My roommate is an Apple fan and I fully understand why. Apple products are excellent. Great engineering, programming, and design go into each one. However, they're ludicrously expensive.
He recently made fun of me for being a fan of AMD processors. I said I'm a fan because, well, they're usually $100 cheaper than the Intel equivalent. I'd much rather spend that $100 on a good graphics card, power supply, case or whatever.
So as a challenge to myself, I'm going to build a computer that is equivalent to (or better than) the iMac.
Now in order to do this, I'm going to take a standard iMac build. So, let's say one that's only $1199 (21") instead of the more expensive one. Here are the specs on the cheapest one (without adding anything):
- 2.5GHz quad-core i5 with 6MB L3 cache
- 4GB 1333MHz DDR3
- 500 GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive
- AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics card with 512 MB GDDR5
- HD Webcam and microphone
- Speakers
- 4 USB ports, FireWire 900 port, gigabit ethernet
- (I'm excluding thunderbolt port, that's an apple exclusive as far as I know).
- SDXC card slot
- 8x SuperDrive (DvD+-RW)
- Wireless keyboard and mouse
- Wifi and Bluetooth
- 21" monitor
Out of everything here, I think the peripherals are going to be what drives up the price of the build (webcam, mic, keyboard, etc). I'll try my best to match all of them, but it may be too difficult. If I can't, I'll make up for it in hardware.
Alright, let's get started. First, the motherboard.
Since we're going to be using an i5, it'll have to be an Intel motherboard. This makes finding a cheap, good board harder because, well, Intel isn't cheap. But let's look.
The processor we're using needs a LGA 1155 socket. Here is one I found by Asus:
i5 2.5GHz Quad Core | Cost: $200
Asus Sabertooth P67 | Cost: $219
It has 8 USB 2.0 ports and 2 USB 3.0 ports. I figured more USB ports would make up for the lack of a FireWire port. I know, not the same, but it's just a port. You can buy an expension card.
Unfortunately, I'm at work and can't review the supported memory list, so I'll be picking memory blindly. I'll check later when I'm off work (read: I probably won't check later). So without looking at a supported memory list, it's an easy decision.
G.Skill Ripjaws Series 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333MHz
Cost: $36.99
Excellent. RAM, Processor, and Memory done. All for under $500. So far so good. Now for the graphics card. I'm going to go with a brand I know makes good cards:
GIGABYTE Radeon HD 6750 1GB GDDR5 GV-R6750C-1GI
Cost: $119.99
I could not find a Radeon HD 6750 that only had 512MB memory, so I went with 1GB. All of the Radeons in that series on newegg had 1GB. So better graphics! Next, let's tackle the hard drive, power supply, DVD drive, and monitor.
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 7200 RPM | Cost: $49.99
Hard drives are easy. WD is a good brand. Let's move on.
I don't know the wattage of the power supply on an iMac, so I'm going to go with a 550W power supply. Should be good enough for everything we need.
Antec BP550 Plus | Cost: $79.99
So far, we're at roughly $700. We're only missing a Case, Monitor, DVD drive, and the peripherals. I feel like peripherals may put me close to the price or over. Hopefully they won't.
HANNspree by Hanns-G HF225DPB 21.5" Monitor w/ Speakers
Cost: $119.99
That cost may be a sale price. But this is newegg, more than half of these parts may be on sale when you would normally buy them, so whatever. All of the monitors I saw had a "was: $$$" thing, so let's just stick with it.
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower
Cost: $59.95
I figure a case that matches the power supply is better and can reduce hassel.
Asus 24x DVD Burner | Cost: $20.99
DVD Burners are cheap and most are the same speed. I'm not entirely sure if this is faster than the iMac one or not, so I'm just going to assume they are the same for now. I'll look into it later (read: After work).
So far, we're at somewhere around $900. So in all honesty, I don't think you'll save much by building your own. You can, and from the looks of things you'll save about $100. I say this because I still haven't added Wifi, keyboard and mouse, and webcam and microphone. Since we're so close to the end price, I'm going to stop here. Most of what needs to be added will be under $100 total, depending on quality.
The most expensive parts of this build are the Intel components. If you were to use AMD components, You'd save another $200, and could get a bit more power. I have a Phenom II Quad core 3.2GHz (overclocks to ~3.8GHz) processor that cost $119. I could have definitely gone cheaper on the motherboard, but I find that cheap motherboards fail more often.
So in all, you'll be safer going with an iMac. Less hassel, and if money isn't an issue. But where's the fun in that?
You will probably never see me in an Apple Store. I even own an iPod Touch and I'll still probably never set foot in one (unless it breaks, then maybe). I'm not against Apple products. They make good stuff, I just prefer having more control over what I'm getting and when I can do with it. My systems usually have Linux on them too (Unless I need it for gaming, then it's dual-booted with Windows 7). I'm also completely unfamiliar with Mac OS. So that's another preference.
I'll edit this post for corrections later.
That was fun. Hope you enjoyed the peak into the iMac as much as I have.
~Rob
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
Be Afraid
Over the past few months there has been a lot of talk about hackers. Mainly hacker groups like Lulz Security and Anonymous. So I figured I'd throw in my thoughts on whole thing.
As a college student currently studying computer science, one of the many areas of the discipline that intrigue me the most is Cyber Security. Breaking into a computer or preventing a break in is like solving a puzzle. I love puzzles.
The media exploded when the hackers announced themselves and began taking personal information and assaulting websites. I read a lot of CNN articles that went over the threat of hacking and what the two groups were doing. I laughed at a few articles that seemed to overestimate the groups.
One of the main "hacks" that got a lot of people up-in-arms was the "hacking" of the CIA website. I didn't see this as a hack, as the quotes suggest. XKCD said this the best in one of his recent comics.
EDIT: Sorry, the picture is a bit messed up. I'll fix it after work. Here is the actual link: xkcd: CIA
The basically sums up what I read when reading those articles. The few articles that actually got to me where the ones about the Sony hacks and any of the other hacks that rewarded information about the company. Information is invaluable in cyber security. Some hackers and social engineers (professional term for some) are so good at their job that all they need to do is become facebook friends with you. From that point on, your computer and your accounts can become compromised. Now, I'm not saying that Facebook is a backdoor into your computer. I'm saying Facebook is a backdoor into your head. Everyone keeps a tons of information about themselves on Facebook, which one can derive passwords and usernames from. Especially if you leave an email address.
Most people use the same password and username for everything. All someone needs to do is setup some forum for some topic that you might be interested in (Information most likely found on your facebook). Then create some fake users. Populate some posts. Make it look convincing. Then link it to you ("Hey, check this shit out. You like this, right?"), and have you sign up. Once you do, you're done. They have one username and one password you probably use for everything. They also have an email address if they ask for it, which they can then log into because most people use the password they gave to this fake forum on their email account aswell.
Long-winded story short: Don't use the same password over and over again.
... Where was I?
Anyway, these hacker groups received a lot of attention. Needed attention. Not for themselves. They needed the attention to show people that there are ways of getting your personal information if you're not careful. Just becasue a service says it is secure doesn't mean it actually is. Just because there is a lock on your front door, doesn't mean it's safe.
Now, for something good. How to make your browsing safer. If you use Chrome or Firefox (If you use IE... Don't), there are a lot of extensions out there that can help make you more secure. A few I can think of include:
These are great. NoScript basically stops scripts from running on your computer. It'll let you know it has, then you can choose to allow them or not. Ghostery also blocks scripts as well as other hidden web bugs, prevents malware, ads, etc. I linked to Ghostery's homepage. They explain it better. HTTPS Everywhere is exactly what its title suggests. It forces your browser to use HTTPS, which is HTTP but secure. It doesn't ALWAYS force it, but where it can it does (Such as with Wikipedia, Google, and other popular sites).
If you notice in the address bar when you browse some sites will read "http://blahblah.." while sites like gmail will read "https://mail.google.com/". This shows a secure connection to gmail, so it's way more secure when sending a username or password to it. Try not to use sites that require a username/password but only use "http." There a some sites that don't do this and should, but you have to use it and it can't be avoided. Oh well. Just be careful.
Another thing you can do, and this is if you are pretty good at computers already and have an understanding of Linux and SSH. You also need a Linux home server, a router (you should have this), and some form of dynamic DNS (Like no-ip.org).
SSH Everything
This lets you route all of your internet traffic through your home server via SSH tunneling. Even if you're at some hotel in the middle of nowhere. This is more secure in that it allows your server to see your traffic, and allows for encryption along the tunnels. I don't fully understand this yet, and won't until sometime in the fall. So if you have questions about it, save them for September.
So for those who want to know why I've posted this: Be afraid. You may think all this hacker stuff is blown out of proportion. It isn't. Everyone should be aware of this kind of thing, and everyone should have some knowledge of what to look out for. Learn to pick a lock. Teach people how to. This will show how easily a lock can be broken into and that just having a lock on your front door doesn't make it safe. The same can be said for just about anything in computers.
