Your sarcastic post kinda catches on why I never subscribed to the "certified" career path. Sure you can drop 10 large on a MCSE, but what happens when another OS becomes what your employer wants? Same with Novell, Redhat and other cert courses.
I'd rather just not be incompetent and fend for myself than brandish meaningless credentials...
Hey hey hey, you're not a troll, don't be so hard on yourself.
Anyways, before anyone comments, let me add to my post. 1.3GHz bus = ~325MHz quad-pumped. Meaning sure you get bandwidth but the latency is still slacking behind. Latency is where the performance is at nowadays anyways. Same with the 1.6GHz memory (which I might add doesn't make much sense attached to a 1.3Ghz FSB).
If you really want performance, memory bandwidth is not the problem nowadays. It's latency. If you have your 3GHz processor idling for 50nS you're wasting a lot of cycles.
And frankly, I think people should question the direction of technology. Faster isn't always better. Why can't Intel or AMD be pushing processors which are more tame in speed and high end on power efficiency? Oh right, because they have overhyped their products "TO THE EXTREME!" and can't find a way to break out of the mold.
For me, for example, I'd much rather a laptop that gets 1BIPS (1000 MIPS) consuming a quarter (that can scale down the clock and voltage) the power of a box that gets 2BIPS. Things are better now than they were a few years ago but, there is still room for improvement. On your intel box, don't you think your 1.3GHz northbridge consumes power too? what about your 1.6GHz memory? Why aren't they clockable/voltage mod'able?
hehehehe. I'm sure the new gear *is* faster, but at which point do you just stop noticing? If a page renders in 19ms instead of 20ms, it is faster, but would you notice and is it worth the extra power consumption?
I'm having a hard time getting it up for this nerd porn. 1.3GHz front side bus? 1.6GHz memory? And people are going to notice this [other than in extra power consumption?]
I used a RAID-5 3x250GB at one point with Linux kernel RAID [e.g. no hardware]. It worked fine. Even after one of the drives died. I replaced the array with a RAID-1 2x320GB (since I wasn't filling the other raid anyways) and it too uses software.
I think the smartest thing is to invest in a good set of drives before you make your first raid. No sense trying to raid up a bunch of random small drives, then upgrade. It's just a pain in the ass and you run into the potential problem of data loss. Suck it up, by a set of big drives now and you'll last longer with it, even through the cycle of drives dying.
A 3x500GB array should be enough for most casual uses, it's not too expensive and gets you 1 drive of redundancy.
Um, last I checked I pay taxes on products bought in Canada, and duty on things imported here.
So say I buy something from New York. I don't pay New York tax, but I also didn't buy it there. I bought it in Ottawa. I don't pay Canadian PST or GST up front but do get charged duty. The New York shop pays income tax on the revenue. So all around taxes are being collected.
Answer: There are, but not enough. My fav computer shop has an online and brick presence. If I feel like it, I could UPS shit from 10km away and avoid driving into another part of the city. (Or suppose I didn't own a car and it was to heavy to lug on a bus...).
But many shops have little to no online presence. Like Zellers, Walmart, Canadian Tire, various music shops, etc. About the only large retailer with a decent online shop is Sears, but their delivery folk are criminals and are more likely to steal your purchase than deliver it.
Depends on what you're buying. I don't buy computer gear online for just that reason. But things like books, music, movies, clothing, is pretty much guaranteed to work [or be acceptable].
Explain me double fees (I get charged twice the fee, once by the ATM owner, and once by my bank). I'd love to see the explanation for that one. I just use my Visa or stick to my banks ATMs now. Hell, just explain to me any banking fee. That'd be nice. Canadian banks have posted record profits and yet the fees only go up and up. At some point it has to stop or people will just be broke all the time. You can't get fees out of people with no money.
It isn't like they pay their staff anything. Most tellers I meet are just as helpful as talking to a wall. I don't blame them though, they've got a shitty boring job and aren't paid well.
Combine that with the general incompetence of staff in real stores (e.g. Best Buy) and you have yourself the makings of a negative experience.
