAN card, you can gain access to browsing the web, checking POP 3 email accounts or synchronizing data. I would like to try out the web browsing, for if it is as convienient as they make it seem, this could be a substitute for the laptop.

2003-05-03T04:31:00.000-04:00

X2: X-Men United opened yesterday...

The trailer for X2: X-Men united suggests that this will be a good film in the box office. X-Men did $156 million in total Gross revenue, expect X2 to do the same or better. The movie picks up were they last left off. In the X-Men sequel, mutants continue to fight for their rights in a society that fears and distrusts them. Matters get even worse after an attack by an unknown assailant possessing extraordinary abilities. The shocking attack renews the political and public outcry for a Mutant Registration Act and an anti-mutant movement now led by William Stryker, a wealthy former Army commander who is rumored to have experimented on mutants. Stryker's mutant experiments are tied to Logan's mysterious past. As Wolverine searches for clues to his origin, Stryker puts a deadly plan into motion and launches an attack on Xavier's mansion. Magneto, after busting out of his plastic prison, proposes a partnership with the X-Men to fight their common enemy. The original cast returns and threee addition players come to life; Brian Cox (as Stryker), Alan Cumming (as Nightcrawler), and Kelly Hu.
The official X-Men 2 website has some very cool new photos in the Cerebro galleries. I would suggest taking a look.

2003-05-02T06:28:00.000-04:00

New Ultra-Intrusive Pop-up Ads Introduced

I saw this on SlashDot.org. I'm not too happy about it and I look forward to when they figure out how to get around it. "According to this story at AdAge.com, Unicast is attempting to introduce a new on-line ad format that takes over the entire screen of the PC for about 15 seconds and must be closed by the viewer. "The ultra-intrusive new format opens when a user is on one page of a Web site and clicks a link to go to another page on the same site. Instead of seeing that new page, the user sees an ad that fills the entire screen.""

2003-05-02T06:21:00.000-04:00

Squeezing light from nanotubes

Scientists at IBM Research have discovered a new way to get carbon nanotubes to emit light, a breakthrough that might one day lead to advances in fiber-optic technology.
More...

2003-05-02T06:17:00.000-04:00

RIM's BlackBerry gets a grip on color

At a wireless conference here, RIM Chairman Jim Balsillie told an audience of investors, analysts and reporters that a BlackBerry handheld with a color screen will be available in a few months. The BlackBerry device and service allow subscribers to wirelessly access corporate data such as e-mail.
More...

2003-05-02T00:15:00.000-04:00

Review: Asus P4C800 Motherboard

Differentiation Asus has garnered a reputation for building solid motherboards that generally offer top-notch performance. Their "Deluxe" line of motherboards, in particular, is feature rich, if somewhat pricey. However, Asus has also generally marched to its own drummer, and that tradition continues with the P4C800

More...

2003-05-02T00:13:00.000-04:00

Tyan Unveils Opteron Motherboard

Tyan Computer has unveiled the Thunder K8S S2880 this week, a motherboard designed for rackmount and pedestal servers that also supports a pair of Opteron processors.

More....

2003-05-01T23:52:00.000-04:00

SOYO P4X400 DRAGON ULTRA PLATINUM EDITION MOTHERBOARD

Soyo has always been know for producing decent, full featured motherboards with all the toys you would ever need. But, the one thing they are REALLY known for is bundling a great package together with extra peripherals like I/O panels, software, and extra cables needed to get your system up and running at their full potential. Today I will be reviewing their flagship board which contains pretty well everything you need, and a little more.

Just so you all know, I am a big fan of Soyo. I have a SOYO KT333 DRAGON ULTRA PLATINUM EDITION MOTHERBOARD in my main system. It works like a charm. So hearing the outcome of this review is a little disheartening. I look forward to a review of their board for AMD. This will be using a different chipset and memory controller.

2003-05-01T23:37:00.000-04:00

Creative Labs, 60GB audio player

Creative Labs announced Thursday that starting in May consumers will be able to buy its 60GB Nomad Jukebox Zen digital audio player. The Milipitas, Calif.-based company said the hard drive-based player can hold up to 16,000 songs and will sell for $399.99. Songs can be transferred from a PC to the device via a USB 2.0 connection and can run for 14 hours on a full charge of its built-in, rechargeable lithium-ion battery. The company is offering an optional wire remote control with a built-in FM tuner and microphone for the device.