That's it for now. Maybe I'll post again by the end of the month. I may also revise this. I'm at work and can't do a lot of research on the topic. I may add or remove some stuff. We'll see.
~Rob
As a college student currently studying computer science, one of the many areas of the discipline that intrigue me the most is Cyber Security. Breaking into a computer or preventing a break in is like solving a puzzle. I love puzzles.
The media exploded when the hackers announced themselves and began taking personal information and assaulting websites. I read a lot of CNN articles that went over the threat of hacking and what the two groups were doing. I laughed at a few articles that seemed to overestimate the groups.
One of the main "hacks" that got a lot of people up-in-arms was the "hacking" of the CIA website. I didn't see this as a hack, as the quotes suggest. XKCD said this the best in one of his recent comics.
EDIT: Sorry, the picture is a bit messed up. I'll fix it after work. Here is the actual link: xkcd: CIA
The basically sums up what I read when reading those articles. The few articles that actually got to me where the ones about the Sony hacks and any of the other hacks that rewarded information about the company. Information is invaluable in cyber security. Some hackers and social engineers (professional term for some) are so good at their job that all they need to do is become facebook friends with you. From that point on, your computer and your accounts can become compromised. Now, I'm not saying that Facebook is a backdoor into your computer. I'm saying Facebook is a backdoor into your head. Everyone keeps a tons of information about themselves on Facebook, which one can derive passwords and usernames from. Especially if you leave an email address.
Most people use the same password and username for everything. All someone needs to do is setup some forum for some topic that you might be interested in (Information most likely found on your facebook). Then create some fake users. Populate some posts. Make it look convincing. Then link it to you ("Hey, check this shit out. You like this, right?"), and have you sign up. Once you do, you're done. They have one username and one password you probably use for everything. They also have an email address if they ask for it, which they can then log into because most people use the password they gave to this fake forum on their email account aswell.
Long-winded story short: Don't use the same password over and over again.
... Where was I?
Anyway, these hacker groups received a lot of attention. Needed attention. Not for themselves. They needed the attention to show people that there are ways of getting your personal information if you're not careful. Just becasue a service says it is secure doesn't mean it actually is. Just because there is a lock on your front door, doesn't mean it's safe.
Now, for something good. How to make your browsing safer. If you use Chrome or Firefox (If you use IE... Don't), there are a lot of extensions out there that can help make you more secure. A few I can think of include:
- NoScript
- Ghostery
- HTTPS Everywhere
These are great. NoScript basically stops scripts from running on your computer. It'll let you know it has, then you can choose to allow them or not. Ghostery also blocks scripts as well as other hidden web bugs, prevents malware, ads, etc. I linked to Ghostery's homepage. They explain it better. HTTPS Everywhere is exactly what its title suggests. It forces your browser to use HTTPS, which is HTTP but secure. It doesn't ALWAYS force it, but where it can it does (Such as with Wikipedia, Google, and other popular sites).
If you notice in the address bar when you browse some sites will read "http://blahblah.." while sites like gmail will read "https://mail.google.com/". This shows a secure connection to gmail, so it's way more secure when sending a username or password to it. Try not to use sites that require a username/password but only use "http." There a some sites that don't do this and should, but you have to use it and it can't be avoided. Oh well. Just be careful.
Another thing you can do, and this is if you are pretty good at computers already and have an understanding of Linux and SSH. You also need a Linux home server, a router (you should have this), and some form of dynamic DNS (Like no-ip.org).
SSH Everything
This lets you route all of your internet traffic through your home server via SSH tunneling. Even if you're at some hotel in the middle of nowhere. This is more secure in that it allows your server to see your traffic, and allows for encryption along the tunnels. I don't fully understand this yet, and won't until sometime in the fall. So if you have questions about it, save them for September.
So for those who want to know why I've posted this: Be afraid. You may think all this hacker stuff is blown out of proportion. It isn't. Everyone should be aware of this kind of thing, and everyone should have some knowledge of what to look out for. Learn to pick a lock. Teach people how to. This will show how easily a lock can be broken into and that just having a lock on your front door doesn't make it safe. The same can be said for just about anything in computers.
That's it for now. Maybe I'll post again by the end of the month. I may also revise this. I'm at work and can't do a lot of research on the topic. I may add or remove some stuff. We'll see.
~Rob
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
More people like this.
Here is a link to a reddit post (Reddit is a popular, forum-like site with many different sub-categories, or subreddits). It's posted by someone who goes by Tomble.
Tomble recently received one of those scam emails about verifying your account on Paypal. By shear luck, he managed to get into the scammer's site (Which, as it turns out, was not owned by the scammers and was phished from someone else), delete some of the information, and called the people who had already submitted credit card info. He also deactivated the site so no one else could use it.
Here's the link:
Brilliant.
Everything I said is in the comments of the post. He also included a picture of what he did.
It seems like not enough people are away of email scams. Make sure if you know anyone who you think might fall for something like this or isn't as tech savvy or is new to the internet, that you tell them about these emails.
Also - Two posts in one day?!
~Rob
Tomble recently received one of those scam emails about verifying your account on Paypal. By shear luck, he managed to get into the scammer's site (Which, as it turns out, was not owned by the scammers and was phished from someone else), delete some of the information, and called the people who had already submitted credit card info. He also deactivated the site so no one else could use it.
Here's the link:
Brilliant.
Everything I said is in the comments of the post. He also included a picture of what he did.
It seems like not enough people are away of email scams. Make sure if you know anyone who you think might fall for something like this or isn't as tech savvy or is new to the internet, that you tell them about these emails.
Also - Two posts in one day?!
~Rob
Google+
So I figure I might as well review the budding social network while it's still considered "exclusive."
I've read a lot of reviews on Google+ and most of them have been saying the same thing about it. "it's the new facebook." "It looks great, but can it beat facebook?" The same question pops into my head every time I read a google+ review.
Why does it need to beat Facebook?
I keep reading about how Google+ won't survive if it can't beat the social networking giant, or how it'll fail like Wave if it can't peel users away from Facebook. But why does it need to? Let me take some of Google's other products as examples.
Android is a great mobile operating system. It has a huge collection of apps, a lot of which are free. Did it need to beat iOS (iPhone & iPod Touch) to do well? No. It just needed to compete with it.
Chrome is an excellent browser created by Google, and competes well if the other browsers out there, like Safari, Firefox, etc. But again, all it needed to do was compete with them and it is.
So why do I keep getting the impression from reviewers of Google+ that it needs to beat Facebook rather than compete with it? To be honest, I prefer having options in everything I do. It'd be rather boring if the only smartphone option out there was just Android. Yes, I agree, if it can't compete with Facebook it'll die. But that's all it needs to do. Another thing people need to keep in mind about Google+, and I've seen other reviewers stress the same issue, is that it's still in Beta. That means there are going to be a lot of bugs and features that seem unnecessary or incomplete. Just hold on, it'll get better.
As a note: Not all reviewers are saying it needs to beat Facebook, just some I've read. CNN.com has a bunch of articles on it, and most to all (I don't remember which ones) don't say it needs to beat Facebook, but just compare it to Facebook to see how it will compete.
Anyway, I like Google+ better than Facebook. I'd remove my Facebook account if it weren't for the fact more people use it than Google+ currently. Once it's open to everyone, I may just shutdown my Facebook account. Or ignore it. Tends to happen when I join too many online communities.
I particularly love the Hangout feature. Video chatting AND you can stream YouTube videos to the feed so everyone can see it? Excellent idea.
The Huddle feature seems like group chat, I haven't really had enough time to explore it. Not entirely sure what I'd use it for. Maybe I'll experiment tonight?
Another thing I absolutely love about Google+: The Android app. Google owns Android, develops Android and Google+. So naturally, the app works amazingly on the mobile OS. If you have an Android phone and Google+, download the app. I find I use it more than the browser service.
Being able to put friends in different circles. I have a lot of circles set up so I can post different things to one that the others wouldn't understand. Some of mine include, but aren't limited to, Team Fortress 2, Magic: the Gathering, Stevens, SITTV, and Off Center. The last two are clubs at Stevens. Someone who I follow made a tier system out of his circles (No, I have no idea which one I'm in). It's an excellent idea. What's the best part about it? When someone adds you to their circle, all Google+ does is let you know. It doesn't say "You've got a friend request, would you like to add them too or painfully reject them, you horrible monster?" (Not exact wording, but that's what I see). Having to not worry about rejecting someone and to be able to instead just ignore them is great. Most of the time I just add someone to my Stevens circle, and people I actually see and talk to go into Friends AND Stevens (Unless they aren't from Stevens, of course).
Anyone, in all, I like it and I think everyone should try it out when it becomes more readily available.
Maybe I'll be able to have Blogger post directly to Google+ like I have it set on Buzz. Wouldn't that be awesome?
