It is Not a Shortage of Hard Drives That is Lowering Intel's Profits

I read an article on Reuters.com that Intel is explaining profits lower than projections due to a shortage of hard drives.  The article reports that flooding in Thailand has disrupted PC component manufacturing and sales that has had a rippling effect in the PC component supply chain. Intel is saying that because PC manufacturers are reluctant to buy scarce and expensive components they therefore are planning to build fewer PCs and this has and will impact  Intel sales and profits.  I do not doubt that there have been floods in Thailand and that component production like hard drives have been impacted.  I also do not doubt that there is some truth in the fact that some PC manufacturers will cut production.  But I don't think that this is the whole story when it comes to Intel profits.

I think that the major reason that Intel is seeing problems with its bottom line is that consumers don't see anything that they really are excited about buying from Intel.  I base this solely on my personal experience and perspective.  I am sure that many well informed financial analysts and tech industry experts would just shake their head at my statement and stop reading.  But at least hear this one consumer out for a minute.

I am a consumer looking to upgrade to a new CPU.  My fastest computer has a Core 2 Duo E8500.  It has served me well but I should probably upgrade to a quad core processor based system that is faster.  One of the problems I have with Intel is that they have way too many products for me to get my head around.  Not only are they offering several products based on different CPU sockets but they are offering  a lot of processors for each socket.  Every time I get serious about picking a processor I have to study and learn all the different processor numbers to understand which processor is right for me.  How can you create a demand for something when people don't even know what you have?  Could Intel create a processor naming strategy linked to honest and objective benchmarking  so that consumers can actually make a choice?  If automobile manufacturers have to list fuel efficiency standards shouldn't CPU manufacturers list performance standards and tie that to a clear naming standard?  If I don't know that your new processor is better than my old one why would I want to buy it?  Why should I have to read a dozen or more articles by computer hardware websites in order to know what I am looking at when I shop for a computer?  If the strategy is to confuse the consumer then I think that is a strategy that in the long run backfires.  It may help sales in the short run to pass off "new" technology as better because it is newer but people catch on quickly.

In a supply and demand economy if something becomes scarce and people still want it then it goes up in value.  Intel should be able to raise its price for processors and see no decrease in profits with the reduction in computer sales.  But people don't even know if they should buy a new computer with a new CPU.  Intel should use this current reduction in demand from OEM manufacturers to simplify its product line and invest in some really good marketing that educates the public about their products.  I think if Intel is relying on OEM manufacturers to create demand for Intel products they will see real problems with sales in the future.  When I buy or build a computer I look at the components in it.  It makes a difference to me whether it has an Intel or AMD processor in it.  It makes an even bigger difference what type of processor from Intel or AMD it is.  If Intel allows people to think in terms of OEM brand quality like Dell, HP or even Apple as determining product choice instead of component quality as being key to choice then Intel becomes an invisible component like the many nameless screws, brackets and cables inside my computer case.  Yes, Intel dominates the market and AMD is not much competition.  But what if ARM, Samsung, AMD and who know else becomes equivalent to an Intel processor in consumer's minds because they are all buried inside a case with the Dell, HP or Apple logo on it?  When a computer has a clear "Intel inside" sticker on the front, with a clear "what kind of Intel" is inside, and a performance designation that people can understand then Intel will not have to worry about lowered profit expectations because of OEM problems.  When this happens Intel products will become even more valuable and profitable when the OEMs have problems.  I hate to say it but it seems like a bad case of marketing on Intel's part and that is what the markets should really worry about when investing in a company's stock.  The first question investors should ask is not "what will the supply" of Intel products be but what will the DEMAND be for Intel products.  The demand for Intel products is more in Intel's hands through their marketing than in other suppliers of PC components.

The Intel Core i7-3960X is Disappointing

Previously I wrote a post about how AMD's FX-8150 processor wasn't a disappointment but was actually a trend.  It seemed to me that AMD was making a move to consolidate their high end consumer line of processors with their server line of processors.  Now it seems that Intel is doing the same thing with its new high end CPU called the Core i7-3960X.  One of the best reviews about the Core i7-3960X that I found was put out by Tom's Hardware.  In the review of the Core i7-3960X they explain that this six core chip is really an eight core Xeon server processor with two of the cores disabled.  So now we see that both of the major CPU manufacturers for the home PC are using the same strategy of offering a "server" CPU for their high end processors.  What will that mean for the "average" PC user like myself and others?  Well, the Core i7-3960X is a major disappointment compared to AMD's FX-8150 release for the the average PC user.

