It's overkill, definitely, but I think their goal was to go top of the line on everything.
I have HDTV with buggy drivers and all coming into my machine, an Athlon XP 1800+. For dual HD streams, you can still get away with a sub-$200 CPU (Opteron 146?). But even then, lets say a $300 Opteron 165, 1 GB of RAM (I have no problem with dual tuners and that much memory), and dual HD tuners. Considering a 300 GB drive routinely goes for under $100 after rebates (check fatwallet.com), the whole thing can be done for under $1000 and be top notch:
Opteron 165 - $300
1GB Value RAM - $100
Mobo - $65 (ASRock 939Dual has been great to me)
Vidcard - $40 (Geforce 5200 w/ DVI is popular under Linux)
Desktop case - $30 shipped (isellsurplus.com has a very sturdy and inexpensive black desktop case)
Two HD tuners - $200
300 GB HD - $100
Total: $800 with room to spare for a case upgrade, more ram, or another HD. Maybe put in wifi if you dont want to use the wired LAN integrated on the mobo. Integrated sound has been good for me, but if not, I've seen $15 chaintech cards based on the Envy24 w/ Wolfson DAC for analog and optical out. I use it in my machine.
I'm having a fair amount of problems tuning ATSC content with myth, mostly due to buggy driver support for the DVICO FusionHDTV5 Lite. It segfaults quite a bit. I hear the driver will be integrated in the next kernel, so I have my fingers crossed that the bugs are ironed out.
On the other hand, an ivtv-based card, like a Hauppauge PVR-150 works great, despite the drivers being "buggy" according to the project site:)
Lead additives were used to boost the octane rating of the gasoline. Unleaded gas had to find other means. Your engine today would have no problem running leaded gas, its the catalytic converter that clogs up and causes problems. That's downstream on the exhaust, though, not on the engine itself. So yes, even now, any engine could run on leaded gasoline. You'd just have to replace the cat frequently or not use one at all. On many modern engine designs, they run clean enough to pass emissions w/o a cat. It's as they start aging that you need one for emissions, but im off on a tangent now.
In fact, off-road use leaded gas is still sold at racetracks/dragstrips.
My Opteron 165 with one of the aforementioned coolers runs at 2375 MHz on the stock cooling. I think my motherboard and memory are the limiting factors, too, not the CPU. 2x1.8 GHz to 2x2.375 GHz is a pretty nice jump for a processor, let alone with the retail CPU cooler and thermal interface material (which appears to be wax-based on the Opteron 165).
Definitely, but I'm pretty easily bothered by someone criticizing a company just because they seek to make a profit. I'm not making excuses for being a jerk, but it did set me off.
No, I don't, I was criticizing the post's distaste for Google benefitting nothing but their profits. All I'm saying is that they're a profit maximizing business like any other, and their alternative sources of revenue (ie, not direct-billing their main consumer) provides us with a free service.
I'm not suggesting we agree with them collecting data on our surfing habits. I think that's a lot worse than, say, credit bureaus, because your surfing habits can largely reflect your thoughts at the time. But these usage patterns are likely aggregated and used to serve up related content, not deliver individual IP search history.
Yeah, who are they to try and turn a profit? They should provide you a free service and seek nothing in return.
There's nothing wrong with google seeking a profit.. even a huge profit. That's sort of the way our economy works, but if you're not into that, I'm sure moving to China is an option.
I think you need to transcode into H.264. I'm a Windows person myself, but I'm setting up a dedicated MythTV box right now to move my PVR functionality off of my main PC.
For Windows, ATI's new transcoding utility is really fast. For linux, I'm not sure what I'd use yet since I'm still working on getting my wireless card (Atheros-based) working under Fedora Core 4 using WPA.
Really, though, buying episodes from the itunes store is for the 99.9999% of the population that DOESN'T have a homebrew PVR. Most folks would look at you crooked if you said "capture it with your tuner card and transcode it into half res NTSC H.264":)
Then again, I remember being 16 and the word "MP3" not being a buzzword. Nobody knew what the hell I was talking about then. Now I'm in my mid 20's and my dad has an ipod. I'm off on a tangent, but man, Apple sure did make a mass accessible product.
I work for a large corporation that has a lot of salespeople. What the grandparent said is absolutely true, people can tell the difference between product knowledge and bs sales tactics. The best out there know the products very well. There's no need to swindle if you can earn a client's trust by knowing what you're talking about and not making things up when you have no idea. After the sale, your salesperson is your primary contact for issues that arise, so you're going to buy from the most knowledgeable person.
