Computer Overhauls

Buyers' Guide for Late Year 2008 and the Holidays

There are only two times to buy technology: now or never -- with a few caveats!

Mid Summer is always an exciting time for technology as the manufacturers rush to get their products to market before the crazed Holiday shopping season.  This year is no exception, as Intel is rushing to get their new Nehalen processors out, ATI and Nvidia churn out their next generation of graphics, and Google spars with Apple as they try and get out their Android phone before Christmas to compete with the iPhone 2.0.

For tech consumers, it's an exciting time but also a confusing one, filled with trepidation about buying a product that might not look so hot as soon as the latest gadget comes out to replace it.  Last year, anyone who purchased a HD-DVD player was almost immedietely slammed with a case of buyers' remorse as Blu-Ray quickly overtook HD-DVD as the next format of choice for all the major Holywood studios.  Muddying the waters, it wasn't at all clear, even with a good amount of research, exactly what type of DVD player was going to win. 

This year doesn't have any epic battles like HD-DVD vs Blu-Ray, but as always, it's best to do your homework before making any major decisions.  Regardless of what you purchase this year, remember to always follow this creed: the time to buy tech is now or never.  There will always be a better product down the road, and waiting and waiting and waiting is an endless feedback loop that will always leave you unsatisified.  It's best to do your research and pull the trigger immediately.

Here are a view general tips on making good decisions as the holiday season approaches:

All the Computer $1000 Can Buy

I thought I'd post some pictures of my now complete new computer.  Everything I put together myself after much time and thorough research.  Everything except the monintor was Newegg.  Everything except the video card was purchased before New York got their greedy paws into online commerce and taxed online purchases.

Specs:

SHUTTLE SG31GS2 BAREBONES (~$230)
Intel e8400 3.25GHZ (~$200)
4GB G-Skill PC6400 5-5-5-25 DDR2 RAM (~$85)
Western Digital WD6400AAKS (~$110)
EVGA Nvidia 8800GT (Overclocked 725/2000) (~$169)
16x SATA DVD-RAM (Took it out of Dell Vostro LOL) (FREE OH YEA)
Vista 64 Ultimate (UH, YEA.)
I-Inc 19" LCD (~$159)

 

Saving Lives one Protein Fold at a Time

Despite all the efforts of modern medicine many diseases such as cancer and Altzheimer's dissease continue to riddle even our most advanced and best methods of treatment.  Solving these problems and curing these diseases remains a lofty goal -- but there is a way you can help just by donating some of your computer's processing power.

The Folding Project at Stanford  takes advantage of distributed computing (breaking up complex tasks among millions of computers using the Internet) to greater understand the complexities of protein folding.

The science is a bit complicated but very simplified proteins are the building blocks of life.  "Folding" is the process by which proteins for more complex molecules (such as enzymes and antibodies) are formed.  The process happens amazingly quickly and it takes an average computer about a day just to simulate the amount of protein folding that takes place in 1 nanosecond!

But when the engineers at Stanford link millions of computers across the planet they can harness enough power to simulate folding at a much faster pace -- speeding along the cures for cancer and other deadly diseases.

If you'd like to get involved and feel good about helping a good cause vist the Stanford Folding Projects's website and start folding today!