I'll post more details about Google+ and what I like and don't like later. I haven't really had a chance to analyse it, just use it briefly about once a day.
~Rob
EDIT: Here are some links to CNN articles on Google+. Take a look if you'd like.
Tech blogs not sold on Google's 'Facebook clone'
How Google+ compares to Facebook
Review: Google+ a clean, intuitive mobile experience so far
Google+ experiences some growing pains
Google+ offers chance for a social reboot
The last one is an excellent view. Enjoy reading.
I've read a lot of reviews on Google+ and most of them have been saying the same thing about it. "it's the new facebook." "It looks great, but can it beat facebook?" The same question pops into my head every time I read a google+ review.
Why does it need to beat Facebook?
I keep reading about how Google+ won't survive if it can't beat the social networking giant, or how it'll fail like Wave if it can't peel users away from Facebook. But why does it need to? Let me take some of Google's other products as examples.
Android is a great mobile operating system. It has a huge collection of apps, a lot of which are free. Did it need to beat iOS (iPhone & iPod Touch) to do well? No. It just needed to compete with it.
Chrome is an excellent browser created by Google, and competes well if the other browsers out there, like Safari, Firefox, etc. But again, all it needed to do was compete with them and it is.
So why do I keep getting the impression from reviewers of Google+ that it needs to beat Facebook rather than compete with it? To be honest, I prefer having options in everything I do. It'd be rather boring if the only smartphone option out there was just Android. Yes, I agree, if it can't compete with Facebook it'll die. But that's all it needs to do. Another thing people need to keep in mind about Google+, and I've seen other reviewers stress the same issue, is that it's still in Beta. That means there are going to be a lot of bugs and features that seem unnecessary or incomplete. Just hold on, it'll get better.
As a note: Not all reviewers are saying it needs to beat Facebook, just some I've read. CNN.com has a bunch of articles on it, and most to all (I don't remember which ones) don't say it needs to beat Facebook, but just compare it to Facebook to see how it will compete.
Anyway, I like Google+ better than Facebook. I'd remove my Facebook account if it weren't for the fact more people use it than Google+ currently. Once it's open to everyone, I may just shutdown my Facebook account. Or ignore it. Tends to happen when I join too many online communities.
I particularly love the Hangout feature. Video chatting AND you can stream YouTube videos to the feed so everyone can see it? Excellent idea.
The Huddle feature seems like group chat, I haven't really had enough time to explore it. Not entirely sure what I'd use it for. Maybe I'll experiment tonight?
Another thing I absolutely love about Google+: The Android app. Google owns Android, develops Android and Google+. So naturally, the app works amazingly on the mobile OS. If you have an Android phone and Google+, download the app. I find I use it more than the browser service.
Being able to put friends in different circles. I have a lot of circles set up so I can post different things to one that the others wouldn't understand. Some of mine include, but aren't limited to, Team Fortress 2, Magic: the Gathering, Stevens, SITTV, and Off Center. The last two are clubs at Stevens. Someone who I follow made a tier system out of his circles (No, I have no idea which one I'm in). It's an excellent idea. What's the best part about it? When someone adds you to their circle, all Google+ does is let you know. It doesn't say "You've got a friend request, would you like to add them too or painfully reject them, you horrible monster?" (Not exact wording, but that's what I see). Having to not worry about rejecting someone and to be able to instead just ignore them is great. Most of the time I just add someone to my Stevens circle, and people I actually see and talk to go into Friends AND Stevens (Unless they aren't from Stevens, of course).
Anyone, in all, I like it and I think everyone should try it out when it becomes more readily available.
Maybe I'll be able to have Blogger post directly to Google+ like I have it set on Buzz. Wouldn't that be awesome?
I'll post more details about Google+ and what I like and don't like later. I haven't really had a chance to analyse it, just use it briefly about once a day.
~Rob
EDIT: Here are some links to CNN articles on Google+. Take a look if you'd like.
Tech blogs not sold on Google's 'Facebook clone'
How Google+ compares to Facebook
Review: Google+ a clean, intuitive mobile experience so far
Google+ experiences some growing pains
Google+ offers chance for a social reboot
The last one is an excellent view. Enjoy reading.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Up is up, right?
I've been looking into computer parts to upgrade my computer for a few weeks now.
Right now my computer is running:
AMD Athlon 64 x2 3.2 GHz Dual core processor
4 GB DDR2 800 Dual Channel RAM (2x 2 GB sticks)
GeForce 9500 GT 1GB 128-bit GDDR2 Video card
160 GB Seagate hard drive (OS and system files)
750 GB Seagate hard drive (Programs and storage)
250 GB Seagate hard drive (Like.. Nothing)
Gigabyte GA-MA770-UD3 AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX Motherboard (Can support AM3)
Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W Power Supply
Cool Master Elite 335 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower computer case
1 120mm fan, stock CPU heatsink/fan
Along with the 3 hard drives in the computer, I also have a 1 TB external USB hard drive.
A good build for when I built it, a year ago. Even then, it wasn't state of the art. I had build it with the intention of upgrading it sooner than later, so I didn't get a lot of high end parts.
Now I want to upgrade the motherboard, RAM, and CPU. Here is what I've picked out:
AMD Phenom II x4 3.2 GHz Quad core processor
8 GB DDR3 1600 Dual Channel RAM (2x 4 GB sticks)
ASRock 870 Extreme3 AM3 AMD 870 ATX Motherboard*
*This may change.
This will end up costing about $260. I've already bought the RAM, mostly because it was on sale (was originally $90 before tax, got it for $60 after tax and free shipping).
Now I'm having an issue deciding on whether or not to actually upgrade the system. Right now I'm using it as a Linux server, running on it a Minecraft server, ventrilo server, and occasionally TF2 and Left 4 Dead 2 servers. Not much else is done on it.
I do have Windows 7 64-bit dual booted on it and I've been playing games on it, but my laptop seems to out-perform it graphic-wise.
So I'm not sure whether or not to go through with the upgrade. I already purchased the RAM, so I think I'll probably go through with it. If I do this, then my next upgrade will probably have nothing to do with the CPU or Motherboard. Most likely a future upgrade will be to add 4-8 more GBs of RAM, upgrade the graphics card, get a nicer case, maybe more fans/better heatsink, and then something like nice speakers or a headset.
Anyway, that's my dilemma. Like I said, I'll probably go through with it.
Another reason I'm hesitant to go through with this is I originally wanted this upgrade to separate the server and desktop computer parts of this one computer. In other words, I want to be able to build a server after upgrading this computer. With the way this upgrade is set up, I won't be able to do that for awhile. Parts I'm missing to do that include a power supply, a case, fans, graphics card, and more hard drives.
Any input would help, whether in the form of a comment on Google Buzz, on Blogspot, or even a facebook wall post or message. I'll keep you updated on what I decide on.
Also, I'm currently putting together a story, of sorts. When I have more details and I'm closer to finishing it, I'll post some of it here. It's going to be a lot like a comic books story, in that it includes "super" heroes, but right now it's leaning towards a Watchmen feel. Dark and more realistic than most comic books.. I mean, as realistic as it can get.
Anyway, that's all for now.
~Rob
Right now my computer is running:
AMD Athlon 64 x2 3.2 GHz Dual core processor
4 GB DDR2 800 Dual Channel RAM (2x 2 GB sticks)
GeForce 9500 GT 1GB 128-bit GDDR2 Video card
160 GB Seagate hard drive (OS and system files)
750 GB Seagate hard drive (Programs and storage)
250 GB Seagate hard drive (Like.. Nothing)
Gigabyte GA-MA770-UD3 AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX Motherboard (Can support AM3)
Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W Power Supply
Cool Master Elite 335 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower computer case
1 120mm fan, stock CPU heatsink/fan
Along with the 3 hard drives in the computer, I also have a 1 TB external USB hard drive.
A good build for when I built it, a year ago. Even then, it wasn't state of the art. I had build it with the intention of upgrading it sooner than later, so I didn't get a lot of high end parts.
Now I want to upgrade the motherboard, RAM, and CPU. Here is what I've picked out:
AMD Phenom II x4 3.2 GHz Quad core processor
8 GB DDR3 1600 Dual Channel RAM (2x 4 GB sticks)
ASRock 870 Extreme3 AM3 AMD 870 ATX Motherboard*
*This may change.
This will end up costing about $260. I've already bought the RAM, mostly because it was on sale (was originally $90 before tax, got it for $60 after tax and free shipping).
Now I'm having an issue deciding on whether or not to actually upgrade the system. Right now I'm using it as a Linux server, running on it a Minecraft server, ventrilo server, and occasionally TF2 and Left 4 Dead 2 servers. Not much else is done on it.
I do have Windows 7 64-bit dual booted on it and I've been playing games on it, but my laptop seems to out-perform it graphic-wise.