I don't work in sales, but I've had the privilege of sitting with and observing our folks that do, and it's an absolute art when done properly. I doubt I could do it, honestly.
I don't know how your post got marked insightful, there's zero insight there... just complaining.
Here's the outcome I expect: The statistics themselves are history, but their presentation in an organized fashion is not. That is, MLB won't own the statistics, but CAN copyright the pages they publish them on because they've organized them a certain way. Others will be free to go assemble statistics and use them freely, but can't simply cut and paste them from MLB's web site, for instance.
The difference is, when you're wasted, you'll literally be ok with curling up in a pile of leaves, laying down on the steps of the bar, etc. When you wake up in the morning, there is no substitute for the bed:)
This is a great article for a Thursday, though. It's really making me look forward to the weekend.
I dont disagree with your motives, I disagree with "telling" as I've often see IT people in this building "tell" people things. There's more diplomatic ways to handle the situation.
I don't think your boss should've had root in the context you described, and I do agree that he's unsophisticated given the portrait you've given.
My only disagreement, and probably why you almost got disciplined, was the way you implied you handled it. You'll likely never lose your job in IT for being unpolished, but you'll also have a harder time getting promoted very far (not impossible). I'm certain you could've accomplished what you set out to do w/o "telling" part of it. I'm not saying be indirect, but I've seen IT folks here "tell" people what they can and cannot do. It only builds resentment.. not because you're not giving them what they want, but because you delivered it the wrong way.
Again, I'm not saying your desired result was incorrect. I wouldn't have given him access either.
So, so true. I nearly got disciplined once for explaining to my boss that I wasn't going to give him root access on our Debian boxes.
And you should have been. You don't go "telling" your boss what he can or cannot have, he's your boss. If he tells you to do it, do it. It's then his liability.
Why are there so many IT people with zero interpersonal skills? Instead of flat out refusing, you could've simply explained why it wouldnt be a good idea. It's your job to present the facts, and you can even spin them in a persuasive way (its called politics, try it), but its his job to make the decisions, not yours.
Soft skills will only help your career. Present the facts, play the politics a little to sway the decisionmaker towards your side of things, but reserve being too firm unless it REALLY needs to be done. If he goes against your advice and the network falls apart, it isn't your fault.
Well yeah, if the return happens all at once, it's easier to find. Or it could simply never be returned, since you're paying out a kickback that probably covers the purchase price anyway. You're out the cost of goods sold (COGS) plus some extra as a kickback (which is probably pinched from other company accounts), but you now have the contribution margin on the books.
While sniffable at this point, its getting a lot more difficult.
The thing about channel stuffing is that your company isn't generally on the hook to keep track of other companies' inventory. The way it works is that Distributor agrees to buy and hold a ton of inventory from Manufacturer, probably in exchange for a cash kickback. Once Company sells to Distributor, it's a clean sale, because Company's not really on the hook to track Distributor's inventory (assuming C doesnt own D, which they usually wouldnt). It would be hard to detect even internally, as it doesn't really differ from an ordinary sale. Money comes in, things are delivered, and it looks clean. You'd have to first suspect this, then try to sniff out evidence of the kickback involved. The bottom line is that it's far easier to get away with being crooked, unless everyone in the company is treated like a suspect from the time they're employed.
I'm not justifying this behavior at all, I just want to point out that its probably a lot easier to do and a lot harder to detect than you're aware.
I think there should be class in 'B' school called, "Accounting Tricks That Get You In Trouble with the Law: You're not as smart as you think you are."
Were you a business student, by any chance? Just wondering because my school definitely did cover this in a required course for all BBA candidates. Actually, I believe it was covered in both my required marketing and accounting coursework.
Just because you teach it, doesn't mean someone won't think they haven't found the "foolproof" way to implement it.
Why not play into the system? A lot of people here have scientific degrees. Go get a law degree and become a patent lawyer. Then you can try to make some changes.
I'm a law student, but because I don't have a science degree, I cant sit for the patent bar (unless I pass a ridiculous test that requires a lot of knowledge I would've learned had I done engineering in college). If you have a certain number of hours in the sciences and a JD, you CAN sit for the patent bar.
Instead of complaining about a broken system, get yourself involved. I'm sick and tired of the whiny, lazy, "I have ideas but nobody will listen" culture. If you have ideas, work to have them implemented, otherwise your thoughts are a dime a dozen (probably worth even less than that).