A Safari Books Online CCNA Training Video Review

I found an excellent video on Safari Books Online (Safari) that I have been using to study for the CCENT test.  Safari has books and videos from a variety of publishers.  The publisher of the video that I am going to review is from the Virtual Computer Training  Company (VTC).  VTC's has a website that is set up similar to Safari's if you decide to get their products directly from them.  You can buy individual videos or subscribe to their online digital library of videos for a monthly fee.  The Video I will be reviewing is by Bill Furguson called "Cisco CCNA 640-801."  Even though this material was meant for the CCNA it also applies to the CCENT.  To get the CCNA certification you either have to pass the one large CCNA test or you can choose to take the two test path where the CCENT is the first of those two tests.  Many of the best study guides are still made for the CCNA so you just need to adapt them to your CCENT studies.  I found this video was easily adaptable and was a good supplement to my studies.

For people already familiar with the Cisco certification tests they can see that this is "old" material.  The current CCNA test number is 640-802.  This video was published in 2006 and it was designed for the older/out dated test material.  Despite the age of the video I think this is still a very good study aid.  In my mind the material you have to learn in order to pass the CCENT/CCNA test falls into three broad categories.  I found this video covers the material from these three categories very well.

The first category this video covers would be what I would call "basic knowledge."  This category covers all of the vocabulary and concepts that people need to understand in order to be able to talk about networking and to understand the reading that they will need to do.  Much of this material is based on things that haven't changed in years so the fact that the video is older doesn't really matter.  What does matter is that the video teaches the material in an easy to understand way.  The fact that the material is older is actually a big help in my opinion.  The basic things that networking students need to understand, like the OSI model and TCP/IP, are still pretty much the same today.  There are newer things that have grown out of this basic knowledge but the basics still apply.  This old material is a great introduction since much of the newer material has just added more layers on top of this basic knowledge.  Sometimes for students it is easier to talk about how a Model T Ford works mechanically than to try to explain how one of today's Hybrids work.  Both are still cars but those new Hybrids have just added more junk on top of that basic car concept that the Model T represents. The video sticks to the basic and fundamental knowledge which is perfect for simplifying the explanation for beginners and keeping it short for people just reviewing the material.   I also think that when material is presented in a video format shorter is better anyway.  More comprehensive coverage of a topic really requires a student to turn to a book for that and Safari has plenty of books that you can use to get much more in depth with.  The video is only six hours and forty-five minutes long.  These basic concepts are covered in about three to four hours of the video.  For someone reviewing the material like me that amount of time was perfect.  For someone learning it for the first time I think it would be a great introduction that would help with the reading they will still need to do.

In the second broad category is IP addressing and subnetting.  This video only covers IPv4 addressing but not IPv6.  People will have to supplement this video with IPv6 study materials but IPv4 is still the most important of not only these two topics but probably of all the material for either of the CCNA or CCENT tests.  Bill Furguson presents the quick and easy way of figuring out IPv4 addresses using what I would call the "formula" method.  There are different ways of figuring out IPv4 addresses but this is the quickest.  That is important for a timed test!  There are other methods that I think explain IPv4 addressing better.  If you are new to IPv4 addressing and this method makes sense the first time then you are lucky and should stick with it.  If you are like me then this is a great method to learn once you get the concepts down.  IPv4 addressing literacy is vital for the test.  Not only will there be questions about IPv4 addressing but many questions will have IPv4 addressing as part of the assumed knowledge you will need to complete a question.  Many of the trouble shooting questions can't be passed without understanding IPv4 addresses or subnets.  The video covers this material for about a half hour.  This short and simple explanation of IPv4 addressing and subnetting alone makes watching this video worthwhile.

The last category of knowledge that this video covers is using the command line interface .  During the test and on the job you will have to be able to configure routers and switches.  There are GUI interfaces for configuring Cisco routers and switches but the command line is still the most important way to accomplish this.  Memorizing the commands and being familiar with the command line interface is an important part of the test.  If you never got comfortable with DOS or the Linux/Unix command line this can be a real hurdle for people to get past.  Where this video really shines is when Bill Furguson goes to the command line interface and walks you through what he is doing.  The experience of watching someone actually doing this from a video screen capture is ten times better than how any book presents this same material.  The commands he demonstrates are not extensive so you will have to get a book to study to fill in the gaps.  This is a great introduction and refresher though for the command line interface.

The video is almost seven hours long.  This is both a good and a bad thing.  The material is presented so well that you do want to see more.  But then if it was a thirty hour video I maybe would have not completed it.  Sometimes being too thorough is so overwhelming that you end up learning nothing, or at least feeling that way.  After finishing the video I felt ready to go take the test! Then I remembered that I needed to fill in some gaps both because the material was older and that it didn't cover everything.  VTC does have newer material for the CCENT.  Unfortunately it is not available on Safari at the time of this post.  You will have to go to their website and buy it or subscribe to their online library to access their newer videos.  Safari was a great resource in that it helped me find VTC but it fell a little short in not providing the latest material for my studies.  I do have the ability to go back and look for books on Safari to supplement my studies whereas VTC only has videos. For the time being I am going to stick with Safari since they have more of a variety of resources. I might in the future try VTC if I need more help with the CCENT test or if they have better coverage of another topic I am studying.

