Archive for July, 2004

PC Buying Guide for August

Jul 31st, 04 / Comments Off

Well, its that time again for PC buying recommendations. This time, great kudos to AnandTech’s June Overclocking Guide. I love this particular guide because it includes what machines overclock well to get you additional price/performance. I’m also in the middle of building up a high-end PC for my own video editing, gaming and digital photography as well as a low-end PC to replace Calvin’s failing computer.

High-end PC

Lots happening in this category this month. Intel announced their new Prescott, PCI Express and 925X chipsets while AMD shipped their Athlon 939-socket processors and motherboards. The net of that is that the new Prescotts are hotter but not much faster and that the Athlon 64s remain a leader particular when you start overclocking.

So here is my dream system with prices from pricegrabber (although most of the time newegg.com or zipzoomfly.com are the cheapest but highest quality):

| Component | Price | Comments and Alternatives |
| AMD Athlon 64 3500+ | “$350″:http://hometheaterspot.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php?masterid=2835393&blsrt=1 | Athlon 64 2800+ is socket “754″:http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2063 for 2-9% slower but can be had for $150 | |
| “MSI Neo2 K8N Platinum”:http://anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2128&p=19 | “$180″:http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=241143 | 5% faster in Winstones, the Abit “AV8″:http://hometheaterspot.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=3191272 at $121 is value leader or Chaintech “VNF3250″: for socket 754 at just “$80″:http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=2644523 although without firewire ||
| OCZ “3700EB”:http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.aspx?i=2138&p=7 | “$340″:http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=2707066 | No clear alternatives for overclocking |
| Western Digital “WD740GB”:http://www.storagereview.com/articles/200401/20040126WD740GD_1.html | “$180″:http://hometheaterspot.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=1733497 | Or get the Hitachi 7K400 as a huge drive if you can find it at “$400″:http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Hitachi%20DeskStar%207K400%20Hard%20Drive:1991433786 |
| nVidia “6800GT”:http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2113&p=18 | “$439″:http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=property&DEPA=1 | Much controversy about this vs the Radeon X800Pro and are very comparable at “$440″:http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php?masterid=2694795&blsrt=1 also and Anand current says wait a month and if you have to buy a $200 ATI “9800 Pro”:AnandTech Athlon 939 boards. The latest benchmark shows the Athlon 64 with the new socket 939 to be screaming fast even for video benchmarks.

The recommended board is the MSI K8N Neo2.
is the way to go ||
| Antec “True Power 480″:http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.aspx?i=2138&p=13 | $87 | Don’t skimp on the power supply |

Good comments are that good value for overclocking is:

CPU: AMD Athlon XP 2500+ Mobile Barton (512K L2 cache)
Motherboard: DFI Infinity NFII Ultra (nForce2 Ultra 400)
Price: CPU – $88 shipped (OEM). Motherboard – $91 shipped. HSF – $12 shipped

This is exactly the system that I overclocked, but used the standard Barton. The Mobile version uses less than half the wattage and is a great overclocker. It is not super fast performance-wse, but look at the price!

This chip is also multiplier unlocked so instead of just running against a 133 FSB, many folks run it at 11×200 or even 12×200MHz successfuly. With the DFI board, folks are reaching FSB speeds of 280MHz!

Another recommendation would be:

Athlong 2800+ or 3000+ combined with a 2nd generation socket 754 board like the MSI K8 Neo or the Abit KV8 Pro

PCs

Tour de France Photos

Jul 29th, 04 / Comments Off

www.cyclingnews.com presents the 91st Tour de France, 2004. Great photos from the Tour de France. The race may be over, but the memory lingers on.

Cycling

Scanners Guide 2004

Jul 28th, 04 / 1 Comment

Scanner Reviews (Editorial) Sorted by Date – Page 1 – eCoustics.com . eCoustics is getting better and better, they now are a meta-review site that looks at reviews from many magazines and also trolls for user reviews. Very smart.

Here’s a quick list of recent scanner reviews that would have taken hours to get:

* Minolta Dimage Dual IV. “Photographic”:http://www.photographic.com/digitalperipherals/604minolta/ likes the $300 scanner for its modest price. Doesn’t have fancy Digital ICE (the royalty is too high, but it is 3200 dpi. That means BTW, that at full scan resolution, you can reprint a 35mm slide to 15×10 enlargements (and each image would be 36MB or 14 megapixels).
* Nikon Coolscan V ED. “Shutterbug”:http://www.shutterbug.com/test_reports/0504sb_nikons/ liked this $599 scanner. It is a 4000 dpi 35m film , Digital Ice enabled. scanner. BTW at 4000 dpi, you can make 13×19″ photos at 300 dpi with 55MB images! Seems like a good advanced amateur choice. The next model up is the 5000ED ($1099) with same resolution, but wider dynamic range. Main disadvantage is that it doesn’t have batch scanning (you scan 6 frames at a time). Dynamic Range is 4.2.
* Minolta Dimage 5400. “Shutterbug”:http://www.shutterbug.net/test_reports/1203sb_thenew/ and also “Popular Photography’;http://popphoto.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_id=976 like this $900 scanner. Has Digital ICE and 5400 dpi resolution. That’s enough for a huge 16×23 photo. Need to use with “SilverFast”:http://silverfast.com drivers though which are $200, but apparently worth it.