Your last paragraph:
There are many people here who want patent laws to work -- I commend you for continuing to try to find a way to force other people to be good to one another. I have yet to hear HOW we can make patent protections work. We're humans, we're out for our own interests, and that will never change. Why would I want to give certain elected greedy humans this power?
embodies my entire point. If you don't want to "give" that power, then you're going to have to put in some work. If you believe these are truly pressing issues, then make it a career. I won't make a difference in the patent system, but I have my own areas of the law I'd like to make an impact, so I'm biting the bullet and taking 86 more credits to get that JD. I really don't mean to be a jerk here, but why are you (essentially) relying on others to push your agenda?
Before you reply and say "oh, but then I'll just be in the system, but indivually powerless to change it" or something to that effect, I'll say the odds are against you, but what are the odds someone will listen if you just complain and take no action (complaining, and any other word synonymous with complaining does not equal action).
The US was built on work ethic. It seems to be slipping in our generation. If anything, that'll open up a window of opportunity for someone actually determined to make a change. In my own case, even if it doesn't happen, at my retirement I can at least say I tried.
It does cost money. I've never looked into it because I dont yet have kids, but once saw a deal for it posted on fatwallet.com:) Do a google search for umbilical cord storage and you'll come up with something.
"On the other hand, they could decide to do business with just Asia from that moment on"
Dream on, no major economy in the world, the US included, can decide to just "not do business" with another major economy. Both would come crashing down. I'll assume you're European, so let me ask, why do you get off so hard fantasizing about screwing the US? You can't do it, just as much as we can't do it to you. That's enough fairness out of me, though. Now let me point out your rampant unemployment, over 8% is it? Please, solve that first before dreaming of your "derail the US" fantasies. So much for planned economies, huh?
I'm an American and have nothing against the EU nor its citizens, and I think that's the sentiment of most of our population here (I even invest in your markets!). The anti-American attitude coming out of Europe, though, is sickening. You need us as much as we need you, so its probably about time you drop the attitude. I could easily say "well, if you're going to be a moron, I'll just take my money out of the European markets" but that isn't a solution. Whining and complaining just doesn't solve anything.
Seems to me as though it was a move of courtesy. Does it HARM the EU by moving the frequency? Not really, it just prevents it from interfering with military operations. If we're at war, we want to keep as many of our guys alive as possible (if you ask me, all of them), and being able to jam an enemy's positioning signal is part of that. I don't see it as a concession, its not like Europe couldnt go jamming GPS if an enemy was using it, and as a plus, they could still use their own system. How is this at all a concession, when the same benefit received by the US is also received by the EU? It's not one-sided, no matter how much you hate America.
The one thing you DID have to learn were textbooks, though. That's why you didn't need computers. Printing and distributing text books would cost more than putting a $100 laptop in everyone's hands and allowing them to access content electronically. A publisher could donate electronic texts at virtually no cost to themselves, whereas if they printed and donated a textbook for each subject for each grade for each person, the costs get up there. Not to mention distribution. Once a communications infrastructure is built, it becomes low cost to distribute electronic information as well.
YOU learned w/o computers because you had books. They don't have many textbooks in the poorest countries, so what are they going to learn from?
I'm running this board with an Opteron 165, integrated audio/ethernet, Radeon 9700Pro (AGP), and PVR-150 tuner card. I haven't had any of the problems you're talking about. Check your hardware or your drivers, and make sure you're running the latest BIOS (although 1.20 and 1.40 worked fine for me). I've read about cold boot issues for some, but a BIOS upgrade may help that.
Interpersonal skills can be taught and learned, give it a try. Believe me, I hear "poor communicator" described as a reason why someone isn't a manager around here quite often. It'll help you professionally if you don't care about the social aspects at all.
Businesses are starting to hire a lot more programmers that can also manage their own projects and communicate with the internal/external customers, rather than splitting it into two roles. That means being able to communicate well to non-technical folks who just need the job done. I really think they ought to make the comp sci kids minor in business anymore. It'd make them much more attractive to their first employer.
As far as the social aspects, well.. eye contact, decent posture, a smile, and actually thinking before you speak goes a long way with women. I'm absolutely terrible at the "think before you speak" part, especially when I'm full of cheap beer, but that's probably part of the fun.
Slashdot Mirror
It's overkill, definitely, but I think their goal was to go top of the line on everything.
