Originally, this year was the year to get a new laptop or a tablet (ASUS Eeepad Transformer). However, due to another rash of BSoD’s and memory issues with the desktop, and a real lack of laptops worth buying (more on this later) it was time to replace the desktop. Part of me really wanted to push this off until AMD’s Bulldozer launched this summer, but I needed a stable desktop.
Truth be told, this wasn’t a fully new build. I only updated the following components:
- CPU: C2D E8500 => i7 2600K
- Memory: DDR2 800 4GiB XMS2 with DHX => DDR3 1600 8GiB Vengeance
- Motherboard: DQ35JO => GA-Z68X-UD3P-B3
- SSD: 80GB x-25m G1 => 120GB Intel 320
Is it fast? Of course. The processor and memory upgrade is the most noticeable, especially for tasks such as video trans-coding. However, the transition from the x-25m to the 320 was not a big upgrade. Under load, the system runs significantly cooler than the old C2D based system. Part of this may be due to replacing the front exhaust fan (the PC-A05NB vents to the front) with a PWM controlled one that can move much more air if needed.
Overall, I’m enjoying this new build, and can once again rely on my desktop for important tasks such as programming.
-John Havlik
[end of transmission, stay tuned]
Today, a few members of the MSP WordPress user group got together to participate in the Automattic Worldwide WordPress 5k run/walk/jog (and maybe I arrived a little late). The planning was a little last minute, and all week the forecast had it raining today. So we were quite lucky to actually get a group of 5 to participate and have it only feel like a humid summer morning with a gusting wind from south.
Above is the route I ran (run #3 for the season). Starting at the band shell, I ran around lake Harriet, counter clockwise (like anyone who has ran around a track would). Since, the loop around lake Harriet is only about 2.8 miles, I continued past the band shell for another .15 miles before heading back to the band shell.
I noticed two things about running around the lake. First off, it is rather flat around lake Harriet, which is a bit of a change from the somewhat hilly area I live in. I’d provide elevation numbers from my Forerunner 305, however, I noticed it is horribly inaccurate (on run #2 this year it had me climbing in elevation when I was actually going down hill). The second is there are far more people running/walking around the lakes in Minneapolis than just about anywhere out in the suburbs.
-John Havlik
[end of transmission, stay tuned]
Looks like Microsoft has some sense of humor:
It won’t make me a sandwich?
System Restore can fix many problems, but it’s not designed to do everything. It won’t fix a slow download speed, for example. But it’s a great tool to turn to when everything else you’ve tried hasn’t worked…
I ran across this little nugget last night while trying to figure out why System Restore was only keeping one restore point on my dad’s laptop.
-John Havlik
[end of transmission, stay tuned]
Believe it or not, Google has a rich snippits format for breadcrumbs. A user on the WordPress.org forums pointed it out to me. Is it cool? Sure. Is it useful? In its current form, probably not, and this is why.
While productive, the last two weeks have been filled with a ton of maintenance related work. I have done some work on the theme for this blog, database cleanup, and various behind the scenes things for Weblogs.sc. Combining these with trying to catch up from vacation, it hasn’t been a quiet few weeks. But now, it’s time for weekly goals again.
- Complete the outline for my presentation for WordCamp MSP.
- Get Breadcrumb NavXT 3.6.0 ready for translators. Right now I’m aiming for August 23rd as the release date.
- Run at least 3 times this week. Since a hilarious (when looking back on it) crash on my mountain bike on July 4th, I have not been keeping up on my running routine. It’s time to change that.
-John Havlik
[end of transmission, stay tuned]