So I'm not sure whether or not to go through with the upgrade. I already purchased the RAM, so I think I'll probably go through with it. If I do this, then my next upgrade will probably have nothing to do with the CPU or Motherboard. Most likely a future upgrade will be to add 4-8 more GBs of RAM, upgrade the graphics card, get a nicer case, maybe more fans/better heatsink, and then something like nice speakers or a headset.
Anyway, that's my dilemma. Like I said, I'll probably go through with it.
Another reason I'm hesitant to go through with this is I originally wanted this upgrade to separate the server and desktop computer parts of this one computer. In other words, I want to be able to build a server after upgrading this computer. With the way this upgrade is set up, I won't be able to do that for awhile. Parts I'm missing to do that include a power supply, a case, fans, graphics card, and more hard drives.
Any input would help, whether in the form of a comment on Google Buzz, on Blogspot, or even a facebook wall post or message. I'll keep you updated on what I decide on.
Also, I'm currently putting together a story, of sorts. When I have more details and I'm closer to finishing it, I'll post some of it here. It's going to be a lot like a comic books story, in that it includes "super" heroes, but right now it's leaning towards a Watchmen feel. Dark and more realistic than most comic books.. I mean, as realistic as it can get.
Anyway, that's all for now.
~Rob
Thursday, June 16, 2011
The War of Operation
Operating System Wars
I'm sure everyone in the field has heard and has their own arguments for why the operating system they prefer is obviously the best one out there and why one of the others or both of the others are the worse. These arguments are pointless.
Sure, different operating systems have different uses and some are definitely better than others when used for certain things, like for servers or networking. All operating systems have their ups and downs, but arguing that one is better, overall, than others is pointless and, to put it bluntly, stupid.
So today, I'm going to discuss my opinion on the 3 major operating systems being used: Windows, Linux, and Mac OS. For Linux, I'll be discuss the Ubuntu distribution. I'm going to try not to be version specific, but for the most part when it comes to it I'll be talking about the latest version.
So, let's start with windows.
Windows has a pretty good user interface. It can handle everyday use fine. There isn't much speed difference between the other two systems when it comes to playing video games, surfing the web, editing important documents, etc. Windows is definitely annoying as hell when it comes to troubleshooting a problem, and most of the problems can be persistent and hard to find help for. So as long as you don't run into any horrible issues, Windows is perfectly fine.
Troubleshooting errors on Windows can be a pain in the ass. The GUI system is great and all when you don't have to do anything administrative to the computer, like fix problems, then it's really difficult to find anything. Half of the times I've attempted to Google a problem, I found only half of the results were my problem and most of the solutions were different than the others and didn't work for me. Blue Screens of Death are particularly annoying to troubleshoot since any one blue screen can have a lot of different causes. Some don't even say why they occurred without you having to download a developer tool from Windows website (which takes forever). I know when my parents attempt to fix a computer problem, if there isn't an immediate solution or at least one on the first page of Google search results, they just reformat the computer.
Now I'm not saying the other two OSes don't have this problem. I know Linux does, and probably Macs too. But not as bad as Windows.
For gaming, Windows is almost unavoidable. Most games for the PC are for Windows. Steam has added Mac support to a lot of their games, but that doesn't go for PC games in stores. I will say, the market for Mac games is increasing, steadily, but it's still not where the Windows market is. If you're trying to hardcore game on Linux... Ha. There really isn't much of a way save for Wine (Emulates Windows for Windows-only applications) unless we're talking about game servers, then Linux is all over that.
Seems like a good time to start talking about the next OS: Linux.
Linux is great when it comes to speed and control. Everything that can happen on Linux can be done by typing a few commands into the shell. It can be easily automated with the use of Shell, Bash, and Python scripts. Remoting into a Linux computer is a lot easier and faster than remoting into a Windows computer. If you're looking to make a server of any kind, Linux is the OS for you. The control it gives and the compatibility it has with the other OSes when it comes to server operations is the best out there. It does have its faults though.
For the most part, doing something on Linux isn't plain and simple without some kind of help. If you know how to properly use "man -k" or Google, you can easily become a Linux master in weeks, however without these tools Linux becomes very hard and seems like only a computer expert could properly use it. So for most people who are beginners at all things computer related, Windows or Mac is probably a better choice, although Linux can be easy to use, especially a distribution like Ubuntu or Mint, where there is a GUI available.
Linux is open source, and free. Which is a plus. A Windows Key and CD can cost a lot of money. It isn't covered by any warranties though. Windows users may argue that there isn't any help number you can call when you have an issue, but there is still the Internet, and the ubuntu forums can be incredibly helpful when you run into problems.
Another con is that not everything is made with Linux in mind. So be careful.
I'm going to end this topic here. I'd discuss Macs, but I've never used one so I don't feel right talking about it.
I will say one more thing about this: Don't argue the OS you use is the best when you haven't had as much experience with the others as you've had with the one you use. I'm serious. If you're arguing Windows is better than Linux, you better have used Linux as long as you've used Windows. Otherwise your argument can boil down to preference, which isn't an argument for which is better.
That's all for now.
Rob
I'm sure everyone in the field has heard and has their own arguments for why the operating system they prefer is obviously the best one out there and why one of the others or both of the others are the worse. These arguments are pointless.
Sure, different operating systems have different uses and some are definitely better than others when used for certain things, like for servers or networking. All operating systems have their ups and downs, but arguing that one is better, overall, than others is pointless and, to put it bluntly, stupid.
So today, I'm going to discuss my opinion on the 3 major operating systems being used: Windows, Linux, and Mac OS. For Linux, I'll be discuss the Ubuntu distribution. I'm going to try not to be version specific, but for the most part when it comes to it I'll be talking about the latest version.
So, let's start with windows.
Windows has a pretty good user interface. It can handle everyday use fine. There isn't much speed difference between the other two systems when it comes to playing video games, surfing the web, editing important documents, etc. Windows is definitely annoying as hell when it comes to troubleshooting a problem, and most of the problems can be persistent and hard to find help for. So as long as you don't run into any horrible issues, Windows is perfectly fine.
Troubleshooting errors on Windows can be a pain in the ass. The GUI system is great and all when you don't have to do anything administrative to the computer, like fix problems, then it's really difficult to find anything. Half of the times I've attempted to Google a problem, I found only half of the results were my problem and most of the solutions were different than the others and didn't work for me. Blue Screens of Death are particularly annoying to troubleshoot since any one blue screen can have a lot of different causes. Some don't even say why they occurred without you having to download a developer tool from Windows website (which takes forever). I know when my parents attempt to fix a computer problem, if there isn't an immediate solution or at least one on the first page of Google search results, they just reformat the computer.
Now I'm not saying the other two OSes don't have this problem. I know Linux does, and probably Macs too. But not as bad as Windows.
For gaming, Windows is almost unavoidable. Most games for the PC are for Windows. Steam has added Mac support to a lot of their games, but that doesn't go for PC games in stores. I will say, the market for Mac games is increasing, steadily, but it's still not where the Windows market is. If you're trying to hardcore game on Linux... Ha. There really isn't much of a way save for Wine (Emulates Windows for Windows-only applications) unless we're talking about game servers, then Linux is all over that.
Seems like a good time to start talking about the next OS: Linux.
Linux is great when it comes to speed and control. Everything that can happen on Linux can be done by typing a few commands into the shell. It can be easily automated with the use of Shell, Bash, and Python scripts. Remoting into a Linux computer is a lot easier and faster than remoting into a Windows computer. If you're looking to make a server of any kind, Linux is the OS for you. The control it gives and the compatibility it has with the other OSes when it comes to server operations is the best out there. It does have its faults though.
For the most part, doing something on Linux isn't plain and simple without some kind of help. If you know how to properly use "man -k" or Google, you can easily become a Linux master in weeks, however without these tools Linux becomes very hard and seems like only a computer expert could properly use it. So for most people who are beginners at all things computer related, Windows or Mac is probably a better choice, although Linux can be easy to use, especially a distribution like Ubuntu or Mint, where there is a GUI available.
Linux is open source, and free. Which is a plus. A Windows Key and CD can cost a lot of money. It isn't covered by any warranties though. Windows users may argue that there isn't any help number you can call when you have an issue, but there is still the Internet, and the ubuntu forums can be incredibly helpful when you run into problems.
Another con is that not everything is made with Linux in mind. So be careful.
I'm going to end this topic here. I'd discuss Macs, but I've never used one so I don't feel right talking about it.
I will say one more thing about this: Don't argue the OS you use is the best when you haven't had as much experience with the others as you've had with the one you use. I'm serious. If you're arguing Windows is better than Linux, you better have used Linux as long as you've used Windows. Otherwise your argument can boil down to preference, which isn't an argument for which is better.
That's all for now.
Rob
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Lies & Goals
Yeah, I know. I said in my last post I'd post again that night about something I forgot about. I lied. I got lazy and sat around doing nothing. Oh well, onto today's post.