2003-05-01T23:31:00.000-04:00

Enterprise, rumored to get new look

Enterprise, the beginning of the Star Trek story (Pre Kirk era), is in for a change of direction. In an effort to get more trekkies to buy into this series, the show will leave it original and long standing mission behind; "To seek out new life and civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before." The mission will now be to defend earth from humankind's newest enemy, the Xindi. The Xindi supposedly discover that the humans will destroy them 400 years in the future, so in order to avoid their doom, they decide to attack first. Enterprise NX-01 will be "retrofitted for war" and that we'll get our first glimpse at the use of photon torpedos in Starfleet's history. Furthermore, even Jolene Blalock's 'T'Pol', as a result of resigning from the Vulcan High Command, "will sport a new cat suit and hairdo next season. Sorry guys, but this looks a lot like Deep Space Nine meets Voyager. They are taking the elements that made the other two series great and trying to shoe-horn it into this series. The battle scenes from DS9 kept us locked in week after week. Similarly, the awesome body of Jeri Lynn Ryan 'Seven of Nine', brilliantly displayed in all its splendor, accented by the tightest of body suits, secured new recruits to the trekkie ranks. Will this strategy work? Hard to say! I loved DS9 and Voyager mainly for the reasons I pointed out. I'm expecting the battle scenes of Enterprise to be filmed very well but lacking in technology. I already know what a "photon torpido" can do. To see T'Pol in a cat suit,...well, I can tune in for that.

2003-05-01T07:42:00.000-04:00

AMD isn't going to stand for it

AMD is not going to let Intel hog all the limelight with 800MHz bus P4's and i875/i865. CNET reports that AMD will release its Athlon XP 3200+ early next month. The new chip will incorporate a slightly higher clock speed and a 400MHz system bus.

More....

2003-05-01T04:57:00.000-04:00

Sony debuts a "Cam-Puter"

"This article talks about Sony's new, limited production Vaio GT3/K. It's a mixture of laptop and full fledged camcorder that uses the Transmeta 600mhz Crusuoe chip. Weighing in at 2.4 lbs, this hybrid has an amazing battery life of up to 17 hours, 30 GB drive, ATI Rage Mobility-M1 and 128 MB of RAM, and a swiveling screen. This is definately a very unique device, one that completely blows away Sony's previous attempts of the laptop/video combination machines, mainly due the fact that the video camera is not a wimpy little video lense, but an actual full fledged digital camcorder."

2003-05-01T04:52:00.000-04:00

Intel researchers teach computers to 'Read lips' to improve accuracy of speech recognition software

Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Intel researchers have released software under an open-source license that allows developers to build computers that see and "read lips" the way humans do to better understand spoken commands.
More...

2003-04-30T23:47:00.000-04:00

Porsche makes an SUV?

Front-mounted, 4.5 liters,
twin turbocharged V8,
all-wheel drive, sport utility vehicle
MSRP: (USA) $88,900 MSRP: (CAN) $125,100 450 hp @ 6,000 rpm 460 lb-ft @ 2,250-4,750rpm

0-62 mph: 5.6 sec Top Track Speed: Approx. 160 mph Towing Capacity: 7,716 lbs Ground Clearance: 5.4-9.8 in Wading Depth: 21.85 in

Yes, Porsche makes a SUV. I was stopped behind one, the other day, its shape and "new car tags" made me curious. What is this thing? It didn't have any markings on its backside to give it away. So I figured I would pull along-side and check it out. With a little bit of effort, I manage a side view, but to my dismay, no markings were to be found. After great effort, I was able to get in front of the machine and only then, in my rearview mirror did I see it. A small Porsche emblem on the hood. That made me raise a brow and then note the ease in which it moved. So I had to check it out. At the Porsche Site. Perhaps one day I will make a trip to the dealer for a test drive.

