MeetTheGeeks.Org Official Forums - Blogs http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php en Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:22:51 GMT vBulletin 60 http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/images/misc/rss.jpg MeetTheGeeks.Org Official Forums - Blogs http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php The rise of OCWizard - and the fall of Tweakers Australia http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=35 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:25:01 GMT So to briefly recapitulate: We started this bio-blog at a point where I joined the Chillblast forums, met some great people and became part of the... So to briefly recapitulate:
We started this bio-blog at a point where I joined the Chillblast forums, met some great people and became part of the online tech-collective known as the "Borg".
I joined several hundred who started the case-modding craze, as well as the (underground) PC overclocking movement. Seeing a need for better cooling solutions, I dove headfirst into watercooling, and learned the intricacies of thermal compounds - becoming one of the world's foremost online authorities on the subject. MTG, Bulldog and I were the first non-OEM PC enthusiasts to learn of ShinEtsu products, and I was directly responsible for bringing the ShinEtsu G-751 and X23 line of compounds into the global PC enthusiast sector.
Writing, editing and scrutinizing online reviews, I dedicated much of my time (on various forums) towards answering questions and resolving technical issues.
I ran Australia's 2nd largest technical reference website, and administrated Inside Project (which was stateside). With the help of a good friend known as Homebrew, we facilitated a muli-site FAH team project, in order to assist Stanford University's medical research. We were early pioneers of the Folding effort, creating team #63.
Homebrew, who happens to be a biogenetic physicist at Harvard University laboratories, oversaw the progress of our team - and we maintained a global production ranking that was within the top 50 for several years.

Yet all good things must come to an end, unfortunately.
The owner of Tweaker's Australia (TA) eventually decided that he wanted to sell the site. Those who frequented it and operated it as Moderators, as well as myself (being the resident Admin) subsequently offered to purchase it from him. He declined to sell it to us, and instead sold the site to an advertising agency who intended to use it as a marketing springboard for their own agenda.
All of us honestly felt as if we had been betrayed.

It was at that moment I decided to finally put OCWizard into motion.
Hosting the site myself, using a T1-equivalent DSL line, OCWizard became the primary migration option for the frequenters of TA who didn't want to stay, knowing that a biased agenda was coming down the pipe there.
Inside Project (IP) was another option, and several people started posting there as well.
However (and truth be told), most of the Tweaker's Australia constituency moved over to OCWizard. Yet it is also important to know that we still kept a certain number of people managing TA, in order to keep tabs on the site and not let it just fail completely due to the loss of nearly all of it's visitors.
For this task I appointed a gentleman named Nutty, promoting him to Admin. A few other Moderators played both sides of the fence as well - guys like atmo, Daffy and JRW_Assassin. They managed to keep the site afloat until one fateful day when the backend database encountered issues, and the owners didn't do anything about it - they certainly didn't contact us, because we would've had a vested interested in fixing it (keeping TA alive). Instead, they let the TA site die after weeks of neglecting the database errors. A sad affair, really.

Yet OCWizard had been born, and that was a good thing.

To briefly comment further on my home network. I have 5 static IP's, and was running over 20 machines in two over-sized server racks in my living room.
Several of my servers were using RAID5 with sequential network backup routines. While I've been able to consolidate and downsize my network to around 10 machines total now, at the time of OCWizard's birth my network rivaled that of most medium-sized businesses.
Regardless, OCWizard was a site made in our own image - all the best of TA, IP, and whatever else we could find.
Since we (meaning the staff) had direct control over all possible facets of the site, we were able to include features like flash gaming, online anti-spyware detection/removal, live IRC chat (within your web-browser), dynamic forum signature generators, World of Warcraft guild section (yes, we had our own WoW raiding guild), and even a watercooling calculator that charted system flow rates based upon the assembly of individual components, and their inherent statistical values for things like resistance.
Admittedly, I am quite proud of what OCW had become, in such a short time.
We were truly unbiased, never accepting payment from any vendor/manufacturer. We kept our integrity and our reputation pristine - no conflicts of interest. We never even considered the use of intersticial ads or IntelliTXT - because we hated those ads just as much as you do.
After several years, OCW had generated a following that was truly dedicated - and other tech-sites, vendors and manufacturers couldn't help but notice us. Our awards started appearing on their pages, alongside links to our reviews and articles. Quotes of which still exist (to this day) on vendor websites.



Yet running the site was admittedly taking a toll on me, for the following reasons:
  1. Because we were honest and unbiased with our reviewing process, no major manufacturer would sponsor us. Thus, we only had a few sponsors, and so products for review were usually what we purchased ourselves, and not anything that was sent to us.
  2. Unfortunately, our staff rarely wrote any reviews themselves - and the ones that were produced needed so much editing that I basically had to rewrite them myself.
  3. Posting news in the forums was one thing - never a shortage there. But getting it on the front page of the site (where news should be) apparently proved to be too difficult for the staff (even though they had a template, with step-by-step written instructions that included screenshots) - so that process also ended back onto my plate.
So aside from answering technical forum queries, settling issues and disputes, writing, proofreading and publishing most (if not all) articles and reviews, I had the various administrative backend duties to manage as well - all of which paid nothing.
Please trust me when I say that one man cannot run such a large site by himself. Not for long, anyway. Especially if he wants to have a life outside of it. After all, that's the purpose of having a staff - to help operate, promote and maintain the site.
So one day, I had finally had enough, and started to shut it down. In the process, I managed to inadvertently alienate a few long-standing friends of many years.

Using the information I had previously taught them (including how to build and maintain websites), a few got together and created a tech-website that I honestly can't even remember the name of... I do remember that it was kind of lame, though. "Tech-" something. Whatever.
Anyway, it was nice to know that they were successful in creating a website. What I wasn't impressed with however, was the newly-acquired pompous attitude with which it was ran. I also wasn't impressed with any of their reviews/articles - it turned out to be just another ad-laden, biased site.

So I took some time off from my online web presence - and instead focused my time towards managing a World of Warcraft guild. ]]> Wizard http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=35 <![CDATA[Modding, Compounds & Reviews - Oh My!]]> http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=34 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:07:24 GMT So you've just read how I got into modding.
Additionally, you probably already know that I spent a few years helping others at various sites - finally settling in at Tweakers Australia and (upon Bulldog's recommendation), Inside Project. Since Bulldog knew the owner of IP, he was kind enough to pass along some good words about me. They saw fit to promote me to Global Moderator, and I started writing reviews to be published.
The first review was a simple DIY case badge review, followed by my first thermal compound review. Little did I know what impact that one would have, and how it would alter my life. Well, since I promised to write a little blurb about it... I guess I should probably do that now.
Months earlier, my good friend MTG and I were talking about thermal compounds one day, and he mentioned that he had happened to run into a Product Manager of ShinEtsu-Microsi at a recent computer convention in Great Britain. Neither of us had ever heard of ShinEtsu-Microsi previously, yet we learned that they were the contracted supplier of thermal compounds for Intel and AMD (as well as several OEM manufacturers) for several years now. So long story short, MTG, Bulldog and myself ended up with a few samples of G-751, which I tested against other well-known brandname thermal compounds (over the course of several months) for my first review on the subject.
That review was met with critical acclaim from several other technical reference websites, and it is still the most-read review at Inside Project (over half a decade later). The PC-enthusiast sector had never heard of ShinEtsu G-751 before, and yet here it was, outperforming Arctic Silver 3, Nanotherm and all the other leading market brands.
Both Nevin House (President of Arctic Silver) and Scott Gallmeyer (President of Nanotherm Technologies) contacted me directly, thanking me for presenting an unbiased review of their products. We spoke at length with each other (I've enjoyed hour long phone calls with Nevin) on the fallacies and folly of thermal compound testing seen in most of the reviews floating around on the web today, as well as temperature probe calibration and accuracy. In short, I had inadvertently become one of very few online experts in thermal compounds.
During one of several conversations I later enjoyed with the Product Manager of ShinEtsu-Microsi, he agreed to sign me up as the first individual (in the world) who could purchase ShinEtsu thermal compounds directly from the source - them.
Thinking back upon it, I guess I could've gone into business for myself at that point - pretty much cornering the overclocking PC enthusiast market by reselling thermal compound directly to individuals all over the world.
Yet those damned principles of mine prevented me from taking advantage of this opportunity - I wanted to be known as an unbiased source of information regarding thermal compounds, not someone who pursued a conflict of interest for the sake of profit.
So instead, I acted as an intermediary for ChillBlast.com, and let them be the first online store in the world to sell ShinEtsu products to the general public.
To sum it up, I'm the guy that made individual sales of G-751 and the X23 thermal compounds possible for overclockers all over the world.
Other reviews I later wrote covered pretty much every computer component known - processors, case fans, even lapping kits (quotes of my reviews/articles are still listed on vendor sites today). One of my personal favorites was an article comparing laser vs. LED mice (explaining RF bus saturation and the PS/2 vs. USB argument, and why LED mice commonly use a red 650nm optical sensor). Accuracy and attention to detail were always of the utmost importance. So was keeping an unbiased opinion and letting the facts support the results.
It was during this time when I grew a keen sense of what composed a good review, and what made a bad one.
Truthfully, reviews that could be classified as "good" are actually somewhat sparse, and difficult to find - have been for the better part of a decade, in fact. Yet that really shouldn't be too surprising, as the people who predominantly write them are usually teenage gamers who are just excited to get free stuff from a vendor/manufacturer. And they will bias their review in order to do just that.
Aside from atrocious spelling and grammatical errors, most reviews found on the net today contain or perpetuate misinformation, are comprised of unfounded and/or unjustified opinion (e.g. "fanboy spam"), or are clearly just re-worded advertisements for the merchandise in question.
I think the most grotesque offense (easily found in reviews on the net today) is the use of awful clichés. Ask yourself just how many times you've seen this one (or something amazingly similar)...

