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February 4, 2012

Tag: Computers

August 3, 2010

Wanton Geek Equipment Destruction

by Frank — Categories: Computers — Tags: , — 1 Comment

So let’s start the posting regularity again with a bit of an “oof”:

Geeks like to take things apart. Most of us got started at a young age, whereupon instead of actually enjoying the little toys that we got, we ripped them apart just to see how they worked. Some of you may have peeked inside your Transformers, others of you might have liked to check out your ViewFinder. I had an unfortunate occurrence involving an Etch-a-Sketch and my dad’s hammer. Don’t ask.

Anyway, it’s this piqued curiosity that leads us to greater pastures later on, whether it’s in the technology or gaming field. We learn to not only take things apart but put them back together…and eventually to take them apart again.

That’s why things like the keyboard discus competition above are both hilarious and interesting. When equipment can’t serve you any longer, there’s only one more purpose they can fulfill, and that’s the entertainment that only destroying it can bring. To be perfectly honest, when you see one of your friends cackling and steepling their fingers while they operate the crusher for cardboard boxes, you know they probably enjoy destroying their equipment too.

I think part of why geekery takes glee in destroying these things is mostly because they put a lot of work into maintaining and coddling them day after day. I suppose the years and years of work and effort gives them a bit of a right to let off some steam at the very end in a blaze of computer monitor and keyboard-smashing glory. Where some people might have an unhealthy attachment to their stuff, geeks don’t when it comes time to get rid of it. The speed at which tech moves these days, where the thing you bought today is old and busted tomorrow, makes it much, much easier.

Of course, don’t take my word for it – I’ll just show you the universally classic scene that conveys exactly how we feel about destroying geek things:

January 2, 2010

Double Monitor Pleasure

by Frank — Categories: Computers — Tags: — 4 Comments

Yes, yes, I know the image is triple monitors – but hey, one needs to aspire to the next level, right?

As some of you know, I got a second monitor for Christmas – a wonderfully crisp-looking Samsung 24-inch widescreen to go with my rather squarish Dell 19-inch. There was a time when I thought having dual monitors might have been the height of pretentious nerdiness. When I first saw someone with the setup, I thought that perhaps there was someone who, in addition to being a shut-in geek, was so disorganized (or concerned about the size of his junk) that he needed two monitors and therefore double the space for his material. Command center-like setups were only for spies, really bad movies about spies that also had no clue how computers worked, or for junk-size-concerned geekery.

I am glad, however, that I have been proven wrong, gladly filling the remaining deskspace with my dual monitor, white-hot brightness. Why? Well, a lot of it is simply utility. The amount of real estate on monitors is relatively small to geeks, mostly because we need to have a minimum open of at least 7 things at a time. Yes, tech is to geeks like crack is to a drug addict with a habit, and retailers like Fry’s and Best Buy are our dealers. But this drug is one that has its uses.

Monitorspace between multiple monitors allows us a greater freedom, making multitasking easier (watching a movie while playing a game for one) and organization more freeform (desktop-free purists like me like to have windows open for quick reference). It also is a boon for multimedia freaks like myself who dabble in video editing. Having another monitor to send a pre-rendered video of me getting killed in Aion PvP for the 6000th time is essential to my continued effectiveness at whoring myself out on the ‘Net, after all.

With most monitors surprisingly cheap and the vendors as various as their are for your favorite desktop themes, I encourage anyone with a little extra cash and stuck in the boring standard of a single monitor to invest in another. You’ll be surprised at how much more you can do, especially when you’re trying to work on the next level of your favorite game, writing a proposal for all stores to carry Jolt cola, and researching better ways to use bacon all at the same time. Trust me – it’s worth a try.

December 19, 2009

Your Pet Computer

by Frank — Categories: Computers — Tags: , — 5 Comments

Another reason for the lack of multiple posts per day lately is the fact that after a couple of years or so, I upgraded my computer. Taking advantage of the ridiculous discounts on Black Friday weekend, I secured a Dell Studio XPS 9000, with one of those brand spanking new i7 Intel processors, 6 GB of RAM, a video card that makes my games smooth as silk, and enough hard drive space to stuff all those random things I download. The installation was a project that took a lot of care and attention.