As an aside all these scanners appear to work the best with the “Vuescan”:http://www.hamrick.com/ software. Great reviews on that or Silverfast for Minolta.

Another thing you’ll need is either Adobe Photoshop Elements (the low end) $100 or their highend full Photoshop ($700). “Popular Photography”:http://popphoto.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_id=976 also likes the JASC Paint Shop Pro 8 for $90 which apparently also runs many Adobe plugins and is closer to the $700 Photoshop. Worth checking out.

PCs

Ultralight Business Travel: Your Travel Bag

Jul 25th, 04 / 2 Comments

Ultralight backpacking seems to be all the rage as is ultralight equipment in bicycling. I don’t see why there isn’t the same trend as people slep bags from one end of the world to the other.

The technology is getting better all the time, but I see all kinds of folks dragging gigantic laptops, huge bags, 10 changes of clothes for a 2 day business trip. So, here’s a list of what I’ve done and the current recommended road warrior equipment. With this stuff, I’ve been able to go to Europe for a week in an amazingly small bag.

_A few caveats, this works if you aren’t being James Bond with ten parties and so forth. It actually works better if you are just doing business formal because then you just need suites_

Actually I’ve been using a no-name rolling backpack from my Microsoft days for 5 years now, but it is finally breaking. Here are the key features, make it as small as possible so you can stuff it in the baggage compartment above. It really helps if you can turn it into a backpack too. Folks think backpacks are small, but rolling luggage is big. You need both because your pack is going to be *dense* so you don’t want to carry it on your back through 2 miles of airport on a humid day in Heathrow or Toronto. Also, running to catch a plane is way easier if you have a pull along. Another important thing are water bottle holders. This no-name bag has a pair of pockets perfect for holding water and Luna bars (more on that later).

Since I can’t id this bag exactly, I can say it is 18 high x 15 wide x 7 deep and look for something similar. “Ebags Rolling Backpacks”:http://www.ebags.com/backpacks/wheeled_backpacks/category_search/index.cfm?N=2003995. Ebags has a huge set of wheeled backpacks to choose from. Two of the better looking ones are:

* “Ebags Router Wheeled Laptop Convertible”:http://www.ebags.com/ebags/router_wheeled_laptop_convertible/product_detail/index.cfm?modelid=20172. $90 and seems like a well thoughout product, but it is new and first shipments are August 11. It is 19.75″H x 14″W x 12″D, 7 lbs 13 oz. It has place for water bottle, it is a rolling backpack. It has room for a water bottle as well. It won’t be available until August 11 though, but there is a preorder period.
* “Jansport Wheeled Optimizer”:http://www.ebags.com/jansport/wheeled_optimizer/product_detail/index.cfm?modelid=19940. 18.75″H x 14″W x 9″D, 7lob 4 oz, 1580 cu. in. Its a bit expensive at $130 but has side pockets, top loading laptop holder.
* L.L.Bean: Microfiber Rolling Pullman. This isn’t a backpack as well, but it is microfiber so is supposed to be 20% lighter. Weight in at 8 lbs 5 oz and is 17″H x 14″w x 9″D with 1,500 cu. in.
* “Wide-Mouth Excursion Pack”:http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=1&catalogId=1&categoryId=34015&productId=467386&catalog_id=KO&sc1=shopping_cart. OK, this bag isn’t a rolling bag, but it can be a shoulder bag or a day pack. Only weighs 2lb 10 ox. and is 161/2″H x 12″W x7″D. Also it has those all important water bottle holders.
* “Shockware Pack, Rolling”:http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=1&catalogId=1&categoryId=34922&catalog_id=EI&feat=ay. You’ll laugh, but this comes from the LL Bean kids collection so only the grey color could be used for business. It is large at 2,125 cu. in. 6 lb. 2 ox. 18″H x 14″W x 7″D. It isn’t clear from the photo online if the side pockets are big enough for water bottles though.

Travel

good piece on filters

Jul 24th, 04 / Comments Off

Filters. very confusing what to use now that photoshop exists.

Two most interesting are a haze filter and a polarizer. I have a UV filter on all my lenses. He says B+W or Nikon are best, but Tiffen is half the price and probably OK. Don’t get ultracheap filters though.