"How did it (product X) perform? Read on, and let's find out!"

Ugh. Please, just kill me now. I've actually stopped reading reviews at that point, because its a brick-in-the-face hint that the rest of the review is going to be just as bad. If you're writing your first review, and include that ever-so-tired line, then it's forgivable - once. If you ever use it again afterwards, then you need to stop writing reviews. Now.
An additional failure of most writers is when they make the mistake of believing the audience is their "friend". A good review writer treats the review like a college thesis, wherein he/she must present factual data that supports and justifies the opinion(s) presented.
Hence, a (clear) indication of a bad review is a lack of data. Furnishing an opinion is fine - as long as you can justify it. But here's the most important caveat - aside from just publishing numbers, doubt them. That's right - Research your methods to learn whether you're testing things correctly - and then perform multiple testings to confirm any suspicions. Question your own methods, and whether or not you're approaching a conclusion using pertinent, factual data. And for goodness sakes, don't let outside influences sway your remarks. Meaning, do not write a favorable review just because you like a brand name, or because you think that they'll send you more free stuff (what we in the industry call 'swag'). That is just selling both you and your website out - you might as well have been paid to write the review. And believe me, a bad online reputation is something you don't want associated with your name as a review writer. As a service to the reader, much of my current forum activity nowadays has been evaluating (or what I like to call "shredding") online reviews of products, debunking myths, stopping the spread of misinformation, and bringing truth to light. So if you've ever followed my posts at all, then you'll have seen this 'shredding' in practice. Yet enough about good/bad review writing.
I continued to write (and 'shred') reviews and help people at the IP & TA forums for several years. That was truly a great time - I was able to teach a lot of great people quite a bit, winning them over by providing helpful (and more importantly), accurate PC advice on a consistent basis. Friends were made all around the globe, and everyone was happy.
Eventually, I became an Administrator of both sites. The owner of TA decided to play a more passive, backend role, and passed the reigns on to me. Tweaker's Australia became my site of choice (since I was running it). We started our own Folding-At-Home team (to help find cures for diseases), and began to network other sites into our collaborative group as well (TweakTown, XYZComputing, etc.).
TA grew to be the second largest technical reference site in Australia, and was catching on in the states and elsewhere.

Hang in there, there's more ranting on the way... ]]> Wizard http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=34 A Little About Modding... http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=33 Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:25:03 GMT In my previous ramblings, it was mentioned that I had spent some time branching out from ChillBlast - visiting other tech sites like Virtual Hideout,... In my previous ramblings, it was mentioned that I had spent some time branching out from ChillBlast - visiting other tech sites like Virtual Hideout, Bluesmoke, [H]OCP, Overclockers.com, OCAU, Metku Mods, Bjorn 3D, AMDforums, Adrian's Rojak Pot, Tweak Town, OCinside.de, and a host of others.
Yet before I go on about how I ended up at Tweakers Australia and Inside Project, there's a little more history that needs to be shared - about modding.
You see, not very many people can remember (or care) - but Virtual Hideout had the first computer modding gallery on the net.
Bluesmoke quickly followed with their own.
The fever of modding was catching on - fast. People were tired of the same ol' beige boxes. I still remember when Acer came out with an all-black PC suite, replete with monitor, mouse, keyboard, and a P266 medium tower. IBM was the only other OEM manufacturer to use black as a color for their PC's (like the IntellistationZ series).
So once the overclocker/enthusiast sector got a glimpse of these online "cool case" galleries well, we all just had to join in...
And so hundreds of us (from all over the world) started looking at different ways to modify PC's in order to make them more aesthetically pleasing.
This involved everything from cutting custom windows into the sides of cases, to adding LED's and neon tubes (cold cathodes weren't around yet). Even the cases varied from the tried-n-true steel enclosures, to aluminum (very new and very expensive), to briefcases, legos, tupperware and even wood. The mods just got more bizarre as time went on - people were finding all sorts of ways to make their PC look different. A craze had begun.
Metku Mods grew popular shortly thereafter, because they were the first ones to show LED mods for mice - perhaps some of you might even remember the "legoman LED mouse mod"? Those were the guys who did it first. Keep in mind that I was an excited, PC clocking enthusiast - I surely didn't want to miss the boat on such an important trend in PC history. I've never really been one for fads, but on this I just had to get in early. Now, it should also be mentioned that another niche area in the PC world was dual-CPU's. So I figured, wouldn't it be awesome to have a fully modded, dual-CPU beast featured on the pages of the first online cool case galleries on the internet? Damn skippy.
So I got to work, and created a dual PIII 600Mhz beast, on a Tyan Tiger133 (which sported the fastest bus speed found on a motherboard at the time). I used a zip tool to cut into the case, and mounted an etched glass window. The internal frame was spray painted blood red and clear coated. The external frame was a 1-piece (which was a bitch to take on/off). I used hole saws to bore fan outlets through both the internal and external frames, because the Enermax 550W PSU had to be mounted upside-down. An E-MU APS professional audio card solution was mounted, as well as a Digidoc5 for fan control (as a point of pride, I was one of the first people in the states to receive a DigiDoc5). Acoustic foam was mounted internally, to cut down system noise. Red LED's were mounted up front, and connected to an IC that would change flickering patterns at the touch of a button, mounted on the front bezel button. A sound-activated, red 'lightning rod' neon light was fitted internally. Custom chrome handles were also drilled and fitted into the top of the case. It was a very mean looking machine, if I do say so myself.
Dubbed "Wizard" (go figure), the PC was within the first 500 cool cases submitted and published at Virtual Hideout.
It was within the first 300 published at Bluesmoke.
The Bluesmoke website folded after a few years, and Virtual Hideout's database was damaged somehow. The original gallery there was supplemented with a "new and improved" one, and the old gallery was eventually lost in digital Disneyland.
Anyway, shortly thereafter I decided to upgrade that case to a watercooling setup. Yet that's a different story.