If I had to give a rating to my experience I would give the Bill Furguson video a B+ only because it is a little old, but I would also have to give Safari a B+ for not having the latest video material online in its library.  I would still recommend this video for people studying for the CCNA or CCENT since it provides a great introduction or refresher that can start you on a more detailed study plan. I would also still recommend Safari Books Online as a resource but I would warn people that they need to check to see if they may need to search for more current information.  Safari has the problems that all libraries with books and videos have.  For a book or video to be published it may take over a year to finish. Nothing you find on a library shelf, even if it is a "digital shelf", will be the most current resource.  People still need to search the Internet for the latest articles on a topic.  Also once a book or video is finished publishers try to get the maximum return for their investment.  Selling their products directly is the best way for them to get that maximum return.  Publishers not only can get the full retail price for their material but they can also be assured distribution from their own site.  Publishing something is a real risk.  You need to be able to recoup your expenses and you can't be sure libraries or resellers will order your product.  The fact that VTC is holding on to their "good stuff"  is understandable.  Maybe after a few sales it will end up on Safari.  Libraries usually don't have the latest material for every topic.  It would just be too expensive for them.  Libraries are great resources for regular people like myself who really can't afford to have every latest book or video.  I wouldn't advise making Safari or any other library your ultimate source for learning.  Instead, if you supplement a library with a few well placed purchases of your own materials and do some Internet searching you will appreciate and get the best use out of a library like Safari Online Books.  Both VTC's "Cisco CCNA 640-801" and Safari were a good use of my time and money and I would recommend both.

Safari Books Online Is a Great Learning Resource

I recently subscribed to Safari Books Online.  Safari Books Online (Safari) is a digital online library filled with thousands of technical books and videos.  Once someone subscribes to Safari they have access to those thousands of books and videos as long as they have an Internet connection.  People also have the option of buying any of the online material as a permanent download that they can view offline.  I use my regular PC and my iPad for viewing materials.  Safari Books has its own App for the iPad.  I find the experience on my regular PC is better navigating the Safari site and playing back videos.  The iPad is much more convenient though. I find myself reading more often with my iPad and viewing videos more on my PC.  Because of the increased reading I do on my iPad I spend almost as much time on my iPad as I do on my PC now.  I like my iPad but without Safari it would just be an interesting toy.  Safari has not just changed my computing and study habits but it has changed my views on learning and information.

AMD's Bulldozer May Be A Trend And NOT A Disappointment

AMD has finally released its much anticipated CPU based on what it calls its "Bulldozer" architecture.  AMD gave the FX 8150, the most powerful version of the Bulldozer architecture,  for reviewers to evaluate.  One of the best reviews that I have seen was done by one of my favorite online hardware review websites Overclock3d.net.  Throughout both the written and video review there was a large amount of disappointment with AMD.  The upcoming Bulldozer architecture has been talked about for a long time by hardware and PC game fans and the expectations were extremely high.  AMD did not "beat" Intel in the long raging CPU war that PC gamers have been cheering on according to this review or some of the others I have seen.  The normal progression of the CPU wars between AMD and Intel and the video graphics card wars between AMD and Nvidia have followed a predictable pattern.  One company introduces a product followed by the other company responding with a better performing product.  The back and forth between hardware companies have filled websites and blogs with articles and kept consumers buying bigger and faster components for their gaming PC.  It is completely possible that AMD has just introduced a product that is a failure.  Intel may have finally won the war of the game PC CPU.  But I think another possibility is that the game has changed and the old ways of keeping score just don't apply anymore. I am not a "fan" of any one company trying to make excuses or an insider in the technology business with sources at the highest levels.  I am approaching my conclusion from my own use of technology today.  

Cisco Networking Academy Busy

Every three years Cisco requires people with a CCENT certification to recertify by retaking the test.  To prepare for the CCENT test I decided to enroll in a Cisco Networking Academy.  I have completed the Cisco Networking Academy before but I thought it would be good to do it again.  Three years is a long time in the computer world.  While going through some of the test study books I saw some changes in the material for the test.  It will be easier for me to review this in a class where I can not only get help from a teacher but also have access to expensive Cisco equipment to do some hands on work.

iPhone or Android? Apple One to One Session and BlogHer Helps Me to Decide

I have been wanting to get a smartphone for quite a while.  After going to the BlogHer conference I am finally convinced that I need a smartphone.  After my most recent One to One session at the Apple store I am seriously leaning toward the iPhone.  What am I waiting for?  I am waiting for iCloud and iPhone 5.  Whether this will be September or October, which everyone is trying to guess, doesn't matter to me.  I am sure that iPhone 5 and iCloud will come out before the Christmas shopping season unless there are some really serious technical issues. So what has finally convinced me to get an iPhone?

BlogHer '11 Better Than Comic-Con 2011

I have been going to Comic-Con  for fourteen years.  This weekend I went to the BlogHer '11 convention and I walked away very impressed.  BlogHer '11 is doing something really good that people need to check out and that Comic-Con needs to notice and learn from.  BlogHer '11 was a much better convention than Comic-Con.

