ATI and NVIDIA

Nov 27, 2009

*UPDATED Jan 1st, 2010*

So, after selling the Quadro FX5800, I went back to my 9500GT. Then I recently upgraded from the GeForce 9500GT to an ATI Radeon HD4650. I did get a decent performance jump - but it left me wanting more. I barely got to raise settings, but the frame rates were better. The main annoyance of the upgrade, though, was the ATI Catalyst system. It's buggy, crashed explorer a few times, and was just "weird". The card was around 73 bucks total. So, I took it back today looking for something better. I found an NVIDIA GeForce 9800GT 1gb PCI-E2.0 that came out to 80 bucks after tax. WOW...what a performance leap! I get to max out settings in Fallout 3, Far Cry 2, Oblivion, Bioshock and more, all at 1920x1080, and using DirectX 10!

NVIDIA's drivers are great, and leave nothing to be desired. Seriously, this is why I stick with NVIDIA. The 9800 was the best hardware purchase I've ever made, hands down. Cuda support, PhysX, HDMI, full HD video acceleration, etc. I'm fully satisfied with this card! While it doesn't give the same performance when working with multiple PSD's with files sizes in the gigabyte range and greater, for gaming it's sweet, ESPECIALLY at the price point! Pics of my setup:

The new card itself:










Main PC
-Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium x64 (main OS)/Ubuntu Linux (secondary OS)
-Intel Pentium Dual Core E5200 (45nm, 2.8ghz per core, 2mb L2 cache, 800mhz FSB)
-6gb Patriot PC2-6400 800mhz RAM
-PNY NVIDIA GeForce 9800GT xlr8 (PCIe 2.0, 1024mb, SLI-ready)
-Creative X-Fi Platinum sound card (24-bit, 64mb audio XRAM, EAX Advanced HD 7.1/5.1 audio, front panel with hi-z and lo-z mic inputs/outputs, mini MIDI inputs/outputs, S/PDIF optical digital inputs/outputs, coaxial digital inputs/outputs, media remote)
-3.5" Multi card reader drive
-Lite-On DVD+-R/RW CD-R/RW drive
-Seagate 250gb SATAII hard drive (OS, games)
-Seagate 250gb PATA hard drive (pictures)
-WD MyBook 500gb external drive (movies/tv)
-Digital Research 320gb external drive (archive)
-Maxtor OneTouch 250gb external drive (incremental backups)
-Acer 23" LCD monitor (1920x1080, HDMI, DVI and VGA inputs, HDCP compliant)
-HP 17" LCD monitor (1280x1024, DVI and VGA inputs)
-Logitech S510 Wireless Desktop
-Wacom Bamboo tablet
-Ratpadz GS gaming mouse pad
-Canon MP250 printer/copy/scanner

Netbook

-ASUS EeePC
-Ubuntu Linux (main OS)/Windows XP Home (secondary OS)
-Intel Atom processor (1.6ghz)
-1gb DDR2 667mhz RAM
-160gb hard drive
-Intel integrated graphics
-10.1" LED backlit widescreen LCD (1024x600)
-Integrated HD webcam
-WD Passport 80gb external drive (backups)

Sound System
-Panasonic 1000W home theater receiver (Dolby Digital, Pro-Logic, DTS sound decoders, 5.1 channel, composite audio inputs, 2 coaxial digital inputs, 2 S/PDIF optical inputs, external wireless speaker ready.)
-2 Sony full-range center speakers
-Sony front L+R mid-high range bookshelf speakers
-Insignia L+R mid surround speakers
-Panasonic rear L+R satellite surround speakers
-Panasonic subwoofer

All of it connected to an APC Uninterruptable Power Supply

Testing; One, two…

Nov 24, 2009

Ok, this is just a test. I downloaded Windows Live Writer and I linked it to my blog…this test will determine whether I will keep the program or throw it violently into my recycle bin. YOU DECIDE, PROGRAM. *Tough guy stare*.

 

EDIT: K, it worked. You’re safe, program – FOR NOW…

So yeah, I was trying out that VMWare image of ChromeOS.

Nov 20, 2009

It's like...imagine running the Chrome web browser in Windows...

...and then imagine, if you will, taking out the whole "Windows" aspect of it. Yeah. It's like that. ChromeOS = not for me. At all.

Her Name Was Misery

Nov 19, 2009

I was in San Fransisco visiting my brother, and we were going to get our tongues split together. I got the procedure done and went home. Later that night, my tongue began to throb in an immense amount of pain, and started dripping with blood. I went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. It looked as though my tongue was visibly throbbing. Both sides of the split began to rip with their own splits, and kept multiplying like crazy until there were hundreds of tiny splits all over my tongue. I was gushing blood and freaking out, and then the pressure built up so much that my tongue just exploded all over the mirror. All of the little splits that came off began squirming around like worms - it was like they were alive, pulsating like maggots on a disgusting wound. I was holding my mouth and ran into the living room to call my brother, but the phone was dead. No tone, nothing.