Like last night, I went to Zellers [Canadian ripoff of Walmart for all intents...]. They didn't have a SINGLE FAN in the entire store. It was 27C last night. The store stocks random assortments of "this and that" but rarely anything of substance. If the store wasn't a block from my house I'd never set foot in it. The nearest Walmart is a 5 min drive away. They at least have stock (for the most part) but they're limited to the most popular of items. And for little oddities like movies, soundtracks, music books, etc, I just gave up and order online.
It's so frustrating to not be interested in pop culture and try to shop around. Americans have it a little better, stores like [iirc] Fay's stock a good selection of CDs. Even managed to find some trance/techno [like DJ Tiesto, Armin Van Buuren, etc] which is unheard of in Canada.
Maybe if stores stopped cutting out the hardcore clients for the easy buck here and there they wouldn't lose out to online shoppers. I remember a time when I could get comp.sci books in Chapters. Now they're scarce and you have to order online (I use Amazon.ca out of spite, fuck you Chapters).
Canada usually follows the yanks in most policies. I wouldn't be surprised to see an uprising of this idea within a year in Canada.
But frankly on both sides of the borders I think our politicians were bought and sold long ago. In the states, they bow out to SIGs, whereas in Canada they fight each other for scraps from the public coffers. Both really pathetic.
And sadly, at least in Canada it doesn't seem to matter who you vote for. As soon as they hit the house it's just non-stop pointless partisan bickering, regardless of how they actually personally feel about the issues. They just fight to be contrary.
Question: Why are brick and motar stores better? it's less efficient to browse a huge store than to use the net and order from a warehouse. Why can't you have local stores run shops on the web?
I think given the choice of ordering from Ottawa, and ordering from Hong Kong, I'd rather order from Ottawa given the selection, price, and reputation are up to it. I doubt I'm alone in this thought process.
Where is it $266? The Q6600 at the local shop here in Ottawa is $670 CAD [currently on sale for $639]. I'll wait until I can actually find one for around $266 USD.
Also keep in mind that the AMD design is a true quad-core. They didn't just hack two dual-cores together over an FSB. This is a true quad-core (e.g. the L3 is shared between all four cores) over a higher speed internal bus, attached with it's own memory controller, etc....
Will the average OpenOffice or Firefox user notice the difference between the Q6600 and Barcelona? Most likely not. But if you're doing number crunching [say media filtering, encoding, chemistry, etc] the AMD design will likely pay off better.
Oddly enough "the source" (what bought out Radioshack) in Canada tries the same shit. I recently bought a car kit for my ipod which was DOA. When I brought it back [with the ripped open blister package] they mentioned that they don't like giving refunds for packages that are destroyed like that (the kit itself wasn't damaged other than not working).
After pointing out, loudly I might add, that they can't restock broken gear and that they would have to return it anyways, they just gave me a "whatever" look and gave me the refund.
I knew a few computer stores in Ottawa (OEM Express and Targa Computing for those keeping track) who were bad at reselling broken gear. When I did buy from them [3-4 years ago] it would almost always involve a package that was previously open, or the tape seal broken, or small parts missing. The current shop I use [RB Computing] does resell returned goods, but they tell you upfront. And don't try to sneak it in the order. They're also zero hassle returns.
To me it seems like a stupid thing to fight the customer over. Usually when shit is broken the customer is already upset, trying to gouge them on a defective product is just adding salt to the wound.
You have no right to be on private property. You *agree* to either leave or abide by their laws. Being searched by the public isn't actually illegal btw, only by the government [without due process]. For example, if you leave your bag on a bus, I can rifle through it all I want. That's perfectly legal.
Similarly, if you walk into my store I have the right to ask to search your bag. You have the right to refuse, and I have the right to have you removed from the premises. See how that works?
They can't *force* the search, but they can deny services if they don't get what they want.
This is why not living 20 miles from the theater is a good idea. Or just planning better. I mean when I do go to the show, it's usually after supper which means I've been home from work first.
In my case I don't go because I hate the other patrons. Stupid annoying loud mouth teenagers with no respect for others. If I wanted to be that rudely treated I'd just go get my teacher degree and then try and teach a general level English course in a high school.
I'm not upset that they receive compensation for the lost land. I'm upset that they choose to live in remote unemployed swaths of land, and DEMAND handouts. It'd be like paying a welfare cheque to someone who moves out of the city to avoid people.
