AMD has released their new CPUs. Other than the low clock speed they look great. They are very fast for the clock speed and have made some real big jumps in SSE performance. The really big win is in power use. They use no more power than the dual cores they replace.
Now the big question. What about the CPUs for notebooks. Quad cores are very exciting but the real truth is that very few people need a quad core CPU. If they can really get the low power version of these CPUs down to the 50 watt level then what can they do with a duel core version? Could we see a 30 watt dual core for notebooks? Maybe a 50 watt duel core with a GPU for notebooks and desktops?

These server chips are very interesting but I think that wee will see a lot more interesting stuff in the consumer area.

Apple will be coming out with new iPods very soon.
I will go out on a limb a make a wild guess about the future iPods.
I think we will see an iPod with 160 gigabyte drive and Wi-Fi and or bluetooth.
Why Wi-Fi and or bluetooth?
Simple, they will allow you to stream content to your iPhone!
You will get the big screen and good battery life of an iPhone with a massive amount of storage on your iPod.
You don't believe that Apple would want people to just buy an iPhone do you?

I admit it. I use adblock and I wish I didn't have too.
I do not have any problem with web ads. I don't block Google ads because they don't get in my way. Web ads are a good way for websites to make money. They are sometimes even useful. Ads are in themselves not evil. It just that some ads drive me to block whole domains.
Some ads are so distracting that they generate not interest but hate. Here are some tips on how not to be hated.
1. No Flash! Flash banners get blocked every time!
2. No animation! Why do I block Flash all the time? Because animated ads make me crazy. If you don't loop the animation then it isn't so bad but most in general animated ads are just too distracting. They create in me hatred and not interest.
3. No sound. I am reading I like quite. Again it generates hatred and not interest.
4. Don't stick them in the middle of the text of what I am reading! Put them at the top or off to one side.
5. Intellitxt ads. You have seen them on websites certain words in the story are links with big honking tool-tip when your cursor moves over them. HATE THEM they make reading the site next to impossible and are just annoying. BLOCKED always. Just put this in your adblocker *.intellitxt.com* you will thank me.
6. Make them small. Really nothing is worse than half the page being eaten up by ads.

Just finished installing Ubuntu Feisty Fawn x64. I had the typical 64 bit problems but I also had some that are really annoying and frankly just shouldn't be problems.
The first problem is that Ubuntu just couldn't detect my monitor. Now the thing that I find unacceptable is that OpenSuse's SAX2 can find and configure it. Opensuse isn't perfect but SAX2 seems to be the best X configuration tool around. It is also FOSS so here is the big question. Why doesn't Ubuntu use it?
The next problem is that I can get my WiFi on my notebook to work. The driver for my wifi card is in kernel and I can see my WAP but I can not connect to it! What is worse is I am not the only one. The Ubuntu Forum has a several threads about WiFi just not working.

So why is Feisty Fawn getting such rave reviews? Does Ubuntu have a reality distortion field that rivals Apples? Is the OSS community afraid of being critical? The thing is it is so close but frankly I feel OpenSuse is a better desktop then Feisty Fawn.

Well I am downloading the 32 bit version and see if that impresses me any more. And of course I am downloading the latest from OpenSuse for my notebook.

Yes we got our power back last night after 9 days. Once FPL sent the second truck and I showed them where the problem was it took all of 5 Minutes to get us back up! Yes the first truck came while I was at work and they "couldn't" find the problem so they left. FPL still sucks.

FPL sucks. They are the worst company in the world. Why? We got hit by a cat two hurricane! Guess what no power a week+ later! I have power at work but my house is dark and we have no water! After a week we are still bathing out of water I stored before the storm! No help from FEMA or the county government to speak of! If you have never been without power for a week you have no idea just how bad it is!
FPL needs to be account for this massive failure! This is Florida and hurricanes happen! A category 2 is not even considered a major hurricane. If peoples homes, cars, and most places of business can survive with little to know damage then why not the power grid?

Okay I feel that capitol punishment is wrong. I freely admit that world would be better with some people taken from it. The problem with capitol punishment is that innocent people have been put to death. The rich are far less likely to be put to death than the poor. And the white people far less likely than none white.
The problem is what about the guy that that raped and killed that little girl. He admits he is guilt. There is no doubt. I admit it part of me wants to see this guy dead. At this point what is right and what is wrong? What he did was wrong. Would removing him as a threat be wrong as well?

I read this in the news.
The us is doing most of the heavy lifting again. So many people like to say that the US is too powerful and does not care about others should read this. The US military is providing most of the airlift and helicopters for this work and is sending the Mercy as well. US servicemen and women are busting there butts and risking there lives to save people. Not to say that others are not doing there bit sometimes there are things that it seems only the US can show the will and has the resources to do.

""We've been racing across the ocean," said Rear Adm. Chris Ames, commander of the strike force.

The strike group, which had been headed to the Persian Gulf, was diverted while near the Pacific island of Guam. Ames said the Marines' primary responsibilities would include transporting food and medical supplies.

The Pentagon (news - web sites) also has decided to send the USNS Mercy, a 1,000-bed hospital ship based at San Diego, to join the relief effort, officials said.