I ran back to the bathroom to grab some towels to try and stop the bleeding. The pieces of my tongue that were everywhere began to get larger and they started squirming faster and making noises. The sounds were like kittens, gurgling in pain from being bitten on the neck by a rabid dog - and there were HUNDREDS of them on the mirror, in the sink and on the ground. They were growing, and with each centimeter they grew, the sounds they made got deeper and louder. I was breathing hard in fear, and noticed that a fog came out when I exhaled. But, it wasn't cold. It wasn't cold at all. In fact, it was hotter than hell. I was sweating and noticed steam rising from the palms of my hands. I felt a cough coming on and I began chocking up what seemed like little black rocks. As I began to cough harder, the steam from my exhales appeared darker and thicker.

My lungs and stomach were burning, and the maggot-like creatures from my tongue were screeching louder and louder. I couldn't take it - the noise, the heat, the pain. I was in agony, suffering on the ground. My stomach felt hotter and hotter, and then a spot on my stomach began to glow and rise. It exploded, and a red-hot liquid began pouring out of me. When it hit the ground, the bathroom caught fire and the building began to shake as if an earthquake was happening. The fire spread out to the living room. In fact, it seemed to have spread everywhere except for the area directly around me. I don't understand why I was still alive, conscious of every passing second. I could feel everything - all of the heat, all of the pain from my stomach, lungs and throat. I thought people became numb during intense pain or fear? I was praying for the end to come.

As the shaking and noise continued, I looked to the side at one of the creatures from my tongue - it was the only one that didn't catch on fire. It was shaking violently and began to take on a cacoon sort of appearance. After a few seconds, though, it was like everything got quiet. It was absolutely silent, except for my breathing and my heartbeat, which was fading with each passing second. I felt peace. I felt so relaxed and happy. I looked to my other side and noticed the figure of a woman right outside the door, her silhouette like a black hole against the fire behind her. Her eyes opened in a bright, white glow, and then she whispered to me, "Hello my dear . My name is Misery, and I am in love with you...".

Immediately afterward, she opened her mouth and the sound of a thousand damned souls screamed in my ears, all at once, and then everything came back. The pain, the noise, the fire, the earthquake, all of it. I stared in horror as the cacoon that lay next to me exploded and drenched me with puss. When it exploded, millions more of the little splits from my tongue poured out, and they were all making the same cat-like noises. I turned over in fear and yelled to Misery. I screamed, "Help me! Let me go, please, I'll do anything you want just make this stop!!!". She said to me, "I have one question....do you love me back?". I stared for a second, confused, and blurted out, "Yes!! I am in love with you and I will always love you, just make this go away!!". She smiled, and then said, "Well if you love me, then I have no choice but to stay."

Then I woke up. The alarm was going off. As annoyed as I was at the sound of the damned thing, it was a relief to be out of that nightmare. I turned off the alarm, got some breakfast and called my brother. We met up at a shop in downtown San Fransisco, ready for our appointments. They unwrapped the goodies from their sterilization pouches and began the procedure. It wasn't so bad. It kind of felt like a papercut on my tongue. I bled a little, no big deal. We took some pictures, paid and then left. My brother and I went to my apartment and invited some friends over to play some videogames. I couldn't wait to experience more of the healing process! We all fell asleep, and the night was great!

...and then I woke up suddenly with the taste of blood in my mouth, and my tongue was pulsating. I looked down at all my friends and thought to myself, "Psh...nah, it was a dream, moron...".

I then walked to the bathroom, and stuck out my tongue...

THE END

Salvia, I Tried It.

Sep 1, 2009

So, as some of you may know, "Salvia" is a smokeable type of plant/herb/whatever that's also a hallucinogen. Turns out that it's LEGAL in 48 of our 50 states, and its sold here in California in smoke shops, some liquor stores and other places. Now, I'm not "into" doing drugs or whatever, but I have a really hard time grasping the concept of me not being in total control of myself, the things I feel, my actions and etc. Salvia just so happens to be a legal hallucinogen that is NON-ADDICTIVE, and won't show up in drugs tests (because it's legal, duh), and ever since I heard of it - I've wanted to try it to see if I would be able to be in control of the substance or sort of "win". To me - I dunno, I've just had this feeling that I can control a hallucination if I ever had one.

Not the case.

I have to say, though, that it's less of an actual hallucination as opposed to feeling things. To me, most of the time, the trip feels like a current flowing against me. You know how currents move through bodies of water? Kind of like that, only it was through the air. But it felt like a thick liquid; plasticy or something. It felt as if it was going into me to make a mold of the inside of my body. It was so weird. It's really hard to describe. It just feels like everyone kind of disappeared and the current took me away from everyone. It was crazy.