Second: I agree that shit happened to them, but it was so long ago [and has since ceased] that the only sensible decision is to move on. Time you waste with your hand out waiting for a cheque is time you're not in school, or educating others, or finding a career, or...
Third: For all we know, the aboriginals stole their land from others. For example, say the Iriquois claim they own a piece of land. How do you know they didn't steal it from another tribe? They just happened to have been the people there when we came around.
You could, you know, not bring a bag with you. Or stop being a whiny ass. It takes three seconds to open a bag to show there is no camcorder in there. If you want to bitch about anything try the low selection of quality films, or the $15 small popcorn.
we're talking a knapsack. As to why I have one with me. Usually it carries loot (e.g. music books, gameboy, food, nerf guns, etc). But sometimes I use it to carry my wallet/passport/keys. I'd rather a bag over the shoulder than random shit in my pockets [which knowing my luck will fall out].
And before anyone makes a "purse" comparison, a bag over the shoulders is easier to carry, and it can hold more. So it's not a fashion statement [in fact it's a several year old targus bag I bought on sale at FutureShop].
You don't have to see the movie. And why for fuck sake is hyperbole standard issue nowadays? Being asked to be searched on private property IS NOT THE SAME as random searches in public. Holy christ almighty, salvation, lordy lordy, fuck.
If you can't form a cogent argument, don't use hyperbole to try and make a point.
And I didn't say pat down searches. Just through bags, maybe through bulky coats. Most people don't bring bags into theaters so it wouldn't be a huge problem IMHO.
I have too much respect for my time to watch a cam copy. A DVD rip maybe, but a cam copy? Just why???
Why not just search bags going into the show? It's private property, they have the right too. Personally I wouldn't mind (and yes, I carry a bag with me most places) provided they were respectful and didn't try to swipe anything.
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Your sarcastic post kinda catches on why I never subscribed to the "certified" career path. Sure you can drop 10 large on a MCSE, but what happens when another OS becomes what your employer wants? Same with Novell, Redhat and other cert courses.
I'd rather just not be incompetent and fend for myself than brandish meaningless credentials...
Tom
Hey hey hey, you're not a troll, don't be so hard on yourself.
Anyways, before anyone comments, let me add to my post. 1.3GHz bus = ~325MHz quad-pumped. Meaning sure you get bandwidth but the latency is still slacking behind. Latency is where the performance is at nowadays anyways. Same with the 1.6GHz memory (which I might add doesn't make much sense attached to a 1.3Ghz FSB).
If you really want performance, memory bandwidth is not the problem nowadays. It's latency. If you have your 3GHz processor idling for 50nS you're wasting a lot of cycles.
And frankly, I think people should question the direction of technology. Faster isn't always better. Why can't Intel or AMD be pushing processors which are more tame in speed and high end on power efficiency? Oh right, because they have overhyped their products "TO THE EXTREME!" and can't find a way to break out of the mold.
For me, for example, I'd much rather a laptop that gets 1BIPS (1000 MIPS) consuming a quarter (that can scale down the clock and voltage) the power of a box that gets 2BIPS. Things are better now than they were a few years ago but, there is still room for improvement. On your intel box, don't you think your 1.3GHz northbridge consumes power too? what about your 1.6GHz memory? Why aren't they clockable/voltage mod'able?
etc...
Tom
hehehehe. I'm sure the new gear *is* faster, but at which point do you just stop noticing? If a page renders in 19ms instead of 20ms, it is faster, but would you notice and is it worth the extra power consumption?
Tom
I'm having a hard time getting it up for this nerd porn. 1.3GHz front side bus? 1.6GHz memory? And people are going to notice this [other than in extra power consumption?]
Tom
I used a RAID-5 3x250GB at one point with Linux kernel RAID [e.g. no hardware]. It worked fine. Even after one of the drives died. I replaced the array with a RAID-1 2x320GB (since I wasn't filling the other raid anyways) and it too uses software.
I think the smartest thing is to invest in a good set of drives before you make your first raid. No sense trying to raid up a bunch of random small drives, then upgrade. It's just a pain in the ass and you run into the potential problem of data loss. Suck it up, by a set of big drives now and you'll last longer with it, even through the cycle of drives dying.
A 3x500GB array should be enough for most casual uses, it's not too expensive and gets you 1 drive of redundancy.