I wanted to share a few summer goals with whoever reads this. Why? Who knows. Maybe so if I don't complete them I can look at the post at the end of the summer in shame (read: apathy). So what are my goals for the summer?
Goal: Re-learn PHP
Why: Two reasons. One, I plan on taking a web programming course at some point in my remaining college career, so I figure I'd have an edge if I already knew the language taught. Two, I'm the webmaster (read: Spiderman) of the Sketch Comedy group I'm in, and I want to convert the entire site to PHP because, frankly, it's a lot cleaner/easier/not shitty.
Goal: Learn Actionscript 3 & Flash
Why: I'm on a programming team for a video game my friend game up with. The game is done in Flash. So in order to program the game, I need to know the language and platform.
Goal: Learn some German
Why: I've been meaning to do this since last summer. I have Rosetta Stone and three levels of German sitting on my hard drive not doing anything. So I figure I learn some. I'm not going attempt to learn German fluently, since I have a lot to do this summer anyway.
Goal: Build a server
Why: To be more specific, a server for the campus television station (read: SITTV) that I'm currently System Administrator for. As soon as the parts come in I'm building it.
Goal: Upgrade my desktop computer
Why: I usually have some money from my internships set aside for something nice. I figure I upgrade my computer. Currently it has: 4 GB DDR2 RAM, AMD Athlon x64 II Dual Core 3.0 GHz processor, GeoForce 9500 GT nvidia card, and some gigabyte mobo (read: motherboard) that matches. I plan on upgrading to: 8GB DDR3 RAM, Phenom II Black edition Six core 3.2 GHz processor, new vid card with better specs, mobo to match. Hopefully it'll improve my computer greatly.
That's it for the summer. I have a few other goals that should be a given, so I'm not going to describe them (e.g. surviving my summer internship).
Possible future topics:
E3 Review
Computer Science Jobs
When will I post about them? In 2 seconds (read: maybe sometime that isn't now).
~Rob
I wanted to share a few summer goals with whoever reads this. Why? Who knows. Maybe so if I don't complete them I can look at the post at the end of the summer in shame (read: apathy). So what are my goals for the summer?
Goal: Re-learn PHP
Why: Two reasons. One, I plan on taking a web programming course at some point in my remaining college career, so I figure I'd have an edge if I already knew the language taught. Two, I'm the webmaster (read: Spiderman) of the Sketch Comedy group I'm in, and I want to convert the entire site to PHP because, frankly, it's a lot cleaner/easier/not shitty.
Goal: Learn Actionscript 3 & Flash
Why: I'm on a programming team for a video game my friend game up with. The game is done in Flash. So in order to program the game, I need to know the language and platform.
Goal: Learn some German
Why: I've been meaning to do this since last summer. I have Rosetta Stone and three levels of German sitting on my hard drive not doing anything. So I figure I learn some. I'm not going attempt to learn German fluently, since I have a lot to do this summer anyway.
Goal: Build a server
Why: To be more specific, a server for the campus television station (read: SITTV) that I'm currently System Administrator for. As soon as the parts come in I'm building it.
Goal: Upgrade my desktop computer
Why: I usually have some money from my internships set aside for something nice. I figure I upgrade my computer. Currently it has: 4 GB DDR2 RAM, AMD Athlon x64 II Dual Core 3.0 GHz processor, GeoForce 9500 GT nvidia card, and some gigabyte mobo (read: motherboard) that matches. I plan on upgrading to: 8GB DDR3 RAM, Phenom II Black edition Six core 3.2 GHz processor, new vid card with better specs, mobo to match. Hopefully it'll improve my computer greatly.
That's it for the summer. I have a few other goals that should be a given, so I'm not going to describe them (e.g. surviving my summer internship).
Possible future topics:
E3 Review
Computer Science Jobs
When will I post about them? In 2 seconds (read: maybe sometime that isn't now).
~Rob
Thursday, May 26, 2011
One Year Later
Whoa, it's been a whole year since anyone has posted anything on this blog? Not to mention it's been over a year since I've posted. Sheesh. Oh well, not a big deal.
So topic of this post: Roommate tips.
I've compiled a list of tops for being a good roommate. They're useful, use them.
Now I'm not saying I strictly follow all of these. I don't. I occasionally forget to do some of this. Sometimes 'occasionally' turns into 'always.' Forgive me, it happens. I still think these are great "Rules of thumb" to follow when being a roommate.
"But Rob, could you explain these rules for us?" Sure.
1. Even if you have agreed to share everything, ask first. Your roommate(s) may have forgotten about something they don't want to share. always do this unless they get annoyed and ask you to stop asking for permission.
2. This is a big "No." It may not seem like a big deal, but you do not know your roommate(s) financial situation. Don't assume they can just chip in $40 and go buy a ton of groceries without consulting them. Even if it's decided before hand that you will go shopping once a week and never spend above a certain amount, always alert your roommate(s) of shopping trips. That week might be the one week your roommate(s) is short on cash and can't afford a crap load of food.
3. I'm going to use myself as an example here. My roommates ask me to buy milk occasionally, we go through it fast (Or used to, the semester is over). Normally, I don't mind. However I don't always have the funds to make random runs to the store for milk, so I'll say "Sorry, I can't." Now, don't get me wrong, milk is great. But two semesters ago, when most of my paychecks were going to my school and I almost always ate breakfast at work, I rarely ever used the milk in our room. Occasionally I'd have a glass of milk or bowl of cereal, but that's it. Not a daily thing for me. If you don't use something your roommate wants you to buy, say something.
4. This is important. You don't want one of your roommates leaving with your TV, dishes, food, or cooking ware because they mistook it for one of theirs.
5. This especially applies for friends/girlfriends/boyfriends that plan on staying longer than one night. Ask. Always. Even if you set it up before that it's okay, at least let your roommate(s) know before you actually set the plans in stone.
"Hey Roommate, can my girlfriend stay the night?"
"No, dude, I have to study for a test tomorrow and I don't want the distractions."
"Oh, well she's kinda already on the way sooo sorry..."
This is bad. Don't do this. I personally hate studying anywhere but my room. I like my room. Plus your roommate(s) may not like the person staying over. Be respectful and ask. Also as a general rule of thumb, don't let whoever it is stay longer than 3 days or at least make sure to ask.
"Hey Roomy, can my girlfriend stay the night?"
"Sure dude, whatever."
FOUR DAYS LATER
"Dude, what the **** she's been here for four days!"
"Oh, I just assumed since you were okay with it the first night it'd be fine every night."
"Um, no. I failed a test this morning because you and bimbo wouldn't stop whispering and giggling and I couldn't focus!"
"Oh lol sry bro."
You know those huge trucks Ford makes? Kinda picture my arm, except it's a huge Ford truck. Now picture the imprint that would leave on your face. Also, picture being dead. That's what will happen if you ever do something like this. Ever. As another, more serious general rule, don't invite people to stay over during finals. This is aggravating. Really aggravating. Don't do it. let us move on.
6. You know what I'm talking about. When you have that special 'lady/gentlemen' over and you've already performed your ritualistic dance of feathers, and now it's time to smash fresh? Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. Let you roommate(s) know. You know what sucks? Assuming your roommate is gone for a certain amount of time and it turns out, yep they're back early. And you've already put on then took off your tribal clothing. No one wants to see you naked except that person you're with that wants to see you naked.
7. Be nice. Be respectful. Just in general.
That's all for now. I'll probably rant about something later today. I was angry about something last night, then I lost my steam. Once I'm in my room and I can actually look my steam (and find it), I'll post about it.
Later.
~Rob
So topic of this post: Roommate tips.
I've compiled a list of tops for being a good roommate. They're useful, use them.
Now I'm not saying I strictly follow all of these. I don't. I occasionally forget to do some of this. Sometimes 'occasionally' turns into 'always.' Forgive me, it happens. I still think these are great "Rules of thumb" to follow when being a roommate.
- Do not use something that belongs to your roommate(s) without asking
- If you all put money in for food, don't randomly go out and buy food without telling them
- Don't ask your roommate(s) to buy something that they don't or won't use
- Label or list the things your bringing to the room/apartment
- Ask your roommate(s) if a friend can stay over being asking the friend
- Inform your roommate(s) of "Special visits."
- Follow the golden rule, be nice
"But Rob, could you explain these rules for us?" Sure.
1. Even if you have agreed to share everything, ask first. Your roommate(s) may have forgotten about something they don't want to share. always do this unless they get annoyed and ask you to stop asking for permission.
2. This is a big "No." It may not seem like a big deal, but you do not know your roommate(s) financial situation. Don't assume they can just chip in $40 and go buy a ton of groceries without consulting them. Even if it's decided before hand that you will go shopping once a week and never spend above a certain amount, always alert your roommate(s) of shopping trips. That week might be the one week your roommate(s) is short on cash and can't afford a crap load of food.