Photos of using Virtusphere at AMD event at Comic-Con 2011

The giant sign at the San Diego Convention Center advertising the AMD event at the Omni Hotel

Comic-Con 2011 is finally over and I have been going through my photos.  During the AMD promotion I was able to use a virtual reality product called Virtusphere.  I posted about it describing it as a "Hampster Ball" since that was my first impression of it.  The Virtusphere was a little difficult to get into for the first time.  The sphere is very well balanced and it only requires a little bit of force to move it.  A first time user like myself needed a little help to get in but after a few times people would be able to get in fairly easily. They had the Virusphere set up to play Fallout New Vegas.  Once inside with the virtual reality goggles on you were "inside" the game.  You could move in all directions.  You could also move in one direction while looking in another which was a different experience for me in a video game.  The gun was set up to only act as a trigger mechanism for the in game weapon.  It felt natural to point the gun in the direction you were firing but you were actually aiming with the goggles.  Where you were looking was where you were firing.  I am sure this could be changed to make the gun independent of the goggles and foot movement but it may have been a choice that the exhibitors made for the show.  Some people are naturally very good at orienting themselves and others are not.  The people who are good at this become Olympic divers and fighter pilots and others like myself walk into a pool and stay away from flight simulators.  By eliminating the independent gun orientation it helped new users like myself to have a little more fun.  It takes a bit of orientation to get used to the sphere's movement while using those goggles.  I was in the Virtushpere for maybe five minutes and by the end I was starting to feel comfortable and was forgetting about the controls and getting into the game.  Too bad I couldn't have spent the day in it!    The AMD people working at the exhibit were nice enough to offer to take pictures with your camera of you in the Virtushpere.  Except for the Convention Center sign the following photos were taken with my camera by one of the women working the exhibit.

Comic-Con Not The Best Venue for Personal Computer Technology or Me

Well, five days of Comic-Con is over with and I have come away with some impressions about Comic-Con as a personal computer technology venue.  Comic-Con is becoming  a "Movie-Con" geared towards younger fans who are there to see celebrities.  I don't think that personal computer oriented companies will find Comic-Con a good venue for their products.  Consoles and console games will do better but even they may find Comic-Con less of a venue for themselves too.

Comic-Con started off as a comic book convention.  Comic books have become a very influential medium that other industries have tapped into.  Two industries that have really profited recently have been television and movies.  Movies and television shows that are based on comic books and their characters have been very profitable.  Batman, Superman, Spider-Man and the X-Men are just many of the examples of characters that have been used to great dramatic and profitable effect.  Movie and television studios have figured out that many of the fans that drive the demand for these movies and shows can be found at Comic-Con.  For very little money and a short drive from Los Angeles to San Diego studios can get a very cheap publicity event that will reach thousands at one location that will reverberate way beyond the San Diego Convention Center walls.  The bringing in of actors has brought in ticket buyers to Comic-Con that really aren't there for the comics.  Many people are there to see their favorite actors in person even it is from fifty or two hundred rows away.  The attendance at Comic-Con has swelled and tickets sell out quickly.  This year when batches of tickets were sold on site people camped out at least as early as five in the morning. 

Comic-Con has a panel at the end of the show that allows people to complain about or praise Comic-Con.  Many of the people in attendance were self identified as fans that had been going to Comic-Con for years and were on the older side of thirty.  Many weren't able or willing to camp out for tickets and just had a miserable experience in general.  In all fairness, this was a group of people who were motivated enough to show up at the end of the show on Sunday to complain.  But several years ago I attended this same panel and the complaint and suggestions were of a much more minor variety.  What were the usual complaints a couple of years ago about long lines had morphed into comments about not coming back to Comic-Con at all during this meeting.  Basically you were seeing the over thirty demographic leaving the convention.  Comic-Con will no doubt be sold out next year but the people going will be a little different.  They will be younger and likely not a long time attendee of the event.  Their motivation to attend will also be more about seeing a celebrity than about strictly wanting to go to a convention about comic books. Well, wouldn't this be even better for personal computer based companies?  Wouldn't younger people be more receptive to a more technologically driven convention?  I don't think so and this is why.

One of the things that has made personal computer (PC) games different from consoles have been its users.  In the past most PC users were older by virtue of the expense of the PC.  A basic PC with a back and white screen that only displayed text could easily cost several thousand dollars.  Games were geared to an older and more affluent crowd.  Consoles on the other hand have always appealed to a younger crowd.  This younger crowd are using their console for the one thing it can do well which is play games.  The PC is not only a platform for people who are older but also for people who are doing things on it other than playing games.  So how does this apply to Comic-Con?  When the older demographic leaves Comic-Con, which I think it will, so too will be the audience that will stop at a PC product booth. 