U.N. humanitarian chief Jan Egeland said he was encouraged by the military response to the Dec. 26 tsunami, singling out U.S. Undersecretary of State Marc Grossman for praise.

"The group that the U.S. initiated have proven very useful in responding to my 12-point wish list for everything from helicopters to transport planes to air traffic controllers," Egeland said in New York.

The U.S. operation in Sumatra is part of a wider international effort. The American helicopters brought survivors to an air base in Banda Aceh where medical teams -- including Chinese, Australians and Indonesians -- tended to their immediate needs before putting them into trucks destined for nearby hospitals. "

Okay I have to admit it. I want something better than UNIX or Windows. Why have we seen no real improvement in OSs since Unix?
I am no fan of Microsoft but I have to say at least they did not just copy Unix. Windows in my opinion is a huge disaster that is a huge pile of everything thrown together. It is a server a desktop and now an embedded system. It was not designed as much as it mutated. Mac OS/X has a great UI but it is still ruining on top of Unix.
I want something different.
Here is what I would like to see.
1. Object oriented. Yes I have heard all the anti OO people but I can honestly say that I enjoy writing OO code. I want the OS to have a root object that everything is descended from.
2. Integrated DB. I want a database to be part of the OS. It could be used for the file system and for configuration files as well.
3 Networking centric. Unix and Windows both have networking tacked on. Why not design the system from the ground up to be networked.
4. Replace X. Can't we do better than X after all these years?
5. Clustering. VMS had a great clustering system in Vax Clusters. I would love it if every desktop that was added to the network became part of a cluster.
6. Cpu independent. All programs would compile to an ideal byte code. When installed it would and a compiled blob to the executable. The new OS would not care if you wrote the program for a Power PC or Athlon 64. This is not all that different from how the Transmeta cpus work or the IBM AS400 worked.
7. Good install system. Not a tacked on solution but making installing new software as much a part of the OS as the API to put a letter on the screen. Ports is great. Yum works pretty well. Apt-get works but I have had issues with all of these. Since it is network centric how about a bittorrent like system integrated into the OS for APT like stuff?
8. A good UI. This just goes without saying that with out a good UI it will not work.

What is the biggest problem with a new OS? That is easy hardware support. Oh well I can dream and Linux does not suck.

Okay yes we have been hit by two hurricanes but Adelphia's service is the pits.
First let my dispel a myth or a marketing lie.
1. Cable is more reliable than a dish.
This is not true. my sister has a dish and was much closer to the coast than I was. She still has no power but she does have TV. She is running her dish off her generator. The dish stayed attached to her home and did not move. Now there is a power pole down in her backyard so I think we can say that the dish is pretty sturdy. I have some other friends that also have the dish and they are all up and working. No one with Cable is working.
2. DSL is more reliable than Cable.
True.
I have a support tech working for me that is running his computer off his generator at home and using his DSL.

Before anyone thinks I am being unfair about his let me just point out.
1. I have power and my phone back.
2. Adelphia never came out to fix my cable after the last storm. I fixed the connection to the house myself but the cable was still laying on the ground.
3. Adelphia has provided NO information on when the I can expect the problem fixed. Florida Power and Light at least have completion date for the county. Adelphia has provided no information at all as to when I can expect my service back. Phone and power are both up and working at this time. So Adelphia is the only utility not working. I am very glad I do not have my phone or alarm through them.

Yes we got hit again. The storm did little damage to my house but we lost power again.
The office is back up with power so the guys can get back to work and I can sit in AC at least during the hottest part of the day.
I have to give Home Depot a big thumbs up for being so well stocked this time. They had lots of everything and did not raise the prices too much. Power is already coming back so this might not be that bad after all.
We can hope.

Well we got hit hard by Hurricane Frances. We just got our power back last night but still now cable or broadband at home :(
Over all a bad thing if you ask me. But what can you do a tree took out the cable and power line. On a bright note I have seen trucks from everywhere including Canada working full of utility workers. They are working there butts off after Charley and Frances and now Ivan is going to nail Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and the panhandle of Florida. Those poor crews are going to be dead on there feet. I hope they all get through this safe.
And I thank them from the bottom of my heart.

What the heck is going on? Has Hollywood now totally devoid of any originality? Was there any to start with? Okay first they trash the Stepford Wives! Now they are going to screw up the The Manchurian Candidate. Why do they have to mess with a perfectly good movie? From the trailers it no longer looks as if it is Red China that is trying to control the US government hence the name The Manchurian Candidate. No it is now the new boogie man multi-national corparations that are the behind the plot. ARGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

I have not seen it yet and it might even be a good movie but it is not the The Manchurian Candidate anymore than I Robot was I Robot.

Even though she or he has put me down as a foe. I read some of there posts and technicaly they where very good.

Well my project at work is moving along well. I do have to say that I HATE WINDOWS! I HATE WINDOWS, I HATE WINDOWS.
Get the feeling that I hate windows?
My CAD system was locking up left and right on me. I finaly did an uninstall/reinstall! Guess what it worked. How the heck does Windows allow executables to be trashed like that. Is the file system that bad?
My wife is now head of technical support so she now gets to have much of the fun I used to. It has not been easy for her but she is doing the best that she can. So far she has done a stellar job. Well the parts are being SLAd now and the LCD is on the way so all is going pretty well.