ATI isn't a company anymore? AMD owns it, as in, AMD owns the IP to the cards, as in it's an AMD Radeon now.
OMG you can't be this stupid can you?
Tom
Um, last I checked I pay taxes on products bought in Canada, and duty on things imported here.
So say I buy something from New York. I don't pay New York tax, but I also didn't buy it there. I bought it in Ottawa. I don't pay Canadian PST or GST up front but do get charged duty. The New York shop pays income tax on the revenue. So all around taxes are being collected.
Tom
Again, why can't there local online shops?
Answer: There are, but not enough. My fav computer shop has an online and brick presence. If I feel like it, I could UPS shit from 10km away and avoid driving into another part of the city. (Or suppose I didn't own a car and it was to heavy to lug on a bus...).
But many shops have little to no online presence. Like Zellers, Walmart, Canadian Tire, various music shops, etc. About the only large retailer with a decent online shop is Sears, but their delivery folk are criminals and are more likely to steal your purchase than deliver it.
Tom
Depends on what you're buying. I don't buy computer gear online for just that reason. But things like books, music, movies, clothing, is pretty much guaranteed to work [or be acceptable].
Tom
Explain me double fees (I get charged twice the fee, once by the ATM owner, and once by my bank). I'd love to see the explanation for that one. I just use my Visa or stick to my banks ATMs now. Hell, just explain to me any banking fee. That'd be nice. Canadian banks have posted record profits and yet the fees only go up and up. At some point it has to stop or people will just be broke all the time. You can't get fees out of people with no money.
It isn't like they pay their staff anything. Most tellers I meet are just as helpful as talking to a wall. I don't blame them though, they've got a shitty boring job and aren't paid well.
Combine that with the general incompetence of staff in real stores (e.g. Best Buy) and you have yourself the makings of a negative experience.
Like last night, I went to Zellers [Canadian ripoff of Walmart for all intents...]. They didn't have a SINGLE FAN in the entire store. It was 27C last night. The store stocks random assortments of "this and that" but rarely anything of substance. If the store wasn't a block from my house I'd never set foot in it. The nearest Walmart is a 5 min drive away. They at least have stock (for the most part) but they're limited to the most popular of items. And for little oddities like movies, soundtracks, music books, etc, I just gave up and order online.
It's so frustrating to not be interested in pop culture and try to shop around. Americans have it a little better, stores like [iirc] Fay's stock a good selection of CDs. Even managed to find some trance/techno [like DJ Tiesto, Armin Van Buuren, etc] which is unheard of in Canada.
Maybe if stores stopped cutting out the hardcore clients for the easy buck here and there they wouldn't lose out to online shoppers. I remember a time when I could get comp.sci books in Chapters. Now they're scarce and you have to order online (I use Amazon.ca out of spite, fuck you Chapters).
Tom
Canada usually follows the yanks in most policies. I wouldn't be surprised to see an uprising of this idea within a year in Canada.
But frankly on both sides of the borders I think our politicians were bought and sold long ago. In the states, they bow out to SIGs, whereas in Canada they fight each other for scraps from the public coffers. Both really pathetic.
And sadly, at least in Canada it doesn't seem to matter who you vote for. As soon as they hit the house it's just non-stop pointless partisan bickering, regardless of how they actually personally feel about the issues. They just fight to be contrary.
Tom
Question: Why are brick and motar stores better? it's less efficient to browse a huge store than to use the net and order from a warehouse. Why can't you have local stores run shops on the web?
I think given the choice of ordering from Ottawa, and ordering from Hong Kong, I'd rather order from Ottawa given the selection, price, and reputation are up to it. I doubt I'm alone in this thought process.
Tom
I already pay PST/GST on my net connection, and I pay taxes [or duties] on packages bought online. They want to tax on top of the tax I already pay?
How the hell do you tax email? What if you run your own server?
Step 1. Understand technology
Step 2. Legislate it
Step 3. Represent your constituents.
Tom
I guess I forgot that it's currently not next month. I'll hold my breath for the price cut.
Tom
Where is it $266? The Q6600 at the local shop here in Ottawa is $670 CAD [currently on sale for $639]. I'll wait until I can actually find one for around $266 USD.