This year I went to the demonstration that was being put on by AMD.  As an older PC user I could appreciate an APU that had integrated graphics in a processor.  I saw a technological solution that would allow me to purchase or build a PC that would allow me to play some games in a cheap and functional multipurpose PC.  The fact that this PC would not play the latest and most demanding games wasn't as much of a concern to me.  I don't thing the younger crowd will really care about this type of product.  When I went to the AMD demonstration it was not as busy as some of the game booths featuring gaming consoles.  Yes, these gaming consoles were on the convention floor and the AMD exhibit was in a hall in a hotel across the street but I don't think that was the real issue.  Last year when Intel set up an exhibit for the Atom processor for Google TV on the convention floor people quickly lost interest and kept moving.  I didn't see Intel this year and I don't expect AMD to come back either. 

The console area was busy but it wasn't packed like it used to be.  I was easily able to get to a game station and play a game or talk to a representative for that game.  People were walking by for the most part compared to earlier years when games were more of a novelty at Comic-Con.  I think Consoles and console games will still be a draw at Comic-Con but less so as Hollywood takes over.  I also think that this younger crowd isn't as interested in console demonstrations.  There are plenty of demos and reviews and younger people are easily bored with this sort of display.  This is something they can do at home so why should they spend a lot of their convention time at a console game exhibit?  If console exhibits got a luke warm reception then PC hardware and software companies shouldn't even bother with doing exhibits.  This year there wasn't a computer game magazine on the showroom floor and software vendors were largely ignored.  People were there for the movie stars, less for the comic books and hardly interested at all about personal computer hardware or software.  

I had seen a trend in the past of computer companies making appearances at Comic-Con.  It appears that some computer companies thought that they could tap into the Comic-Con market the way the television and movie studios have.  I think that trend of computer companies coming will be stopping as Comic-Con is changing because the demographic of the people going to Comic-Con is changing.  As the reaction to computer companies and even consoles diminish these technology companies presence will diminish.  Computer companies just haven't found that formula to get a real amount of buzz for their products like the television and movie studios have. 

I wasn't able to get tickets during the convention for next year.  I will have to try to get tickets when they are released online through Comic-Con.  It will be nice if I can go next year and see if AMD comes back and if computer software and hardware will have a greater presence.  But all things change and maybe next year I will not be going to Comic-Con and it will be a good thing.  I will just have to find another convention that caters more to my demographic and interests.  It has been a fun fourteen years going to Comic-Con but maybe it is time to try something new.  Maybe some of the technology companies will come to the same conclusion.

"Hampster Ball" and AMD APU Demo at Comic-Con was Impressive

This year at Comic-Con AMD is one of the convention's sponsors.  They set up a demonstration area in the Omni Hotel across the street from Comic-Con.  In that room was some really interesting things I think all gamers and tech people should check out. 

I asked the usual "when will  X come out" questions.  Everyone was tight lipped about when the Bulldozer CPU, future consoles, and the 7000 series of video cards will come out.  The best answer I could get was, "they will come out soon."  But they had two main things at this exhibit that turned out to be just as exciting. 

The first experience I had was the "Virtusphere."  It is a giant ball that you walk inside of  like a giant  "hamster ball/wheel" for humans.  The wheel acts as a controller for games.  It was set up to play Fallout New Vegas.  When you walked in the ball you "walked" through the game.  Instead of using a screen you used "virtual reality" goggles.  So you felt like you were in the game moving around as if you were there.  The ball allowed you to walk in all directions and you looked around and aimed your gun independent of your foot movement with the goggles.  Well, I don't think I will be able to afford this for my home but it was a very cool experience.    

The second experience I had was using AMD's new A series "APU.  APU is AMD's term for a  CPU with a graphics  processor integrated inside the CPU.  There were several APU equipped laptops loaded with games for people to try out.  I used the Lenovo Z575 laptop with Shogun 2 - Total War installed.  In a previous post I had lamented that it was time to upgrade my system.  Well, after playing with AMD's  A6-3400M  APU I was impressed.   The game play was smooth.  This demo finally made my "high" end computer at home feel old..  When your old system finally feels slow and new hardware is at a reasonable price that is the time to upgrade.  The Lenovo Z575 is a fairly reasonably priced computer and the APUs for desktops from AMD are too.  (For example, at the time of this post NewEgg.com is selling two of these processors for under a hundred and forty dollars)

I think my next computer build will be with an APU and I will experiment with how well it plays all my games.  I have always had two computers at home.  One computer has low power consumption that can play old games and that I can do my day to day chores on. The other computer has higher power consumption (usually because of the video card) and can play my  newest games well.  I could see myself buying an APU to replace both my aging low and "high" end computers now and build a higher end Bulldozer CPU based computer in the future.  The APU would get me through the upgrade I need to do until Bulldozer comes out and prices fall enough for me to afford the newer technology.  I wasn't excited at first about the laptops that were set up and almost just walked out.  But I gave them a try and was very surprised and walked away thinking about buying an APU based computer.  I guess the "hamster ball" did its job in bringing me in long enough to give a new technology a try.   