I have HDTV with buggy drivers and all coming into my machine, an Athlon XP 1800+. For dual HD streams, you can still get away with a sub-$200 CPU (Opteron 146?). But even then, lets say a $300 Opteron 165, 1 GB of RAM (I have no problem with dual tuners and that much memory), and dual HD tuners. Considering a 300 GB drive routinely goes for under $100 after rebates (check fatwallet.com), the whole thing can be done for under $1000 and be top notch:
Opteron 165 - $300
1GB Value RAM - $100
Mobo - $65 (ASRock 939Dual has been great to me)
Vidcard - $40 (Geforce 5200 w/ DVI is popular under Linux) Desktop case - $30 shipped (isellsurplus.com has a very sturdy and inexpensive black desktop case) Two HD tuners - $200 300 GB HD - $100 Total: $800 with room to spare for a case upgrade, more ram, or another HD. Maybe put in wifi if you dont want to use the wired LAN integrated on the mobo. Integrated sound has been good for me, but if not, I've seen $15 chaintech cards based on the Envy24 w/ Wolfson DAC for analog and optical out. I use it in my machine.
I'm having a fair amount of problems tuning ATSC content with myth, mostly due to buggy driver support for the DVICO FusionHDTV5 Lite. It segfaults quite a bit. I hear the driver will be integrated in the next kernel, so I have my fingers crossed that the bugs are ironed out.
:)
On the other hand, an ivtv-based card, like a Hauppauge PVR-150 works great, despite the drivers being "buggy" according to the project site
Lead additives were used to boost the octane rating of the gasoline. Unleaded gas had to find other means. Your engine today would have no problem running leaded gas, its the catalytic converter that clogs up and causes problems. That's downstream on the exhaust, though, not on the engine itself. So yes, even now, any engine could run on leaded gasoline. You'd just have to replace the cat frequently or not use one at all. On many modern engine designs, they run clean enough to pass emissions w/o a cat. It's as they start aging that you need one for emissions, but im off on a tangent now. In fact, off-road use leaded gas is still sold at racetracks/dragstrips.
My Opteron 165 with one of the aforementioned coolers runs at 2375 MHz on the stock cooling. I think my motherboard and memory are the limiting factors, too, not the CPU. 2x1.8 GHz to 2x2.375 GHz is a pretty nice jump for a processor, let alone with the retail CPU cooler and thermal interface material (which appears to be wax-based on the Opteron 165).
Definitely, but I'm pretty easily bothered by someone criticizing a company just because they seek to make a profit. I'm not making excuses for being a jerk, but it did set me off.
No, I don't, I was criticizing the post's distaste for Google benefitting nothing but their profits. All I'm saying is that they're a profit maximizing business like any other, and their alternative sources of revenue (ie, not direct-billing their main consumer) provides us with a free service.
I'm not suggesting we agree with them collecting data on our surfing habits. I think that's a lot worse than, say, credit bureaus, because your surfing habits can largely reflect your thoughts at the time. But these usage patterns are likely aggregated and used to serve up related content, not deliver individual IP search history.
Yeah, who are they to try and turn a profit? They should provide you a free service and seek nothing in return.
There's nothing wrong with google seeking a profit.. even a huge profit. That's sort of the way our economy works, but if you're not into that, I'm sure moving to China is an option.
I think you need to transcode into H.264. I'm a Windows person myself, but I'm setting up a dedicated MythTV box right now to move my PVR functionality off of my main PC.
:)
For Windows, ATI's new transcoding utility is really fast. For linux, I'm not sure what I'd use yet since I'm still working on getting my wireless card (Atheros-based) working under Fedora Core 4 using WPA.
Really, though, buying episodes from the itunes store is for the 99.9999% of the population that DOESN'T have a homebrew PVR. Most folks would look at you crooked if you said "capture it with your tuner card and transcode it into half res NTSC H.264"
Then again, I remember being 16 and the word "MP3" not being a buzzword. Nobody knew what the hell I was talking about then. Now I'm in my mid 20's and my dad has an ipod. I'm off on a tangent, but man, Apple sure did make a mass accessible product.
I work for a large corporation that has a lot of salespeople. What the grandparent said is absolutely true, people can tell the difference between product knowledge and bs sales tactics. The best out there know the products very well. There's no need to swindle if you can earn a client's trust by knowing what you're talking about and not making things up when you have no idea. After the sale, your salesperson is your primary contact for issues that arise, so you're going to buy from the most knowledgeable person.
I don't work in sales, but I've had the privilege of sitting with and observing our folks that do, and it's an absolute art when done properly. I doubt I could do it, honestly.
