New PC - To be or not to be...

The ongoing quest to kit out my apartment has reached phase 2... gadgetry and electronics!

My gorgeous Sony Plasma has already arrived from the UK but is being repeatedly confused by the Xbox switching HD resolution on it.. seems to be coping just fine with 1080i in widescreen but occaisionally glitching, nothing serious. So with the lounge mostly sorted as far as techie things go.. there's my study, and the subject of my "serious" rig... at the moment it's my feeble Dell D820 laptop provided by my employers..

I'm down to 2 choices for the PC.. the Alienware ALX vs the Voodoo Omen.

Both are watercooled, both feature quad-core processors, both have cases which are easy on the eyes, both are quiet, and both are a real tour de force of processing and graphics power, lovingly assembled by people that know what they're doing.

Firstly, my thoughts on the Alienware. Lovely case, but a tad "teen" for my liking.. it's the sort of PC I'd have wanted in my bedroom when I was about 18. Has that kind of sci-fi look, and I'm thinking that black case with red lighting is going to look pretty good. Also appealing with the Alienware is that it already ships with a pair of seriously fast 768mb nVidia cards, also Alienware overclock that quad processor to 3.2ghz which is impressive.. after acoustic dampening and a nice 24" Dell HD widescreen display the whole thing spits out at a little under $7k. Not too bad (see my comments later as to why I dont think that's insane!).

Onto the Voodoo which proudly urinates all over the Alienware's case from a great height in what looks like something seriously industrial but still very pleasant on the eyes. Hardest choice here is picking from Voodoo's various paint jobs, and the fact that for a bit of extra cash they'll colour match my display to the case.. well, they have alienware beat on the aesthetics. Power is a different matter, there's no mention on the Voodoo site with regards to the final processor speed but it does mention that they are "performance tuned" so I think they're going to be close to if not above the Alienware's 3.2ghz, though for an additional amount Voodoo actually offer the Qx6800 rather than the standard 6700 that the Alienware ships with. The big downfall is the standard shipping arrangements for the display adapters, Voodoo charge almost $200 more to upgrade to the 768mb GTX, and then another $900 to add an additional card (dual's are standard in the AW), given that by the time I've finished tinkering with the spec (and produced a gorgeous orange pc, with color matched 24" HP Widescreen display) the Voodoo comes out at almost $9k, which is a bit.. well... much!

Now both these monsters are hugely expensive.. but I'm looking at them as a 2-3 year platform. Over a 3 year period I probably spend about $6k on a PC, probably more. Both these pc's offer a great platform start.. both of them already support HDCP display cards, and natively outpout HDMI to their respective flat panel displays, both are capable of 1080i/p and the whole blu-ray experience. The Alienware offers more power for your buck than the voodoo, but the voodoo build quality, cooling systems and those lovely aesthetics are pretty much unbeatable from any other supplier. Question is, is that all worth $2k over an AW?!

Much deliberation must continue!

What exactly do I want from my Operating systems?!

Today I got a nice award from a certain big software company on making their operating system lots of money elsewhere in the world by spending half my life talking about the enterprise adoption story.. some day I'm going to blog something useful on this topic. Maybe this afternoon - share my views on Windows Vista with the world.

Anyway, I have a nice platinum copy of Vista Ultimate with my name on and some signatures, so that was actually a nice thing to have happen on a Tuesday.

This is turning into a day of operating systems... just on the day Microsoft awards me for making theirs marginally successful in some very big customers, I'm sitting and contemplating the future of the O/S. I've had my feet up with my coffee looking at Web based operating systems. Firstly I'm wondering what the real purpose of a web os is? Is it something I use for content generation and content storage within my existing operating system's browser, or is it something that one day I should be able to fire up without the need for Windows, or MAC OS, or Linux etc.

I've signed up for three of them today with varying degrees of usefulness out of the gate, I'm sure I need to give them more time, but YouOS, EyeOS, and Xcercion. If you're wondering why those three I was drawn to this whole experiment by a very good article by Anne Zelenka over at GigaOM full article is here.

YouOS I can see as being one of the first with business potential, the little applet pages would suit highly mobile workers with a suite of applications and services which follow them around, and that there's advantages in making available from a simple source. Say a financial advisor who visits you in your own home, they could find the YouOS application spaces nice to aggregate all of their services to one place. That, to me is the thing I like about YouOS, it's a big fat aggregator of apps and services, but I'm feeling less comfortable with calling it an "operating system", more of an internet workspace I think..