2003-04-30T12:47:00.000-04:00

Total Lunar Eclipse Coming May 15-16

For North Americans, this will be the first total lunar eclipse in more than three years. Find out more at Space.com

2003-04-29T22:37:00.000-04:00

Sneak Peek at 800MHz FSB Performance

In about a month, Intel will be introducing it's new chipsets, 865 and 875. With the new chipsets Intel will be debuting the 800MHz FSB and then 800MHz processors. Improving overall system performance is a game of removing bottlenecks and making paths that aren't already bottlenecked as fast as possible. When dealing with increasing the frequency of a FSB, there are two major factors that influence whether or not the faster FSB will actually improve performance. After reading this, I believe that Intel has seen the merits in what AMD has been saying about optimizing chip design for performance/speed enhancements will work better than increasing the chip core speed. In fact they decided to optimize there design and increase core speed. AnandTech takes a look at the approach Intel is taking. Read all about it, here.

2003-04-29T06:37:00.000-04:00

Awakened with a start

I should be used to this by now, being wakened by a sudden shake in the early morning. The shake was a "small" earthquake, estimated at 4.9 on the Reichter Scale, center 15 miles ENE of Fort Payne, Alabama. After living in California for 20 years, this sort of thing become a part of you. Nothing to worry about, til the aftershock comes. While trying to find some new on today's quake I found that there was another quake in east Georgia a little over a month ago(3/19/2003).

2003-04-28T23:00:00.000-04:00

High-end Gaming System

Today, on SharkyExtreme.com, I read an article on building a High-end Gaming System for under $2500. They built two systems, one using Intel and the other using AMD. Of course, I am a fan of AMD, I like underdogs and a bargain. AMD's system turned out being about $50 cheaper. Some of the components they used I question. A slot load CD/DVD player, why? Memory, Corsair is well known and reliable but isn't Crucial even better and less expensive? Hard drives, Western Digital is also a well known brand but I happen to like Maxtor, faster transfer and less expensive. Somebody needs to give me $2500 to build a killer system.

Intel Pentium 4 System 

Case: Lian Li PC-65 PC Case w/ 430W or higher name brand PSU - $234
Processor: Pentium 4-3.06 GHz (533 MHz) - $395
Cooling: Alpha PAL8942, Panaflo fan - $38
Motherboard: ABIT BH7 - $87
Memory: 512-MB Corsair XMS PC3200 - $160
Hard Drive: Western Digital 200 GB SE - $215
Video Card: ATI Radeon 9700 Pro- $309
Monitor: Samsung 900NF or LG 915FT Plus - $322
Sound Card: SoundBlaster Audigy 2 Platinum Retail - $163
Speakers: Creative Inspire 6.1 - $96
CD/DVD-ROM: Pioneer 16X DVD-120S Slot Load DVD-ROM - $47
CDRW: Lite-On 52x24x52 CD-RW - $47
Communications: Intel Pro/1000 T or US Robotics External v.92 - $32
Mouse: Logitech MX700 Cordless Mouse - $59
Keyboard: Microsoft Natural Multimedia Keyboard - $46
Operating System: Windows XP Pro - $129
Floppy: Generic - $8


Total: $2,387 


AMD Athlon XP System 

Case: Lian Li PC-65 PC Case w/ 430W or higher name brand PSU - $234
Processor: Athlon XP 3000+ (333 MHz) - $325
Cooling: Thermalright SLK-800, Panaflo fan - $43
Motherboard: ASUS A7N8X - $100
Memory: Two 256MB Corsair XMS PC3200 - $160
Hard Drive: Western Digital 200 GB SE - $215
Video Card: ATI Radeon 9700 Pro- $309
Monitor: Samsung 900NF or LG 915FT Plus - $322
Sound Card: SoundBlaster Audigy Platinum 2 Retail - $163
Speakers: Creative Inspire 6.1 - $96
CD/DVD-ROM: Pioneer 16X DVD-120S Slot Load DVD-ROM - $47
CDRW: Lite-On 52x24x52 CD-RW - $47
Communications: Intel Pro/1000 T or US Robotics External v.92 - $32
Mouse: Logitech MX700 Cordless Mouse - $59
Keyboard: Microsoft Natural Multimedia Keyboard - $46
Operating System: Windows XP Pro - $129
Floppy: Generic - $8


Total: $2,335

2003-04-28T21:43:00.000-04:00

Madonna was hacked

Madonna's site was hacked today. This is in retaliation for Madonna lending her voice to Warner Music Group in an effort to fight piracy, reported by CNN/Tech.