My Comic-Con Coverage and GameSpot Comic-Con 2011 Preview

For about the last fourteen years I have been going to Comic-Con here in San Diego.  I found out about Comic-Con indirectly.  I was never a huge comic book fan as a kid.  I liked Spider-Man and some of the old Star Wars comics but I never really read them consistently.  Back then comics were just too expensive for me.  My interest in Comic-Con happened by chance.  It was around fifteen years ago that there were many computer conventions.  About every couple of months there would be a "convention" at the Shriner's hall which was more of a giant swap meet for computers.  Once a year there was a big convention at the new San Digo Convention Center here in San Diego.  The ground floor was filled with booths selling and promoting all things related to computers.  Upstairs were rooms where there were panels that were either seminar like classes on software or discussions about different computer topics.  Well, this yearly show died off and the little swap meets became more and more infrequent.  When the big show decided to go "more corporate" many of the booths were gone and those seminars upstairs started to cost big money to attend.  Gone were the little booths dedicated to local computer clubs and gone were those free seminars that educated new computer users like myself.  I remember noticing that there was this thing called Comic-Con being promoted at the San Digo Convention Center .  Back then you could just walk in and buy a ticket the day you wanted to go.  I was surprised and amazed.  This convention had the same format as the computer convention.  The were vendors were just selling comic related products instead of computers products.  Upstairs there were panels where people discussed comic related topics rather than computer related topics.  It was essentially the old computer convention that I enjoyed but with comics as its focus. 

Follow up to the Future of Gaming Post or The video game she play me...

In the previous post "The Future of Gaming The Future of Computers" I mentioned a video put out by Eurogamer.net.  The video was called "The Future of PC Gaming Pt.1" whose follow up "Pt. 2" I was able to get back to and finish. In the previous post I concentrated more on the style of the article and the website that this video was on and the site that was linking to it.  My goal for this post is to give a general review about what I took away from the actual video.

Apple One to One Bento First Impressions

Bento is one of those programs that I have seen on the wall at the Apple Store that I was curious about but didn't want to buy.  At $49 (the list price quoted on their web site at the time of this posting) I couldn't justify a purchase for something that I thought I would never use.  After taking a One to One session at the Apple store it made me think twice about purchasing it.  By the middle of the hour long session I was sold but by the end I decided to put my purchase off.  My recommendation is a mixed one for this program.  Like most of Apple's products, I think this is a great program but I don't like the trapped feeling I get .

iPod Purchase on Hold

Last Saturday I went to the Apple Store for a One to One tutorial and with the intention of buying a new iPod touch.  I signed up for a One to One session to learn more about iPods and iTunes.  One of the things that I like about the One to One trainers is that they answer all your questions, not just the ones that are on the lesson "script".  After the hour was over I decided to put off my iPod touch purchase.  It wasn't the trainers fault but it was because of my own needs and personality.  In fact, I was more convinced to buy an iPad than an iPod in the future so Apple doesn't have to worry about losing a sale.

The Future of Gaming The Future of Computers

One of the things I like to do is follow different web sites to keep up with what is going on in computers.  One part of the world wide web that is always looking for the newest in computer hardware and what is going to come next are the gamers and the computer gaming sites.  One well put together site is Rock, Paper, Shotgun .  It is visually easy to scan but catchy enough to make you stop and read.  Some of the articles are original but they aren't afraid to "review"/link to another article on the net.  The article that caught my attention was, "Mark Rein Says PC Has "Shot By" Consoles" by John Walker".  It linked to the original article by Johnny Minkley called, "Rein: PC gaming has "shot by" consoles by a very good web site called Eurogamer.  Included in the original article is an excellent video showing interviews of people in the gaming industry talking about how consoles rely on computers to design the games for consoles and point to the future of consoles and games in general.  This is a two part article/video where part two is promised "next" Friday (7/15/11?). 

After Using Numbers I Think iWork Should Be Bundled with Macs like iLife

Yesterday I went to a One to One tutorial and got my first glimpse of Apple's spreadsheet program called Numbers.  There were some things about Numbers that I think Excel is better at.  First, there isn't the collaboration support that Excel has.  You can't make comments about comments and from the first look I had there wasn't a compare documents feature that Excel has.  Because Numbers doesn't use a grid but a "workspace" I don't think it would be great for spreadsheets with thousands of entries that corporations or scientists might use.  But...for the other 95% of the people who own a computer it is an easy to use program that integrates well with a Mac and the other programs in the iWork suite like Pages and Keynote.  In fact, the iWork suite would probably be all that the average person and small business would need. 