3. I'm going to use myself as an example here. My roommates ask me to buy milk occasionally, we go through it fast (Or used to, the semester is over). Normally, I don't mind. However I don't always have the funds to make random runs to the store for milk, so I'll say "Sorry, I can't." Now, don't get me wrong, milk is great. But two semesters ago, when most of my paychecks were going to my school and I almost always ate breakfast at work, I rarely ever used the milk in our room. Occasionally I'd have a glass of milk or bowl of cereal, but that's it. Not a daily thing for me. If you don't use something your roommate wants you to buy, say something.
4. This is important. You don't want one of your roommates leaving with your TV, dishes, food, or cooking ware because they mistook it for one of theirs.
5. This especially applies for friends/girlfriends/boyfriends that plan on staying longer than one night. Ask. Always. Even if you set it up before that it's okay, at least let your roommate(s) know before you actually set the plans in stone.
"Hey Roommate, can my girlfriend stay the night?"
"No, dude, I have to study for a test tomorrow and I don't want the distractions."
"Oh, well she's kinda already on the way sooo sorry..."
This is bad. Don't do this. I personally hate studying anywhere but my room. I like my room. Plus your roommate(s) may not like the person staying over. Be respectful and ask. Also as a general rule of thumb, don't let whoever it is stay longer than 3 days or at least make sure to ask.
"Hey Roomy, can my girlfriend stay the night?"
"Sure dude, whatever."
FOUR DAYS LATER
"Dude, what the **** she's been here for four days!"
"Oh, I just assumed since you were okay with it the first night it'd be fine every night."
"Um, no. I failed a test this morning because you and bimbo wouldn't stop whispering and giggling and I couldn't focus!"
"Oh lol sry bro."
You know those huge trucks Ford makes? Kinda picture my arm, except it's a huge Ford truck. Now picture the imprint that would leave on your face. Also, picture being dead. That's what will happen if you ever do something like this. Ever. As another, more serious general rule, don't invite people to stay over during finals. This is aggravating. Really aggravating. Don't do it. let us move on.
6. You know what I'm talking about. When you have that special 'lady/gentlemen' over and you've already performed your ritualistic dance of feathers, and now it's time to smash fresh? Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. Let you roommate(s) know. You know what sucks? Assuming your roommate is gone for a certain amount of time and it turns out, yep they're back early. And you've already put on then took off your tribal clothing. No one wants to see you naked except that person you're with that wants to see you naked.
7. Be nice. Be respectful. Just in general.
That's all for now. I'll probably rant about something later today. I was angry about something last night, then I lost my steam. Once I'm in my room and I can actually look my steam (and find it), I'll post about it.
Later.
~Rob
Thursday, May 20, 2010
A Invertiable Tablet, plz.
I'm really wanted a tablet for school next semester. I have taken notes via typing and, of course, via writing, but I really would like a tablet. My sister has one, though we got it about 4, 5 years ago; it weighs a ton, and the battery life has gone down the hole. With new touch screen technologies and such, as well as just new technology in general, there have been a couple of tablets showing up that my Google Reader feed has decided to show to me, via Gizmodo or Engadget.
So far, only there are only two that I would even want:
So far, only there are only two that I would even want:
OR
I'm leaning on the HP computer because I've used a lot... My first laptop of my own was an HP-Pavillion, and it held up pretty well for 4, 5 years. The battery even now still lasts a good hour or two. I have given it to my brother to use since I got laptop from Stevens, HP-Compaq 8510w. It's alright, not as stylish as the Pavillion, but it was made to work well with the programs that came on the image. Of course, I didn't use much of it, and have installed Windows 7 64-bit on it.
I also want the HP because it doesn't say "netvertible." Netbooks are mainly just for web browsing and word processing (for the most part, anyway). HP labels this TouchSmart as a Notebook PC. I want to be able to do other things on it as well, though anything heavy I would probably use this laptop for (the Stevens HP-Compaq). Also, it's stylish. I'm one for aesthetics.
The Acer seems nice and small, though. Looks nice, and it is a Netbook. I haven't read as much on it yet, I will when I actually get enough money to buy either. Speaking of which, the HP, with the specs I wanted (from building it on their website) is about $1200. The Acer is around $900.
I want a tablet to take notes on because I like writing notes rather than typing them. It helps me remember things better. As of lately paper has been cumbersome to manage... Well, not cumbersome; more of annoying. Of course, I will have those classes that require I hand notes or homework in on paper, but I carrying around one binder with enough looseleaf for those classes that require it, instead of a notebook or two different binders because of the massive amounts of notes I take, would be a lot easier to carry around.
I'm going to do s'more looking around, but I don't have money yet. I'll get some when I start working this summer. Yeay!
...I wonder if either of these are pressure sensitive... I could also use it as a sort of sketchbook, too.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Coding Frustrations
I hate not being able to know where to begin with a coding project, especially one where the requirements are made for me, such as in a homework assignment. Especially coming out of Boken week, I still have no will to work, even after 12 hours of sleep.
The start of the day was spent doing class things, but even then I was barely in academic mode. I then ran some post-Boken errands, and then finished other Boken house-keeping things and goofed around for most of the afternoon until dinner with DJ, which ended up in a bit more Boken things and procrastination.
For the past hour I've been looking at the assignment, and the work I did for the assignment before it (since the one continues from the other/we could use stuff from the last assignment), and I have no idea where to begin. It also doesn't help that I have some Maya renderings to complete as well as a final for the class this assignment is for on the same day... With a presentation. Whoop-de-do.
I feel like the assignment will require me to redo a lot of things I did, which will make me very angry. I'm very big on code reuse, and I really don't want to have to rebuild something. It's hard to find a way to use certain things if your past homework was about a month ago with other things distracting you. Buh.
I wanted to make a short post, sharing my coding frustrations. Nothing too specific, and I'm also using this as a procrastination outlet. I already blogged on my tumblr today; crazy, I'm blogging more than once a day! AHH!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
A Major Change?
Sorry Rob! Haven't had any good topics to switch to as of late.
But, now I have one.
I've been thinking about it since I realized I'm not very good at or really enjoy computer science theory and such. After reading some things and looking at the Study Plans at Stevens, I am slowly getting convinced that Information Systems might have been a better choice for me.
Yes, I know it's probably not too late - they share a lot of the same courses, and anything I have extra can count as electives. The switch is easy. I'm just somewhat unsure. I enjoy programming and such, but I enjoy web design and web programming a lot more. I was reading what the IS majors at Stevens do, and I've been considering it.
Before I continue, I must apologize in advance for just using Stevens as my reference point as to what these majors do; it's where I'm attending now, and I do not plan on switching schools; just maybe majors. (Well, I'd be keeping the Art & Technology part and math minor, but anyway!)
Computer Science:
Our Computer Science degree is the degree path followed by most of our undergraduate students. The degree emphasizes the principles of Computer Science, and prepares students for careers in industry and/or graduate school. Course materials focus on how to design, implement, deploy, and manage sophisticated software systems.
Information Systems:
Our Information Systems program is for students interested in the areas of system development and design and user interaction and interface. Starting in the second year, the students begin to interleave with the core computer science courses other courses geared toward managing computerized systems in a business setting including attention to customer-client interaction.
I plan on sending an e-mail to my advisor soon, but I'm not sure if I were to switch if it would put me back a year. That can't happen ('cause my parents want me out in 4 years). It might only because of Art&Tech, but I'm almost done with that, to be honest.
I can always go back to school and get a masters in IS. That might be a good route to take as well. I don't have anything profound to say about what's going on in my mind about this right now, only because Boken is attached to my hip right now. I just wanted to put that out there; vent, somewhat.
Signing off for now,
Caroline
Bow down to me!
Two in a row! I'm on a role. I wonder where my fellow bloggers are.
Anyway, to get on with my topic. Ever wonder what it would be like to be unable to make your own choices? I have. Sometimes I think people don't make their own choices and only make them based on what others say. Sure, I can't say that I haven't made a decision based on what someone else said. Certainly you've been to a restaurant and made a choice on what you would have based on the review your friend just gave you. I know I have. But what if you had no choice at all? You couldn't even make a choice based on another's opinion or review. Well, apparently this can happen.
In Columbia, there is a drug known to the locals as Devil's Breath. Its a drug that essentially robs the taker of free will. There are many horror stories related to this drug as bad as someone killing another under its influence. It's a little terrifying to think about.
Just thought I'd share this with you. Here is the link to the article:
If you want to do more research on it than I have (which would be doing more than just reading the article), the article has the actual drug name. I'm pretty sure it's on Wiki.
Update on Website: I've learned the basics of Javascript, so I should be able to put it to practice once I read up on some techniques and look at source for other sites. I'm working on the design of the site too. Nothing amazing, just something simple for now. Just enough so I have something to work with. Anyway, I hope to have the design and most of the coding knowledge down by the end of the month, depending on work, and I can start shortly after finals (Early May).