Helga - Our Baby :)

Aug 22, 2009

Soooo, peglegparadiddle from TB and her boyfriend drove 3-4 hours to bring us the car we're buying from them! We made a down payment of $500 and now have a beautiful '94 Pontiac Firebird!! Her name is "Helga". ^_^. We gave her a nice bath and a coat of wax, and cleaned her out on the inside. She packs quite the punch, too! She runs nicely, and her engine sounds absolutely BEAUTIFUL!




AT&T, We Have a Problem!

Jul 24, 2009

Gah...so the day that I almost get heat stroke IN MY SLEEP leads to the night that our modem/router decided to take a dump on us! The poor ol' bastard had been serving us pretty well for the past 3 years, so I suppose it was high time to upgrade. We called up AT&T and got a new model for $79.99. After 4 days of no interwebz (NOOOOOOO!!!!), we finally received the new modem/router today, and are back in business. The internet kind. Because, as we all know:



That's right, you bastards. The internet is SERIOUS business. Glad to see we're on the serious level again. Good interwebbing, my friends. Take care.

I got my tongue split! (VID)

Jul 2, 2009

On 7-1-09, I got my tongue split. Now Archy and I are snakes together :) <3

So, I'm Sitting Here...

Jun 30, 2009

...relaxing! My Archy and I finished making love and she's drifting off to sleep with the help of some lovin' and a nice mimosa after a long day of shooting. We're in Alameda doing shoots around here, Oakland, San Fransisco and other places. Today, we went to a place called The Rose Garden and did some shooting there. It's pretty much exactly what it sounds like - a rose garden! There are a lot of trees, plants and water fountains there that made for some interesting shoots. Later in the day, Archy was given a challenge: if she could figure out a nice makeup look to go along with a pair of vibrant, green contacts - she could keep them! Of course, she blew us all away with a black fading to deep-purple eye look along with lovely deep red lips. The look was awesome - so awesome that it sparked another shoot! We're trying to stick with more location-based shooting for this trip, but studio is definitely welcome when the situation calls for it. It was getting late and so it was the only option to capture her evil, electric goth look. So Archy got to keep the pair of electric-green contacts, and was also given a pair of a vibrant blue ones. Cool! I love working with her photographer, Trillance (http://www.trillance.com). He's such a cool guy; very down to earth, generous, fun yet professional, and he's really good at directing. I have been working for him for a while (as mentioned), with the main goal being a Canon Rebel XT kit with multiple lenses and lots of accessories. He found that I would need more space since I'll be taking lots of pictures with my new camera, so he decided to throw in a 500gb external hard drive with the kit! If you ever read this, Trillance - even though I'll get the chance to tell you in person - thank you! You've opened up great opportunities for me. I know that you think you're not paying me well enough for the graphics work I do for you, but trust me when I say that I don't think I'm paying YOU well enough for the things you've given me. You've bought me the parts to build my own photo editing capable PC, you've got me the monitor I need, mouse, etc, and soon I will have the photography kit. I am extremely thankful! Anyways, yup...tomorrow (or, later today, rather) the Canon Rebel XT body will arrive via UPS from being professionally aligned, cleaned, lubed, etc, and I will begin my foray into DSLR photography. I totally can't wait! Lot's more shoots and places to go before we leave on July 4th, and I'm totally ready! Oh, one more thing! One set that I edited for Trillance rewarded me a domain name! www.heartattackphotography.com! That will be my portfolio site where I'll showcase all of my work and also offer graphic design services. Visit it periodically to check it's status. Right now, it's just a front page, but soon it will be a full-featured flash-based site. Anywho, take care, and thanks for reading!

Driving...gah/Current Events

Jun 24, 2009

I drove a LOT today, and it was freaking HOT OUT!!! I saw a bunch of people I know while driving though lol, so it was kinda funny. I feel beat. I wanna take a nap now! In any case, I just finished installing Adobe Premiere Pro CS3, so I can work with HD video now...woot! We're getting all geared up to leave for Alameda/San Fransisco on Friday, which I can't WAIT for! It will be such a relief to be outta here from the 26th until July 4th. That's, like, 9 days or something. I'll be getting my camera/kit while we're there, too, so that's definitely something I'm looking forward to! I can't wait to start working with my first DSLR...it's very exciting! Of course, I've used DSLR's in the past, but this will be the first one I actually own, so I'm ultra-mega-hyper excited!

Ohhh, I beat Resident Evil 5, as I talked about on the previous blog. That game was sweet. Now I'm playing through the career mode on Project Gotham Racing 4, and - of course - I love that game. I'm a big fan of the racing genre in general, and I think that PGR4 has a great blend of arcade/simulation that sits well. The physics in the game are sweet, and the graphics are great, as well. Can't wait to progress further into the career. The game constantly rewards you with unlockable goodies, so it's cool. I tried out Dynasty Warriors 6. It's a "blah" hack 'n' slash game with simple controls, terrible voice acting, and mediocre graphics. It can be enjoyable, but the whole dying once and it's game over thing kinda sucks. A little too "arcadey" for me.

