Jun 16, 2005

Gaming PC

PCQuest (the magazine) has an article on what they claim to be India's fastest gaming machine. It has some awesome specs. I don't remember them all right now but it was something like Athlon FX (2.4 or 2.6 GHz?), 2GB DDR2 RAM, dual 6800 Ultras with either 256MB or 512MB RAM each running in SLI, one funky looking case, I think a 19" monitor, and oddly enough as far as I remember a 40GB 7200rpm disk.

Hmm... how does that stack up against my desktop system? AthlonXP 2600+ (the 333MHz FSB one, no less), 1GB DDR RAM (one stick of 333MHz, the other of 400MHz, so effectively running at 333MHz), 5900 SE with 128MB RAM, 19" Samsung monitor and 60GB + 40GB internal HDDs + 250GB external HDD. Not too bad considering that the monster PC is close to 245,000 Indian rupees (with free shipping, that gets my goat - free shipping, indeed).

Now where can I get a two hundred thousand odd rupees? Any generous readers? Um... any readers at all?

Links

Some links from my browser bookmarks.
  1. Gamespot
  2. Quotations Page
  3. Straight Dope
  4. The onion
  5. Metric Prefixes
  6. Whitespace
  7. Useless
  8. WHOIS
  9. AbcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzAbcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzAbcdefghijk.com
    - The World's Longest Alphabetical Email Address
  10. Theme Songs
  11. FilePlanet
  12. GrAwL Gamerips
  13. Blame India Watch
  14. Micro Java board games for wireless devices - Network Mobile Chess - Downloads
  15. APNIC
  16. Refactoring Home
  17. WINSHELL
  18. WinXPcentral - WinXP Post SP2 TCP-IP Connection Speed Tweak
  19. MP3
  20. audiosrch
  21. BOOKS
  22. TCL
  23. DX
  24. C&CMOD
  25. VEERA
  26. ROMS
  27. All About
    Symbian Forums - Nokia 3650, 3660, and 3620
  28. Gutenberg
  29. Salon.com
    Virtual IT Online Shopping
  30. Computer Ware House Price List in bangalore, Krnataka
  31. BOOKS
  32. Game Downloads - Game Revolution
  33. Toms Hardware
  34. Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
  35. /.
  36. kbps explan
  37. rediff
  38. GUIdebook Longhorn 4015
  39. Under the Hood, MSJ February 1998
  40. The Scalability Problem - How does one design today's games for high-end and low-end PCs at the same time?
  41. Microsoft Interview Questions
  42. eml
  43. Y!brifcase
  44. ring
  45. AGE
  46. [H]ardForum - Valve sucks
  47. Microsoft reinvents its own wheel
  48. networks
  49. MP3RAID
  50. Arima
  51. GLOSSARY
  52. Notebook Forums - Gateway/ Emachines Support (peer to peer)
  53. http://www.tmk.com/ftp/humor/computer-error-messages.txt
  54. chaotic moments
  55. Humour
  56. CHAPTER 1 GDSII format
  57. AOE3
  58. Microsoft Interview Questions!
  59. Reflections on Relativity
  60. Torpedo
  61. X-RayPc Spyware Remover Process Analyzer from Xblock Systems
  62. Desktop Processor Quick Reference Guide

ebook

Reader Veera brings up the interesting issue of what exactly is an "ebook".

A definition I found, and which I think sounds correct is: An electronic version of a traditional print book that can be read by using a personal computer and/or an eBook reader. An eBook reader may be a software program used on a personal computer or a portable reading device.

So yes, it is indeed a "softcopy", in the same sense that "email" is a softcopy version of real mail. For those not in the loop, look at this site: http://www.gutenberg.org/ "Project Gutenberg is the first and largest single collection of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today."

This should tell you why someone would find ebooks interesting - they can sometimes be obtained for free. Especially those older books whose copyright has run out and which are in the so-called public domain. If you want a print version of the book, you still have to pay for it; while the ebook can be free. The problem with ebooks is the device that you use to read them on, it does get a bit irritating to keep scrolling on a notebook or on a PC. That said, I think there are ebook readers available that can do the scrolling automatically for you and will also format the contents to your liking. Adobe has an ebook reader, though I haven't used it. Then there are software that can actually read (vocalize) the book for you, but personally I think it sounds creepy.

Jun 15, 2005

M6805

eMachines has released a BIOS update that apparently solves some problems with the M6805 and Windows XP SP2. Not that I have seen any problems with SP2 myself. My main gripe with the BIOS is that it doesn't have many settings to change. And I haven't found any way around that.

Jun 14, 2005

Virus

What's with virus attacks and dumb users? Not dumb in the normal sense of the word, they are intelligent, perhaps even clever folk. But why must they open an attachment that has virus-worm written all over it? I can understand it if it's a sneak attack using a vulnerability of the system that lets the virus/worm in. Sigh, I've been deleting warning emails all day.

Will it?

Or won't it? Happen, that is. I hope it will. But it may not. Which would be bad. I think. Or not.

Is it the unknowns of life that make it worth living? I don't know. Right now I feel I'd love to know what's in store.

Book bug?

What's the web coming too? We've got people writing about their reading habits for everyone to see! And then they expect other people to do the same thing! Book bug, indeed.