Games, Software and the Reality of Price

I like to scan the news about computers every day through a series of sites and blogs for about an hour a day.  One of the sites that I like going to is Googles Sci/Tech News.  It gathers news stories from across the Web and I find that it is a pretty good source.  There was an article about a game company called Capcon trying to "recover" some of their losses to the "piracy" of one of their games.  This article was of course a reprint of another article which was a repost of a post about what was going on in Japan with the sale of Resident Evil: Mercenaries 3D for the Nintendo 3DS video game.  Such is the "viral" nature of the Internet.  Now I will wade in with my two cents about the issue instead of the facts of the case.  Why the issue instead of the facts?  With this kind of third, fourth and fifth party reporting who knows what the facts are.  It seems Capcon is trying to "discourage" people from reselling their game by making it impossible to erase the saved games so that another later user/consumer can't play the whole game.  Is it true and is it right?  Well I don't think either is that important in the grand scheme of things.  It really boils down to, "what is a game company do to?"  The other issue is, "what is a gamer to do?"

An Old iPod touch a Apple One to One iTunes Session and Apple Support

I have been debating about getting a new iPod touch.  The built in two way camera that takes stills and videos really appeals to me.  I plan to go to Comic-Con again this year and would like to have a camera that would fit into my pocket.  A camera is something that my current iPod touch does not have.  I am sure most people would just tell me to get an iPhone but I am just not ready for a smart phone with that extra monthly charge for a data plan.  I was also hoping to download app versions of Pages and Keynote to my old iPod touch.  The Apple App Store said these programs were compatible with the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.  When I tried to purchase them I was given a message that my iPod touch was too old and not compatible with this software.  So either I live without these features or buy a new iPod touch.  Basically the typical Apple approach to legacy support and the mindset of forcing consumers to buy new hardware if they want up to date software.  Well, we all tend to forget that Apple is primarily a Hardware company in their approach and not a Software company like Microsoft.  If you want to play with Apple expect to upgrade hardware at least every two years.  My iPod touch is over three years old so I am "due" for an upgrade.  I want the new bells and whistles so now is the time to learn before I shop.

No Place Like Gnome

For the last week I have been playing with Linux distributions.  I have tried several different desktop environments like Xfce, KDE, Gnome and LXDE.  The most stable and easiest to install have used Gnome with the exception of Linux Mint LXDE.  KDE looks great but always feels slow and clunky.  Xfce seems to use the least amount of RAM but has been really buggy form me.  LXDE works in Linux Mint LXDE but not so well in Debian LXDE.   I don't like the standard Gnome desktop layout but it just seems to work better.  Desktop environments like LXDE and Xfce promise low resource usage but Debian Gnome was really low on resource usage and not as buggy as Debian LXDE or Xfce. 

Apple One to One Keynote First Impressions

My first impressions of Keynote is a good one.  When I bought the iWork suite I didn't know what to expect.  The first impression I had of Pages, the word processing application of the suite, was sort of disappointing.  I didn't think it really matched up to Mircrosoft Word feature wise and there are other free alternatives, like Open Office for Mac.  My first impression of Keynote is good though.  It seems very easy to use and intuitive.  I have a MOS certification for PowerPoint 2007 and it wasn't an easy program to learn.  Unfortunately most people who are going to use a "presentation" program are not going to be professional clerical workers who work all day long in an office suite or people who will suffer through a certification process.  Keynote was very point and click, drag and drop, and seemingly easy to use.  The one feature that I loved was the ability to use an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad as a controller during a presentation.  How cool would that be to give a presentation with a controller like an iPhone or an iPad?  I was even told that the iPad can run a cut down version of Keynote and use something like Apple TV to stream a presentation straight to a TV in a conference room during a presentation.  Pretty slick showing up to a presentation with Apple products to show off.  Well, I can see some problems that I need to research.

VMware Tools and Silent YouTube Videos

I use VMware Player to install and use different Linux distributions.  I find that using a virtual machine is easier since I am still in the learning phase of using Linux.  When I make a mistake or I don't like a distribution it is just easier to start over again in a virtual machine.  VMware Player has extra software that it calls VMware Tools.  This software makes it easier to move your mouse in and out of the virtual machine and host as well as improves the virtual machines video performance.  Some operating sytems like Ubuntu install in VMware through a process they call Easy Install.  VMware will install these tools automatically for you but many distributions like Linux Mint versions require you to install VMware Tools manually. VMware provides instructions for manual installation  but they are a little hard for me to follow since I don't know how to use the command line.  I have been able to complete the VMware Tools installation in the past by using these instructions and fumbling my way through it but I end up forgeting how I did that a month down the road.

One to One

Probably the best purchase I have made at the Mac store was to add the One to One service to my MacBook Pro purchase.  About once a week I go in and get a one on one tutorial from one of the staff at the Apple Store.  For an extra $99 at the time of my MacBook purchase I get unlimited tutoring sessions regarding my computer and Apple sofware such as the iLife suite and the iWork suite.  The staff have always been great.  They all seem to be very knowledgable and friendly. 