Also keep in mind that the AMD design is a true quad-core. They didn't just hack two dual-cores together over an FSB. This is a true quad-core (e.g. the L3 is shared between all four cores) over a higher speed internal bus, attached with it's own memory controller, etc....
Will the average OpenOffice or Firefox user notice the difference between the Q6600 and Barcelona? Most likely not. But if you're doing number crunching [say media filtering, encoding, chemistry, etc] the AMD design will likely pay off better.
Tom
Oddly enough "the source" (what bought out Radioshack) in Canada tries the same shit. I recently bought a car kit for my ipod which was DOA. When I brought it back [with the ripped open blister package] they mentioned that they don't like giving refunds for packages that are destroyed like that (the kit itself wasn't damaged other than not working).
After pointing out, loudly I might add, that they can't restock broken gear and that they would have to return it anyways, they just gave me a "whatever" look and gave me the refund.
I knew a few computer stores in Ottawa (OEM Express and Targa Computing for those keeping track) who were bad at reselling broken gear. When I did buy from them [3-4 years ago] it would almost always involve a package that was previously open, or the tape seal broken, or small parts missing. The current shop I use [RB Computing] does resell returned goods, but they tell you upfront. And don't try to sneak it in the order. They're also zero hassle returns.
To me it seems like a stupid thing to fight the customer over. Usually when shit is broken the customer is already upset, trying to gouge them on a defective product is just adding salt to the wound.
Tom
You have no right to be on private property. You *agree* to either leave or abide by their laws. Being searched by the public isn't actually illegal btw, only by the government [without due process]. For example, if you leave your bag on a bus, I can rifle through it all I want. That's perfectly legal.
Similarly, if you walk into my store I have the right to ask to search your bag. You have the right to refuse, and I have the right to have you removed from the premises. See how that works?
They can't *force* the search, but they can deny services if they don't get what they want.
Tom
This is why not living 20 miles from the theater is a good idea. Or just planning better. I mean when I do go to the show, it's usually after supper which means I've been home from work first.
In my case I don't go because I hate the other patrons. Stupid annoying loud mouth teenagers with no respect for others. If I wanted to be that rudely treated I'd just go get my teacher degree and then try and teach a general level English course in a high school.
Tom
Two things you're missing.
...
I'm not upset that they receive compensation for the lost land. I'm upset that they choose to live in remote unemployed swaths of land, and DEMAND handouts. It'd be like paying a welfare cheque to someone who moves out of the city to avoid people.
Second: I agree that shit happened to them, but it was so long ago [and has since ceased] that the only sensible decision is to move on. Time you waste with your hand out waiting for a cheque is time you're not in school, or educating others, or finding a career, or
Third: For all we know, the aboriginals stole their land from others. For example, say the Iriquois claim they own a piece of land. How do you know they didn't steal it from another tribe? They just happened to have been the people there when we came around.
Tom
Question: Why do you need a laptop at the theatre?
Tom
You could, you know, not bring a bag with you. Or stop being a whiny ass. It takes three seconds to open a bag to show there is no camcorder in there. If you want to bitch about anything try the low selection of quality films, or the $15 small popcorn.
Tom
we're talking a knapsack. As to why I have one with me. Usually it carries loot (e.g. music books, gameboy, food, nerf guns, etc). But sometimes I use it to carry my wallet/passport/keys. I'd rather a bag over the shoulder than random shit in my pockets [which knowing my luck will fall out].
And before anyone makes a "purse" comparison, a bag over the shoulders is easier to carry, and it can hold more. So it's not a fashion statement [in fact it's a several year old targus bag I bought on sale at FutureShop].
Tom
You don't have to see the movie. And why for fuck sake is hyperbole standard issue nowadays? Being asked to be searched on private property IS NOT THE SAME as random searches in public. Holy christ almighty, salvation, lordy lordy, fuck.
If you can't form a cogent argument, don't use hyperbole to try and make a point.
And I didn't say pat down searches. Just through bags, maybe through bulky coats. Most people don't bring bags into theaters so it wouldn't be a huge problem IMHO.
Tom
I have too much respect for my time to watch a cam copy. A DVD rip maybe, but a cam copy? Just why???
Why not just search bags going into the show? It's private property, they have the right too. Personally I wouldn't mind (and yes, I carry a bag with me most places) provided they were respectful and didn't try to swipe anything.
Tom