Geeks, I’ve seen, tend to treat their computers as pets. They have to maintain them, make sure they are happy and content so they don’t break, and love them with a passion that you could almost call religious. As an IT professional, I’ve seen many a computer or server come through the office, and they’re all treated like the best dogs, cats, and other assorted domestics ever. Even the birth and passing of machines is something that is, at times, treated with the somewhat hilarious reverence of holding a ceremony to flush Gus the Goldfish down the toilet and into the great fishbowl in the sky.

Like with any pet, computers are at their best when enough attention is paid to them in order to keep them healthy. Regular checkups by a certified tech “doctor” are encouraged for those cases that you can’t handle yourself. Programs and files need to be dealt with, and components, when necessary, need an upgrade. I’ve seen people treat their pet computers with varying degrees of care, and let me tell you, there’s nothing worse as a tech than seeing a pet computer hurting through some ongoing issues.

You might think that this is some kind of unhealthy obsession, me talking on and on about how owning computers is like owning a Fido or a Fluffy for a pet. But the next time you decide to get in front of the computer, take note of how much you pay attention to it, use it, or in some cases, even talk to it as you work. I think you’d be surprised at how like a pet you treat it. Just don’t try to feed it treats.

PS – My old pet computer found a new home, not to worry.

December 17, 2009

Burning The Midnight Tech Oil

by Frank — Categories: Computers, Site Related — Tags: — 1 Comment

howard-sokol-flame-in-jewish-oil-lampWell – the last couple of days have been interesting at least. Typically I don’t really talk about what I do for a living as work posts tend to get drudged up at rather random times. But I will say that as an IT professional, there’s nothing that makes things more interesting than a late night work week.

For the uninitiated, major implementations in IT are either smooth as silk or an extended stay in your office or cubicle with a sleeping bag. When you’re installing new tech or doing upgrades, the potential for problems is huge, and the need to get things going before the opening of business next day is immense pressure. This is pretty much what I’ve been going through, and the temporary zombie-fication has prevented updates.

Still, though, there’s nothing that breaks up the monotony of tech support and administration much like trying to grind away at a problem. The kinds of trials and tribulations you go through as you work on a crucial server issue or a network failure at 2am are the kinds of things that sadly, teach you some of your best lessons. If you’ve ever gone through the hardship of trying to find a solution to what seems to be a simple problem, you know what I’m talking about. There’s a sort of high associated with climbing a mountain of an issue and ultimately solving it, despite going through a ton of pain.

Geeks in particular, due to being on the cutting edge of tech, have a bit of an addiction to this kind of thing. Because the stakes are sometimes high (hundreds to thousands of users) and the technology massive, the satisfaction of identifying a problem with an installation, troubleshooting it, and fixing it is that much greater. Sure, it ultimately sucks when you can’t fix something or if you end up having to call in reinforcements, but the solution to any tech problem tends to benefit others and save them a ton of time – part of why I work in the field that I do.

Still, despite the satisfaction, the tired look that I have on my face as I post this is one I would definitely rather not have. Even geeks, who are notorious night owls, have their limits and become the walking dead after a hard night’s work of tech issues and solutions. I’m just frankly glad I learned a lot from the experience – and most people do.

October 20, 2009

The Swiss Army Knife Of Messaging

by Frank — Categories: Computers, Gaming — Tags: , — 1 Comment

swiss-army-knifeI think it seems like only yesterday that we were really using messaging clients that were simplistic and didn’t offer much functionality other than to send hastily created internet shorthand and smilies about the latest stuff.  Back then, I was really only using messaging as a real-time way to keep up with friends, chat with them between classes or during boring work days, and otherwise treat it as a trivial tool.