2003-04-26T02:40:00.000-04:00

Picture Perfect....

I guess you would have never thought it but I am a photography geek too! I use a Canon G3, newly upgraded from a Canon G1. I'm not really into all of the special feature that the camera offers but I like the way it shoots. At 4 megapixels you can make an awesome picture out of any shot. Before I even shot a digital camera I shot a Canon. Canon is the brand of choice for me. In my queries to find something better, I found a blog site I feel is worth a bit of notice, PhotographyBlog.com. This site has been keeping up with the new cameras and digital photography products. Also providing new products and equipment for the average users. Please look and enjoy.

2003-04-24T23:25:00.000-04:00

Where is BlueTooth, Now?

Today I was wondering what is going on with BlueTooth. BlueTooth, a standard that allows electronic devices that are within 30 feet of each other to communicate, was developed in 1998 and is backed by a Who's Who of tech giants including Intel and Ericsson. The technology is just now showing up as an add-on for laptop computers and in a few high-end cell phones. After doing a few searches, I found that BlueTooth has made it way into a few areas of electronics. As a matter of fact, BlueTooth is touching nearly all areas of electronics, such as,

access point
audio and visual
automotive
component
handheld
headset
home environment
keyboard and mouse
mobile phone
office equipment
personal printer
service and tools
and other unique products

If you would like to read more about BlueTooth, I found a "blogSite" that can give you plenty of info, called The Bluetooth Weblog.

One product has become quite interesting to me and that is the JABRA FreeSpeak Wireless Headset and Multi-adapter for Non-Bluetooth Phones. I have been trying to get into the habit of using my earbud connector while driving. I feel it is a lot safer driving and talking on the phone with the earbud, but the wire finds its way everywhere I don't want it to be. For this reason, the earbud is only used in the car. Now, if I had a wireless setup for my phone, I would be sure to use it as often as possible. In comes JABRA's FreeSpeak Wireless Headset. The Headset gives you the benefit of BlueTooth technology for the cellphones that are not BlueTooth ready. Frankly, this looks like an excellent solution. Check out it's specs.

2003-04-23T15:11:00.000-04:00

Like Tivo??????

No one does it like TiVo, at least not yet I found this with the help of my brother. It hasn't changed my view though.

2003-04-23T12:55:00.000-04:00

Tivo, but not really

SnapStream is getting closer to the release of their latest version of their PVR software. I have been waiting for this for many months. PVR software for PCs has been several steps behind the software of Tivo. With this release the gap will be narrowing. This could be a crucial piece to anybodies Media PC. See what SnapStream's Personal Video Station 3 has to offer.

2003-04-23T00:59:00.000-04:00

64 Bits or Bust

Yesterday AMD rolled out Opteron, its brand-new 64-bit CPU architecture. Opteron offers the first real bridge from the 32-bit to the 64-bit world. Even better, this sucker is fast! AMD is putting Opteron up against Intel's Xeon. Natively,Opteron CPUs carry out conventional 32-bit x86 code eventhough they are 64-bit CPUs. Because of this, Opteron is able to run the existing 32-bit software as well as the 64-bit code. AMD's HyperTransport Channels are also debuting. AMD's dream for accessing data through an ultrafast conduit have come to life in HyperTransport. "The serial interface with a variable bitrate allows the SledgeHammer to attain a data transfer rate of 3.2 GB/s - in both directions simultaneously. This results in a total bandwidth of 6.4 GB/s per HyperTransport port. By comparison, the Pentium 4 with 533 MHz FSB allows a maximum data throughput of 3.97 GB/s - but not in both directions simultaneously."(Tom's Hardware Guide) If you would notice, the trend in technological advances are all moving towards the serial bus. A 2GHz Opteron was slated to be released, but the company has not committed to releasing the chip at that speed. It is believed that a chip running between 2GHz and 2.4GHz would be marketed with a 3400+ performance number and have a core speed of roughly 1.7GHz. This would be a lower core speed and higher equivalency speed than their Barton chip. I'm expecting big things to come.

