One of the most common headset related questions asked by many is: apart ftom the stereotype of being obnoxiously large and garish, what exactly separates a gaming headset from regular plain-vanilla headphones? While much of the stereotype is true, a good gaming headset offers a lot more than that. This includes a competent noise cancelling mic, comfort for long listening sessions and excellent soundstage as well as positional accuracy, among many specifics that make these headsets excel at gaming.
The mostly nocturnal gaming habits of gamers and the proliferation of LAN party culture has lead to an increasing number of gaming headset adopters. This trend is also reflected in the growing number of specialist gaming headset manufacturers and their ever increasing product range. To make your choice in this perplexing market a tab easier, we've conducted a comparison between five of the best gaming headsets available in the Air purifier today.
There are two schools of thought regarding the looks of a headset. Audiophiles tend to downplay the aspect by justifying that you can't see a headset, but only hear it, so the sound quality is what ultimately matters. On the other hand, scores of gamers who take their headsets out for LAN parties do care about how badass it makes them look. So, it's no wonder why the single most conspicuous element separating gaming headsets from regular ones is their aggressive styling.
Some would say that Cooler Master's CM Storm Sonuz bears rather unconventional looks. To be brutally honest, that's just a nice way of saying that the designers seem to have given it a thorough beating with the ugly stick. It's too grey and bulky, while the weird teardrop shape of the cups doesn't help its tendency to make you look like a massive douchebag. And then there is the other ugly duckling, the Sennheiser PC 350 SE. Going simply by its looks, one would assume the Sennheiser PC 350 SE to be priced around the Rs 5,000 mark. This is largely due to its chronically plasticky look and feel, especially for the price. The material employed isn't exactly cheap, but it sure as hell doesn't seem remotely as luxurious or high-quality as one would expect of a headset priced at Rs 19,990.
The ASUS ROG Vulcan Pro, however ,is the very epitome of the ideal headphone design. It strikes a great balance between style and aggression with its all-black finish and an ear cup fashioned out of shiny, blood-red plastic. Everything from the tasteful chrome accents, brushed metal design on the ear cup inserts and the acres of leatherette across the device is thoroughly pleasing to the eye. The Corsair Vengeance 1300's understated looks are neither particularly eye catching, nor are they offensive. If you're the kind who likes to keep a low profile, these headphones should suit you just right. A heavily cushioned grey headband is the only respite from the overbearing dominance of black matte plastic all across the headset. However, the overall chunky design and the blue accent on the ear cups give it a bit of character.
he Razer Blackshark's utilitarian military design gives it ruggedness as well as practicality. The old school aircraft-grade headset style gimbal mounts do their job well and allow the headset to conform to the face with ease. The cord length is a bit short even when you factor in the extension, but the overall quality makes up for it. The plastics used on the ear cups are top notch, whereas the tastefully stitched headband feels great as well. What impressed the most was the detachable mic with a great articulated arm that looks decidedly old-school.
The ASUS ROG Vulcan Pro features a sturdy construction replete with steel height adjustment bands that allow it to fit crowns of any size. The driver enclosures exhibit an impressive range of articulation, thereby allowing them to conform neatly to the contours of your head. This is achieved with a ball-and-socket construction that connects the headband to the ear cups. The materials employed are pretty good for the price, with high-quality plastics used all around. It features all the goodies a gamer can ask for with detachable mic and cables, a slick carrying case, as well as active noise cancellation to drown out the ambient noise at LAN parties. All this sturdiness achieved while being a collapsible design is quite impressive.
The Cooler Master Sonuz disappoints with its decidedly plasticky chassis and a build quality that reeks of excessive free play between components. Apart from this, the ear cups attached with ball-and-socket joints may not be elegant, but they get the job done. The steel headband also may not feel well put together, but it's functional. This headset is among the cheapest of the lot and that cheapness comes through in its build quality. The Corsair Vengeance 1300, however, is an exception to that rule. It features excellent material quality and design for what's essentially the lowest price. The headband is nice and thick with a generous amount of cushion. The material used on ear cups and the rest of the chassis is pretty good for its price as well. For that sort of money, you're getting a very well constructed headset bearing excellent circumaural ear cups and a well-designed mic.
