TONIGHT, WE DINE IN CLEVELAND!!!!

I have a lot more respect for Geraldo Rivera after watching him in this interview with Bill O'Reilly. The argument is whether somebody's illegal status is an issue in a drunk driving death. Huge shouting match ensues.

FYI:
I was trying to backup some DVDs but I found my DVD drive's (NEC ND-2510A) read speed to be extraordinarily slow. After some research, I discovered many DVD drives come with what's called a riplock which limits the speed at which DVD videos can be read and copied. This was something that was implemented to curtail piracy. So although your drive is rated to be 8x or 16x read speed, the riplock limits the maximum read speed to 2x. To remove this limitation, you can search for hacked firmware online that removes the riplock.

So I finally traced my MSN disconnect problem to my router. Turned out my model, the DI-524 has been known to overheat when handling too many connections. And to make matters worst, I was stressing it out by running custom firmware on it - yes, the same one I recommended to use in a previous blog post...

I've solved the problem temporarily by reverting to factory firmware and taking the cover off the router to allow for more airflow.

Wicked animation of Master Chief of Halo fame versus Metroid's Samus.

Best day ever!

- received prize money from bridge competition
- lunch at Goodview, boneless chicken with black bean sauce for the win
- bought great computer monitor for $40
- got two new pairs of Levi 501 jeans on sale
- replaced wonky desk light with Ott-Lite
- offer of employment from Marshall Macklin Monaghan

Giraffe + quicksand:

Could it be... Duke Nukem Forever, near release? *Head explodes*

You'll get a kick out of this game haha: http://www.thatvideogamesite.com/play.php?id=542

On January of 2003, I mused on a popular technology forum about using the technology that drives ionic air purifiers to cool computers. It's called plasma dynamic ionization or more commonly known as the Zenion Effect or corona wind.

I mentioned two advantages: one, it's near silent because there are no moving parts, and two, as sort of a joke, that its original function as an air purifier will keep those dust bunnies out of computers! I had a short-lived thought about modding my case with one of the off-the-shelf units (like what somebody did recently), but that was that and I never gave it any thought afterwards.

Until today. I was browsing the net and came across this article: The Future of Things - Ionic Wind - Chillin' The PC. It describes a collaborative effort between the University of Washington and Intel - the world's largest CPU maker - of adapting the technology to cool computers. My idea! Haha, why am I in civil engineering again? Hmm, I wonder what my chances are at a lawsuit...

On an aside, hey Google, I hope you're reading this because I contacted you last year about an idea I have and you never replied!

Back from my Quebec vacation! Spent New Years at the Chateau Frontenac ... that's all I am allowed to say officially.

Insiders are saying the Core 2 Duo will undergo massive price cuts in Q2 2007. Most notably, the E6700 price will be cut 40%. For those looking for the biggest bang for the buck, a possible upgrade strategy would be to pick up the E6300 now, run it stock then sell it around April for a E4400 (10X multiplier) and overclock the hell out of it. Hell, you may even have some money left after selling the E6300. Intel really has AMD's balls in their hands this year... We'll see how AMD responds with the Barcelona, Agena and Kuma cores.



Source: http://www.hkepc.com/bbs/itnews.php?tid=714230&starttime=0&endtime=0

So I took the plunge...

'tis the Christmas break! Time to relax and start thinking about upgrading my computer!!! This is what I have now:

CPU: AthlonXP Thoroughbred 'B' 1700+ @ 2600+
RAM: 512MB PC3200 DDR
MOBO: ASUS A7V266-C
VIDEO: All-In-Wonder X800XL AGP
PSU: Zalman 300W(ZM300A-APF)
Heatsink: Zalman CNPS-7000AlCu

Upgrade:
CPU: Core2 Duo E6300 Retail (~$215)
MOBO: ASROCK 775DUAL-VSTA (~$80)
RAM: Add another stick of 512MB PC3200 (~$70)
PSU: el-cheapo Nspire ISO-500D 450W (~$40)
Total: $462 incl. tax

The motherboard is pretty crappy for overclocking though. On average, it hits a wall around 300FSB (from default of 266FSB). That means with the E6300's 7X multiplier, it can barely make E6400 speeds (7x300=2100MHz). Now, Intel is going to be releasing the E4300 sometime in Q1 2007 - I heard Jan 21 from several sources. Because it runs 200FSB native, the E4300 has a 9X multiplier meaning with even the crap ASROCK board, it can run 9x300 = 2700MHz or about E6700 speeds!!! Still don't know what the effect of the reduced cache will be though... So wait for January 21 or buy now? Hmm....

Anchorman in the hot seat:
Guilty or not?

Sorry, I couldn't resist lol:

Caught with porno gag:

Most amazing stop-motion I have ever seen :eek:

Another funny video from the shopping channel:

Hilarious clip from the Shop at Home Network channel: