Advise on selecting a PC

So recently I got asked what was a good machine to buy, should I buy a desktop or a laptop? So I asked what do you want to do with the device and looked at my friend staring at me with a blank look on his face, we sometimes forget that if you’re not in the game then questions like this can confuse anyone. So I spent the next 3 hours going through a list of his needs and explaining the difference between the various options.

This got me thinking so decided to put a quick breakdown of what anyone should do when buying a system for the first time.

To start off, make a list of what you want to do with what you are considering buying, if you’re buying a system to travel or to use at home, want a system for internet access to contact the family overseas or are you wanting to use a machine for Graphic Design. The list needs to have what you want to accomplish and what you plan to do with the system.

Second off, shop around and look at the various places that sell the type of equipment you are looking for, remember take your list with you and show it to the guys there so they can see what you need and what they have that fits the request. This is assuming you are buying off the shelf however if you’re going to one of the places that does purpose built machines the list is critical, remember however to get a quote from two or more places first do not accept the first offer that comes your way.

Third check the reputation of the place you are buying from, just because they have what you need at the right price, they could be gone tomorrow and your warranty is gone. Check how long they’ve been around, if they’ve been there for a few years then you should have no worries there. Where possible buy a brand name and if getting purpose built make sure the component warranties are detailed properly.

Fourth, if the technician trying to sell you the system sounds like a salesman then be careful, that’s exactly what he is. Things like “this machine will do everything for you” and “it’s got all the options” or “you’ll be able to use her for the next 10 years” are all things you need to be wary of.

Fifth, ask a friend or speak to an IT Tech at work, show them your options and what you put on the list, their advice can often be invaluable. Remember the guys will usually be more than happy to give you advice but don’t ask them to come with and pick out the system for you, it’s ultimately your choice and they won’t choose for you as if something goes wrong you may try and hold them accountable.

A couple of things to keep in mind:

Purpose built machines usually have a higher degree of flexibility when it comes to upgrading and enhancements whereas PreBuilt machines are more difficult to do so.

Always make sure your machine comes with an Operating System especially when buying purpose built. It’s embarrasing to get home, set it up, plug it in and switch it on and getting the message “No operating system found”.

If you put internet on the list, make sure you have the facilities at home like a dial up account(very old very rare nowadays), ADSL(becomimg the norm) and a ISP(Internet Service Provider).

Well that’s it for now, hope this helps you out. Remember buying a pc or computer is exactly like buying a new car, you check the vehicle, weigh your options, ask advice, check the reviews and consider everything carefully before making your decision.

Memento

Good movie from “2000″
User Review extracted from IMDB

User Review

701 out of 785 people found the following review useful.
Absolutely No Spoilers Here–READ THIS REVIEW INSTEAD!!!!, 19 April 2001
Author: Kristina (soloyoda@aol.com) from West Los Angeles

Thank Goodness I didn’t read the reviews posted before I saw the film!! Most reviews (including ones on this site) will tell you waaayyyy too much about the movie, and that’s just plain frustrating. But, as an avid cinephile, I promise not to do the same.

Memento is one of those pictures that will have you sitting in the theater after the lights come up so you can talk to everyone else about what they thought of the movie. This is a highly intelligent and original brain teaser that will have you guessing from beginning to end, and even afterwards. The story and the direction are the best I’ve seen so far this year, and it deserves all the kudos it gets.

Plainly put, the film tells the story of Leonard Shelby: a man who lost his short term memory in an assault where his wife was raped and murdered; now he’s looking for the killer, despite his handicap. Simple as that. You don’t need to know anymore.

The film is constructed and told in such a way that you are constantly put into the shoes of Leonard Shelby, beautifully played by Guy Pierce. Carrie-Ann Moss gives an equally mysterious and complex performance. This film is well-made all the way around–from the direction, to the editing, and especially the unique story that is rarely found in Hollywood these days. Four Stars!

This review may have been a little dry on the details, but go see the movie–you’ll be thanking me later.

PS: Only go to the official website AFTER you’ve seen the movie. It too will give too much away. Afterwards, though, go and look at it–it’s pretty impressive.

Does holding it make a difference…

We’ve all heard of the controversy around the iPhone 4 and the way you hold it. Recently Steve Jobs stated that not only iPhone’s had this problem but other devices were having the same problem. He basically said that Blackberry has the same issue and loss of signal that the iPhone has.