Now, let's see... this is a series of questions to which I don't really know the answers. However, I can pretend to be a great book lover and just google to get a list of impressive sounding book names. Maybe I can earn some brownie points.

Number of books I own? Huh, I don't know, I never counted 'em. Lots, certainly. As Veera pointed out, there are lots of types of books lying around in my house, some are read often, others are packed up in large cardboard boxes waiting for the next move. So, how many? Hundreds certainly (leaving the magazines and newspapers out, Veera!).

Recently bought books... I'll pass. The only book I remember buying in the recent past is The Da Vinci Code; I'm not the reader I used to be.

Last book I read? Groan. Thinking in C++ is a book that qualifies, right? Just borrowed Men are from Mars etc. from a friend, skimmed through it but I don't think it applies to me.

Books that mean a lot to me. Who comes up with these "bugs" anyway? Calvin and Hobbes means a lot to me. Sherlock Holmes means a lot to me. Catch 22 means a lot to me. The Mahabharata means a lot to me, though I don't remember where I put it the last time I read my copy. More interesting are books that don't mean anything to me. All management books. All self-help books. All home improvement books. All books that come with a moral. All books that tell me to do things that I don't do. All books that claim that my life would be much better off if I just did what they want me to do. So there!

Spread it to 5 other people? Makes me feel like I'm contagious! No thanks, I don't think I'll do that. The bug stops here.

Talking of books, I'm rather surprised that nobody has talked about ebooks (in the bug reports that I saw on other people's blogs). I've a bunch of P.G.W. ebooks that I'm trying to complete. All the works of Shakspeare too, maybe I'll start on that someday. Maybe someday I can afford a tablet PC, and then I will read all those ebooks I have collected but find difficult to read off a monitor.

Jun 13, 2005

Revenge...

... of the Sith. Saw it this weekend. I was looking forward to ... hold your breath for this one... General Grievous. And he did not disappoint.

Here's a link: http://www.starwars.com/databank/character/generalgrievous/

It was a good enough movie overall, for someone who's not a fanatical fan of the series. It was a pain in the neck to watch it from the front row though. And as usual, there were a bunch of idiots who refused to turn their cellphone ringers off, and also answered calls in the middle of the movie.

Also helped a friend to move to his new place in Bangalore (he's recently returned from Mumbai). Only to find out that another single software pro in the same building was robbed blind by some guy who climbed up to the first floor, opened the windows, stuck his hand in and opened the door, and cleaned out the house while this guy was fast asleep. Took everything he could lay his hands on, including the toothbrush.

Jun 10, 2005

School

This is the website of my old school in Indore. I studied here from the 7th to the 12th standard, long long ago.

http://sathyasaiindore.com/sathyasai/default.asp

No doubt a lot of things have changed there since the time I last saw it.

Jun 6, 2005

Strange...

... people. I read this in a news report about the flyover protests:

"BDA officials are upset. They point out that there are other pending projects —Rajajinagar underpass and the National College flyover. “Why have they chosen the flyover for the protest,’’ they ask."

Made me think... "I am upset. There are other pending projects - the old module I never got down to writing code for, the bugs lined up in my queue. Why have you chosen my last project for blasting me about?" Naah... it'll never work on my boss.

Bangalore woes

http://o3.indiatimes.com/jonagil/archive/2005/05/12/114431.aspx

http://bangalorebuzz.blogspot.com/2005/06/residents-target-delay-in-flyover.html

Airport Road flyover

It looks like Bangaloreans are protesting about the delay in the completion of the Airport Road flyover. I suppose it's wrong to say "are protesting" since everyone I know has been shouting themselves hoarse about it for months. The difference this time, is that the protests might be heard because they are in the form of a silent gathering on Airport Road itself.
http://www.pacindia.org/bangaloredemandaction

Jun 3, 2005


Such is life... Posted by Hello

Jun 2, 2005

Electric car, anyone?

This link has info about a new electric motor. Hardly any noise, no air pollution. So, what's new?

A car with such motors could run as fast as a Ferrari.

Quoting from the article:

"...the motor provides enough torque at one revolution per minute to put a vehicle into motion..."

"Theoretically an electric racing car driven by four of the motors - one for each wheel - could hold its own in Formula One."

"If he finds the right automotive partner, a prototype electric car that would put a smile on Michael Schumacher's face could be ready within two years."

Hooray for technology!

What is the...

... world coming to? http://in.rediff.com/getahead/2005/jun/02exam.htm says that kids may no longer have board exams! I don't see why.

We'll soon have a world of whiners who think they deserve something without working just because someone else has it.

I accept that some people may not be academically good but can be successful in other areas of life. In which case, what should be done is to provide schools for such "other areas" and have exams for them.

Jun 1, 2005

Too much homework...

... can be counterproductive. According to two Penn State researchers. Here's a link: http://physorg.com/news4333.html

These guys are brilliant. It's always the same thing. They come up with something that would really have been useful (for me) a decade ago! I was one of the good guys who would usually do all the homework assigned to us kids, even the abominable holiday essay "How I spent my Summer Vacation".

One vivid memory I have is that of my friend's grandpa commenting on some Geography homework that we were doing. We had to write out the points of difference between the east coast and the west coast (of India, duh). I was stuggling with vegetation, soil (I think), kind of topography and so on. Along comes gramps and says, "East and West coasts? One is on the east, the other's on the west. What's all the fuss about?"