~Rob
Thursday, April 1, 2010
(KeyboardDucks.lastPostDate().getSecondsSince() > secondsInMonth) ? post() : chillax;
So this is just something random because I noticed no one has posted anything here for quite some time. Since I haven't posted anything blog like since my intro post, I'll ramble in your general direction for a little while.
So I've recently compiled a list of computer languages that I want to learn (no pun intended). When I went about this, the first thing I did was list the languages I know and feel comfortable with. Here is that list:
Java
C#
shell/bash scripting
eggplant scripting (aka SenseTalk)
I use three of these four languages everyday, so I get a fair amount of practice in them. I'm the most comfortable using Java and can program something quickly, such as a catch rate calculator for Pokemon, with ease. C# I don't use often enough, but because of the similarities to Java and the syntax I know, I can still easily make a program in it. Shell scripting I'm learning now for work, and eggplant scripting I've also learned for work and have made a bunch of tests with it (which is what it's used for).
Now, after looking at this I noticed I'm missing something: A web-based language. Although I'm not too fond of web-based programming, I find it shows up a lot and could potentially be really useful, especially since I'd like to make myself a website at some point to house and display all of my programming projects (there is a lot of them). So I looked at some languages and picked a few that were either recommended to me or that I've seen others use:
Javascript - Good start, in my opinion. Easy entrance into other web languages.
Actionscript - Flash's language, so it can be used to make regular executable video games or some fancy animation for a web site or just because, I think this will be a good one to learn especially since my friends and I have worked on a video game that was programmed in this, and we only had two coders (a bit of an overload for them). Learning this will let me give them a helping hand.
PHP - Of course. I don't know a lot about this one, but I plan to.
MySQL/SQLite - Not just for web stuff, but for my own projects that require some form of database.
Python - This really has nothing to do with web programming, but I want to learn this so I have an alternative to shell/bash scripting.
I think this is a pretty good list. Once I've learned these languages, I'll have a pretty rounded knowledge in programming. Now all I need to do is find the free time to learn all of this and I'll be good to go.
Something completely off topic: I've decided to start up my LiveJournal again. Why, you ask? Well, I used to have one. Three, actually, from when I was in high school. There was only one that I updated somewhat regular and I just finished reading through all of it the other day. I definitely enjoyed reading the journal entries from my younger teen years. Very nostalgic. It got me thinking that maybe I should do this again, so that in another 5-6 years I have another LiveJournal to look at, have a nostalgic moment, and laugh at myself (which I did, a lot). I'll post the link to it eventually.
Just as a note, this is going to be a journal, not a blog. Anything that seems close to blog related, such as a random rant or some rambling like this post will be copied from the journal and put on here as well, so I'm still going to keep this up. At least with the journal I'll have more posts for this blog also since a lot of my rants and rambles come from everyday life.
Anyway, back to the programming.
So those are the languages I will be learning. To learn some of the web-based stuff, I'll be making a site. Its going to be pretty basic, nothing fancy like Caroline's or WillyWorld (when its finally up). Just something to house programs. Also when I get my desktop computer completely set up and permanently operational, I'll create a subversion repository for those of you who would like to download my projects. All of my stuff will be open source, so its yours to take and edit at your pleasure, it would be polite of you to give me credit for the original code though (if any of you do actually take it). Not necessary, but it would be nice.
So thats it for this. I'll post some updates about the upcoming site and code repository when I get stuff set up. Also I may change from Subversion to GIT, since I here only good things about GIT and Subversion can be stupid. We'll see.
Have a good April Fool's Day!
(Edit) I fix'd the title.
~Rob, ramblin' man (pun intended)
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Apologies and Frustrations
I apologize for the lack of blogging that has been going on. A few of us have been leading somewhat busy lives, or have been outright lazy, or have just forgotten. I, personally, feel I fall in the first category; that, and I have nothing particularly interesting to write about.
Until now, of course.
It's 1 AM, and I should be heading to bed. Midterm in the morning. Sorry if this starts to sound like a worldly rant about my life. Don't worry - it will get to a point.
I have been very busy, juggling planning events for Boken, schoolwork, internship searching, and personal advancement in graphic design, etc. The last has been somewhat lacking, but Spring Break is coming up, so I hope to be productive on my personal side of life.
Now, I just took a midterm. It was for Algorithms II.
Please, I just want to learn to code with minimal algorithm analysis.
To be honest, I do not see the point in the thorough mathematical analysis of algorithms. Yes, of course, to decide the efficiency and some other things, but I feel that no one truly does it as in-depth as we have done in this class. We also have barely been learning C, which is what I WANT to do. It's quite unfortunate, and although I should have studied more, the topic is dry as well as the lecture itself. I can barely pay attention, and when I do, stuff gets over my head. I'll have to look into studying this analysis part more over the break as well, but I have barely learned any coding in C - anything that I know right now - which is very basic, putting aside the basic syntax one can easily adapt to - I taught myself attempting to do homework for the class.
And then Scheme is deciding to be silly with SLLGEN, a scanner/parser system made with the Essentials of Programming Languages 3rd Edition of Scheme that goes with the book. I've been trying to make sense of it in the book, but nothing is actually explaining it clear enough that I can understand what exactly is wrong with my syntax in order to use it correctly. I have the class tomorrow, so I can perhaps ask the professor. It's been so frustrating, and sometimes Dr. Scheme doesn't want to return error messages that are actually useful to me so I can fix the damn program.
Now, to my somewhat-point. I hate not having specific instructions, vagueness, and lack of precision. It's a very big wish, but if professors could teach what exactly is needed instead of explaining things of the wayside, learning might be more enjoyable. Alas, I have to do a lot of self-teaching, even if I do pay attention in some of the classes.
Sorry for the rant. I would have posted on Tumblr, but I want to bring this nonsense back to life. Maybe when I get SLLGEN working I'll post a short thing about that. Until then, I'm off to bed.
~ Caroline
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Coding
When I first started exploring the wonders of the Internet back in the fourth grade, I was simply amazed and curious. As such, I got into HTML and CSS, and a little bit of PHP. I continued doing these things, perhaps mimicing some Javascript things, but I never really knew what I was doing.
In high school, we had no special "computer science" courses. There was essentially one class - one semester was some C++, the other semester was HTML. I didn't bother taking the course, because: 1) I knew most of the stuff that was going to be taught, 2) I had other courses that took priority, and 3) the teacher was perhaps not the best one to be teaching the course. Either way, I was never really exposed to much else, aside from be curious with Flash, but I didn't have the resources I have today to acquire Flash and learn that ActionScript exists.
Coming to Stevens and being accepted into the Computer Science program, however, threw me in for a loop. MATLAB - while not legitimately used for programming, but a glorified calculator - was easy enough to pick up since (for some odd reason), it was very similar to some PHP (which was all I knew at the time, really). And then I learned Java. While I hear it get a lot of crap, it is an easy language, and it works.
Back then I knew of a few languages, such as Javascript (though really that's script), C/C++, mySQL/SQL/SQLite, SSI... but there are some that I have never heard of until my academic career here at Stevens. Call me a "newb," but it fascinates me as to how many different languages there are. For example, Scheme - one of the few banes of my existence, but I have a pretty intermediate grasp on it. Not that it's hard, but the idea of all the parenthesis and JUST parenthesis is somewhat daunting in the beginning.
I am now looking into learning Ruby, Python, ActionScript, and a few other languages. One of the languages I have to learn in class at Stevens is C, too. I learned a bit of basic Assembly last semester as well. Those were interesting.
I also find it interesting of a sort of "programmer instinct," I guess I could call it. If one knows a language, it's not too difficult to pick up the syntax and some basic principles/tricks of a language. For example, pointers in C.
You must be wondering where I'm going with this; to be honest, I don't quite know myself. I am just intrigued by the fact of numerous languages. I would write about something else, but I haven't had much time to do anything else of more interest lately. I'm also attempting to use this as some sort of vent for inspiration in order to think of some little projects I can do with some of these languages, because sometimes learning with just tutorials and the given exercises is not enough.
I will, however, make some sort of silly app for myself for Android, though, once I bother to download the SDK. I'll have to finish learning Flash and ActionScript, first, though, since that will be the most useful to me right now.
Signing off. Sorry for the useless rant. :D
~ Caroline
Sunday, February 21, 2010
The Best Damn Tea I Ever Had
OK. Let's call this post a restaurant review:
So, for my birthday today my mother took me out to this awesome place in the city called the Russian Tea Room. Awesome place. I mean I would go there all the time if it wasn't so damn expensive. It was crazy expensive, however, my mom took me because it's restaurant week in the city making this place not crazy expensive. We got a three course meal for $25 each, awesome deal!!! The atmosphere was fantastic, very Eastern European, the food was top notch, and the tea. OK, well I'm not a tea enthusiast, but I got this peppermint tea affair and it was crazy. It came with biscuits and these honey infused cherries, it was sick. I guess all I'm gonna say is 5/5, there really wasn't anything wrong. I don't think I've ever been to a restaurant this good.