Stay tuned for more of the same - rantings and ravings from a not-so-madman.
:beer: ]]> Wizard http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=33 Adventures of the Borg http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=32 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:47:56 GMT The days of Chillblast were numerous - full of fun and learning, for everyone who visited. Aside from the cheeky threads and playful banter, members... The days of Chillblast were numerous - full of fun and learning, for everyone who visited. Aside from the cheeky threads and playful banter, members were able to glean tips and tricks regarding the elusive art of overclocking. Additionally, the Borg expanded their collective consciousness by posting on a variety of other, more diverse subjects; case modding, BIOS rewriting/enhancement, volt-modding, and more advanced cooling techniques such as phase-change and water cooling.
Hunter Griffin (aka Shobiz94) was an expert on rewriting/enhancing BIOS files - for both motherboards and video cards. He also was our resident electronic components expert, able to perform volt-mod micro-soldering - on just about anything. For those who might be wondering, volt-modding is when you micro-solder a potentiometer to the PCB (usually in the MOSFET area) which subsequently allows you to manually adjust how much voltage is being fed to the CPU/GPU. The increase in voltage is useful for stabilizing high overclocks. Make no mistake, the technique is specifically targeted just for overclocking - so you can intentionally run your CPU/GPU outside of the parameters established by the manufacturer.
I remember sending Showy (as we called him) an MSI-K266 board back in the day, for an additional volt-mod and BIOS adjustment.
What came back was an exceptionally professional bit of work - he even went so far as to decoratively heat-shrink the connection wires! I remember pushing that board extremely hard - and I also remember the heartbreak I felt when I eventually broke it. To be brutally honest, I felt as if I had let Showy down by killing his work of electronic art.
Yet it did receive quite a fair bit of use, and I remember favorably comparing my clocks to the world's best at the time. Perhaps I should also mention a small caveat for us to remember: The world's best clocking scores were being made using liquid nitrogen as their cooling mechanism. I was using air - and then later, standard water-cooling.
So in all truth and fairness, I'd have to say that due to Showy's mods, I owned one of the fastest PC systems in the world at the time (once we consider my limited cooling options of just air and water).
Shifting gears a bit...
Showy and MTG always had this running competition between the two of them - who could better overclock an nVidia Ti-4200. You see, at the time the Ti-4200 was the best value card for the buck - people achieved Ti-4600 speeds pretty commonly.
I must admit, it was always fun for me to see who was in the lead at any given time. It seemed like they were posting screenshots every other day...
While those two were going at it, Bulldog was quietly breaking world records - in a variety of overclocking categories. In fact, I know all three of these guys held multiple world records, and may still hold some of them today. Come to think of it, I might've also held one earlier on, but I remember not being content with benchmarking prowess. There were other interests that drew my attentions elsewhere... Cooling techniques, web design, hosting, networking, case modding, etc.
So while Chillblast was certainly a cool place to hang out, I wondered about what I might be missing on other forums around the world. So I started looking at other tech-reference sites like [H]OCP, Overclockers, Tweakers Australia, OCAU, and upon Bulldog's recommendation, InsideProject.
I became a member of a few of these other forum sites (the few that didn't seem pretentious or routinely give out false information).
But here's something you all should know. There's a certain stigma about owning my nickname - especially when in public forum areas. You see, when you're known to the world as "Wizard", you're always expected to have answers - and trust me, living up to the reputation that this particular nickname implies can grow more than a little tiresome after awhile.
I remember endless nights of staying up to ungodly hours of the morning, providing technical answers to posts from all over the world, on several different tech-reference websites. At the time, I ate it up - I truly loved helping people in this capacity. So much so that I eventually became an administrator for these other sites.
Yet let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet...
Stay tuned for the next installment, whereupon I'll rant a little about writing professional reviews, how ShinEtsu G-751 and X-23 thermal compounds were introduced to the PC enthusiast market, and about the eye-opening experience of becoming a technical reference site admin. ]]> Wizard http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=32 The days of Chillblast, and the Borg... http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=31 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:20:25 GMT There was a time when unlocking and overclocking an Intel Pentium was serious business. In a nutshell, by dropping the multiplier a step or two, one... There was a time when unlocking and overclocking an Intel Pentium was serious business.
In a nutshell, by dropping the multiplier a step or two, one could increase the Mhz frequency of the Front Side Bus (FSB) in order to compensate for that drop. As long as the accompanying motherboard, RAM and peripherals could remain stable with said increase in Mhz, the overall system could potentially benefit from the additional speed.
In base terms, overclocking meant increasing the stable performance of a system to equal (or even surpass) that of a much more expensive system.
So, by investing just a little time and patience in research, you could save a decent amount of cash. Additionally, the fact that you were crazy enough to overclock your machine instantly earned you 'street-cred' within the PC enthusiast world.
This was an emerging social clique in the late 90’s, and still considered quite 'underground' at the time. Overclocking became an art form to those few who were bold enough to take the risk.
The arena started to take shape just a few years before computer modding did - yet the two hobbies continue to intertwine their respective paths today.
Perhaps I should preface this by explaining a little bit of personal history, at least in regards to computers. I was what you’d call a “black hat” back in the days of the Commodore64 (around the early 1980’s). BBS’s were my internet. While I cannot publically divulge any specific details regarding that timeframe, let’s just say that satellites and military boxes may have been involved.
Later, I had put my talents to work for US Air Force Intelligence, greatly improving certain aspects of their security. I had also obtained my certification in fiber optic fusion splicing.
It was in the late 90’s when I caught the overclocking bug. I had just upgraded from a 133Mhz Pentium to a 166Mhz Pentium with MMX Technology. I had a VX Pro+ chipset motherboard that was able to handle a 233Mhz CPU, and so I knew there was room for me to play (before I hit the motherboard’s proverbial ceiling). While overclocking this machine, I quickly learned that pushing a CPU to speeds well outside of its specification will subsequently increase the amount of heat it generates. Adequate cooling solutions became critical to mission success.
A few years passed, and as they did I saw our overclocking world unfold and blossom.
We had witnessed the Cyrix chip, the various Pentium, PII and PIII’s (and their neutered Celeron counterparts), as well as the AMD K6 series and the birth of the Athlon 1Ghz T-Bird.
After several upgrades (and several new machines), I was looking to improve the cooling on a heatpiped ThermoEngine heatsink (0.57 C/W) for a 1.3Ghz AMD Athlon T-Bird.
That was when I found ChillBlast.
An online PC component store based in Great Britain, ChillBlast had an active forum that was led by three enthusiasts. These three were affectionately known as, “the Borg”, for they had amassed a wealth of knowledge regarding PC’s, overclocking and cooling. So I asked the Borg about the effectiveness of fan adapters.
The purported benefit of a fan adapter was being able to push more air through a heatsink, thus improving the cooling.
At the time, the Borg was MTG, Bulldog and Shobiz94. After some further research and collaboration with these three, we eventually arrived at the conclusion that fan adapters were a gimmick item.
I’m honestly not sure how, but during this time all four of us seemed to get along really well. Bulldog and MTG were overclocking gurus (holding world records, mind you), and Shobiz94 (we called him Showy) taught me how to volt-mod motherboards by soldering potentiometers onto mosfet/cap areas.
After proving my worth by helping the Borg assist others with technical issues, they kindly assimilated me into their ranks as the 4th member of the Borg.
And that is how Wizard found his first online overclocking forum to call “home”. ]]> Wizard http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=31 Of life, these things are true... http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=30 Sat, 17 Oct 2009 13:39:45 GMT It is said, that if certain questions are not answered by a certain point in life, then they cannot be asked. It is true with so much of life.... It is said, that if certain questions are not answered by a certain point in life, then they cannot be asked. It is true with so much of life. Questions remain for me at the back of my mind and only float to the surface on occasions where life gives me a gentle reminder of them. I tend not to forget them, but ponder over them and the meanings from time to time.
The same can be said for people in my life. I know so many people, and I am lucky and grateful for it. But a few people seem to escape my understanding when others are so crystal clear. Some are simply classed as friends. Others, the ones that really mean so much, are my family, the Bros. Some of these I met and knew in an instant that we would be friends for a long time. Others I simply knew would offer sound advice like a wise sage and pass by like a season, autumn to winter. But the autumnal years of life hold the greatest of knowledge to us all. It is a time to harvest many things. So while the autumn years of life approach those around us, I hold it as a time to gather the fruits of these people and pass them on.
The same can be said of my father. To know a persons name is not to know them. I have no idea who he really is, what he holds dear to him. No recall of his beliefs, his goals, ambitions or what it is to be him. I know his name, but I really cannot say that I know him. It is difficult to get to know some one that has not been so freely giving of who they are. Often it is a chance that has passed by, and cannot be visited once again. Role models come and go in life, particularly as we grow older. Those we thought of as idols at a young age fade to distant clouded memories as new inspiration takes us. Our selves grow and mature, as does the things we allow to influence our lives. To influence who we are as people. So by that standard we should accept who we are changes as we grow and follow the path of life. For ever treading a path to ultimately, who we become, sometimes walking backwards to find the real course of events that shape who we truly are inside.
When love becomes part of this equation, we find ourselves both vulnerable and the strongest we ever will be. It is the bitter sweet essence of being that makes it what it is. We should all partake of this fountain of love. It does enclose our being with new rules and changes. It engulfs us deeply to the very being of who we are. The very fiber, of our souls. For me, love only ever came once. It changed me in many ways and my understanding. I can also really say that at the end of this time together. The only thing I really knew, was that I loved her completely, without ever really knowing her. I believe that it is possible you can love completely without complete understanding. It is not wrong. It lasted for nine years. It gave me some fine memories, some fine lessons, and I taught her much that she will ultimately carry on to share. So although that part of life is over, mine is only just beginning. As is hers.
At times she made me laugh so completely that my body fought for its next breath. At times she made me so mad with frustration wanting to help her but she never asked for it. Help is giving part of yourself to somebody who comes to accept it willingly and needs it badly. But it is those we live with and love and should know who elude us.For it is true we can seldom help those closest to us. I think deep down she knew I would and could. But her pride at times, with her determination, prevented it. I can respect her for that. I cannot always accept it. So as my new path is forming beneath my feet, I will often stop to look back on what brings me to where I am today. I hope at times, she will pause a moment and think fondly of me, and what it is I gave to her. Even if she does not truly understand. It is good to know that when I love, I love completely with my heart and all of my being. That gift is something she may never have again, but to have had it, truly means, she was loved. But I will never love again, I cannot. I feel that some prices in life are to high to pay.
I am one who chooses to experience all of the finest simplicities in life. From cultures through to the world we live in. I have been lucky enough to sleep out in the wilds. To see the world long after most have gone home. To sleep camped out at night in the twilight of the summer is a wonderful thing. But to see the world you have to do something where it means more. To camp out at night in the winter months, to awaken at the moment of birth of the day is a truly beautiful thing. Nothing can describe the feeling of a cold morning as you climb out of your sleeping bag, dress to the most subtle of orange glow as the sun creeps up from the moors and woodlands of Devon. The low lying mist of the day creeping across the heathers and brackens, the distant sound of a stray grouse or pheasant. The moisture gathering from the early morning dew on your trousers as you find somewhere to perch and take in the beauty of the day with a steamy mug of coffee. The real reward is a distant field where the red deer stop to look at you knowing that they are safe. You just look at each other for a moment in a non communicative greeting. Together you take in the early morning sun and the day unfolds while the life of the night seamlessly fades away as the life of the day stretches its body in its bed to begin surviving. These are the things that I enjoy. I have shared times with many animals in the wild. Some are moments that you dont share as they are a moment you cant describe, but its a moment so special.
Of all the things I do understand and can clearly answer. There are many things that still elude me. I have lived a life so differently than I do now. I appreciate the finer things so much more.
Although I am now separated from the one I once loved. Our marriage was not the sham so many are these days. We simply are different people. Neither of us is who we were at the beginning. This, is normal in life and all relationships. A marriage that started with so many odds against us grew into something that, until now, was not understood. I guess this is he price we pay for happiness. This is also the price we pay to grow and learn. So for the people I will never know, or get answers from. To my marriage, 23rd November 2001, 11:20 in Devon. I can only say that it may not be right, but I truly, with my hand on my heart cannot say that it was wrong. It is my life. Mi Vida Loca. My crazy life. ]]> Admin http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=30 Diary of a not-so-madman http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=29 Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:26:06 GMT Ok, so here's the thing. You're a moron.

