October 16th, 2011

What I Look for in a Laptop

After having a slight scare with the “h” key on my trusty Vostro 1400 (the key mechanism was binding slightly so that it had to be firmly pressed from the top to register), I began casually perusing the laptop market to see what was available.

Since I’ve had this laptop for over 3 years now, it is nearing the end of its normal service life. Lithium Ion batteries are only good for 3 to 5 years. Based on previous experience, I probably have about a year left before the battery stops holding a charge. Even though I could just buy a replacement battery, getting something new may be a better alternate (already have a fatigue crack near the ExpressCard slot).

September 6th, 2011

Lian Li PC-A05NB Mod

Posted by John Havlik in General

The last official project of the summer was a quick mod to my Lian Li PC-A05NB case. For those not familiar with the case, the PSU sits in the bottom front of the case. The case is designed with airflow from in the back to exiting from the front (reverse of all other cases). Before I upgraded to a Core i7, my Core 2 Duo system was experiencing some heat related issues due to exhaust issues through the front.

June 23rd, 2011

Which One? / vs ÷, · vs ×

Posted by John Havlik in General

When performing a mathematical calculation by hand, what symbol do you use to signify division? Do you use a slash (/), a horizontal line with the numerator and divisor above and below, or the divide (÷) symbol? Personally, I use one of the first two, depending on the context. And, I can’t remember the last time I used ÷. However, a good estimate would be back in grade school.

June 4th, 2011

New Box Build

Posted by John Havlik in General

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]

April 10th, 2011

Worldwide WordPress 5k with the MSPWUG

Posted by John Havlik in General

[wpt-activity]

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]