Some points on HyperTransport

HyperTransport? technology is a new high speed, high performance point-to-point link for interconnecting integrated circuits on a motherboard. It can be significantly faster than a PCI bus for an equivalent number of pins.
This technology is primarily targeted for the IT and Telecom industries, but any application where high speed, low latency and scalability is necessary can potentially take advantage of HyperTransport technology.
HyperTransport is planned to bring the computation experience to a new level.
Helps reduce the number of buses while providing a high-performance link for PCs, workstation and servers, as well as numerous embedded applications and highly scalable multiprocessing systems.

Sources

Duel of the Titans: Opteron vs. Xeon

AMD Opteron? Processor for Servers and Workstations

CNet News

2003-04-22T16:49:00.000-04:00

The new Firewire

What is the new Firewire, you ask?

"FireWire 800, based on IEEE 1394b, is the newest version of the industry's multimedia bus, with significant bandwidth, speed, distance and overall performance improvements," said James Snider, executive director of the 1394 Trade Association."FireWire 800 is the ideal choice for home networking applications, and for a new generation of computer peripherals. It will supplement the original 1394-1995 and 1394a specifications, and lead to expanded adoption of the multimedia standard in many new applications."

Through my research, I have found read rates and sustained read rates are equal to and better than, respectively, ATA 133. Write times are barely better than Firewire 400. Based on overall stats, Firewire 800 isn't worth the money. This would explain why manufacturers are not incorporating the technology into their products. I believe that if the write times and other performance issues are addressed, this would be a great solution for home networking. Firewire components are typically external devices that need highspeed interface to your computer. Many existing products can benefit from this technology if it matures in a timely manner. Here are some stats.

2003-04-21T16:35:00.000-04:00

A Funky Fresh Design

I found this pretty interesting. I found it on ExtremeTech.

Theory of the Design

According the manufacturer, the vertical placement of the keyboard allows the user to type while keeping the forearms in a neutral position (with the thumbs up). With a standard flat keyboard, in order to type the hands are rotated so that the palms are parallel with the floor (this is called a "pronated" position). In the pronated position, the bones in the forearm twist with the wrist and scissor. This scissoring of the bones causes extra pressure to be forced upon the Carpal Tunnel.

On the other hand, so claims the manufacturer, typing on this keyboard while in the neutral position alleviates most of the stress on the Carpal Tunnel, and hence should be more comfortable in the long run.

2003-04-21T11:34:00.000-04:00

Know your stats

Maximum PC suggested that you do a burn-in test on your system to insure that it is working properly. I am a firm believer of this and my standard burn-in test is to run DocMem on my machine for at least 12 hours. Usually I run it for 24 hours, both time intervals should give you a good indication of pending issues, mainly overheating. Maximum PC made note of a software utility by SiSoft by the name of Sandra 2003. I downloaded a copy and installed it. Gave it run and was amazed at all of the information it provides. There is so much that it may take me a couple weeks to interpret it all. The software appears to be very thorough in it's testing. It provides a wizard for burn-in testing that test many more things other than just the memory. The burn-in test can be run continously based on the number of iterations you enter. It also gives suggestions on how you may configure your system for optimal performance. Needless to say, this will be used in my burn-in testing along with memory testing.

2003-04-20T11:10:00.000-04:00

Image is everything

I was reading my Maximum PC magazine today and noticed a few tips for keeping your computer running in tip top shape. Maximum has a list of 30 things we should do, most of them the normal stuff I usually hear about but there are a few items that I haven't heard before and I would like to mention a few of them this week.

The best one, in my eyes, is to "Image Your Drive". I feel that this a great tip for it can save you a lot of time when you would like to reinstall everything on your drive. Power-users that are always tweaking their machines and/or installing and removing software will benefit from this greatly. When making so many changes to your machine, things tend to become a litlle unstable. Mainly due to the changes in drivers and things that don't uninstall completely.

I have come into this situation several times and have spent many hours trying to get the system back to a working state. From now on, this will be my safety net. Maximum PC has listed a few software packages that are able to accomplish this feat. PowerQuest's Drive Image 2002, Norton Ghost and Acronis True Image are all able to make an exact copy of your drive.