In any case...I'm done babbling, so you can go waste your time doing else now, but thank you for reading :)

Resident Evil 5

Jun 23, 2009

Well, I beat it today, so I thought I'd leave some impressions. I liked the game a LOT. It answers a lot of questions I've had since Resident Evil Code: Veronica, and even some I've had since the first Resident Evil game. If you're really into the story of the series and are looking to get into a lot of the backstory as well, then that alone will be worth it to you to play through this game. I love how it ties up pretty much ALL of the loose ends, but leaves the future totally wide-open for events to come. The only thing that MIGHT turn off some purists is, without trying to spoil anything, some of the action in the game. Resident Evil 4 took the series in a nice step toward the future with the enemies being intelligent and all, but there's something that bugs me a bit about fighting against enemies who are fully aware of themselves being a monster, and even more so becoming a monster being part of their "plan". I'm not sure I like that whole idea. Something I loved about the older Resident Evil games is the fact that what you were up against were mindless creatures that wanted to kill or feed for no apparent reason. This Resident Evil game sort of pits you against those who created the whole mess, if you get what I'm saying. I'm really not trying to spoil anything, though, so I will say that no matter what it is you're up against, it's almost always something extremely terrifying. This game really has some of the creepiest monsters you will fight in any Resident Evil game - some new, and others - well, old, but updated. I don't think it's much of a spoiler to say that the Lickers return in this game - though, for a short time. If you remember in Resident Evil 2, the Lickers were very scary - but also fairly easy to kill. In RE5, whenever you encounter them, you really get this, "Oh SHIT...." feeling that comes over you.

The game was fairly easy overall, but there are a few challenging moments, namely - the last boss in the game. No matter how easy the rest of the game was, that last boss took me at least 8 to 10 tries to beat, and I played through on "Medium" difficulty. I was kind of scarce on ammo, and it can feel that way through most of the game. But - that's definitely a good thing. The ammo you can obtain varies depending on the weapons you have in your arsenal. I do like how you don't get more ammo depending on what your weapon of choice is. Meaning, even if you use the shotgun a great deal of the time, the game isn't going to give you shotgun shells all the time, so if you use up those shells, you may not get some back right away. That's what kind of keeps you on your toes the whole time. Another "edge of your seat" feeling comes from the fact that, unlike the previous RE games, your items/weapons menu is accessed in real time, meaning that switching weapons and equipping items has to be done QUICKLY when you're in the heat of battle. It kind of sucks sometimes, but I guess it's pretty cool. Without it being that way, the game would probably be a LOT easier, which would be no fun. One thing that makes RE5 difficult sometimes is your partner, Sheva. She can be extremely useful at times, but at other times, she can be the biggest pain in the ass by getting in your way or taking an item you wanted. Of course, you can switch items via the item menu in real time, but if she grabbed some ammo that you desperately needed in the heat of battle, you'll have to navigate to the real-time menu and work out an exchange. Not the funnest of situations to be in, but hey - it makes for some interesting moments for sure and adds to the challenge.

The game definitely looks beautiful. I run @ 1080p on my 23" Acer 1920x1080 monitor over HDMI, and the game does look good. Although, like most Xbox 360 games, RE5 doesn't display in true 1080p. Instead, it's a 720p signal upscaled to 1080p. The upscaling is apparent, but the game's AA makes it look pretty nicely when upscaled. The in-game textures are nice, although, I have to admit that I am spoiled by my PC. I am used to playing games like Far Cry 2 and Crysis: Warhead rendered at full 1920x1080 with very high resolution textures, so where I find the textures in RE5 are "pretty good", others may find them amazing. It just depends on what you're used to, really. Where the game does shine, though, are it's high-polygonal models and awesome shaders. The graphical style and finesse in the game is absolutely stunning. The cut scenes are done in real-time within the game engine, and they are very impressive. The graphics alone would score the game a 10/10 for me, aside from the textures which, as stated, are definitely nice, but I've seen much better.

The music in RE5 definitely adds to the tension during most scenes. The music is creepy when it needs to be, it's jumpy when it needs to be; sad, angry, etc. I don't know what to compare it to other than a high-budgeted film. The music during the boss scenes is especially brilliant.

SO...overall, the game is very fun. It has great graphics, the story resolves a lot of issues yet leaves the series wide open for more. The gameplay, while annoying sometimes due to your partner, is fun and challenging without being too hard, and sometimes - a little too easy. Great game overall. Lots of little extras and goodies to be unlocked throughout the game, and after as well.

Damn You, Xbox Live!!