It’s an experience I can’t recommend highly enough. The Oculus Rift is a gadget that could very well change the landscape of video games in the near future, bringing a viable virtual reality option to gamers for the first time ever. Hawken is, unsurprisingly, very well suited to the experience.
One thing not included in the demo I played was the final version of the Oculus screen. The resolution of the current build isn’t as high as the final build, and the Oculus team told me that this more than anything is crucial to the device’s success. Affordable, high-resolution screens are key to creating an immersive experience at a cost that consumers can afford.
In other words, one of the big reasons virtual reality is on the near horizon is the advent of mobile and tablet technology.
Without a manufacturing infrastructure in place that caters to the smaller screens, any company interested in producing a VR headset would have needed to start from scratch with the screens. Now that this infrastructure is already in place, it’s just a matter of the technology getting to the right point (and price-point) for the system to become a reality.
2013年5月20日星期一
2013年5月19日星期日
Avoid the aftermath of a stealth attack
Are you a shopper by stealth? You go out shopping but then leave your shopping bags in the car until your partner goes out and then run your purchases inside and shove them into the back of your wardrobe so they won't be discovered. When your partner asks ''Is that new?'' you roll your eyes and tell them you've worn it before and you can't believe they didn't notice.
Now I don't want to get into the ethics of shopping by stealth, having done this myself on the odd occasion. Sometimes it's just easier. But what I do want to ask is whether you are really cheating yourself?
What do I mean by cheating yourself? Well it's one thing to hide things from your partner. I'm sure there are many things snuck inside by both sexes, be they tools, shoes, torches and toys that shouldn't always be explained. But it's another thing to hide things from yourself.
These are the purchases that when you do a wardrobe cull months or years later, they still have the labels left on them or they're still in the bag, hidden in the back of the wardrobe.
They're the purchases you made because you were bored or hormonal or drinking on a Friday night while surfing the net and the next day you knew it was a mistake. You might spend $50, $100 or $250 every other week but together it can add up to hundreds or thousands over a year. Which is a whole lot of money to spend on something you bought on a whim and will never use or Ventilation system.
Maybe start by recognising those times when you are likely to either overspend or buy things you really don't need. If you are window shopping during your lunch break, find something else to do instead. Pop on a pair of sneakers and go for a run, go to a gallery, or read a book. If window shopping is a social thing and you don't want to miss out, then leave your credit card behind so you're not tempted. Sounds simple but it's so effective.
If you love cruising online shopping sites then put your credit card in another room, don't save your details to favourite sites, or shut down the computer.
The credit card bill is a little different. Firstly you need to remove your head from the giant pile of cashmere you have dug it into (cashmere sounds much better than sand) and recognise what you are dealing with. So open all your credit card statements and face up to what you owe. With a bottle of wine if necessary. Once you know how much you owe then make a plan to pay off your debt.
This might mean cutting up cards (especially if you have multiple cards) or talking to your bank about refinancing to another lower rate card or loan. Ultimately you need to know what you have to work with and then make a plan for what you are going to do about it.
As for teams, three winners emerged from the post-frenzy shopping market -- Arizona, Chicago and Tennessee. Based on playing time from last year, I'd give the Cardinals the slight edge from the post-March 17 market. Among their signings, cornerback Antoine Cason played 976 snaps for the Chargers last year, Jasper Brinkley had 813 snaps at linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings, and Chilo Rachal had 643 snaps on the Bears' offensive line. The cost was a combined $5.7 million in contracts.
