If you have the talent, but not the resources, improvise.
After trying for several months to get some sort of online checklist for our project, one of my guys builds it for me in about 16 effort hours. Its' quick, easy, and does exactly what we have been wanting.
I found that we had a very large talent pool, I had a "rogue" server, and his mad skills made for us, a simple tool which I hope to package and make available at sourceforge in an effort to assist others who need similar things.
Go Anthony, You r t3h r0x0r!
Those in the know understand that a computers lifespan is about 3 years. Mine is 5 years old.
I've been wanting to upgrade my computer for about 3 years now. So many things have changed. I'll list a few
RAM
I'm running pc100 currently the new hotness is DDR2. Ok I've missed 2 major ram upgrades. DDR, and RIMM.
CPU
I'm running a 3200 XP. Current hotness FX 55 939 chipset. Significance here is the 939 chipset. AMD will be moving all of it's chips to the 939 chipset. This solves several problems and unifies mb options.
HD
I'm running ata 100 current hotness is SATAII with ncq. Significance is the ncq here. Old HDs get data in the order requested where ncq will get them in the most effective method. This will make hd access seem much faster without having more bandwidth, or faster drives. I'm VERY excited about this
MB
Mobos are getting quite a few makeovers. Intel is going with a new BTX format to help reduce heat. Their cpus are running hot and AMD is loving the fact that they don’t need to go to btx. Matter o fact, btw could cause them problems because of how the RAM is situated. Nvidia nforce 2 . Like it or not it seems BIOS will be replaced with EFI. There is the upcoming Matrix RAID and wireless usb. Lastly we have PCI express slated to replace the old and busted pci, and agp slots.
If you are pondering when to upgrade your computer, I'd suggest doing what I'm doing. Wait until NCQ is on the AMD, AND when dual core AMD 64s are available. The dual core is the next really big thing in chips and to miss that would be, well, so last week.
Mayumi and I have been talking about a roomba for about 2 months now. We have been looking for ways to decrease our workload at home and give us more time with the baby, and with each other. Last Friday night I was going to buy a roomba at Target. We went there and did a little shopping, then I head on over to the vacuum aisle with a jaunty walk and a screaming kid. Scan scan scan. Hey! They are all gone. No more roomba at the Target, I lament as I wrent my clothes in the anguish of my heart.
During last week I visited the Irobot store several times looking at roomba. I pondered how I could achieve this sexy little guy locally. Then I promptly forgot about it.
I was a good husband last week. I did laundry; I cooked great meals, and Friday, oh Friday. I left work early and instead of playing some games when I got home, I convinced George to head on over to Lowes with me to get some groceries for dinner that night. I made a (pardon my humble opinion) awesome pot of spaghetti and meat sauce, garlic bread, brochette, and salad. Don’t discount that salad just because its last, it ROCKED TOO. This was after I vacuumed the house, did laundry, and cleaned the bedroom. So George and Kimi come over and we have dinner, then go to Mayumi’s favorite asian market and buy a lot of stuff. What a happy day. I get some good daddy time off Sat so I go to Best Buy to buy some virgin mobile phones. After walking the store I see it. Roomba! I have a choice of the fire-engine-red $150 puppy or the $250 “discovery”. The main difference seems to be that the discovery has more buttons, and will go recharge itself if it gets tired. I get the cheap one.
I sneak it inside and get it on the charger and spend the next 7 hours in anticipation of exciting the wife. Time passes. Dinner is eaten, baby sleeps, surprise is sprung. I tell Mayumi I’ll vacuum. I walk downstairs and emerge with the roomba fully charged. Place it on the floor, and for the next hour we watch it and giggle as it makes its crazy path across the floor. Upon completion I remove the dust-bin and gasp. There has to be 6 cubic inches of cat fur in there. After a recharge it does the same thing upstairs with similar results.
This thing has some cool path finding, especially when its in a tight space and looks to be stuck, it never got lost in such a manner as to give up. It doesn’t have the strongest vacuum on the market, but it does pick up most stuff. This morning before leaving for work, I plopped the little girl down and left her to her work as I went off to my work.
When I get home, the living room will be freshly vacuumed, which gives the added bonus of meaning that the room is also straightened up. I spend the time to clean up, roomba takes care of the vacuuming up. Fair deal I’d say.
Ok.. time to spill the beans on a few odd dreams.
Most recently (last night) I had this really odd dream, I can't remember most of it but here is what I do remember. I was in my car in the passenger side (odd) and I had a bag of weed. Not goldenrod but the illegal stuff, only it was kinda like fennel in the bag and when it came out it was fuzzy. Some spilled out on the carpet and immediately got stuck. I rolled the bag up and hid it under the glove box. This all came about because of my making some herbal tea last night to help with some chest congestion I've been fighting (thanks Jeanie). I've got that part figured out. Suddenly I'm in a house that I don't recognize with people I only know in the dream and the pot is back with me. I can't seem to get rid of it and don't really want it, and some spills out onto the carpet and suddenly its all over the place. I can't clean it up and then Rick Jefferson's parents come in. Suddenly I know it is their house that we are hanging. This comes from me recently hearing Rick has had a little girl. His mother keeps asking what kind of grass we have gotten on the floor because it won't vacuum up. I go outside to avoid this and see Christina C. , a previous girlfriend of mine, walking out of her new house with her husband. I say hey to her and they turn around and her husband morphs from what he really looks like to something completely different. I know the face of the guy he has changed into in real life but can't quite remember who it is. She says Hi and I tell her she's moved in next door to Ricks parents!. She introduces me to her husband Luke. Now Christina's husband isn't named Luke. I can only assume Luke refers to another of my friend's long term boyfriend. I try to shake hands with him but he obviously does not want to do this, threatened or something I can't quite place, so I put on a nice big friendly smile and throw my hand into position. He says hey and motions for them to continue on their walk. Awake.
Previously
I've been running around in a game like city probably caused by playing some online game. I'm at UNCG but it's much more like an old church or castle. I overhear that that Chancellor has fallen in a room and hit her head on a chair which has killed her. I know at this point that much of the work she was trying to do will never come to fruition. I am walking through the building and walk through the room she fell in, which is full of rows of chairs one would use for an assembly, but the room is heavily carpeted and it reminds me of a scene in a movie where a very expensive and exclusive auction will occur, or of a waiting room at a funeral home viewing. The chancellor’s funeral is a very large event with a horse drawn funeral carriage, then a hearse, both with a casket inside. Very elaborate. Awake.
I voted for the next four years of pain.
Without a doubt I've contributed to the next four years of suckage. It really dosen't matter who I voted for, because both candidates are bad candidates. I hovered over the Libertarian candidate for a little while and then came to my senses and decided to actually vote.
I was a little concerned that my voteing this time seemed to be more voteing against someone rather than for someone. Says something about the times I guess.
I also did my typical no vote for constitutional changes. The constitution should not be meddled with without much ado.
I skipped over many candidates because I didn't know them, or what they stood for. Even if it was just one candidate in the race no vote for you.
BTW evidently in Greensboro when going to the alphebetical line for your name
P is included in the h - o section. Go figure.