These days, if I didn’t have my messaging client, I’d be unable to keep up with game development contacts, talk to the staff who work under me to get things done, and find out the latest news from automatic news feeds. I wouldn’t be able to update my Twitter status and check on Facebook nor would I be able to keep my eye out for people miles away who I hardly talk to.  In short, I’m attached at the hip to it. Welcome to the new millennium, right?

Fortunately, developers who put together messaging clients are aware of this. They build new features that allow for collaboration in more effective and convenient ways. They keep up with the trends in new technology and find ways to put widgets in that integrate well with them.  Some people would say this is a bit too much, that messaging clients are getting to be more top-heavy when they don’t need to be.  I feel that, but I also think that there’s a certain kind of evolution currently happening with real-time collaboration that started with the rise of Myspace and Facebook, continues with Twitter, and which might move even further with future-thinking tools like Google Wave and Basecamp.

But while I get excited about the latest collaborative messaging tools and technology, I know that I’m not everyone. If you have a comment about how much you personally use messaging or if you grok a certain messaging client, I’d love to hear about it and how you personally use messaging in your daily lives. Leave a comment and let me know what you do!

September 21, 2009

Case of the Mondays Cure – Fakers, Cooldowns, and Ninja Cars

by Frank — Categories: Case Of The Mondays Cure, Computers, Gaming — Tags: , , , — Leave a comment
A very sad, sad panda :(
Image via Wikipedia

Do you really think I could keep doing these weekly pick-me-ups without posting a picture of a sad panda at some point? Come on now, it’s just way too easy to pass up.

The daily grind may be getting to you, the classes and homework might be torching your productivity, but not to worry – there’s still plenty to be happy about around the Internet. Check out these articles for some feel-good action:

Twitter to Put Smackdown on Fakers (via The Escapist): Twitter’s probably the fastest rising star in the social networking crew of applications, but with no real way to verify identity, it’s been plagued with a variety of fake accounts that in some cases have resulted in unpleasant legal action. So now, Twitter’s got to act, and they’re working on a way to verify identity to prevent people that like to impersonate Kim Kardashian from cluttering up the service.

Global Cooldown on Global Warming (via Fark): That crazy stuff you might be hearing about global warming might not be in the spotlight for a while. Scientists have pulled a 180, saying that the world is instead in a global cooldown that will last a little while. Good news for anyone annoyed by terribly obsessed environment folks everywhere – at least until 2020, when warming should pick up yet again.

Video Games to be Taught as Part of Curriculum in NYC School (via Gamepolitics): Ever get caught playing your PSP or Nintendo DS in class, students? Well, things are looking up for you, because at least one New York school is trying to put games into its education. The class will integrate games such as Spore and Little Big Planet while also employing traditional board games in order to teach children about the digital experience and get them into technology early. Oh, the lure of tech is a siren’s call, so anything anyone can do to put the needle in early is fine by me.

And finally…

Blade Runner Sound to be Added to Electric Vehicles (via The Escapist): Remember that cool futuristic sound that the flying Spinner cars made in Blade Runner (and if you haven’t seen the movie, I’m now aghast)? Well, to alleviate safety concerns that hybrid vehicles make less noise due to engine turn-offs, Nissan is integrating the sweet-sounding Spinner call into its design. I drive a Prius, and while I do delight in its ninja-like capacity for silence, I definitely wouldn’t mind having sound as long as it’s cool. Blade Runner counts as cool.

So there you go, folks – have fun with your Monday!

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August 5, 2008

iTrendWhore

by Frank — Categories: Computers — Tags: , , , — Leave a comment

So cool it looks good slanty tooOne of the really interesting things I notice about geeks is the contradictions they have with what they consider to be “cool”. Geeks like mechanics, they like parts, they like techie stuff – you know, the kinds of things that a normal, average person would have to probably take a week-long course with PowerPoint slides and big, unreasonably colorful pie charts. So the consequence is that some of them really tend to go all “anti-trend” on people.