Amused, I ponder the picture of a cat shooting a blank stare, while I read the caption above that frames it. Cute.

Perhaps this isn't the best way to start a blog, but hell - it's a blog. So why not.

Later on I'll divulge a little net history for us, including tidbits such as the Chillblast borg, how ShinEtsu G-751 and the X-23 series of thermal compounds were introduced to the overclocking/enthusiast world, a brief history of being the admin of Tweakers Australia, InsideProject and OCWizard, the several years of running guilds in WoW, as well as things a bit more current.

For now, suffice it to say that I've enjoyed my break of several years from the net (particularly the lack of accompanying internet fame) - yet as they say, "once a smoker, always a smoker" - and so I'm slowly re-emerging from my reclusiveness, and making select appearances now and again - in specific places such as this.

I'm not sure who (if anyone) shall read this - yet I imagine that there are a few curious friends and fans who shall peruse these pages. Hopefully the truth of the tales I tell shall prove themselves interesting to the reader.

If you've lasted this long, congratulations. You're in for a ride. ]]> Wizard http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=29 well...here goes http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=28 Sat, 12 Sep 2009 22:18:05 GMT ive never seen the point of this ere blogging craze... i have never seen the benefits of writing random useless info for the rest of the world to... ive never seen the point of this ere blogging craze... i have never seen the benefits of writing random useless info for the rest of the world to read..

but today i had a bit of a brain wave and realised that there is a use.. :)

to rant and rave about anything and vent some anger about the world...

just of late ive been stressed right out and moody for no reason that is obvious to me so i decided to ease the tention by writing what i think of the world and the people in it...

strange how i start blogging when i fell angry... this must mean that all bloggers must have something to shout about to be able to sit and want people to hear there comments no matter how ....

so this is what i think of the world


SHITE HOLE..... and thats just for starters..

he he this is prety good... i may turn this into a mini auto biography... ya never know i may make millions from it... ]]> slayer http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=28 Spam. What they should offer you.. http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=27 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:03:58 GMT Now in the last two weeks I have had around 1200 items of spam in my mail box. Thats not really much of a problem to me as our mail servers run very... Now in the last two weeks I have had around 1200 items of spam in my mail box. Thats not really much of a problem to me as our mail servers run very well with its filter system so I don't really see it. Once a week I merely log in and sort through it, deleting it as I go which wastes a mere ten minutes of my time.

But I recently noticed one thing. Besides the porn, the 'Meet This Girl Now' or the 'Singles In your Area' type spam and other junk relating to Adobe software I noticed one thing.

You can get meds that make your, male member larger. (Alledgedly) You can also get meds that make your belly smaller. (Alledgedly, neither have ever been shown to work so Spud said. I wonder how he knew?)

Why not make a pill that pushes the stuff from around your waist, DOWN into the 'old fella?

Thats a stroke of genius! Imagine that, two weeks after being a small fat man, you can be a skinny donkey of your former self.

Hung like a horse and as skinny as a grey hound.

You wont need the other blue pill as with all those girls flocking around your new ultra-skinny-waist-with-floor-dragging-tackle, you will attract only the most virile and flexible bombshells like those found in our Babes Thread!

See, if only those med spammers would let me do the marketing, they would be onto a sure winner, and not on the end of my Delete Key.... ]]> Admin http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=27 Suffering from Cultural Foot and Mouth http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=26 Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:36:02 GMT You know working at MeetTheGeeks has given me some wonderful and rare opportunities. As well as some fantastic hardware we get to sample some of the... You know working at MeetTheGeeks has given me some wonderful and rare opportunities. As well as some fantastic hardware we get to sample some of the most amazing cultures. A real diversity of people and we have some truly amazing friends because of it.

I was reminded today, that a few years ago, without intentionally realising it, I had offended a lady. Now, I have a lot of respect for the Japanese and Chinese cultures. Their traditions are build on solid foundations and stem back from grand father, to father, to son. This is a culture that was founded on traditions of swordsmen. Now I want to explain a little of this briefly. I would also suggest that you read up on this subject afterwards as it is truly fascinating.

Traditional Japanese sword smiths had an apprentice to spend most of their early years stoking the fire. If they remained to learn more then they would be worthy of knowing such knowledge. A sword smith is more than some one who makes swords. They are highly patient craftsmen with a fine and minute understanding of the materials they work with. Now I don't mean just steel, made by mixing iron and carbon in varied amounts. I mean the finer points of forming the steel, tempering, finishing it to a level that shows in some swords even today some 200-400 years after their creation.

I mean the level of standard of excellence that shows in the finest details, some of which you are unable to see until a sword is disassembled to see its components. These sword smiths were experts in the uses of leather for a sheath, bamboo, silk and other materials used on handles and belt sashes. They studied every part of the creation of such an object until they were the very epitome of perfection. Then, and only then were they graced with the honour of making a sword to such standards. Then, and only then were they allowed to form a sword from bare materials and place upon it a makers stamp that stands a testament to that skill and dying craft.

The sword was more than a weapon. It was the foundation of a society. A law and method of a long lost ideology. The actual sword was studied until it became a piece of self to those who handled it. It was never withdrawn from its holdings unless it was to be used. Those that took up the use of a sword, the Samurai, learnt everything about it. From disassembly for cleaning or repairs, to respect of the sword and for what it meant. Those who created swords gave them honour and respect. Those who used them, expanded on this to protect the weak. To serve and keep order. Its a high accolade to see such devotion in all things. To master something so intimately and carry it forward from generation to generation refining it to such a level we can even see today.

I have known and deal with many companies from Japan and China. As with all things I find the people fascinating, their cultures and traditions enriching, and the people always so very helpful with any request. To understand it, you need to talk to these people and find out about them. I have to be honest, I really cannot recommend it enough. View the temples, the way in which the water or Zen gardens are made. How the craftsmanship in the woodwork and how it all fits together with such grace.

The people I have had the chance to speak to for the site also gave me time to talk of other things. I learnt that the family is very big. You never do anything to bring shame on the family. Its about honour and respect for the family and what they have taught you. When you work it is about the company, so that if you fail in what you are employed to do, the company fails. This shows no honour in the company. If you need to do overtime it is because you have failed as part of the company and people willingly and happily do it without extra payment. If the company succeeds, then you do as well. I also learnt that every morning the entire workforce gathered in the front yard, where everyone took exercise together.

A company that plays together, works together.

Once a week the entire workforce sat in the same food hall and ate breakfast together and talked of the company. The cleaners, sat with the heads of the business to talk. Everyone. I do mean everyone.

Was equal.

This was talk of the company, not of pride. The cleaner, I learned, had spoken of the company paying for a vast array of products for the cleaner to do his job. One morning over breakfast, the cleaner sat with the CEO of the company and mentioned that what they have is not very good. He suggested that by replacing all of the products with two freely available, and some what cheaper products, better results could be had and time would be better spent saving the company money.
After breakfast the cleaner was summoned to the office, without fear, and asked for more details. He explained, and took the heads of the company to where he worked and demonstrated his art. Some may say he is just a cleaner and not worth speaking to, but the CEO of this company tried the job for himself, and realised the cleaner was right. The company followed the advice and saved man hours and thousands of Yen on the suggestion. The cleaner was rewarded for his part in making the company better, and the company is better because of it.

You wont find that here.

The managers wont mix with the 'underlings' as they feel superior. Another example was that a company made a series of big mistakes in the creation and refinement of a new product. But, they took that and recorded it carefully. They did not hide it. They approached their boss and explained that they had made a mistake and it had not worked. He did not reprimand them for it. He thanked them for it. For their honesty, also for what they have learnt from such a mistake. As it turned out they discovered something useful that made something else better. But also confirmed some other findings. So any mistake is not bad. It is to be learned from. Its also very wise.