Jun 17, 2009

Soooo, today, the day that I actually get the 360 up and running - also the day that, coincidentally, Xbox Live was scheduled for maintenence - a BIG one. It was supposed to be down for UP TO 24 hours....but so far - it's been longer than that. CRAPPY! Anywho, at least I've been able to play Resident Evil 5 and Project Gotham Racing 4 - two games I've been DYING to play. That's all thanks to my wonderful and awesome love, Archy. This was the best surprise I've ever gotten! :D

My Love Is SOOO SNEAKY!!

Jun 13, 2009

That's right...she told me that a farmer gave her workplace fruit, but they couldn't sell it so they were able to take some home. I get to her work to pick her up, and she has a box labeled "Fruit, Archy". She told me it was mangos lol! So we get home, I open the box, and what do I see?



An Xbox 360, play and charge kit, Resident Evil 5, Dynasty Warriors 6, and Project Gotham Racing 4!

AHHHH!!! I have been missing the 360 since I sold mine in 2007. I get to finally play Resident Evil 5!! I can't believe it! My lovie is sooo awesome! :p I love you baby, thanks for the awesome surprise!!

Mac versus PC...my take.

Jun 8, 2009

I just got done arguing with someone on youtube about Mac vs. PC. What people need to understand is that it's not "Mac vs. PC" anymore, because Mac's are just PC hardware now, complete with Intel Inside (pun intended). All Apple is, is an OEM that only puts OSX on their PC hardware. The base Mac Pro is $2500, and the only nice piece of hardware in the box is the Xeon processor. It only has 3gb of RAM and an Nvidia GT120, which is literally a rebranded GeForce 9500GT. I built my latest system with the main specs being a Pentium Dual Core E5200, 4gb of RAM, and a GeForce 9500GT for exactly $370. That price also included the case and a new hard drive. Now, you have to look at that. $370 versus $2500 for specs that are so insanely close that the price difference could NEVER be justified. Sure the Xeon is a nice processor - but the price to performance ratio just isn't worth spending so much extra money on.

So, as I said before, it's not "Mac vs. PC" anymore - that was gone as soon as Apple started using regular PC hardware, years ago. It is now "OSX vs. Windows" - if you want to even say that they are up against each other. Microsoft has over 90% of the operating system market taken, so I think it's clear who is winning here. Don't get me wrong; I have nothing against Apple at ALL. I think their design is amazing, and I have owned a Mac Mini, a Powermac G4, and an iBook. I thought OSX Panther, Tiger and Leopard were all great operating systems. I like them better than XP, in fact. I do, however, like Windows Vista more than OSX. As nice as Apple's design is on average, I find that me being able to customize something the exact way I want it down to my last specification is a lot more pleasing or rewarding.

How's that for an unbiased view? I hate when I see screen names like "mac4tw" or "pc>mac" and other crap. It's like, as soon as you start arguing with me about stuff with regards to operating systems, you automatically lose ANY credibility you may have had in the first place. To me, you're just another whiny little fanbitch, and I automatically don't respect your "argument".

June 26th to July 4th

May 23, 2009

That's the date(s) of our next San Fransisco photoshoot trip...IF Archy gets those days off from work. I'm pretty sure she will, though, so it's ok. I'll also be getting my Canon Rebel kit while I'm there!! I don't have to wait until August anymore! WOOOT! I'm reeeeeally excited! Another opportunity to take LOTS of pictures of the chaos that is Alameda/Oakland/San Fransisco!

UPDATE (May 28th): Archy will be getting the days off...meaning we will be gone from June 26th until July 4th :D

Terminator: Salvation: Absolutely Amazing.

May 21, 2009

That's right, 12am premier in Visalia! I am a HUGE Terminator fan (as you may already know), and Salvation did NOT disappoint at ALL! In fact, it even exceeded my expectations! I won't give any specific spoilers, but I will say that the ending was PERFECT. Seriously, just perfect. Salvation has awesome action and effects, without being "over the top" in any way. Some may worry about McG being "the guy who directed Charlie's Angels", and how the action in that movie was all crazy and way way WAY over the top - but he fully understands that that isn't what Terminator is about. I, personally, think he did a BRILLIANT job in delivering the scenes. The way they flow is excellent. The sense of "being in battle" constantly comes over you, and it's very realistic. It gives you that first person kind of feeling, the sense of stress of having things explode around you. The story is just brilliant, too. A lot of people were worried about the introduction of this "Marcus Wright" character and him changing the whole course of everything we know about the future. Of course, the future has been constantly changing throughout the overall Terminator story, but I can safely say that, in all seriousness, nothing has changed. Marcus only changes things for a short time. But then again, the situation about him is pretty much contained within John Connor's close, personal group - so it may very well have happened in the "original" future that Kyle Reese talked about in The Terminator. I suppose nothing ever happened for him to bring it up to Sarah Connor. But who knows? The action was awesome, the story in the movie was awesome, and the ending - without spoiling anything - was perfect. I mean...PERFECT. It leaves things wide-open for the future of the war. Anything can happen still. It will leave fans happy, that's for sure.

