Yeah, I dunno - I keep thinking it is time to snag a new computer for myself! Went down to the computer store recently, but they only sell POOR computers at this store. Basically, they are all the same speed (maybe a touch faster) as the 1.5 GHz I have at home. Of course, these newer models are all dual core, but you know, I need something like 3 or 4 GHz now just to feel that I am ACTUALLY upgrading, know what I mean?

My current machine is roughly 7 years old, and it was a little behind the curve when I assembled it (I think it was possible to get 1.8 GHz at the time).

Trying to decide what brand is best also - Dell, Alienware, something else perhaps... hard to say, and this purchase may be a little ways off, but more and more I am realizing that I can get a pretty decent system for not too much cash, all things considered.

Well, OK, it is quite a bit of cash, but when you can go into the store and see a machine selling for $400 - $500 for the base system, you know that prices have certainly been dropping.

By Who is the (Knight_Hawk) on Friday, October 05, 2007 - 01:40 pm:

It depends on what you buy Sol. I paid $4000 for my Laptop and at the time it was a top of the line pure gaming machine.

Now just FYI Dell bought Alienware so there the same company now, Dell just keeps Alienware around for 2 reasons. 1 the name and 2 so they can charge more for them and make their own systems look cheaper. Now my afore mentioned Laptop is a Dell so I am not anit-Dell.

But you can build a decent rig from the ground up for about the same if not just a bit more than you would pay for those base systems. I always recomend building your own if your comfortable doing so.

If your interested the stats on my rigs look like this

Laptop
Dell XPSM710
2.6 GHZ centrino
2 Gigs dual channeled RAM
90 GIG HD
GeForce GO 7800

Desktop
Home built
3 GHz P4
1 GIG DC RAM
80 GIG HD
ATI All in Wonder

By Sol Hawk (Sol) on Friday, October 05, 2007 - 06:31 pm:

Not bad at all man, not bad at all. Alienware is the same as Dell now? Hm! Interesting. I fancy building my own machine, and might do that... it could be worth it even just for the custom case, and I did build my last one, but of course the big question is whether this is still cost-effective anymore.

My current machine (Desktop tower):

1.5 GHz P4 Intel
512 MB Ram
120 GB HDD
Radeon 9600 256MB Video Card

By Sol Hawk (Sol) on Monday, October 15, 2007 - 03:11 pm:

The main benefit of human-robot marriage could be to make people who otherwise could not get married happier, "people who find it hard to form relationships, because they are extremely shy, or have psychological problems, or are just plain ugly or have unpleasant personalities," Levy said.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,301717,00.html

By Who is the (Knight_Hawk) on Monday, October 15, 2007 - 04:13 pm:

And hey you can always turn them off when they disagree with you on what your doing.

"Are you going out with the guys, AGAIN?"
"Yes I am."
"I don't think so" /switch
/walk out the door and have fun.

By Houdini (Houdini) on Monday, October 15, 2007 - 08:42 pm:

"aww.. I bet you say that to all your robot girlfriends."

By The One Known Only as (Greyfox) on Tuesday, October 16, 2007 - 02:37 am:

Never could find Brenna's switch. Maybe her model wasn't built with one?

By Sol Hawk (Sol) on Tuesday, October 16, 2007 - 10:59 am:

Wasn't there a robot Buffy in the TV series?

By Sol Hawk (Sol) on Tuesday, October 16, 2007 - 11:02 am:

Robots will be our cuddly friends in the future:

By Houdini (Houdini) on Thursday, December 06, 2007 - 05:11 pm:

Now robots that play the violin?

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=071206141647.92lzyqx2&show_article=1

By Houdini (Houdini) on Monday, December 10, 2007 - 11:21 am:

whoa! supercomputers on a chip?

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,140425-c,chips/article.html

By Sol Hawk (Sol) on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 09:22 am:

That link is gone already, Houdini! O, agony!

Or maybe someone's just trying to cover it up... ?

By Houdini (Houdini) on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 12:41 pm:

the man is trying to keep us down!

By Houdini (Houdini) on Wednesday, January 02, 2008 - 04:46 pm:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,140751-page,2-c,ces/article.html

First DTV converters for analog tvs to go on sale in a month.

Government will be offering $40 subsidy coupon for anyone that wants to buy one. Retail price $60.

Feb 19, 2009 all over the air analog tv
broadcasts end.

Cable doesn't have to upgrade till 2012.

Bah.

By Sol Hawk (Sol) on Thursday, January 03, 2008 - 12:00 pm:

Houdini,

Your link does not work I am afraid. This site does not like you.

By Houdini (Houdini) on Tuesday, February 19, 2008 - 10:48 am:

Oh well.

Anyway. I just found out Microsoft is going to be starting a program kicking off this week and henceforth forever to offer all of its server and development tools for free to high school and college students.

There of course is a catch, the school has to be willing to link its enrollment database to a microsoft verification website so that students when they apply for the tools can prove they are students.

I know they want to combat license abuse but to make colleges and school districts pay for the IT infastructure to link up with their database just to get free software really is out of line.

"But Bryan they are giving away free software to students, isn't this a nice thing they are doing?"

No, they are marketing their development products to the future IT consultants and computer scientists who will be making technology decisions for government and business. Get em hooked on it then they won't want to switch.

It's smart, I'll give them that. I also think its underhanded in that they are claiming it is to better the education of millions of poor students training to become tomarrow's geeks when in fact they are collecting marketing data and effectively selling their product by giving it away.

http://channel8.msdn.com/

http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/tech-news/?p=2067


Yeah, I want a free copy and I'm jealous because I'm not a student anymore. Hey, I like free stuff too!

By Warsmith (Knight_Hawk) on Tuesday, February 19, 2008 - 01:12 pm:

So enroll for a semester, get the programs and drop out.

By Sol-El of the House of El (Sol) on Wednesday, September 03, 2008 - 04:42 pm:

MySQL

Is it pronounced

Mysequel

or

MyS-Q-L?