As I said in the beginning. I had offended some one. I spoke to the CEO's daughter from a company regarding some products and some testing we had done. They basically wanted to know my reasons for what I had said and why I felt my suggestions, which were a little against the grain should be viewed. In conversation with the CEO some time after, in emails CC'd to the daughter, I simply asked him how his daughter was doing. Now to the UK and the US this is acceptable. But to a culture as refined and advanced such as the one I was dealing with, it was offensive. It caused embarrassment for her, and awkwardness for him, and showed lack of respect on my behalf.

I waited a short time and emailed asking the CEO what I should do to fix the problem and explained that it was certainly not my intention to cause offence or embarrassment to any lady. I am a gentlemen around all ladies. I was advised to make amends for my impromptu actions.

I sent by express courier a gift, not a personal one like jewellery, but one that showed my mistake has caused offence and I had acknowledged it. I also did not explain why I had done it. This would drag the matter on. It was not the time or place. I also sent a gift to the CEO apologising, by separate courier. This way both people knew that I was sincere and dealing with them directly to make amends.

Now some people have known this afterwards and said I should have just explained and said no more about it. But, to me I had offended them and their ways, which I respect. My level of etiquette was lacking and showed my ignorance. This I corrected by the gifts and no explanation. You see I cannot ask a question such as this, because we have being conducting business. I have not been formally introduced so it is not my place to ask such personal questions or to pry.

A short time after the arrival of the gifts I was formally introduced. I then asked how the young lady was doing and it was perfectly acceptable for me to converse in this way. No one mentioned the incident. It was not brought up in conversation or held against me. I did wrong, I recognised it and corrected it. They respected me for this. My token gesture gift was held in regard on the desks of both parties.

You see, things are different when the traditions of people are built on such things that the west does not have much of. Respect, honour, tradition, family and pride. By offending their values, I guess in some ways I had demonstrated my ignorance. But showed above all willingness to learn their ways and to deal with them on their own field of play. Also to respect their traditions.

The more I read and talk to these people the higher regard I have for the way that everything that is done in life, is achieved with its study to the point of perfection. From a tea ceremony, to the wearing of a kimono. From the use of simple materials to the forming and creation of a sword. It is done to perfection. I handled a genuine family heirloom Samurai sword. I cannot help but admire the finesse that shows in it. How actually beautiful it is. That although the sword was some hundred years old, what it took to make it, was some 500 years of being second to no one. ]]> Admin http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=26 What Maketh The Man http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=25 Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:50:26 GMT It is said a man is not judged by the things he can do. He is judged by the things he cant. That does seems a little unfair really. Most of the... It is said a man is not judged by the things he can do. He is judged by the things he cant.

That does seems a little unfair really. Most of the engineers at Aston Martin may not be able to make a lamp, but in fairness, they can make a phenomenal car. To be fair, the making of a man is not by what they can do, or indeed what they cannot.

A making of a man is about what sets their foundations. What is instilled into a person defines who and what they are. As a child, you are simply an empty vessel, you can be filled with hate, with intolerance, racism or violence. The makings of the man stem from how you define yourself from what you can learn. Being a man is not a title. A man is a gentleman, hes is a scholar, he opens doors for a lady (even when she is not a lady). You see men can be aggressive, boisterous, loud and problematic. But men can also be civilised, intelligent and treat a lady with respect.

This comes down to the foundations. This is the epitamy of a man and what defines a man as a gentleman. Real men, and I do mean real men, have ethics, morals, respect and use their other traits only when the need arises. The old ways of dealing with things are built on this. This meant there was stability and more foundation and a 'code' that all men followed. The hierarchy given to it all was, by the Italians and Sicilians, called 'Omerta'. Today nothing like this really exists except in certain circles. The likes of the Biking fraternity, some colleges and 'frat houses'. But this in the latter two is flexible at best. You see the only people following a code of conduct these days are the bikers, the gangsters and the criminals, the hackers, and the pirates. Yet somehow they are frowned upon as the undesirables?

Honour amongst the Samurai was dominant. The whole society of being a Samurai was based on a code. A treatment of others that is a way of life and improves the morals of the individual, to improve the morals and treatment of the society. By you doing your piece you affect the others to treat you the same, and stability is the result.

Honour among the pirates was also dominant. The foundations of order were tough and justice was firm but fair. You looked after your captain as he looked after you. He shared the spoils of war and pillaging. Everyone ate, was clothed, had bounty and a fair share of booty when the east India trading company shipped women to the colonies. Although it was frowned upon, the life of a pirate was in fact hard work, but the rewards were a great incentive.

People say hackers are mindless vandals. That hackers destroy massive amounts of information, stealing it to sell or shutting down servers. Breaking into office computers to look at the finances. Well yeah I suppose a few do. Most do it as they are simply intelligent people who are bored and unstimulated. Most do it to help the companies security. They look for ways in, then tell you how they did it, and how to fix it. On the whole, hackers are a valued sector of the community who look after each other like a family, they respect and protect each other and are mainly misunderstood.

Now the big ones. Mafia, Yakuza, Triads and the likes. There is a clearly defined level of respect amongst these people. The Mafia have a boss, 'capo dei capi' or the boss of all bosses. He is head of all the families. Below him are the heads of the family, his captains and so on until you get to the associates. The 'made men' give a part of their earnings to the boss above him, his associates and those below give a share to him. Everyone makes money along the line. No one is left out so no one betrays. Yes there was a few who broke the rules and skimmed off the top, or didnt give the true figures on a job. But on the whole the system works. No one gave anyone else up. (Nark or grass) Those who stepped out of line got a little beating, if they stepped out of line again they took a walk in the desert. They were whacked, hit, clipped, or in plain english killed. You give them a double tap behind the ear so their mothers cant have an open casket. This led by example, it led by power and the level of respect was always defined clearly. They look after you if you look after the family. Such a simple but powerful method of looking after everyone.

Society now is all about the self. People steal, con, cheat, lie, destroy and worse for personal gain. There is no foundation and where anarchy rules, no one wins. You get more weapons to stop those who are getting more weapons against you to take what you have that they want. This is not a civilised society. This is not a place to live and raise young. This is the current state of the UK. This is britain and its certainly not great. There is no more education, there is only violence among the uneducated low lifes that make this land perpetuate more of the same. This is from the immigrants, the government and those who call themselves the justice system. People come here to defraud the system. One immigrant recently was discovered to be claiming benefits for four children. Nothing wrong with that, two of them were even still in his home country. Oddly thats not illegal you can have children at your home in another country and STILL get benefits. What was wrong was the fact he only had two children that were real, two of them were fictional. Yet when taken to court and found guilty he said he cannot pay the money back as he had no job. So had to pay back £10 of it ($5). Yet he can still carry on receiving the state benefits he had before.

How does that work?

As for me, I strongly believe in morals, ethics, strength of character, and never bow to anyone. I wont turn and run away from a fight. I have been stabbed in the throat and shot. I would defend my lady and her honour with my life if the need arose and she knows that. I open doors for her, get her wine when she feels like it, keeping the glass topped up. I keep her warm when she is cold and care for her. When it comes to all other things, I am polite, courteous and respectful. If you offend me, or step out of line then yes I will hit you. When thats done, its all done and forgotten but dont forget the lesson. If you try to hurt my lady or steal from me, lie or try to discredit me I will hospitalise you badly. If you try it again, then the consequences will be dire. I wont lie, I wont cheat, I am a very firm believer in ethics, strong in morals and I have never or will ever submit to anyone. The russians have a tattoo on the knees of the Mafia. Its a star. It denotes that you did not kneel to anyone. When it mattered, when people tried to break you, you never quit. I think that is something that is easy to say it true, but so hard to keep. I wont nark on anyone, Im not religious, I do protect my friends, I hardly trust anyone and I am a survivor. Im intelligent, curious by nature which makes me want to learn more. It makes me part of who and what I am.

Im most likely a gangster in the wrong era, or the wrong time frame being born in the 70's as opposed to the 50's. Im not perfect, Im certainly no good boy by any means and I say that laughing right now. I do push the envelope and still manage to stay on the outer edges of the boundaries. Im many things, honest, reliable, dependable, Im there for you when you need it, I wont fail my lady or my friends, I have ethics, morals, standards and decency. In many many ways I am the Mafia, the biker, the hacker and the pirate.

The only real commandment that was worth anything was the one that was not written.

"Thou Shalt Not Get Away With It" ]]> Admin http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=25 Suicide is painless? http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=24 Thu, 27 Dec 2007 18:29:04 GMT When I was 17, or their about’s, I worked with a guy called David Coleman. He was a carpet fitter, he was as mad as a sack of badgers that was well... When I was 17, or their about’s, I worked with a guy called David Coleman. He was a carpet fitter, he was as mad as a sack of badgers that was well shaken. But, even so we got along like a house on fire, laughed a lot, wound each other up a lot and spent the summer fitting carpets and taking the urine out of everything and everyone. As far as mates go, you couldn’t ask for better. I used to smoke back then, and whenever the chance arose he was always the first one with his hand is his pockets to offer a cigarette. But, when told to put them away and take one of mine, he did so. I never used to drink back then; so on the occasions when Dave had his hip flask and offered it I kindly refused and carried on smoking while we ate our lunch when we took 15 minutes from the day to ourselves.