EyeOS is very impressive, not only much much more pleasing on the eye than YouOS which I cant help but feel is a bit Windows 3x (harsh I know, but the layout and little windows all over...). Also, EyeOS was the only one of the three I'd consider using long term (and I may), not only did it group some of my useful web services together but gave me the minimal authoring and editing tools for manipulating content that I might need on the fly from somewhere. I guess it's lead me to think of what I personally would need or use a WebOS for..

1. Aggregate some of my most used content together in one place (like I already do with Google Documents, calendars etc.
2. Gather all my regular RSS feeds and news sources into one place, along with my email
3. Give me basic authoring tools to post and edit the kind of content I need to have mobile with me
4. Give me an application space area where I can drop useful data sources or apps in one place, without having to individually browse around
5. Give me my collaboration features and services from my various PIM's so even when I'm on the fly it's all in one place.

So, that's what I want really, light content, light collaboration and light services all in one place, for me EyeOS did a great job of that, but dont take my word for it sign up and play. Xcercion sounds impressive but isnt publically available until Q3 07, so I've joined the queue for the Beta and I'll wait and see what comes out.

I chatted about the subject with a friend in the building over morning coffee and a quick few games of pools (consistent butt kicking received by me at the hands of some extremely smug shots!). The friend in question is a flash expert of admirable reputation and got me thinking about a conversation we had last week, about the future of the operating system as a piece of software we have to interact with, and about the emerging success of the Adobe/Macromedia Flash toolset, and it's transition from "clever web sites" to "web services applications" (The lovely touch screen computer {inset} of my soon to be ordered new Jaguar is 100% flash!). One comment made was that the future of the OS might just be Adobe. After this morning of playing with EyeOS I think that's bang on.. all I want from my OS these days is a bunch of widgets/gadgets that make my life easier, access to my email, access to applications and feature rich productivity tools, and my stuff in general. Now something big and fat like Windows is probably always going to be my foundation, at least for the next 5 years, but even then, when I close down my work and my productivity tools (and im not playing a game).. when i want my personal email, and to chat to my friends I think I'd be happy doing all of that in Flash from a website..

Now.. can I have widgets and new skins for the Jag please!? :)

It Lives (again!)

Yes yes, I know flip all posting activity for months, but I'm making a start again.

I'm finally settled in WA, but now going through the hell of trying to lease a car, which is proving very hard to do when you dont have a) US Credit, and b) a driving license. Ah well, yet more tribulations.

I've been playing with Twitter as well, introduced to me by a splendid chap in the building I now live in who's become my consistent pool based arch-enemy (I've been repeatedly thrashed over the last few days). I've come to realise by messing about with Twitter, looking at my own blog, and my RSS feeds and I think I'm now addicted to information. Seriously it's not just the news and happenings of the industry... I get frustrated trying to get hold of friends, when I need to ask the all important questions like "where do I buy a duvet?". I want somebody to give me advice on building up my US Credit rating, I want somebody to tell me everything about how car leases work and how I get round some of the dodgy bits of the lease to match my visa.

In short I want all information to any question I might have, either social or otherwise within a few clicks. I love the fact that Twitter lets me post, and will update me using text messages from my cell phone. I'm greedy, and espeically lazy. I want to know if stores have things in stock before I get to them (you try directing a sales pleb through the various shelves of the local Whole Foods wine department looking for Bogle Petit Syrah Port).. not too much to ask is it?

What?

It is?

Well screw you hippy! I'm going to go and build my own web thingy, with hookers, and blackjack! Actually some kind of Twitter + Blog + Search + Froogle might work... hmmmmm

Ah well. Off to Target to find a duvet (that costs less than $200).

Gadget based Darwins...

Engadget has an amazing news story about a tourist that nearly killed himself trying to retrieve a cellphone at Niagra falls, apparantly he dropped it then fell almost 200ft trying to get back to it. The full article can be found at engadget here.

So I've been sitting here at my desk wondering if there are any inanimate objects I'd risk my own life for. I'd rather see other people risking their lives to retrieve my stuff for me, but I'd likely still draw the line at some poor sap throwing himself over one of the world's biggest waterfalls just to go after my mobile phone. Unless it was somebody really irritating, like Rosie O'Donnell.