I give it a 10/10 EASY. Best two hours and 10 minutes I've spent in the theater.



Our tickets:





My love and I before the movie started :)

Think You Had a Bad Dream? Think Again...WORST DREAM EVER.

May 20, 2009

So I had a bunch of weird dreams last night...the one that stood out, though, was one where Archy killed herself...violently. I'm looking for her, so I walk down to our room and see her lying on her parents bed (the room right across from ours). I'm like "hey what are you doing?" and she says some weird shit and she has a sharp object in her hands and she just fucking jams it into her heart!! She's bleeding all over and I'm freaking out like "oh my God, what the hell are you doing!!!??" just freaking out, and she replies with screaming "Oh, you think THAT'S fucking bad!?" and she just lobs the thing in and out of her heart like 20 times. I seriously cannot take it, I'm freaking out, crying, not knowing what the hell to do, blood all over, and she's laying there all weak and I think it's over. Something in my mind is like "I can save her, I'm gonna take her to the hospital." and then she gives me a final "it's not over..." and I start backing up because I don't know what to expect...she then like flexes her upper body so as to put enough pressure to expell a shitload of blood out of the wounds and there is just blood everywhere and she dies...

It kinda skipped to like, months after (or however much time, I'm not sure) and I'm talking to my brother trying to skip around how I feel...I'm stuttering at my every word, trying not to cry...then my dad walks in and says something like "I know how you're feeling" and I'm just freaking out yelling about how he has no clue and then I'm just crying SO hard and it feels so damn real...I woke up crying, tears running down my face...but...WHEW...Archy was there, alive and well.

Talk about a terrible dream....gah...

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles CANCELED.

May 18, 2009

That's right, Fox has canceled TSCC, after two awesome seasons. BULLSHIT!

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Is Canceled

I can't believe it! Not only am I a HUGE Terminator fan, but I LOVED that show - AND they left off on a crazy point in the storyline! John just got sent to the future and now, BAM, it's over. Gah, whatever. At least I have Terminator: Salvation to look forward to.

OHHHHH....MAN! (Terminator :Salvation clip!)

I saw a short clip from Terminator: Salvation:

"Who Are You?" Clip

Select the one titled "Who Are You?" John Connor, Kyle Reese, and a kid are in what seems to be a Terminator T-600 (Or, possibly T-800) manufacturing plant, and one of them comes alive. It's fucking AWESOME! I'm having a complete nerdgasm over it :p

This week motherfuckers! Terminator: Salvation!! I'm excited as hell.

Awesome Shot of the Sun

May 16, 2009

It seems that the space shuttle Discovery and the Hubble Telescope have been captured silhouetted against the sun in an amazing shot that I can't help but to link you to:

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/15/check-this-out-amazing-photo-of-the-sun/

Awesome stuff!

The New Workstation

Apr 29, 2009

Sooo, this blog is a little late - but I've actually been kind of busy. I got my computer parts via UPS on friday (it's now wednesday). Surprisingly - EVERYTHING was in perfect shape, in working order from the factory(s), and UPS didn't physically damage anything! AMAZING! Lol. I sorted through all the packages and made sure everything was there, and then I got to building! It took about an hour or so to get it done, and then a lot more hours to get the machine running in the exact shape I want it to. Now, the last time I actually built a computer was in around 2004, so I thought I might be rusty - but nope. I refamiliarized myself with a couple youtube videos, and then BAM - I was ready. Everything went smoothly. I got a LEGITIMATE copy of Windows Vista Business (32 and 64 bit). As of today I have Vista Business x64 installed and everything is running smoothly. Not to mention - extremely fast! This machine is a beast! I was able to buy Bioshock and Far Cry 2. Far Cry 2 has amazing graphics! Playing at 1920x1080 with high settings and good framerates is sweeet! Anywho, enough babbling, here are some pics:

All the parts!





Putting in the processor (Intel Pentium Dual Core E5200 45nm @ 2.5ghz):





Putting in one of the RAM sticks (Ultra 4gb PC5400 RAM):





After putting the motherboard into the case (Apex PC-390 Black mid tower):





installed the drives, video card, everything else, and it's ready to be powered on!






All put together! We got our desk back, too! In the end, here are the full specs of the workstation:

-Intel DG41RQ Motherboard
-Intel Pentium Dual Core E5200 45nm 2.5ghz Processor
-4gb ULTRA PC5400 RAM (2048mb x2) in dual channel mode
-EVGA Nvidia GeForce 9500 512mb PCI-Express 2.0 video card w/dual HDMI/DVI outputs
-Wireless b/g PCI card
-Seagate 250gb SATA 7200RPM Hard Drive
-Samsung 160gb PATA 7200RPM Hard Drive
-Digital Research 320gb External Hard Drive
-Lite-On DVD-+R/RW/CD-R/RW drive
-Multimedia card reader (SD, XD, Memory Stick Pro/Duo, CF)
-Apex PC-390 Black mid tower case
-Dynex Office/Media Keyboard
-Logitech LX7 Wireless Optical Mouse
-Acer 23" 1920x1080 LCD w/HDMI, DVI, and VGA inputs
-HP 17" 1280x1024 LCD w/VGA input
-Panasonic 1000W 5.1 Dolby Digital Home Theater System
-Two Sony front floor speakers (mid range, tweeters)
-Two Panasonic rear satellite speakers
-Panasonic center speaker
-Panasonic Subwoofer










So, it's thursday...

