Category Archives: hardware

How do solid-state hard drives really work?

If you work in IT, you know that solid-state hard drives are extremely useful. They run off flash memory, not spinning mechanical platters, so they are more resistant to physical shock, and can often run faster than a mechanical hard … Continue reading

Posted in hardware | Leave a comment

Leo Apotheker out, Meg Whitman the new HP CEO

Looks like HP kicked out its CEO Leo Apotheker and instead hired Meg Whitman instead. Considering the various foolish things HP has done in the last year, this is not at all surprising – they finally reach dominance of the … Continue reading

Posted in hardware, other people talk about technology | Leave a comment

So You Want To Buy A Netbook – What Should You Get?

So you want to buy a netbook? What should you look for? Well, most netbooks have a few common features. The typical netbook will have a 10.1 inch screen, a dual core Intel Atom processor running at about 1.6 GHz, … Continue reading

Posted in hardware, netbooks | Leave a comment

The Commodore 64 Returns, Now Runs Ubuntu

It seems that the Commodore 64 computer has been reborn as a modern system running Ubuntu. I remember the C64 very well – it was the first personal computer I had as a kid, and I spent many happy hours … Continue reading

Posted in hardware, Ubuntu 10.10 | Leave a comment

Forsaking Windows 7 for Ubuntu

A Ubuntu advocate ditches Windows in favor of Ubuntu, abandoning a dual-boot system for one running exclusively Windows. I have dual-boot myself, and the reason is modern(ish) games, like Dragon Age Origins /2 , Oblivion, Mass Effect, and so forth. … Continue reading

Posted in gaming, hardware, Ubuntu 10.10 | Leave a comment

Don’t Buy A Celeron Processor

I had to repair a laptop with a Celeron processor today. Good heavens, that was a painful experience. The Celeron is not a processor that can handle a lot of heavy lifting, which means you’ll see it grind and grind … Continue reading

Posted in hardware | Leave a comment

The Apple iPad 2 on March 11

Apple officially announced the iPad 2 today, with availability beginning on March 11th. It’s really an incremental upgrade, despite the addition of the front and back cameras – same screen size, same resolution, same storage capacities, same wireless capabilities (though … Continue reading

Posted in hardware, iOS | 3 Comments

A Computer With The Basics

The Onion has a hilarious article about a 52-year-old man hoping to buy a “bare-bones” computer. Key quote: Moyers, whose aging Compaq Presario ceased functioning earlier this week despite the fact that he deleted several old files and installed the … Continue reading

Posted in hardware, Linux, Windows | 1 Comment

The cardboard computer

A group called Recompute is selling an eco-friendly computer with an easily recycled cardboard case for a mere $499, preloaded with Ubuntu. It’s a cute idea, but there’s no way I’m paying $500 for a computer with a cardboard case. … Continue reading

Posted in hardware, Ubuntu 10.10 | Leave a comment

A bad RAM module…

…will ruin your whole day. It’s amazing how many computer/server problems can be tracked back to one RAM module that is just a little off. -JM

Posted in hardware | 1 Comment