A New Computer

So after suffering though years of falling further and further behind the technology curve, I've finally bought a new computer for home.  But before I get to that, let's talk about what I'm typing this on at this very moment…

Currently I have white box PC that originally was built in 1997.  It's been piece by piece rebuilt or upgraded over the years, but nothing new for a number of years now.  It originally was a Pentium II or maybe even Pentium.  I know I replaced the motherboard at one point, but I don't know if I changed processors then.  In any case, a couple of years after that I did get a Pentium III on the cheap which is what it currently runs.  I don't recall the rated speed, but it's overclocked to 784MHz and has a lofty 256MB of RAM.  It originally had a 6GB hard drive, but I added a second 40GB hard drive.  It originally had a cheap 15" monitor that was later replaced with better castoff monitors.  First a better 15", then a 17" and about 3 months ago a 19" which is about the only truly worthwhile part of it.  So anyone else think it's time for an upgrade?  Me too…about 5 years ago.

Ever since my first PC I've always built my own machines.  But these days I simply don't have the time or inclination to do that.  Thus, "Dude's getting a Dell".  ;)  So last weekend I finally pulled the trigger on a XPS Studio series machine.  The basics:

So there it is.  I guess you could say that's "slight" upgrade from where I'm currently at. (!)  Could I have built something myself for less or better for the same price?  Maybe.  Could I do it in as easily as saying "yes" and picking up the phone when Dell called?  No.  It's hassle free, a reasonable deal and meets my needs.

It's got the newest processor line available, although a couple of steps below the top of the line. (cost consideration)  But it's got lots of DDR3 memory which should really help with the type of things I struggle with currently that I'd like to do more of.  That being audio ripping and encoding, photo and video manipulation and scanning, again mostly photos.  Currently trying to do most of those sorts of things is painfully slow and you can't do anything else.  That shouldn't be a problem anymore.  The speakers certainly aren't audiophile quality, but it's big step up from the no-name basic plastic boxes I currently have.  Besides, if I really want to listen to something through the computer I generally use a good set of headphones.  It's got a six button mouse which is something I have gotten used to using at work and I find very handy.  And the front panel media reader is a godsend as I'm tired of hassling with various adapters and having to constantly pull and unplug various things to free up a port.

I'm happy with my decision.  And I'm excitingly awaiting it's arrival.  Which could be as long as another two weeks as the estimate ship date is on or before 1/28.  This is due to having to wait for the monitor to be in stock, but I believe it's worth it.  If endure the current system for 12 years so what's 3 more weeks at this point, right?

The Moustache Competition

So one of the guys at work organized a moustache competition last November. I deemed it silly and opted to pass. But this year I decided I'd get in on it. What the hell, I've never gone more than about 4-5 days without shaving so why not? The rules are fairly simple. You had to be clean shaven at the beginning of November and have your moustache style shaved into place by the beginning of December. As for style, you pretty much could grow anything you wanted with two exceptions… 1) There has to be a disconnect between the beard and sideburns; and 2) no hair anywhere below the lower lip with the exception of the "soul patch". …more