Dave Coleman is best described as a flirt with the ladies; it was never anything in it, only for fun. He in some sense regarded it as sport. Harmless. He used to wear a black gentlemen’s style leather jacket, it was a fashion jacket nothing more. Simple, plain and black but well kept. He was almost always in it, and had many scars from surgery on his chest. I do recall he once told me what they were from when we were talking about scars one day, but as of right now I don’t recall. Dave also had a moustache, a thick one that looked like an eyebrow on steroids. Dave stood out from everyone in the little Devon town where I lived, he was funny, and JTS carpets would never have been the same without him, Hal White and Rupert.

One Friday Dave gave me a lift home as he often did, he tried to get one last wind up in but I didn’t bite, and laughed, he said to me “I’ll see you Monday, and don’t forget the fags”. This meant the cigarettes for those Americans reading this.

Monday, I waited for my lift to work, and he never showed, if Dave was ill or delayed he never did, I saw him at work. He never showed that day. The following day he never showed and no one knew where he was.

That evening I bought the local paper and read part way in that Dave Coleman had committed suicide.

I read what had happened and was dumbstruck.

Dave had drank half a bottle of brandy, swallowed handfuls of tablets and sat down to die. He realised part way through this that it’s not really what he had wanted. He phoned the local doctors surgery, Castle Place, and spoke to a doctor whose name is withheld at the moment. (He’s the scum of the earth) The ‘doctor’ advised him that he should make his way to the surgery to sort it out.

Some hours had passed before the ‘doctor’ realised Dave had not arrived.

Dave’s wife was summoned who rushed home to find Dave had died in the hallway on his own. Trying to make his way to the surgery.

The doctor had no formal charges brought against him, and says he did what he could. To this day if he had done his job properly Dave would still be alive. I hate him for that.
I spent some time trying to work out what had caused Dave to do this. I’m haunted by that. I’m haunted by the guilt. The fact Dave only had to pick up a phone and ask for help. But didn’t. I didn’t understand then, I don’t understand now well over ten years later.

I feel sorry for Dave’s daughter, for his wife Christine, who I saw until I moved away from that town. Dave is buried at the town’s cemetery; I visited a couple of times a year until a few years ago. I often think of him, and how many laughs we had. I remember him as a brother, as a father figure, as a person who got me in the most trouble for everything and who actively stood back and laughed at me while I was being reprimanded. We did a lot of work while causing mayhem, panic and disorder. It made the days fun. He’s a great person who influenced me a lot.

I recall that more today than ever, when November rolls round, towards the middle of the month, the anniversary gets to me. Today just after Christmas also.

Recently, one of the people I work with tried to commit suicide for whatever reason I don’t have a right to discuss here. It makes me think that no matter how life treats you that some people do it to escape, but it moves the pain and hurt to those left behind. I understand that to some people it’s the only option, but it’s the scars you leave behind that don’t heal. They never do. ]]> Admin http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=24 Christmas is finally upon us... http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=23 Wed, 19 Dec 2007 14:57:06 GMT Well its here again and that’s another year over and done with. They seem to be getting over and done with quicker than ever before. Well we... Well its here again and that’s another year over and done with. They seem to be getting over and done with quicker than ever before.

Well we can look back on what’s been a good year for some, and a bad year once again for Britain. Tony Blair left the UK prime minister post.

YIPPEE

But handed it over to Gordon brown.

BOOOO

Who said he would run an election.

YIPPEE

But changed his mind when he realised he would lose it.

WAN***… BOOOO

So he put himself in power for a further four years. Surely that’s not right is it?

Then through the year, we had turkeys going mad, sneezing and laughing at us running ragged trying to avoid them, so we kept the home pyres burning and massacred them. Then cows remembered it was funny and did it again in one small isolated place, so once again the big barbeque was fired up and they got slaughtered.

Peace reined in the animal kingdom once more, except badgers are still being blamed and culled by ignorant farmers for allegedly carrying TB. The ban on fox hunting was lifted and reinstated on a regular basis, almost once a month is seems so the filthy/idol rich can go once a month on a hunt legally.

The great UK TV scam came to light and as no surprise. Where every phone in on TV to date that has involved people madly phoning in to competitions on TV shows that had already been decided or ended already. Those annoying Geordies, Ant and Dec scooped £1.4-1.6 million out of scams like this. The channel 4 show Richard and Judy also was found guilty, along with ITV morning breakfast show, and a host of others. All of which still run phone in competitions, the most famous being X factor, and other singing or dancing programs. All of which cannot be trusted and yet still people phone in to them. You may as well phone the speaking clock, at least its honest! Now to mention that as a non-fan of X factor, the final last week only proved that the phone in scams are still being run. Simon Cowell is making money from the phone ins, the marketing products that accompany the series, the money from the winners album sales, the list goes on and on. So why scam the public too?

Is there anyone in the UK so hard up for cash they want to screw everyone else over? At the high cost of living, the insanely high cost of buying anything, the taxes we pay, you can see why he wants to bleed us dry and lives in the US.

As for technology, Intel came to the forefront making yet another range of processors that are kicking bottom in all markets. Add to that the recent collaboration between Dell, Intel and HMV to form the ‘GamerBase’ in store. You can see a partnership that will last for some years at the very forefront of gaming computers. HMV’s retail outlet chain, Dells computer building prowess coupled with the power of Intel will certainly produce some of the finest gaming machines if, and I do mean ‘IF’ dell can keep the support together and the costs realistic. So not all about profit in other words. Dells can be good, but the profit margins can seem fictional at times. Not to mention the fact that as a PS3 is a fixed hardware unit, the Dell would offer upgrades as new hardware becomes mainstream. In theory it would mean the basis of a good gaming system for a couple of years or so. With the occasional CPU upgrade, graphics and more memory for the extra elbowroom.

Sony released the new Walkman range and it’s a cracking piece of kit. Highly recommended for the festive gift season, and with the 8Gb version costing £100 it’s awesome on price and performance. They really are the dangly bits of a large dog.

Apple released the iPhone. Americans were happy. Then dropped the price. No one was happy. Then gave people iTunes credits for compensation. No one was happy. Then the brought it to the UK, no one really bought it there. Apple was not happy. Germany got the iPhone; no one would buy it unless it was fully unlocked. Germany was happy and sold a few, the numbers were low but apple put up with it. On the whole the iPhone was poorly received everywhere except the US, where everyone likes the Mac and Steve Jobs style to everything. (Baa)

The new iPod, the phone that fell of the production line at the phone point was sold and once again hit a poor sales market. It’s not good, it’s not right and its over priced. The Americans are the only real people buying it. So once again showing that we don’t buy into other people’s ideals regarding products or ‘styles of life’.

The new Panther OS for Macs came out a short time ago, and all the upgrades failed. Most people losing masses of data and being slightly annoyed at Apple. Once again, UK sales were slow; the tech support team where I work was suffering from a Rotten apple syndrome. With an 80% fail rate being recorded on upgrades, and for what? Nothing new, same old type of OS update. Yes it’s a bit more 3D and frilly, but that’s it. Oh and its got some services that only the US patrons would use and the UK doesn’t give a crap about.

Good job people only paid £5 for the upgrade disks. ($10)

It’s been on the whole a good year for technology, and good for sales of the best bits. Crysis showed what real gaming should be about, along with a couple of classic titles to make things even better too. Halo, being another one with a great final result.

How will next year pan out? Who knows! But it will be interesting finding out.

Right now its time to stop the turkey being bulimic, wrap those presents and prepare for long cold evenings in front of a TV or get a good book out. Time to dig out the tree and hang upon it festive style lumps of plastic from some Pagan past and sweep pine needles off the floor for the next two weeks. Candy canes, mince pies, to much alcohol, crap repeated TV and all the classic signs of Christmas, or winterval, or the festive season or whatever the bloody hell we call it now as some immigrant race is catered for 100% once again in the UK. What ever it is you celebrate, or how you celebrate it, you just know the TV will be swamped with repeat shows from yesteryear, Oliver Twist the classic and only good version, Mary Poppins and no matter what size ‘spoon full of sugar’ you cant swallow the endless drivel of repeats and crap ‘stuffing’ of the TV that passes for entertainment in this day and age. The only good news is that we don’t pay for our Sky TV so I’m not paying for the honour of watching the same crap this year as I did last year. Over 300 channels of the same boring drivel that makes me want to bring back the test card. Yes its true, on a Sunday Top Gear is on, and indeed the occasional half hour to an hour show of some interest dotted about the week, but on the whole it’s a waste of the licence fee.

Old grumpy git?

Yes I might be getting that way, or maybe I’m a realist and see it for what it is. People being nice to each other for one weekend when the rest of the year they don’t speak to them at all. Christmas is the season for over indulgence, good will to all men for a matter of a few days and fights over batteries for xmas presents. But for me it’s a couple of days off, the chance to enjoy more Jack Daniels, or Jim Beams, or better still Jim Beams Black with a little ice and my feet up on my table. Finally getting those couple of days off I waited for all year. Doing nothing, except resting, dreaming of new hardware for the coming year.