Benchmarking Software

I have always joked that I don't play games but that I use benchmarking software.  It always sounds better and more "technical" to say that you are using benchmarking programs that evaluate the performance of the hardware on your computer.  One of the most common questions in computers is, "will this computer that I want to buy be powerful enough?"  One of the advantages of playing computer games is that you become extremely sensitive to the hardware performance of a computer. If you want to know what kind of computer is the fastest one on the block then ask a "Gamer".  A Gamer may be a little too obsessed with hardware for the average user but they will be able to tell you what the best CPU and Video card are the best at the moment.  They also will be able to tell you if you are getting the most bang for your buck.  Gamers read reviews all the time about the latest hardware.  They also read reviews about the latest games and the related hardware requirements.  But they also learn the hard way what works and what doesn't work on their system by playing the games themselves.  This real world experience of playing games is often times more valuable than benchmarking software or reviews.  Games generally are the most intense things that you can run on a home system.  If you know games then you know home PC hardware.  It is kind of like the neighbour that loves driving fast cars on the weekend.  He can tell you a lot about how different cars stack up hardware performance wise. When people turn to you for advice on purchasing a computer you can give them an honest and real world estimate of what is going to be a powerful enough computer for them.  Just leave out that you play games though and just stick to component specifications and keep it general in your descriptions.  A "power user" would be code for a Gamer or Multimedia hobbyist and a "regular" user would be code for someone that just checks e-mail and surfs the web.  Only mention games when you find out they are a Gamer.  This weekend I found out the hard way that my main computer is "out of date" through "real world" benchmarking/playing games.

Linux Mint LXDE and VMware Player

I have tried various types of Linux distributions off and on now for a couple of years.  A lot of distributions claim to be easy to use but I haven't found them easy at all.  At some point you always end up in a terminal typing in some cryptic string of commands.  My first computer was a Window 95 machine so a DOS style command prompt just isn't a friendly environment for me. What has also been difficult for me is loading a Linux distribution on old hardware that I have.  This frustration caused me to stop playing with Linux in the past.

Mac Insecurity Pro

Old habits die hard.  I have always used a PC and the first thing I install on a new system is an anti-virus program of some kind. My friend had an iMac and was having some problems a while back.  I suggested he put an anti-virus program on his iMac and run a scan.  We went to CNET Downloads and installed iAntiVirus Free Edition for Mac.  The scan by iAntiVirus showed that he had a Trojan on his system.  The removal process was easy.  When strange things happen on a PC malware is a prime suspect.  As a PC user I was used to malware on a system.  As a Mac user my friend was surprised he found something like this. I was surprised also because I had been told that a Mac just isn't vulnerable to malware like a PC.  This "invulnerability" is a key selling point whenever I have talked to a Mac fan or someone selling a Mac in a retail setting.  I had my first experience with Mac malware and it was in the back of my mind when I went to the Apple store to buy my first MacBook Pro.

First Post and Introduction

Hello, my name is Frank and this is my first attempt at a blog called TechFrankness.  I intend for this blog to be a combination of a personal engineering log and tech reviews/editorials.  When I was taking classes at a local Cisco Academy we were encouraged to keep a log of our notes and observations.  Like a lot of people in class I had lots of notes but that three ring binder is somewhere gathering dust.  My notes now are  kept in OneNote while I am studying for certifications.  I am hoping a blog might be a better medium than three ring binders or OneNote pages locked in a single notebook computer.  Google has much better servers that can back up these notes than I do and can provide better access to them for me and others.  Hopefully a blog will be a good place to share my little discoveries and frustrations about the technology that I am currently working on.  If I have a question or a dilemma then I am sure others do too.  Maybe this blog could help others and maybe I can get some feedback that will help me.  The choice for the name of this blog as TechFrankness is both a play on my name and part of its mission statement.  That mission is to honestly record my experiences and observations about computers.

I have been volunteering for about seven and a half years as a teacher's aide in a Computer Maintenance and Repair class.  In that class I help students put computers together from individual parts and load operating systems.  These students range from people wanting to get into the computer industry to people that just want to understand how their computer works under the hood and become more independent.  I started taking classes in order to get a job working with computers and volunteered to get some work experience and learn the subject of computer repair more thoroughly.  Having to explain something forces you to really understand what you have learned at a deeper level.  Instead of just doing what you were told you have to know why in order to explain it to someone else.  While volunteering on the weekend and at night after my regular job I pursued several certifications.  I have an A+, Network+, Cisco CCENT, and Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification in Word 2007 and PowerPoint 2007.  Currently I am finishing studying for the  MOS in Excel 2010, learning my new MacBook Pro, playing with Linux, and studying to recertify for my CCENT while trying to keep up on the latest tech news.  During the day I work in a records department of a law firm with 60 attorneys that keeps me busy while I study on my lunch hour and breaks.  The reason for the "mini" resume is to explain where I am coming from as a blogger.  I know some stuff about computers but I don't know everything.  I am in the process of learning more and I am hoping that this blog will be another learning opportunity.