Xtreme Labs in Partnership with Fixmo have come up with a little app called the “Antenna Meter” and what it basically does is register your signal quality against the way you hold your phone. My signal did change by a couple of dBm but by simply 1 or 2. I deciced to put the phone down on a flat surface like my wooden desk, again slight fluctuation of 2dBm’s. Put it on a Block of Marble and still only that minor 1 – 2dBm variance.

Try the app and see what the hype is about with regards to the signal loss. It offers the ability as well of registering your signal and emailing it to your friends, so spread the word. For myself, I found no difference in the signal quality on my device in whatever position I held it.

To download the app for your Blackberry, simply point the Browser at the following site and download: http://bit.ly/bPehjx

The results I obtained were on my Bold 9700.

Results: -62dBm
Note: Typical values are between -70dBn(good) and -120dBm(poor)

The Covenant

So recently I decided to go through some of the movies in my collection and found “The Covenant”, billed on the cover as a Action Horror, I had put off seeing it for a long long time. As I was rifling through the box for something to watch I deciced why not, it’s high time I watched the movie. So I grabbed a packet of popcorn and settled down in the armchair, switched on the DVD player and started watching.

The Story centers around Ipswhich, a town that escaped the Salem witch trials through a “Covenant of Secrecy” and the 5 family’s of witches, seems history got it wrong and the witches were male, nice twist here. There’s a girl involved, 4 of the family’s don’t know the 5th exist, power transference which is where the battle for power commences.

The covenant blends together a old tale with a new perspective, some of the acting is flat and lacks that necessary depth, however for the most part this turned out to be good fun movie to watch. The covenant is not truly a horror but is more of a thriller, for those horror fans out there, if you’re of the “Freddy Kruger” and “Jason” inclination, then this is not the movie for you. But if you’re after a few thrills and a decent enough story with some fresh perspective then “The Covenant” is not a waste of time. And at least there are no sparkly vampires here.

The White Ribbon

Extract from IMDB

Few film auteurs can match the consistency of Michael Haneke, and once again the Austrian filmmaker has come up trumps with an exquisite and brooding mediation on repression, tradition and the sins of the father.

Shot in stunning black and white, the film chronicles a series of mysterious events in a town leading up to the outbreak of WWI. The pace is slow and thoughtful, and the film is reference to August Sander while being a respectful throwback to the German expressionists whose work would come out of the horrors the film’s narrative seems to foreshadow.

The hallmarks of Haneke’s body of work are all there – elegiac tone, clinical editing, wincingly frank dialogue – but in many ways The White Ribbon stands alone in the canon. It is a challenging work that will polarise audiences but represents a breathtaking new wave not just in the director’s career but in European cinema.

Some might say the film’s inherent flaw is that there is no-one to root for, but this is perhaps its key strength. It’s certainly plausible that this is Haneke’s intention: he wants to position us as mute outsiders to a slowly creeping menace, unable to have a say in the invisible horrors that await us. The result is a deadening and thoroughly rewarding experience – a combination few filmmakers could hope to achieve.
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Letters to God…

A young boy fighting cancer writes letters to God, touching lives in his neighborhood and community. An unsuspecting substitute postman, with a troubled life of his own, becomes entangled in the boy’s journey and his family by reading the letters. They inspire him to seek a better life for himself and his own son who he’s lost through his alcohol addiction.

A family movie that will make you reflect on life and will bring a lot of joy to those who view it, garaunteed to put a smile on your child’s face. This is a movie about Love and Compassion not a movie about Death and Cancer but rather a message of Hope and Life.

Inception

Inception explores and old idea with a dramatic new twist. The movie takes you into the Realm of Dream Stealing / Implantation and will have a familiar feel for viewers of the Genre. Think of “Nightmare on Elm Street” and “The Cell” and you start to get an idea of where the movie is going.
Directed and Produced by Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins, Prestige and Dark Knight), inception has been nine years in development, starring Leonardo Da Caprio, Ellen Page(X-men: the Last Stand), Joseph Gordon-Levitt(GI Joe, Numb3rs), Tom Hardy(Black Hawk Down, Flood) and Ken Watanabe(Letters from Iwo Jima, The Unbroken).
The film centers around a thief who has been seperated from his familyand receives an offer he can’t refuse in order to reunite him with his family, whilst this may sound pretty boring, with a script that was almost ten years in the making, this is truly a “Spectacle” not to be missed by fans of the Genre. Already getting a well deserved vote as “One of the best movies of the 21st Century”, Inception may be destined to become a classic movie of all time.