"you there... lackey! go and find my phone!"

My most prized gadget is probably my Ipod with it's vast and extremely personal music collection. Ever noticed how personal MP3 players are. Having lost an ipod in the past it was kind of like losing a limb.. or finding out that you've accidentally burned photo albums, all those play lists, rankings, entries and music which I didnt have backed up. It's taking ages to build up my new ipod, which isnt actually that new anymore! Best thing would be to buy two ipods, one in a vault back at home, one which travels, and then always sychronise them both at the same time, but given I've only ever lost an ipod once... touch wood... that's a bit of overkill.

That said, I still wouldnt hurl myself down a waterfall to get it if I dropped it. Now if you see the previous post about Emily Blunt... that's a different matter...

... actually who am I kidding, I'm far too shallow and selfish to risk my life like that!

Gah.. My Eyes!!

Depressing Thursday stuck in the office when I'd rather be curled up working from home with decent coffee rather than machine swill.

Tomorrow my car get's it's MOT and Tax sorted so fingers crossed everything is okay there, managed to get all the bumper damage taped up and secure, and the last time I checked all the lights and things still worked so it should be okay..

It's worryingly bright, searing my eyes with extremely bright sunshine as a boil in the spare office at work.. I'm longing for my grim grey skies of Seattle. I also have to do some furniture shopping. I have a gorgeous apartment with a lovely view but absolutely NO furniture in it.

So I've survived valentines day at least. Why isnt there an annual day of scorn.. it's been ages since I've actually been able to enjoy V-day, I've usually ended up single by then due to whatever it is that's wrong with me.

It could be the crushing pessimism and the fact I complain a lot.. actually that's almost certainly what it is, I'm sticking with the new positive outlook though, anything to avoid my friend Hannah's prediction that I'm going to end up with a girl exactly like Emily from "The Devil Wears Prada". Actually, looks wise I'd be really really happy with that, Emily Blunt is absolutely gorgeous.. and according to IMDB lives just up North in Vancouver. I dont think I have the patience to be a stalker though..

Back to the drawing board!

I can't get no sleep..

Deeee dooo deee doo... sorry breaking out into a spot of Faithless there. Anyhoo, so the subject of today's post is my abject lack of sleep. I have insomnia, what's more worrying is they seem to be coupled with some kind of stress/lack of breeting anxiety attack thingies which are frankly terrifying. I'm usually immune to this kind of stuff, but I think finally everything's got on top of me. Obviously there's my utter utter relationship disaster which isnt recovering or showing any signs of recovery in the near future, there has been the stress around the Visa and all the paper work on top of it.

There's the problem with my car being bent and the fact that however much that costs prevents me from having furniture and things to live on when I get back to Bellevue. Which will be quite comical.. huge apartment with a stunning view, but sadly nothing to sit on to admire it!

Then there's work, which has given me a mammoth impossible task to perform which is frankly driving me nuts.

My lovely Oiiiirrrish friend has been very supportive and nice, dragging me out for a drink here and there and generall listening to this sorry tale unfold.

Oh also World of Warcraft is back in my life which means I now spend most of my time thinking im an elf. If I suddenly kick a pedestrian to death and wonder why it didnt drop any interesting items and start asking people for quest items then I probably need help. What's more worrying is that this time i picked a female character. Either I'm becoming confused about my sexuality (extremely unlikely) or I'm just perving over a computer game character running about in front of me (more likely).

Either way, it's all very emotional and I probably need either help, or a holiday, or both.

Web 2.0 - Robust as a thing which isnt very robust

Isnt it worrying how something as big and sacred as Wikipedia can actually be so financially strapped.

This article over at 901am demonstrates how fragile the new web ventures are. Firstly Wikipedia is HUGE and extremely important, everybody pretty much uses it and we've all come to accept it as everyday web life.. much like Google.

So the concept that it might not be there anymore in 4 months time is pretty worrying. Of course somebody will step in and fund, bound to just for the publicity that they could be the money behind Wikipedia, and some strange satanic handshake in the background. It'll be interesting to see if their "no advert" rule goes away and they end up with commercial sponsorship.

I wonder how many of the big web ventures are close to the edge like this? Although... most allow advertising to generate revenue so probably not that many...