FireBall ===3

Okay guys, I need a new card for my desktop.

NOTE: This is not for playing games.

Requirements:

Must be:

Reasonable support on Linux. I don't use Windows at all on my desktop, NVidia is what I've got at the moment.

Needs to have 2 x DVI ports to run dual monitor at 1920x1080 each. So resolution for the expanded desktop would come to 3840x1080.

Nice to have:

Small form factor. I've got a mid tower case and would rather have a small card if possible.

Low power/heat - Don't really mind this as long as the spec is reasonable.

Hey people. I've noticed that alot of people are posting threads asking help on chosing a notebook/laptop and I thought it would be a great idea to share with you some information and thoughts on a notebook that I've just bought.

Here it is! The Lenovo Thinkpad T500.



The box.

Lenovo is the company that acquired IBM's PC/Notebook business. I think most people are aware of this now. Thinkpads are sold now with Lenovo's badge/logo on them.

Thinkpads generally come in 3 different series. The R, T and X. There is also the new SL and Lenovo's own Ideapad but I won't include them because they are very different to the original Thinkpad design. Lenovo also makes a W series as a premium/high end workstation laptop but they priced it out of the market.

My T500 is a 15.4 inch lappie and the latest in the T series Thinkpads. I perfer the T because it is more slim-lined compare to the R and generally come with more warranty. X series are portable laptops meaning they have smaller screens and also cost a lot more. T therefore is the balance that I was looking for.



Still in plastic wrapping



Cables, Battery, and driver CDs

I've recieved a smart-chip 6 cell battery with my laptop. According to google, The battery have build in chip to manage charge/release cycles. I don't really know what this means but it could only be good because batteries degrade overtime.



The cover.

Thinkpads have anti-scratch cover. I personally would never buy a notebook with a glossy cover. They look pretty but will be annoying after a while. Not to mention the fact that they reflect light and smudges.



Matt screen

This type of screen is pretty much standard on all workstation/business laptops. Reason being that they don't reflect.



IMO Thinkpads have the best laptop keyboard ever. The keys are spaced well and also have nice feedback from pressing. Lenovo also discontinued IBM's practice of not including a mod4 key (windows key) on their keyboard. I personally perfer them not to label the new key with a Windows icon but what the hell. Some people haave complained that the new T500 lappies have a flex problem; I personally do not experience this problem.



By default, It is pre-loaded with Windows Vista 32 bit. My machine also came with Windows XP 32 bit downgrade disks. I don't really care as I plan to install Ubuntu on it very soon.

I should mention here that Thinkpads have traditionally enjoyed great support amongst Linux developers; unfortunately T500 and T400 still have a few issues that needs to addressed by Linux.





Yet another pic.

An interesting feature of T500 and It's smaller cousin T400 is that they come with switchable grahic. What this means is that you can switch from dedicated ATI HD 3650 to the integrated intel graphics to extend your battery life. This is no doubt a great feature but it is only useable on Vista. In XP or Linux, you have to manually set the graphic card in BIOS or the OS will just use whichever is detected first on the bus.

-- Writting this blog is actually taking longer than I expected. I will update this tomorrow with more pic and feature reviews.

Hi Coders
Just wondering where you browse for discussions and help.
I've being reading devshed + whirlpool programming section but most of the threads are the help me do my homework crap >.<

newsgroup and irc are good but i don't have time to follow them. ubuntu dev spammed 240 msgs to my gmail in 3 days >.<

Hi Guys, I'm just posting this to share with TL.net a song that i quite liked on the radio today (Triple J, Australia)



From their upcoming album Confetti.

Goto

http://www.myspace.com/littlebirdy

Sign up to their mailing list, and you can grab this song for free

Let me know if you know similiar music (solo, instrumental, that are easy to listen to when you are alone or in solitude.)

The day after Christmas day = boxing day and it is a huge thing here in Australia.

You get discounts and shits and the culture is a bit like black Friday.

I'm stuck tho, i don't really know what i want to get + my girl is pissed at me + my car is broken so i don't really know if i cbfed going.

Suggestions? I don't need computer stuff because i can source them cheaper. I don't really need cloth either because i have to wear white shirt where i work and i don't really need to spend anymore than $10 on each.

blah blah

Tomorrow is the mid autumn festival!

If you are Chinese (Or Asian that have this) then prepare for some moon watching and sit down with families and annoying relatives!

Idea of the festival is that you and your kinsmen get together and basically just celebrate the fact that your family is intact blah blah and because the moon is suppose to be at its roundest and so it symbolize togetherness.... (not sure if that make sense or not).

Anyway be happy and don't forget to call your grandparents and check the expiry date on the moon cake that you buy.

This has being bugging me a lot and i need some definite answers and explanations from ppl like BILL, R1CH or headbugger.

Ok, the problem is simple. 32 bit computers using Windows XP and Vista can not utilize full 4 GB of RAM. I understand that while you can get at least 3 GB of RAM and the rest can be used for devices, but answers from people are inconsistent.

A general philosophy on whirlpool.net.au (Australian IT community) is that the BIOS set restrictions on how much RAM that can be used for OS and the rest are just there...

To use more than 4 GB, you need a 64 bit computing OS and sometimes with the right mobo and with the right firmware you can remap the memory allocations etc...

But that doesn't explain the fact that Linux 32 bit systems can use as much as 32 GB of RAM while still subject to BIOS.

What's the answer here? :/

I just downloaded some torrents from the net and they are in DVD-BIE format?

just from the nature of the file, i would say it is some sort of disk image? does anyone know what tool i can use it with?

:/

Ok, taking a break from the depressing topic of Tibet. I want to ask an interesting question and i hope the mighty TLers can answer it!

So I got a few days off from work for easter and the fucking aussie sun is burning down my house, so me and my gf went and drive around for some ice creams.

so i was like park my car on some residential street and walked to this ice cream shop that me and my gf always go to.

surprise surprise! there must be like 50 people lining up so i thought wtf but meh. so i was there waiting and bored then i saw the ice cream lady washing the dishes.

What caught my eye was the fact that after she soaked and scrub the dishes in this container of dish washing liquids, she immediately put the dishes into the cabernet.

This is very weird for asians like me so I want to ask if this the standard dish washing procedures for white people. I mean when i wash it, i always rinse the dishes in clear water after detergent then dry it or just leave it upside down.

I mean why you leave the detergents on the dishes like that? Aren't you afraid of all the chemical shits that could end up in your body after? O_o

OkOk this blog sucks but here are some pics: :D

woohoo, i got the job at the first company!
(if you don't know wtf i'm talking about, read my last blog)

the manager rejected me first but called back the next morning! :D

i'm so fucking thrilled!

i was going to write a bit more than this but i have to go :D so i will just post a pic for fellow job seekers (yes, it's just a google pic)



live life and kick ass!

lessons learned:

1. always be polite and reply to everyone that contacted you even if they reject you.
2. look out for yourself and don't bring up other interviews and offers to an interview D: i learned that the hard way.
3. don't try to explain too much on any issues that might rise, they would think you are trying to lie your way out of a lie.
4. Never be afraid to call or email the manager after the interview.

Nothing feels sweet than that first job after uni :D