Life in the Swamp

A MOSTLY COMPUTER-FREE UPDATE

With the exception of lacking a PCIe vid card my new computer is usable. I still need some really fast RAM and a pair of SATAII drives to complete what may be my last unsecured system. I also managed to get a MGE Quantum case for once I get home. Also there was a shootout between AMD and Intel with their dual core desktop processors, the results were both expected and obvious to us computer people. I think the story is on cNet. Thus ends my computer related update.

Work is easy right now, but it still sucks. I worked 50 hours Thanksgiving week, working 7 days straight. I'm only working 5 days this week, although one of those days involves a 13.5 hour shift. My job requires virtually no thinking so I have plenty of time for plotting and scheming up my next antics for when I return. I think I like working @ Pecos Bill's better than Typhoon Lagoon as I don't have to do mornings and I have fairly consistant hours. The people who work there don't suck and the busses come consistantly every 20 minutes. My uniform is a different matter though. No comment on that @ this time.

My roommate Dave is leaving us on Thursday to return to the great NorthWest. Medical reasons have kept him from his job most of the season and his manager gave him the OK to leave early. He will be missed, but he will be @ BCC next quarter so I might see him around. Nick will now have a room back to himself probably for the rest of the term down here. Lucky...
My other roommate Dave technically moved out last week when he came over just to remove the rest of his stuff from his closet. He now lives with his boyfriend, Rob. Loran's girlfriend, Amanda, has now moved into gay-Dave's room and is a much cooler roommate than he was. She also likes cooking, but Nick and I still cook as well.

There are only two upcoming movies that I've got on my list to see; "ÆonFlux" and "Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe". I can't get an advance on either of those unless BitTorrent comes through for me.
I didn't get my 4 Xbox360s as planned, so I don't have the excess of cash @ the moment that I had originally thought. I waited 7 hours in line with 25 people in front of me, only to discover that the store only received 24 units.
I also have my classes for winter quarter but will miss the first two days due to being in Florida. That's it I'm going to bed.

Intel Declines AMD Offer of Dual Core Duel

Several weeks ago AMD make a public challenge to Intel to put two dual core servers together in a head to head comtest of raw computing power. Intel has now decided to decline the offer to show off their supposedly superior products. Here's the top ten reasons why as suggested by INQ:
10. Tried to follow their own roadmap to get to the duel
9. Decided to take the "front-side bus" to the duel; got stuck in a bottleneck
8. The "Intel Inside" stickers they used to package the cores together keep melting
7. Too busy rearranging the deck chairs on the Itanic
6. "Hey, we don't expect anyone to actually buy these things!"
5. Didn't want to compete when they realized that the duel would involve actual "rules" of fair competition
4. They couldn't get a permit from the fire department to emit that much heat
3. No systems available yet - protective clothing used by manufacturers only safe for up to 149 watts
2. Dell told them they weren't allowed to participate

And the number one reason Intel won't accept the dual core duel:

1. Moore's Law has been replaced by "Paul's Paradox": the number of canceled products per year at Intel will double every year after the introduction of the AMD Opteron processor.

So basically AMD has a better server platform right now. What does that mean to an average person? Absolutely nothing, unless you happen to own AMD stock since a better product might possibly result in better sales.
On a more important note, however, Xbox360s go on sale mightnight Tuesday.

Aluminum foil hats won't protect you

Researchers at MIT have proved what I suggested more than a year ago, that aluminum foil hats amplify government radio frequencies not block them. For those of you who wear these fashonable head coverings, tin foil may be your better bet as aluminum will only increase your vulnerability. A new study in the near future may suggest that only lead foil will actually be useful, but I only know one place that sells it and its rather expensive. Although what price can you honestly put on the safety of your mind from the evils of government brainwashing? You can read the findings here