I will also use this for the machines I build. It seems that I could make a basic image and use that to install some of the common software I always install on a system. I'll let you know how it all turns out.

2003-04-19T14:01:00.000-04:00

The Dodge Tomahawk

DaimlerChrysler is raving about their new product, a 500 horsepower V10 Viper engine mounted on a motorcycle frame. What is this thing you say? Well, they are trying to bill it as a motorcycle eventhough it has 4 wheels. The four wheels are close enough together that they act as 2 wheels. The new design enhances stability and dismisses the need for a kick-stand. The innovative suspension design keeps all four wheels of this beast on the ground even when cornering. The topper is that this revolutionary cycle carries a price tag of $200,000 USD. I for one, will take 2!!!!

Here are some stats.... Thanks to PopSci.com

BODY STYLE: Single-seat Viper-powered motorcycle
BODY CONSTRUCTION: Billet aluminum overall
LENGTH: 102 in.
WHEELBASE: 76 in.
CURB WEIGHT: 1,500 lbs.
ENGINE: 8.3-liter ohv 20-valve V10
TRANSMISSION: Manual, foot-shifted 2-speed
WHEELS: 20x4 (front), 20x5 (rear) billet aluminum disks
TRUE TOP SPEED: To be determined

2003-04-18T09:35:00.000-04:00

The PCI Express arrives

A new motherboard technology, code-named "3GIO" (for "3rd generation I/O") is readying for release. When it debuts it will be called PCI Express. The main benifit of PCI Express is it's increased bandwidth. Where AGP 8x leaves off PCI Express will pickup, with throughputs, respectively, 2.1GB/s and 8GB/s. PCI Express architecture is based on a serial bus which can be scaled to higher speeds with fewer wires. Existing parallel bus architecture are more complex in engineering and are therefore more expensive. They also are at their limits with speed. It looks as if the motherboards of the future will be moving to this serial bus ideaology in order to keep up with our needs for faster systems. We should see the first of this technology towards the end of this year (2003). Intel and Microsoft have looked at PCI Express and have a fews plans for it, read on.

2003-04-17T13:26:00.000-04:00

Nokia's Observation Camera

Nokia has put their hands into another area of electronics. They have created an Observation Camera. This a combination between a cellphone and a webcam. The idea behind it is for the user to, basically call the camera and order a view of the area. I think this would be awesome for a home security system. Using some of the existing technology available to us and a few custom pieces (Homemade from RadioShack), we can put together a pretty slick setup. Let's say.... Rig the doorbell to send your phone a page. Use your phone to call the camera to see who is there. Send a message to your computer to open the door. I can see this happening really soon. The cost shouldn't be all that much either. Get details of the technology, here.

2003-04-16T14:33:00.000-04:00

Media PC Dream -- Extra Note

A good friend pointed out another article on the subject of building a Home Theatre PC on ExtremeTech

· Building a Home Theater PC, Part I
· Building a Home Theater PC, Part II

2003-04-16T11:06:00.000-04:00

Media PC Dream

I have been thinking about a new project for my home. I would like to create a Media PC. Basically a computer that will work along side (or replace) most of my electronics. It should be able to handle MP3s, DVDs, Audio/Video Streaming, TV tuner, TV recording and playback, gaming and WebSurfing. I would like to get all of this and more into a box and then connect it to a nice sized plasma screen. In doing this, controlling all aspects of the Media system will become centralized. Instead of using a remote control, you can use a wireless mouse control. If the Media PC is built correctly, we can also eliminate the need for a multitude of wires connecting various components to the TV and Receiver. I found an article on T3's website that can be a helpful guide for completing the project. Enjoy!

2003-04-15T15:06:00.000-04:00

Radeon 9800 Pro sets sail this month

ATI has been working hard the last few months on their latest video card; the Radeon 9800 Pro. There is not much difference in architecture with the 9700 but it is a good bit faster. Nothing new was added to the design but improvements have provided great efficientcy to the card. The clockspeed was increased, support for Microsoft's DirectX 9.0 was enhanced, data compression and other algorithms were improved all making for a more efficient use of the memory bandwidth, thus increasing performance. The Radeon 9700 Pro didn't provide a convincing victory over GeForce FX but the Radeon 9800 Pro does. Let’s see whether ATI is able to keep the performance lead throughout this quarter though, as Nvidia is working hard on getting their NV35 part out of the door. As of right now, Radeon 9800 Pro is the fastest video card available.
The new line:
A special 256-MB version of the Radeon 9800 Pro will debut in April.