I don't know how your post got marked insightful, there's zero insight there... just complaining.
Here's the outcome I expect: The statistics themselves are history, but their presentation in an organized fashion is not. That is, MLB won't own the statistics, but CAN copyright the pages they publish them on because they've organized them a certain way. Others will be free to go assemble statistics and use them freely, but can't simply cut and paste them from MLB's web site, for instance.
To me, thats perfectly fair.
The difference is, when you're wasted, you'll literally be ok with curling up in a pile of leaves, laying down on the steps of the bar, etc. When you wake up in the morning, there is no substitute for the bed :)
This is a great article for a Thursday, though. It's really making me look forward to the weekend.
I dont disagree with your motives, I disagree with "telling" as I've often see IT people in this building "tell" people things. There's more diplomatic ways to handle the situation.
I don't think your boss should've had root in the context you described, and I do agree that he's unsophisticated given the portrait you've given.
My only disagreement, and probably why you almost got disciplined, was the way you implied you handled it. You'll likely never lose your job in IT for being unpolished, but you'll also have a harder time getting promoted very far (not impossible). I'm certain you could've accomplished what you set out to do w/o "telling" part of it. I'm not saying be indirect, but I've seen IT folks here "tell" people what they can and cannot do. It only builds resentment.. not because you're not giving them what they want, but because you delivered it the wrong way.
Again, I'm not saying your desired result was incorrect. I wouldn't have given him access either.
So, so true. I nearly got disciplined once for explaining to my boss that I wasn't going to give him root access on our Debian boxes.
And you should have been. You don't go "telling" your boss what he can or cannot have, he's your boss. If he tells you to do it, do it. It's then his liability.
Why are there so many IT people with zero interpersonal skills? Instead of flat out refusing, you could've simply explained why it wouldnt be a good idea. It's your job to present the facts, and you can even spin them in a persuasive way (its called politics, try it), but its his job to make the decisions, not yours.
Soft skills will only help your career. Present the facts, play the politics a little to sway the decisionmaker towards your side of things, but reserve being too firm unless it REALLY needs to be done. If he goes against your advice and the network falls apart, it isn't your fault.
Well yeah, if the return happens all at once, it's easier to find. Or it could simply never be returned, since you're paying out a kickback that probably covers the purchase price anyway. You're out the cost of goods sold (COGS) plus some extra as a kickback (which is probably pinched from other company accounts), but you now have the contribution margin on the books.
While sniffable at this point, its getting a lot more difficult.
The thing about channel stuffing is that your company isn't generally on the hook to keep track of other companies' inventory. The way it works is that Distributor agrees to buy and hold a ton of inventory from Manufacturer, probably in exchange for a cash kickback. Once Company sells to Distributor, it's a clean sale, because Company's not really on the hook to track Distributor's inventory (assuming C doesnt own D, which they usually wouldnt). It would be hard to detect even internally, as it doesn't really differ from an ordinary sale. Money comes in, things are delivered, and it looks clean. You'd have to first suspect this, then try to sniff out evidence of the kickback involved. The bottom line is that it's far easier to get away with being crooked, unless everyone in the company is treated like a suspect from the time they're employed.
I'm not justifying this behavior at all, I just want to point out that its probably a lot easier to do and a lot harder to detect than you're aware.
I think there should be class in 'B' school called, "Accounting Tricks That Get You In Trouble with the Law: You're not as smart as you think you are."
Were you a business student, by any chance? Just wondering because my school definitely did cover this in a required course for all BBA candidates. Actually, I believe it was covered in both my required marketing and accounting coursework.
Just because you teach it, doesn't mean someone won't think they haven't found the "foolproof" way to implement it.
Why not play into the system? A lot of people here have scientific degrees. Go get a law degree and become a patent lawyer. Then you can try to make some changes.
I'm a law student, but because I don't have a science degree, I cant sit for the patent bar (unless I pass a ridiculous test that requires a lot of knowledge I would've learned had I done engineering in college). If you have a certain number of hours in the sciences and a JD, you CAN sit for the patent bar.
Instead of complaining about a broken system, get yourself involved. I'm sick and tired of the whiny, lazy, "I have ideas but nobody will listen" culture. If you have ideas, work to have them implemented, otherwise your thoughts are a dime a dozen (probably worth even less than that).
