Yearly Archives: 2006

Technical difficulties

I run my main computer slightly on the edge.  I don’t overclock it, but I do have some of the latest hardware inside, and the latest drivers.  I build (assemble the bits, install and configure the OS) it myself not because I consider myself particularly brilliant, but because it sort of makes me feel good. 

I am pretty technically proficient.  However, I build one (1) completely unique computer per year more or less: you don’t learn all the ins and outs of a build when you only create one of them.  And as a result of the “one of a kind” nature of my configuration, I am periodically caught by a problem.  That’s what this post is about.

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Merry Christmas!

It’s December 25th…I’m still wearing my PJs and robe and it’s fast approaching noon- it must be a good day 🙂

Christmas has been good to Irene and I this year.  We have each other, and our cats are all healthy and happy at the moment.  We are going over to my Sister and Brother-in-law’s place in a couple of hours, where we’ll have a happy day of time with the family.  Surrounded by loved ones, enjoying food and company- that’s what Christmas is about for me.

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Dumb time to catch a cold…

I’m struggling at the moment to avoid catching a cold.  I’m taking an extended break from work for the Christmas season this year, and what happens as my first day begins?  I start to feel a sore throat.  My head starts to feel “thick”, like I’m seeing/thinking/hearing through a layer of cotton. 

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Vista cometh…but no ATI OpenGL yet??!!

I’m not exactly known for my patience.  You could probably find my picture next to the Wikipedia entry for “instant gratification”.  If I decide I want a gadget, I’ll usually mull it over for some months, but when I make the final decision…there is no hesitation.  Don’t stand in my way in Best Buy…several Sales Associates have tried that, and they are still recovering.

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I think summer is over…

We had well over 20 cm of snow last night…

It’s still coming down.  And for once the meteorologists had the forecast almost bang-on.  It’s a bit of a shock to go from zero snow, having seen perhaps only two or three days with even light frost, to a “winter wonderland” overnight.  But it is also something you just can’t avoid when you live in a temperate coastal rainforest climate.  Winter means huge moist airmasses smacking into sometimes frigid air- a perfect formula for snowfall.

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Meet our new kitten

We weren’t going to adopt another cat.

You know we are in trouble when my post starts off “We weren’t going to adopt another…”.  And once again, it’s Irene who wedged the chisel into the cracks in my steely resolve.  There were feral (semi-wild) kittens, you see, at the rescue shelter where she volunteers.  And one of them was very scared, and curled up and buried his head in her sweater and purred when she was there.  And it was very sad, and very cute, and couldn’t she please bring her home?

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Computer upgrade 2006: the Coles Notes

I built my “new” computer over the weekend.  This is sort of a tradition- every two years or so, I feel the need to refresh my technology from the ground up.  Every other year I perform an “intermediate” upgrade- RAM, video, disk.  The distinction between these two types of upgrade is somewhat vague, but I pretend they are different.

The last “full system” upgrade was back in 2004.  I moved from Intel to AMD, NVidia to ATI, IDE to SATA, and life was good.  This time around the changes are a bit more subtle…basically, sticking with AMD, ATI, and SATA, but bigger, faster, and better.  Since I like living on the bleeding edge, I also decided to try Vista RC2…that turned out to be unworkable, but then it *is* a beta release. 

 

Computer parts

 

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