Apr 23, 2009

...and I am sitting here waiting, very impatiently, for tomorrow to come so I can storm through two packages that will be here tomorrow. Those packages contain my PC parts. I have been sitting here, like, ALL DAY, refreshing the tracking info page to check for that sliiiight possibility that they might be here early. But no. I know they won't be. Even so - I continue to refresh the tracking info page.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!!??

In a Bizarre Event...

Apr 22, 2009

CHANNEL 9 BROADCAST/ANCHOR FRED RAUS/4-21-09/9pm EST
----------------------------------------------------
In a bizarre event, Channel seven Anchor Don Riley attempted suicide on live television while conducting an interview with Patrick Dempsey, a suicide cult expert. I, personally watched this interview while it happened. Be warned, this content may be disturbing:

TAPE No. 31684512
------------------
"I'm saying that nothing can explain this. I mean, unless you start considering other, more creative or outrageous possibilities, such as mind control or things like that. I don't know. Nothing explains this or the other events that've been occurring recently."

"It's....you're right. This...this isn't making. No.....I don't. I...I can't...it's. AHHHGGHHHHH!!!!"

*white noise and broken glass*
------------------
END TAPE
------------------

It was then that witnesses claim he began slurring his speech and not making much sense. He allegedly proceeded to...to ram his head into the teleprompter screen. The studio cut the feed immediately, and witnesses inside of the channel seven studio claim that Mr. Riley kept smashing his head in and out of the broken glass of the...um, excuse me, sorry I'm a bit choked up. *clears throat* Alright, can I, can I get some w-yes, thank you. Alright everyone, I apologize, but we're going to have to take a short break.
---------------------

END BROADCAST

Shipping Date

Apr 21, 2009

The shipping date for my PC parts is Friday...darn! Oh well. I was just wishfully thinking when I said wednesday! Usually Tiger Direct has shipped to me from closer warehouses, but this time they shipped from their Illinois warehouse :(

It'll be ok, though...on Friday, I shall be building a new awesome computadora :)

The order was just put through!

Apr 19, 2009

In my never-ending editing job for Trillance, I am working for the ultimate prize of a Canon Rebel XT, 3 lenses, 3 memory cards, an external flash unit, and more. BUT to help me edit, I have needed a few things in which I've been working for. I got a new 23" monitor, which helps GREATLY with editing. I also got a new mouse and external hard drive.

All this extra resolution my current system has to process, coupled with the higher resolution images I'm working with due to Trillance getting a new camera leads to a bogged down system...so we were talking the other day and he agreed to purchase parts for me to build a new system in exchange for 65 more editing hours. YES!! So I will be receiving the following by wednesday:

-Intel DG41RQ Motherboard





-Intel Pentium Dual Core E5200 2.5ghz 45nm Processor BX80571E5200





-EVGA GeForce 9500 GT PCI-Express 2.0 Video Card





-Ultra 4gb PC5400 DDR2 667MHz Memory (dual channel)





-Seagate Barracuda 7200 250GB SATA Hard Drive w/16mb cache





-Apex PC-390 Black Mid-Tower Case with 300 Watt Power Supply






This will be in addition to my Seagate 160gb hard drive, as well as the external 360gb drive and my media card reader. Also, I already have a DVD-+R/RW/CD-R/RW drive and Windows Vista ready to install :D

I will be editing like a PSYCHOPATH once I have this built. I haven't done a full build in a WHILE, so this will be extremely fun!

Pepsi Natural

Apr 18, 2009

Soooo, I couldn't help but notice the new Pepsi Natural sitting on a shelf at K-Mart. Being a Pepsi FANATIC (a bigger one than you, guaranteed), I had to try it. Got some, and I love it! I hope they keep this in their lineup, because I'd drink it all the time. It tastes "natural", too. You can taste a hint of apple in there from the apple color extract, too. I love the glass bottle it comes in too.

DATA PARTIALLY CORRUPTED

Channel 7 Interview. Case File #105578
------------------------------------------------------

DATA PARTIALLY CORRUPTED

------------------------------------------------------

"So, do you think the fire chiefs were part of...part of a cult?"