Your last paragraph:
There are many people here who want patent laws to work -- I commend you for continuing to try to find a way to force other people to be good to one another. I have yet to hear HOW we can make patent protections work. We're humans, we're out for our own interests, and that will never change. Why would I want to give certain elected greedy humans this power?
embodies my entire point. If you don't want to "give" that power, then you're going to have to put in some work. If you believe these are truly pressing issues, then make it a career. I won't make a difference in the patent system, but I have my own areas of the law I'd like to make an impact, so I'm biting the bullet and taking 86 more credits to get that JD. I really don't mean to be a jerk here, but why are you (essentially) relying on others to push your agenda?
Before you reply and say "oh, but then I'll just be in the system, but indivually powerless to change it" or something to that effect, I'll say the odds are against you, but what are the odds someone will listen if you just complain and take no action (complaining, and any other word synonymous with complaining does not equal action).
The US was built on work ethic. It seems to be slipping in our generation. If anything, that'll open up a window of opportunity for someone actually determined to make a change. In my own case, even if it doesn't happen, at my retirement I can at least say I tried.
It does cost money. I've never looked into it because I dont yet have kids, but once saw a deal for it posted on fatwallet.com :) Do a google search for umbilical cord storage and you'll come up with something.
"On the other hand, they could decide to do business with just Asia from that moment on"
Dream on, no major economy in the world, the US included, can decide to just "not do business" with another major economy. Both would come crashing down. I'll assume you're European, so let me ask, why do you get off so hard fantasizing about screwing the US? You can't do it, just as much as we can't do it to you. That's enough fairness out of me, though. Now let me point out your rampant unemployment, over 8% is it? Please, solve that first before dreaming of your "derail the US" fantasies. So much for planned economies, huh?
I'm an American and have nothing against the EU nor its citizens, and I think that's the sentiment of most of our population here (I even invest in your markets!). The anti-American attitude coming out of Europe, though, is sickening. You need us as much as we need you, so its probably about time you drop the attitude. I could easily say "well, if you're going to be a moron, I'll just take my money out of the European markets" but that isn't a solution. Whining and complaining just doesn't solve anything.
Seems to me as though it was a move of courtesy. Does it HARM the EU by moving the frequency? Not really, it just prevents it from interfering with military operations. If we're at war, we want to keep as many of our guys alive as possible (if you ask me, all of them), and being able to jam an enemy's positioning signal is part of that. I don't see it as a concession, its not like Europe couldnt go jamming GPS if an enemy was using it, and as a plus, they could still use their own system. How is this at all a concession, when the same benefit received by the US is also received by the EU? It's not one-sided, no matter how much you hate America.
I'm glad that this is the first comment, seriously. That quote in the article sounds like google thinks we must have zero business sense.
I mean, if true, that's one LARGE consulting fee. Defense contractors would probably even gawk and say "that's a lot of money!"
I'd say stay longer than 6 months, because a string of short-term jobs on your resume is going to hurt your chances of landing interviews.
You need to show some stable job history.
The one thing you DID have to learn were textbooks, though. That's why you didn't need computers. Printing and distributing text books would cost more than putting a $100 laptop in everyone's hands and allowing them to access content electronically. A publisher could donate electronic texts at virtually no cost to themselves, whereas if they printed and donated a textbook for each subject for each grade for each person, the costs get up there. Not to mention distribution. Once a communications infrastructure is built, it becomes low cost to distribute electronic information as well.
YOU learned w/o computers because you had books. They don't have many textbooks in the poorest countries, so what are they going to learn from?
I'm running this board with an Opteron 165, integrated audio/ethernet, Radeon 9700Pro (AGP), and PVR-150 tuner card. I haven't had any of the problems you're talking about. Check your hardware or your drivers, and make sure you're running the latest BIOS (although 1.20 and 1.40 worked fine for me). I've read about cold boot issues for some, but a BIOS upgrade may help that.
Interpersonal skills can be taught and learned, give it a try. Believe me, I hear "poor communicator" described as a reason why someone isn't a manager around here quite often. It'll help you professionally if you don't care about the social aspects at all.
Businesses are starting to hire a lot more programmers that can also manage their own projects and communicate with the internal/external customers, rather than splitting it into two roles. That means being able to communicate well to non-technical folks who just need the job done. I really think they ought to make the comp sci kids minor in business anymore. It'd make them much more attractive to their first employer.
As far as the social aspects, well.. eye contact, decent posture, a smile, and actually thinking before you speak goes a long way with women. I'm absolutely terrible at the "think before you speak" part, especially when I'm full of cheap beer, but that's probably part of the fun.