At the end of it all, that’s what I like. No that’s what I love. The way the use of silicon changes, how so many companies use it and make it do so much. That great spectral diversity of electronics, the protons, electrons, hell every quark and anti quark that makes this black box of tricks do so much when you hit that power button. What you can do with it when its sat there waiting for you to start that process of magic by clicking on something. Or the internet, that ever expanding wealth of total crap with occasional pools of interest as every nutter gets a free bit of web space and feels compelled to fill it. And lets face it fill it they do! Every pic or snippet of pointlessness cluttering up hard drives across the globe with badly designed sites and nuggets of interest. The boom in Blogging and social networking adding to the promotion of these sites and peoples personal opinions across the globe all beamed live down fibre optics or copper cables right into that screen your looking at now.

I love technology, I love the discovery of another courier turning up at my door laden with goodies for us to see and share with you. I love the way different companies have a different take on the same thing. Small subtle changes that make it such a different appeal to so many different people.



As long as Intel’s still making processors, thinner cores with lower voltages, less heat and enough speed to power the star ship enterprise it can only be better next year.

I’m looking forward to it with great interest.

What else can we say about this year?

Lucy Pinder. That’s what! As well as being sexy enough to turn on most women and the root of a lot of fantasies of women and men across the country. She’s got her breasts fully out this year. She is without doubt hot! Desired by millions!

But above all, Merry Christmas Lucy, your calendar dons the wall at MTG central where we admire you daily. I do believe she’s also the only lady in the world my good lady would not mind me kissing if I met her. Maybe next year that will happen. Hmm..

Sorry got lost in a daydream there.

So to all of you that read this, and once again to Lucy Pinder, have a very happy Christmas, may it bring you all that you truly desire, if it will truly make you happy. Enjoy the festive season and may you have a very happy new year.

The MTG team


]]> Admin http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=23 The kind of week where.. http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=22 Thu, 29 Nov 2007 13:07:37 GMT I've had the kind of week where you would phone the Samaritans and they would put you on hold. Not only hold but with that type of music that drones on and on till you hang yourself from the phone cord if they had not made them all cordless now-a-days. You tell them your going to blow your brains out with a shotgun and they say 'One moment please', then Greensleeves pounds your ear drums for the fifth time and just as they pick up again you let them hear both barrels. Then they have that 'Oh he hung up Rita' conversation about how great it is they have never had any deaths on their shift but lots of loud bangs..


The type of people who do Samaritans are middle to late aged old ladies, normally wearing tweed, smelling of lavender or 'Lilly of the valley' who husbands have suffered an eternal life of nagging and died of over salted meals. They are also the people that were in the UK 'during the war' and say they had suffered and no one knows what hardship they endured. Yeah, well maybe that is the case, but their husbands fought WWII in soaking wet trenches with hardly any food and were sent to their deaths on battlefields that were more killing fields at times. The husbands don't talk of the war, the hardship they endured or what it is like to take a person's life and the effects of that. The guilt, the sadness a heavy heart gives you for what you have done. But given the choice of a life of over salted food, nagging and non stop criticism or a field facing the third Reich armed with a feather duster and TicTacs, they take the latter or a heart attack early any day. These are the type of people Dante wrote about in his 'Inferno' but are considered by Satan to be too sadistic even for the seventh eccentric ring. So they are used as mothers in laws to torture slowing over time.


Anyway, this all started on Saturday. (24rd November) We went to the in laws for the weekend, its about 55 miles or so away and we locked the house up, drove down, I dropped the good lady off and went to get a hair cut that was desperately needed. On the evening we had a meal out that had been booked for some time. It was a good meal and we went back to the in-laws to continue drinking and merriment. On the Sunday, we returned home and found the house cold. I recall trying to put the heating on, but it not working but it does that now and then. Anyway, on the Monday at 5:15am she who must be obeyed got up to get ready for work only to find no hot water at all. She had to endure a shower that was chilled by the mains water and the frost outside. She was not happy, so gave me grief, so I phoned the landlords repair line and gave them some too. At that time of the morning after getting to bed late I don't want to be woken up.


Later that day they phoned to say they would be there at 4:30. At five he arrived, tested the system and declared the air flow switch had gone. He didn't have the parts on the van, but will order them for the next day. So after over 4 years of problems with the boiler I told him almost everything else had been replaced except for that part and the PCB. So he offered to swap that as well. He said he would call back the following day after 4:30 to fix it. I rushed home from work to find that the parts had not arrived in time so he couldn't do it. Another night with no hot water and no heating. Winter frosts meant it was really cold first thing in the morning. The following day it was arranged for him to call after 4:30 again leaving me time to get home from work. I work in the city center of Exeter, so to get home have to go one of two ways. I can either go on the motorway, which means cutting across Sowton industrial estate, and that at rush hour means long delays. It takes longer meaning also that when I come off at Junction 28 I'm sat in traffic queues again. I get enough trying to get out of Exeter without adding two more points of delay. The alternative is to cut through Pinhoe, Broadclyst, Beer and nip in by Fagin's Antiques into where I live. That normally takes twenty to thirty minutes and is far easier and quicker for me.


That is the only way for me to get home.


I cannot emphasise that enough its the only road. Only yesterday for the second time in 5 years the road was blocked due to an accident, which is just about bloody typical! I know its sad, especially when some one had died. But the one day I have to be home and I get stuck in traffic. The road we were told by local police would be passable shortly, then they announced it would be closed for the duration. We were pointed down a side lane and told it would bring us out past the accident. By now its 4:25, I'm 3 miles away from home, I can almost taste the coffee! I trundle off down the side road to end up, not as suggested by the police officer beyond the accident, but rather a darn site closer to it and had driven for a mile and a half. I'm starting to worry about not getting there and consider driving all the way back to the city and going the motorway option. Then I remember a side road from Broadclyst that will let you go behind the traffic problem area and bring you out about 1 mile from where I need to be. Only its dark now, I cant see the signs in case I get it wrong, I've only ever driven it from the other way and I'm not sure. But I do it anyway, at most it should take another 5-10 minutes to get there. I will only hit rush hour the other way trying to get to the motorway.I can still make it but I'm pushing my luck. I find the country road and give the new car some boot to get there quicker, only now its raining so hard I cant see anything, so I'm onto a loser.


I drive back to Exeter, and cut across the Sowton estate, onto the new Honiton road, catch up with the M5 and try to get through there, only now its full rush hour and its packed. I moved quarter of a mile in 20 minutes. Honestly, I was so bored I watched the distance thing on the car, it was a mere bloody quarter of a mile! No one wants to let anyone in front of them, and this area of traffic are like pack animals hunting every space to get one car length in front of another. Fighting and beeping horns to move some 15 feet further. I drive like a human, I'm not a predatory car driver. I drive with care and consideration. Ive been driving since I was 17 and only ever had one accident so, I don't drive like a prick. In the end I manage to get on the motorway, drove a little faster than normal the 14 miles to junction 28 pulled off to more traffic, through the town, got home eventually at gone six. I was really annoyed as I had missed the guy but he didn't leave a number so I couldn't apologise and explain. Needless to say hes coming today to fix it, its now Thursday and its been a real pain all week. Not to mention the number of private repair jobs I'm trying to do in the evenings, and a 5:15am start Tuesday and not getting finished until midnight and another 5:15am the day after. Having to go out after eventually getting home to fix another computer as I had promised to do it also left me totally exhausted and then having to deal with a thoughtless other half when I got in. The dog was taken ill and had to have surgery and shes such a lovely little sod. Bad week, bad day, and its one of those days where you want to end it all...

I know, I'll phone the Samaritans....


Greensleeves?

'Rita, there was a loud bang again. I think this phone may be broken...'

]]> Admin http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=22 The UK Human Harvesters http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=21 Fri, 19 Oct 2007 08:52:45 GMT It seems the UK is about to be set for a change in the law. No longer will you have to opt in to certain 'services' that you want, you will have to instead opt out!

If I want an eye test, I go make an appointment, same with dentists, doctors, specialists. Hell it even applies to funeral homes.

Now, the UK is about to be set for a role reversal in one area.

Organ donation.

I dont have anything against people who want to be farmed for others. Hell if it floats your boat go for it. But as some people dont make their wishes known, or dont carry a card, or its lost, or not on them when they die some organs are missed out on.

So now if you don't carry an exemption card, don't register the fact you don't want to be harvested they will use your parts for others. Bit of a cheek really, what if you card is lost, that breaks your human rights, but hey your dead your meat right?

I don't think anyone has the right to make you opt out, or take anything without your express consent, and where mistakes may happen, your wishes may be inadvertently open to mistakes or abuse there is no way the law should allow organ donation on an opt out basis.

I know some people dont think that way or feel its wrong to not give your internal components to others to save them, but if its a religious basis that prevents your organs being taken, and you dont register to opt out, thats morally wrong.