So look, if you are reading this get to the Russian Tea Room (7th Ave & 57th Street) before February 28th, and get yourself some damn good, some damn good food, and great time.
-DJ
Friday, February 19, 2010
Nerd-dom
First of all, excuse part of this post. I literally copy-pasta'd it from my Tumblr, only because I want to share it here as well. I made some minor edits to the beginning. I also want to say, I'm not waiting for Willy or Arty to make an introduction, because I have this to post for the evening, and I thought I'd share it with you all. Too bad I didn't take the time to read the entire essay; perhaps I would have had a long critique to the essay. Doesn't matter - I really don't have that kind of time. Anyway:
I am a nerd and proud, and I found it both appropriate and inappropriate to find in my Facebook Notifications that I was tagged in a note "Why Nerds Are Unpopular." My friend posted on Facebook this copy of an essay about why nerds end up not being popular. I’m not going to copy the entire thing, but you can read it here. I didn’t even read all of it. After the first few paragraph I just started to briefly skim.
There was something about it though that somewhat summed up my philosophy on popularity and nerdiness: “So if intelligence in itself is not a factor in popularity, why are smart kids so consistently unpopular? The answer, I think, is that they don’t really want to be popular.”
I think this is very true. It says somewhere later in the part that I did read that one can only really be good at something if one works at it. Kids who want to be popular work on being popular; kids who wants to do well academically, study. However, you never have to be on one side of the spectrum - jack of all trades, master of none, as the saying goes. I, personally, feel I am one of those kids.
My school never really fostered very exclusive cliques because of the size and the setting. I went to a private Catholic school, and we were only about 500 in the entire school. Yes, there were cliques, but it was never so exclusive or extreme. I was not UNpopular in any sense; I got along well with most people, and I didn’t have any real enemies. I studied and did my extra-curriculars and clubs, so I was social enough with upstanding academia. My group of friends was a good blend of the same people.
There was also another point somewhere in the section I did read of the article that sometimes the nerds choose not to be popular because they don’t want to be part of what “popularity” stands for. I do not want to sound elitist, but my friends and I knew some of the things that the “popular” kids were doing, and those things never interested us. Of course, we didn’t look down on the popular kids; actually, I was friends with a lot of them. It was the stupid actions and things that some people did that I tend to frown upon. Now, this is my opinion, and you can think otherwise.
I commented the above on the note my friend wrote, and he can see where I come from, coming from a very small school. He also did note, however, wondering about the community at Stevens. There are various demographics (I’m trying to avoid “cliques” because I believe as college students we should be past that stage, but it is still that in a base essence) apparent at Stevens, but many are those nerds. He was intrigued that many of us get along so well, if we were to base our backgrounds on a lose skin around that “unpopular” nerd skeleton. It is probably because of our sense of priority being learning and friends instead of what the trends were that we get along so well.
It is an interesting topic. I’ll have to read the entire essay sometime. I most likely won’t, however, so I’ll just sign off with this: I enjoy my nerd-dom and my current level of socialness. Although popularity contests exist, one’s competence and character become the deciding factor on whether or not people take pleasure in your company.
I am a nerd and proud, and I found it both appropriate and inappropriate to find in my Facebook Notifications that I was tagged in a note "Why Nerds Are Unpopular." My friend posted on Facebook this copy of an essay about why nerds end up not being popular. I’m not going to copy the entire thing, but you can read it here. I didn’t even read all of it. After the first few paragraph I just started to briefly skim.
There was something about it though that somewhat summed up my philosophy on popularity and nerdiness: “So if intelligence in itself is not a factor in popularity, why are smart kids so consistently unpopular? The answer, I think, is that they don’t really want to be popular.”
I think this is very true. It says somewhere later in the part that I did read that one can only really be good at something if one works at it. Kids who want to be popular work on being popular; kids who wants to do well academically, study. However, you never have to be on one side of the spectrum - jack of all trades, master of none, as the saying goes. I, personally, feel I am one of those kids.
My school never really fostered very exclusive cliques because of the size and the setting. I went to a private Catholic school, and we were only about 500 in the entire school. Yes, there were cliques, but it was never so exclusive or extreme. I was not UNpopular in any sense; I got along well with most people, and I didn’t have any real enemies. I studied and did my extra-curriculars and clubs, so I was social enough with upstanding academia. My group of friends was a good blend of the same people.
There was also another point somewhere in the section I did read of the article that sometimes the nerds choose not to be popular because they don’t want to be part of what “popularity” stands for. I do not want to sound elitist, but my friends and I knew some of the things that the “popular” kids were doing, and those things never interested us. Of course, we didn’t look down on the popular kids; actually, I was friends with a lot of them. It was the stupid actions and things that some people did that I tend to frown upon. Now, this is my opinion, and you can think otherwise.
I commented the above on the note my friend wrote, and he can see where I come from, coming from a very small school. He also did note, however, wondering about the community at Stevens. There are various demographics (I’m trying to avoid “cliques” because I believe as college students we should be past that stage, but it is still that in a base essence) apparent at Stevens, but many are those nerds. He was intrigued that many of us get along so well, if we were to base our backgrounds on a lose skin around that “unpopular” nerd skeleton. It is probably because of our sense of priority being learning and friends instead of what the trends were that we get along so well.
It is an interesting topic. I’ll have to read the entire essay sometime. I most likely won’t, however, so I’ll just sign off with this: I enjoy my nerd-dom and my current level of socialness. Although popularity contests exist, one’s competence and character become the deciding factor on whether or not people take pleasure in your company.
Signing off!
~ Caroline
Witty Post Title
Blogging? Interesting. I honestly thought for awhile that I would never get into something like this. Guess I was wrong.
Lets start with a little bio about myself. First, my name is Rob. We started this blog (as DJ said in his post) from an idea that came up when reading one of our friend's blog. I'm a computer science major (and mathematics minor) and my interests include programming, science in general, video games, acting (to an extent) and improv. I have a ton more, but little time to post this, since I'm at work right now, but don't tell anyone.
Most likely my posts will be pretty random, but I will try to stick to a few key topics. As far as they go, expect all things technology, this includes reviews on new/old software/hardware that I either find useful or repelling, video game reviews and expectations of upcoming games. Also expect random posts about current science, such as discovering a new planet, element, etc., music, forms of comedy, such as funny comics, shows, acts, etc., and everyone's favorite, philosophy. You may also see a rant or two, how fun! I'll probably only be on topic a little more than half the time. If a thought comes up during the day or if something interesting happens, I'll share it with you.
A bit bland for an intro, I know, but like I said, I don't have too much time to make it pretty right now. As a note I will probably not overlap with my fellow bloggers so that there aren't two posts on the same topic in the same week.
Thats all for now. Hopefully I'll find something of interesting in my life to talk about soon.
~Rob
And Now for Something Completely Different
No Caroline, you're wrong, we will post in that order, so Rob go before Willy, and Willy you're last, cuz you're awesome. Yea I just did cuz, we're gonna change some things on this mutha fucking blog...YEA!!! OK just kidding, Caroline is getting so mad right now, what with all the "cuz's" and improperness, but I'll TRY to do my best. (CAPS LOCK IS CRUISE CONTROL FOR COOL).
Now, this is my first blog and obviously first group blog. So, where did this come from, who am I, and what is my role? All very boring questions which I will now answer. So in short this idea came up when we were commenting on a friend of ours blog. We found it interesting and said to ourselves, "Why don't we try a blog in group format, about topics in each of our fields of interest." and that's how it started. Who am I? Not exactly that important. I'm a sophomore Mechanical Engineer here at Stevens, besides that nothing worth blogging about. What is my role? Not sure, of my four colleagues I'm probably like the second funniest, but definitely not the smartest...okay, so I am the best looking, but that's besides the point. I've decided to focus my portion on the blog on the three things where I am probably better apt to comment on: politics, sports, and movie reviews. Don't worry I don't have a political affiliation. Mind you, I don't have to stick to these topics, but I probably won't rant on this blog. However, if I do find an awesome daily observations, I may comment on it.
So that's it. I don't have much else, but I will give a SHORT comment on something that happened today that I would be remiss if I did not touch on it. I'm sure anyone who is reading this blog heard of the events in Austin, Texas today. I saw on CNN that a Facebook group was created basically calling Mr. Stacks a hero for his actions. I think this is a ludicrous thing to say, there are other ways to speak out besides crashing planes into buildings. Destroying your life and possibly the lives of others is horribly dangerous and irresponsible. I would urge anyone who thinks that what this man did was heroic to reconsider what "heroic" means and that it should never involve endangering the lives of others. I'm not saying I'm right, this is just my opinion.
Anyway, so now that's it. That was just my little rant, and I wanted to express my feelings on it. I hope there are more happy things to comment on in the future. Good night!
-DJ
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