"No, they're not part of a cult, and here's why I think that's apparent: Anyone who is in a suicide or doomsday cult is fairly open about that fact. They have no problem talking about it, and their family life usually reflects that. If they're married, which each of the five fire chiefs WERE, then their family life would explain a lot. The fact is that these men were happy. They were married, had families, children, college funds. They were church goers. This wasn't a cult activity.

"So, in your professional opinion, how do you explain this sequence of psychotic events? What, is it normal for fire chiefs to murder their squads and then burn their families alive? Is that what you-"

"No, no. Stop it. You're twisting my words around. I'm saying that nothing can explain this. I mean, unless you start considering other, more creative or outrageous possibilities, such as mind control or things like that. I don't know. Nothing explains this or the other events that've been occurring recently."

"It's....you're right. This...this isn't making. No.....I don't. I...I can't...it's. AHHHGGHHHHH!!!!"

*White noise and broken glass*

--------------------------------------------------
END DATA
--------------------------------------------------

Grrrr

Apr 16, 2009

This website isn't making me very happy. For some stupid reason (or, actually, no reason at ALL) No one can leave me comments. Retarded. I've reapplied default templates, check the HTML, everything. There's n o reason for this. Fucking dumb.

I Walked In My Sleep

Apr 15, 2009

Seriously. I went to go get an ice cream and as soon as I saw the box, it hit me - I did this the other night, but in my SLEEP. I was partially awake for a split second of chowing down a drumstick. It was SO fucking wierd!!

Woah....

Apr 13, 2009

...the newest images, and the images I'm gonna work with from now on, are 4752x3168. This is gonna be a true test on my RAM and processor.

....and it shall be fun :)

I'm In a Rock Band

...well, used to be. In many. But last night was probably the funnest I've had yet. All nighter of Rock Band 1 and 2 at Nicko's with Archy, Nicko, Silla, and Tiff. We were BADASS. Truly.

New Terminator: Salvation Poster!

Apr 10, 2009

In case you didn't know - I have been obsessing over this movie for quite some time. The Terminator series is one of my favorite, if not my absolute favorite series of all time. Here's another poster to add to my collection:

THE LIST

Apr 8, 2009

Well, part of it, at least :p Some of you know (and may not know) that I'm currently working for Trillance, Archy's photographer, in exchange for a Canon Rebel XT. I'm currently the editor of his model photography. Well, I've got a partial list of what I'm working for. So far, I have received:

-Acer X233H BID 23" 1920x1080 monitor with DVI, VGA, and HDMI
-Logitech LX7 wireless mouse
-Digital Research 320gb external backup drive
-Mini tripod.

Those are all to help out with editing, basically. What I'm working toward, though, and will receive in August, are the following:

-camera body (Canon Digital Rebel XT)
-2gb cf card
-4gb cf card
-8gb cf card
-Regular battery
-extended life battery.
-3 lenses (kit lens, a telephoto lens, and a wide-angle lens)
-UV filter
-macro adapter
-External flash
-Card reader
-Cleaning kit
-Tutorial dvd
-camera body cleaned/aligned and oiled professionally

I am fucking EXCITED!!!

So I'm Off...

...to Visalia for an "appointment". Oh joy. I had a bad dream last night, and during the worst part of it - MY FUCKING ALARM CLOCK GOES OFF!! Gah. Oh well, at least it was just a stupid dream. I made a crap-load of spelling mistakes just to type that. I'm tired, and I don't wanna go out. But I have to. I'll be back later, I must eat now before I leave. Tootles.

Can't Stay Asleep

Apr 4, 2009

I keep waking up! Dammit. I guess I've always been that way, though, unless I fall asleep DEAD tired. Gah, on another note - I can't wait for August to come so I can get my Canon Digital Rebel XT. Oooohhh I can't wait. Another day closer to August! Anyhow, I'll end my randomness here, for your sake. :p

So, I'm testing this...

Apr 3, 2009

...website known as Blogspot.com (also known as blogger.com) to see if it can replace my Myspace blog. I've grown quite sick of it's unchanging nature - it's been the same since Myspace became popular. So - let's see if I can do better here. In any case, I got my external backup drive yesterday! It's nice because, well, I haven't been able to backup any data for over a year now! "Someone" had my old backup drive - I was nice enough to let that someone use it to get their junk off it - but they gave me the total runaround on getting it back. So I had a friend get my data off that drive, and now I have a new, bigger, better drive. So - that someone can keep that piece of crap :) The work I'm doing for Trilance is going along quite nicely. I owe him for a few things that I've received so far:

-23" Acer LCD (1920x1080, DVI, HDMI, VGA)
-Logitech LX7 Wireless mouse
-Digital Research 320gb external backup drive.

I've received those things, but those are just there to help me along to work toward my Canon Rebel XT. Ooohhh, I can't wait!! I'll be getting the camera, some lenses, filters, and other accessories. I cannot wait. Well - I actually have to wait, though - until August. But it'll be SO worth it. :