Photography

35mm Film Reviews

Jul 23rd, 04 / Comments Off

Edward C. Nemergut Photography. I’m buying another batch of 35mm film. Used 9 rolls of Fuji Superia-X ISO 400 film for nature and portrait photography.

Results were Ok for the landscapes (mainly shot with a really neat 70-200 lense), but what was outstanding were the outdoor portraits (particularly on those overcast days in Alaska).

Many of the days were really hazy though and it felt like a haze filter or maybe a polarizing filter would have helped. I need to research this.

Or, it could have been film choise. The Superia-X is amazingly cheap and got good reviews out of popphoto.com, but some folks like Nemergut have some other recommendations for folks doing outdoor photography (E6 is the name for photo geeks):

* Fuji Velvia 50. This is ISO 50 slide film and is best for scenary. You need a tripod for many shots and it doesn’t do well with people. Works best in overcast or low contrast situations. Caucasians look red with this film. This is a slide film, so not great for putting into albums, but good for scanning and reprinting.
* Fuji Provia 100F. This is lower contrast and better for high contrast light. For instance shooting animals in midday. Can use with people too. Its slide film

Finally for print outdoor film (C41)
* Fuji Superia Reala. This is ISO 100 film and is great for the “family in front of the Grand Canyon” because it has great flesh tones yet saturated colors. Also quite inexpensive. The other films likst go for about $5/roll, while this is about half that at bhphotovideo.com
* Fujifilm NPH-400. Interestingly, photo.net likes it for outdoor when shot at 320 because it is sharp but colors are not oversaturated.

For shooting indoor people and portraits:

* Kodak Ultra Color 400UC (formerly called Portra 400UC). This is a great choice for indoor people photography because its good for fleshtones (low contrast) but has vivid colors.
* Fuji NPH-400. This is what he recommends for weddings because of the black and white contrasting outfits. (Interestingly, photo.net likes it for outdoor when shot at 320 because it is sharp but colors are not oversaturated).
* Fuji NPZ-800. This is ISO-800 film that has nearly the grain of 400 film, but is one stop faster. Its good for “available light” weddings where you don’t want a flash.

Photography

Quote of the Day (Stage 17)

Jul 23rd, 04 / Comments Off

Tour de France – Daily Scoop (Stage 17). _Those Texans can be so endearing_

bq. “I said to him, ‘How bad do you want to win a stage on the Tour de France?’ and he said, ‘Real bad.’ I said, ‘How fast can you go downhill?’ and he said, ‘I can go downhill real fast’. He said, ‘Can I do it?’ And I said, ‘Sure you can do it’. Then I told him, ‘Run like you stole something, Floyd.’”

–Lance Armstrong, retelling the conversation he had with teammate Floyd Landis on top of the day’s final climb, the Col de la Croix Fry.

Cycling

Lance is a stud…Bike Lust continues

Jul 22nd, 04 / Comments Off

What about that Texan. An incredibly classy day today and I’m even more impressed with how hard those guys at the Tour De France work.

And, for those of us looking for the perfect mountain bike, perusing Cycling news gives us the new Klein Palomino XV based on the Tuner Monoshock.

Cycling

Guide to Printers 2004

Jul 21st, 04 / 1 Comment

Well, it finally had to happen, but after 4 years, our HP 940 Csi inkjet printer finally died.

Actually the death has been lingering. First we put in Christmas cards in and this destroyed the ejection mechanism. Then, the cool two-sided printing module failed. Now, it doesn’t power on at all. So on to a new one.

*Low-cost home network printer*

I’m surprised there isn’t anything in this category with networking at home happening everywhere. What we need is a cheap and small network laser printer so we don’t have to turn a machine everytime to use it.

Low consumables cost and fast for general printing and also something that will print on DVDs and CDs. A cheap laser printer is now just $210 is that it is 3x the speed. Right now ink costs and toner costs are about identical for black and white printing (2-3 cents per page). There are a couple of choices. These BTW all fit in my tiny little cabinet.

* PC Magazine liked the “Brother HL-5140″:http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1608015,00.asp which is 21 ppm but the Brother we owned before really was unreliable. Its $200. Or as “ZDNet”:http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/Brother_HL_5140/4505-3155_16-30733007-4.html?tag=top explains, get the HL-5170DN which has an Ethernet port already at $350 list with an Ethernet port and 32MB instead of 16Mb but the same print engine. Pricegrabber has this model as well.
* PC World likes the “HP LaserJet 1300″:http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,112790,00.asp. Its $400 and has a $200 ethernet option called the 1300n. Main drawback is that greyscale photos look terrible. It has a $100 rebate on it from June to October, so it goes from outrageously expensive ($400-600) to somewhat more reasonable.
* Bjorn3D likes the “Samsung HL-1720″:http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=638 and “Hardware Central”:http://www.hardwarecentral.com/hardwarecentral/reviews/5429/1/. He did a quick review of a $130 laser printer from Samsung (!!!). It’s about the same speed and startup time as a 1300, but is way, way cheaper. With $68 toner cartridges, its about 2.7 cents per page. Main problem is that it doesn’t have any networking option and “PC Mag”:http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1607880,00.asp says its cheap but output quality isn’t that great (what a surprise :-)