The Radeon 9800 Pro ($399) and the Radeon 9800 (lower clock speed - $349) 128-MB boards.
Began shipping in March.

The Radeon 9600 Pro ($169-$199) and Radeon 9600 ($149-$169) cards.
Begins shipping in April.

The Radeon 9200($79-$149) - depending on the memory (64-MB/128-MB) and Radeon 9200 Pro/Radeon 9200 configurations.

2003-04-14T23:24:00.000-04:00

MATRIX², Agent Smith returns.

Can Warner Bros. do it again? It isn't often that a sequel is as good as the original or better. Warner Bros is trying to push the envelop with this trilogy, releasing The Matrix Reloaded in May and Matrix Revolutions in November. There is a video game, Enter the Matrix and an anime series, Animatrix also in the mix. The thought of trying this leaves me feeling a bit skeptical on the standard of quality. After reading the article in Wired, I am convinced that this will be a superb film. I recall seeing The Matrix, after leaving the theatre I believed that there couldn't be a better movie. (I loved it!) The Matrix Reloaded will show the new powers of Neo, Trinity, Morpheus and Agent Smith. That's right, Agent Smith is back and he is pissed. According to the article, he now is a computer virus able to replicate himself at will. This new ability will set the stage for a scene that will surpass Bullet Time. The scene to watch for is dubbed The Burly Brawl. The scene is so spectacular that in order to shoot it, action director, John Gaeta, had to reinvent cinematography. The best of the best martial arts choreographer, Yuen Woo-Ping, was brought back to orchestrate the ultimate fight scene. Other characters, such as, the Evil Twins, Keymaker, and Niobe (played by Jada Pinkett-Smith) will provide other dimensions to the film that are sure to make this movie great. The Matrix was nominated for four Academy Awards, I am betting that The Matrix Reloaded will do better. I'm also willing to bet that it will win this year's MTV best fight scene for a movie. To checkout the trailer click here. I suggest you download the Ultra 1000 x 540 trailer to your machine, if it can handle it.

2003-04-14T20:38:00.000-04:00

Intro

This is the first day of me playing columnist on my new blogsite. I would like to start off by talking about an article I've read in Wired Magazine. The Matrix Reloaded, the hottest movie of the summer, will be coming to a theatre near you, in the near future. The article in wired preps us for what is to come. Well, I'm off to read the article. I'll let you know what I learn. L8r.......

Technically Speaking

Faking It

Specs:

On the Edge: Interplanetary Internet

Plextor PX-504a

Sony vs. Pioneer, DVD burners

Sony increases the storage of their memory sticks

Sony Clie is turning heads

X2: X-Men United opened yesterday...

New Ultra-Intrusive Pop-up Ads Introduced

Squeezing light from nanotubes

RIM's BlackBerry gets a grip on color

Review: Asus P4C800 Motherboard

Tyan Unveils Opteron Motherboard

SOYO P4X400 DRAGON ULTRA PLATINUM EDITION MOTHERBOARD

Creative Labs, 60GB audio player

Enterprise, rumored to get new look

AMD isn't going to stand for it

Sony debuts a "Cam-Puter"

Intel researchers teach computers to 'Read lips' to improve accuracy of speech recognition software

Porsche makes an SUV?

Total Lunar Eclipse Coming May 15-16

Sneak Peek at 800MHz FSB Performance

Awakened with a start

High-end Gaming System

Madonna was hacked

Picture Perfect....

Where is BlueTooth, Now?

Like Tivo??????

Tivo, but not really

64 Bits or Bust

The new Firewire

A Funky Fresh Design

Know your stats

Image is everything

The Dodge Tomahawk

The PCI Express arrives

Nokia's Observation Camera

Media PC Dream -- Extra Note

Media PC Dream

Radeon 9800 Pro sets sail this month

MATRIX2, Agent Smith returns.

Intro

MATRIX², Agent Smith returns.