Peeking out from behind their laptops and 27-inch widescreen monitor monstrosities, they IM to friends with a palpable self-assurance that they are above such things like the most popular music in the top 40, name brand shopping, and other things “everyone” is doing. In fact more often than not, geeky folks are torn down by their peers for not following the crowd and being “with it”.

Well, to those of you who’ve ever felt stupid about not knowing how to dance to the latest hip-hop song with the combination of the words “shawty”, “hey”, and “baby”, don’t worry – there’s hope. You too, are a trend whore and you probably don’t even realize it! I’m talking about a certain set of items that Steve Jobs simply had to put the lowercase i before, just because he could to increase the artistic flair, y’know.

The iPhone, iPod, and other such items are perhaps one of the biggest trend whore items of the last couple of years. It’s like all those Harry Potter books when they’d come out – you can’t seem to go anywhere without seeing the telltale white earbuds in someone’s headholes. If you didn’t know better, you’d swear it was some kind of freaky mind control, contrived by Apple to get people to buy more fruity-looking, pastel-colored goodness.

And the best part is that they’ve fooled all the geeks into buying into it too. High, overpriced techie gadgetry is like a siren song to geeks. As long as it is mildly useful and can be modified in some form or fashion, you too are a sucker for the iRevolution. People who would rather spend quality time with their PCs instead of persons walk side-by-side with those who dress in the hottest get-me-laid threads and shell out hundreds in club cover charges.  If Apple may have found the key to finding someonthing in common with everyone, it’s putting out a product named so that it rolls easily off the tongue and which looks good doing it, too. iPeace, anyone?

So the next time you’re stuffed in a locker, had yourhead put down a toilet, or had the super glue on the keyboard office trick played on you (again), just smile back, reach into your pocket, and pull out that iPod. I guarantee you you’ll be making a new friend that day – or at least someone who will leech all your songs off you andmake you their tech slave. Either way, it’s good to feel wanted.

July 25, 2008

Happy SysAdmin Day!

by Frank — Categories: Computers — Tags: , , — Leave a comment

Insanity, you are SysadminNow, this isn’t just because I’m a Sysadmin myself and have gotten showered with a few random gifts already, oh no. But today, for those of you who don’t remember, is SysAdmin Day.

What’s SysAdmin Day? Heck, what’s a SysAdmin? Aside from “that weenie who is antisocial and who is repsonsible for email”, they are the first and last line of defense when it comes to your services you just love to take for granted. XBox Live statistics? Website providers? Pornography downloaders? They’re all at some point run by some overworked, underpaid SysAdmin. If it weren’t for the fact that we were all slightly crazy and the fact that we prioritize our coffee over our productivity, we’d have taken over the world already.

SysAdmins are the ones who are probably paged when you whine on a forum about a server being down at 3am in the morning. They’re the ones who have to deal with the fact that someone thought it would be funny to forward the “Who’s on First” joke to everyone in the company 50 times. They’re also the people who clean up after the mess you made when you decided to webhost a 2 GB image. They’re like the plumbers and mechanics of the technology world, except without the necessity of seeing their buttcrack (mostly) when they are bent over in front of you fixing something.

SysAdmins should take heart, because if someone wasn’t as masochistic and as insane as them to do their jobs, then you’d have ordinary people responsible for creating passwords and accounts, putting in quotas for shared spaces, and deciding how much network traffic they’re allowed to have. It would be a very liberating hour, right before mass chaos ensued and people devoured each other like wild animals. Armed with their pagers on 24/7 call, a perpetual sleepy-eyed look that may or may not be the result of drugs, and a sense of humor that is a blend of George Carlin and Gallagher, you SysAdmins are the only thing standing in the way of people and total technological anarchy.

And they said you wouldn’t amount to anything in high school.

So remember to think of your SysAdmins, folks, and thank them for a job well done, or at least a job you don’t have to do. Why, even I got a gift today. They really shouldn’t have gotten me that 15-server downtime and that network connection fubar. They were also so thoughtful to bring down email, too.

I feel so loved.

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