*Photo Printing*

Super high quality for the preparation to digital photo printing. It seems as the though the tremendous rush to quality has slowed the Epson 2200 was a milestone and now Canon, HP and Epson all have very good prosumer models. So here’s the analysis. I ended up getting the Canon i9900 because it seemed to be getting just fantastic reviews and I couldn’t justify the incredible Epson 4000:

* “Epson Stylus Pro 4000″:http://popphoto.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_id=1018&page_number=1. This is the current professional digital darkroom printer to lust after. Costs over $1800 but it is beautiful. Can product 17×44 inch wide prints. Now that is big and it is an 8-color ink device that has separate cartridges.
* “Canon i9900″:http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1596871,00.asp is the follow on to the very good “Canon i9100″:http://popphoto.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_id=745. Canon just announced a new series of printers called “Pixma”:http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1624218,00.asp that range in price from $150-$80 but I haven’t seen reviews yet. Main issue is the thing is huge at 17.3×11x26 (wow, 26 inches deep, so it really needs a whole desktop! It like the Epson has separate cartridges. Also doesn’t have a roll feeder so you can’t just print a long roll of 4×6″ prints out. It needs to go on a big desk.
* “HP 7960″:http://popphoto.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_id=809. This one gets good reviews and is reasonably priced. The main problem is that it has a gigantic ink cartridge so you can’t replace individual colors like the Epson. Steets at $290. It is an eight color printer as well. Says it is more accurate but less gamut (range) of colors vs. the Epson 2200 or the Canon i9100
* “Epson R800″:http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,116706,00.asp with a deep review at “i-photo.co.uk”:.http://i-photo.co.uk/Reviews/Interactive/Epson%20R800 This is a new high end printer from Epson that is just below the Epson 2200. Main advantage is that it can print directly to the right kind of blank CDs and DVDs. Also it has a roll feeder so you can print 4×6s really quickly. Interesting to see consumable wise it is about the same cost as a laser printer but much slower. Main problem is that it is 19″ wide so won’t fit in our cabinet. (it is narrow at 7″ high x 12″ deep).

Other details are that when you buy this, you need consumables. For the Canon, recommendations seem to show you should stick with their paper and their ink. Here are some of the good deals:

* BCI-6 Inks. These list for about $11 and there are 8 of them. You can get them in a 8-pack at Thenerds.net right now for $72 plus $10 shipping. With these small items, shipping is just a killer given that most internet sites charge a minimum of $4 per piece even if it is just a $5 stack of paper. The solution is to either get bigger packs or if you need individuals, go to officedepot.com and order $50 worth, then they deliver for free if you are near an OfficeDepot. Alternatively, you can use Amazon which has free shipping for over $25.
* Canon Photo Pro and Canon Photo Plus paper. The Pro is about twice the price and is guaranteed to last 25 years without fading. If you are just putting photos into albums that are not going to be in the light, seems like the Plus (4×6 sheets in packs of 120 for $18 or so at Amazon right now) are good buys. You probably also want to get some Pros for hanging up. They ship with 8×11 and gigantic 13×19 sheets for big photos. Not bad to set say 120 of the 4×6 Plus, 20 of the 4×6 Pros and 15 8×11 and 10 13×19 as a starter set. Amazon has the 4×6 Plus and the 13×19 Pros. OfficeDepot has the 4×6 Pros. So its a little complicated, but you can get it all without big shipping charges.

PCs

Grace’s Montlake T-ball schedule

Jul 19th, 04 / Comments Off

Here’s Grace’s T-ball schedule for Montlake:

| Date | Time | Opponent |Field|
| June 17th|5:15pm|Stingers Jorrit Van der Meulen |5 |
| June 24th |5:15pm|South Park Carmen Martinez |6 |
| July 1st |5:15pm|Mighty Mice John McHale | 4 |
|July 8th |5:15pm|South Park Carmen Martinez | 6 |
| July 15th |5:15pm|Cougars Sean Walsh | 1 |
| July 22nd |5:15pm|Blue Sox Dragons Richard Furman |1 |
| July 29th |5:15pm|Bobcats Bob Fox | 3 |
| August 5th|5:15pm| Mark Doran | 2 |

Field #1 is by the Parking Lot
Field #2-4 are by the baseball field and Tudor building
Field #5-6 are on the football field

Practices are on Thursday at 4:30 pm at Montlake (prior to the game).
Rainout decisions will be made the day of the game at 3pm.

Grace