You cant force people to give their gizzards, what ever way you look at it, I wont give them, my good lady wants too.. but the choice is mine to make to give or not to. I would carry a card and register to if I wanted that, but I dont, so I dont!

The law should not be changed ]]> Admin http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=21 sat nav question http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=20 Thu, 11 Oct 2007 10:00:07 GMT Hi Guys I have a question regarding some sat nav software i have . The brand is route 66 navigate 7 for ppc. Is it possible to run this... Hi Guys
I have a question regarding some sat nav software i have . The brand is route 66 navigate 7 for ppc. Is it possible to run this software on my laptop (win xp) ? If
so what extra software do i need.

Tks for your help
Rgds David ]]> DAVID MAC CARTHY http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=20 Money for old rope, or BT as it is now.. http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=19 Wed, 10 Oct 2007 18:47:47 GMT I dont want this to sound like Im having a go at BT, they are poor enough for their reputation to do far better at that than me alone. But why do... I dont want this to sound like Im having a go at BT, they are poor enough for their reputation to do far better at that than me alone.

But why do I have to pay BT for a land line phone I dont want just so I can have broadband?

I cant get cable in the remote parts of Devon, else I could just pay for internet access.

So Im paying for line rental on a phone I dont want or use...

WHY!!??:doh: ]]> Admin http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=19 Thieving Fat Bastard Brit Shoppers... http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=18 Tue, 09 Oct 2007 20:05:20 GMT :mad: Now when I go shopping I put all my items in a basket, pay for them, leave, get them home, put them away, and later on take them out and eat... :mad:

Now when I go shopping I put all my items in a basket, pay for them, leave, get them home, put them away, and later on take them out and eat them...

That what shopping is all about...

Now some fat bastard today at my local branch of Tescos was walking around feeding his ugly child and himself on a pack of sausage rolls, while shopping!!

Then Ditched the empty packet in amongst the shelves!!

When you report people eating the groceries while walking around NO ONE DOES ANY BLOODY THING!!!

ITS STILL THEFT!!
Why dont I just go to the shop when Im hungry and walk around looking and eating their goods, why do I pay for my bloody shopping?

Why don't we all do this Eat-While-You-Shop??
Not buy anything and sod off home!!

If its reported you should get a bloody thankyou and the person should be taken away by police for being such a fat greedy thieving bastard, not told "ok" by some spotty faced youth who doesn't care about his job or the store or the one thing that should count

ETHICS & PRINCIPLES!!

Tesco store in Exeter, Rydon Lane.. GET IT TOGETHER its every bloody week for the last three weeks!!

I pay for my food, why shouldnt they !!!


 ]]> Admin http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=18 Its monday tech support time.. http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=17 Mon, 08 Oct 2007 18:41:46 GMT Well working in the tech support industry, I can only say the rules that do not apply the rest of the time DO APPLY today.. The normal excuses of,... Well working in the tech support industry, I can only say the rules that do not apply the rest of the time DO APPLY today..

The normal excuses of,

it was like that when I found it,
it did it on its own,
I logged in and found it like this,

and the myriad of the other 7 technical wonders of the world... well today they apply..

Heres why..

Last night, and Saturday night the kind of person that rings tech support after a really bad feck up had been out on tramp juice, sliming it up with the other retards from the trailer park, looking for 16 year old girls pretending to be women in three inches of face paint to come home, dateless and starting to surf pRon sites..

Now in the drunken stupor, the only thing you wanted was the video of some french or german slapper doing a goat in a painful place..
What you FAILED to see was the pop up installing the war dialler, the trojan backdoor rootkit and enough virii to give a plankton eating lifeform indigestion from choking on the contents of your MBR... yes thats right, so desperate for lesbian .mov files were you, ya didnt read the popup hoping it would show you the goodies as a try before you buy...

a pop up for your pop up as it were, and lets face it, you drank so much the 45 second sampler would make you a stud tonight!!

Then on monday you turn the computer on, and what do ya know... its f'ked!!!

It really was like that when you found it, and by wednesday when ya saturday/sunday night tramp juice teen ho induced insomnia comes flooding back to you like the late night kebab or grease burger, you wont really want to admit you know anything will you..

So you phone me....

:crash:

Thankyou, thankyou SOOOOO much for running me around the houses when I say to you this is what you did and you say no, its not honestly, my brother did it, my cat, my tortoise was interested in goat porn not me.. why would I watch that ?

I'll tell you why.. you didnt get any on your way home as the teeny you had been trying to play with all night and all three of those WKD's you laced her with left her enough taxi money to get home before the bloody 10pm deadline imposed by her over bearing overly protective father!!!
So you polished one off to some degraded filth file you managed to fumble around for more accurately than you would have done if you HAD actually got the 15 year old in your bed and got her impregnanted for a life on the dole paid for by me working to answer questions for retards like you, and keep HER in value meals and B & H !!!

:beer: ]]> Admin http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=17 Bikers drinking and BSH http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=16 Sat, 15 Sep 2007 12:38:28 GMT I needed some change for the works coffee machine earlier today, walked in the local corner shop and grabbed a packed of cheap sweets, which I didnt... I needed some change for the works coffee machine earlier today, walked in the local corner shop and grabbed a packed of cheap sweets, which I didnt really want just to grab some change.

The woman, realising I only wanted changed refused. I took a deep breath mustered a smile and bought two packets offering her the £10 note.

Once again she said it was not enough.. I kept thinking stay calm, be nice so grabbed the first magazine off the shelf that had a nice pic on the front. Turns out it was BSH. Or BackStreetHeroes as its better known.

I've not read that in YEARS!

She gave me a small handful of change back and I looked at her expecting more, she checked it and it was indeed right. Last time I bought BSH it was two quid something a copy, its now four quid a copy there is no 'Rumblings From The Bottom O The oven' from Chris Ireland (AKA Capt Penis), not as many large breasted low cut top biker chicks draped over some hot steel and no sneaky nipple shots.

I wish I bought a copy of Razzle now and hope for a bike in it.

Anyway, reading it once more instead of working reminded me of the old days, building bikes, racing bikes, getting drunk, falling over, meeting tons of people at rallies, winding up other bike clubs, small bar fights in beer tents, (Hey we dont want to spill the good stuff now we are civilised ya know!) talking bikes, eating campsite food, lots of meat cooked on bbq's and waking up feeling some some great dane had tipped its skip in your mouth. (dumped in your mouth in other words)

Yeah I grew up with bikes, bikers and the smell of NOS, partied most of my youth away at rallies, drank more beer than an ocean and had many many wonderful weekends away.

You see, I have become distant from that some how, and I dont recall how. I still turn to look at any bike that catches my eye, stop to talk to anyone in colors, or who owns a nice bike. Chops, lowriders, and remembered the tale of woe surrounding my Harley and its theft.

(long story, sad one, dont get me started)

I have been to the Bulldog bash many times, Ink & Iron at Aston many times, Kent Custom, Exeter rallies and a host of others that are a blur from the beer.

Thanks tank I still have the broken nose from your prank!!

I remember lots of drinking, losing days because of drinking, burnt food from drinking, still eating it and washing it down with beer.

Is there a theme growing here?

I remember waking up face down, (In the days of me having long hair) in cold stew where I had passed out the night before. Or should that read the early hours!

I remember also waking up with a beer thrust in my hand and a bucket of cold water thrown at me to get the stew off and laughing at the person who threw said bucket of water at me, as he had cold stew matted in his hair too.

I remember skimpy clad girls flashing boobs at the bands playing, and while everyone else stood facing forward we stood looking backwards with cameras getting some amazing shots!

I remember breaking down on the way home, and tons of people stopping to help get us going again, and in return helping others.
I even remember stopping at a services near the middle of no where, seeing two bikes parked up and them saying hi as we entered, soaking wet, cold and still recovering from an autopsy that was the weekends drinking. Not only were they on their way home too, but they looked like we felt.
Smiley faces and tales of drunken stupidity. I seem to remember she was called Angela, him Andy and they rode a beat up Kwak Z'thou and Honda 400/4. It was yellow. It looked like some one had been sick on it.

I dont remember any bad times at bikers rallies, a few odd people with to much beer becoming a handful yes, but the '81 did security, the windsors I recall at one bash and they were taken out to one side for a chat. (Chat- yeah right :rofl:)

Anyway, you cant beat times like that, and even now if a bikers broken down I stop to offer my phone to get them home, or tools if I have them. Its part of what its all about, I suppose I have lost track of some people, some of the clubs and I dont own a bike right now. But, at the back of my mind is that last chop I never got to build, a trike I thought about, and that wanting to ride to work not drive.

Guess its in the blood, always will be and no matter what, if your born a biker, grow up a biker, live and die a biker you cant ever get away from it.

I drive a car because I show German shepherds, I drive it to work and other repair jobs in my spare time. Its an estate car.

I still long for a Kawk Z'thou, I love them, always have, would have one in a heart beat.

I love bikes, the whole bike world and love to build them. There really is nothing better than drunk at a bike rally to make the worries of the real world disappear.
:beer: ]]> Admin http://forum.meetthegeeks.org/forum/blog.php?b=16