Bears general manager Phil Emery kept grabbing depth for his offensive line after being aggressive early and getting Jermon Bushrod and Martellus Bennett. Among the Bears' five post-March 17 signings were offensive linemen Matt Slauson and Eben Britton. Slauson started 16 games and had 786 snaps for the Jets in 2012. Britton had only 253 snaps last season, but he comes with 30 career starts. The cost was $1.53 million for both on one-year deals.
By being patient, the Titans picked up center Chris Spencer and defensive tackle Antonio Johnson, along with three other UFAs after March 17.
It's been pretty well proven that NFL championships can't be bought through free agency. Teams have tried and failed for decades. The key is being smart.
The Bucs were the free-agency winners in 2012, getting Vincent Jackson, Eric Wright and Carl Nicks, but they finished 7-9. How the Dolphins will do this season depends on the development of quarterback Ryan Tannehill. He should improve with Wallace, Gibson and Dustin Keller as added targets.
Overall, though, the Denver Broncos should be recognized for what they did both in the hot early market and late in the game. They ranked 12th in unrestricted spending, putting up $44.5 million on five players, but all five had at least 634 snaps last season and four had 799 or more.
Now I don't want to get into the ethics of shopping by stealth, having done this myself on the odd occasion. Sometimes it's just easier. But what I do want to ask is whether you are really cheating yourself?
What do I mean by cheating yourself? Well it's one thing to hide things from your partner. I'm sure there are many things snuck inside by both sexes, be they tools, shoes, torches and toys that shouldn't always be explained. But it's another thing to hide things from yourself.
These are the purchases that when you do a wardrobe cull months or years later, they still have the labels left on them or they're still in the bag, hidden in the back of the wardrobe.
They're the purchases you made because you were bored or hormonal or drinking on a Friday night while surfing the net and the next day you knew it was a mistake. You might spend $50, $100 or $250 every other week but together it can add up to hundreds or thousands over a year. Which is a whole lot of money to spend on something you bought on a whim and will never use or Ventilation system.
Maybe start by recognising those times when you are likely to either overspend or buy things you really don't need. If you are window shopping during your lunch break, find something else to do instead. Pop on a pair of sneakers and go for a run, go to a gallery, or read a book. If window shopping is a social thing and you don't want to miss out, then leave your credit card behind so you're not tempted. Sounds simple but it's so effective.
If you love cruising online shopping sites then put your credit card in another room, don't save your details to favourite sites, or shut down the computer.
The credit card bill is a little different. Firstly you need to remove your head from the giant pile of cashmere you have dug it into (cashmere sounds much better than sand) and recognise what you are dealing with. So open all your credit card statements and face up to what you owe. With a bottle of wine if necessary. Once you know how much you owe then make a plan to pay off your debt.
This might mean cutting up cards (especially if you have multiple cards) or talking to your bank about refinancing to another lower rate card or loan. Ultimately you need to know what you have to work with and then make a plan for what you are going to do about it.
As for teams, three winners emerged from the post-frenzy shopping market -- Arizona, Chicago and Tennessee. Based on playing time from last year, I'd give the Cardinals the slight edge from the post-March 17 market. Among their signings, cornerback Antoine Cason played 976 snaps for the Chargers last year, Jasper Brinkley had 813 snaps at linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings, and Chilo Rachal had 643 snaps on the Bears' offensive line. The cost was a combined $5.7 million in contracts.
Bears general manager Phil Emery kept grabbing depth for his offensive line after being aggressive early and getting Jermon Bushrod and Martellus Bennett. Among the Bears' five post-March 17 signings were offensive linemen Matt Slauson and Eben Britton. Slauson started 16 games and had 786 snaps for the Jets in 2012. Britton had only 253 snaps last season, but he comes with 30 career starts. The cost was $1.53 million for both on one-year deals.
By being patient, the Titans picked up center Chris Spencer and defensive tackle Antonio Johnson, along with three other UFAs after March 17.
It's been pretty well proven that NFL championships can't be bought through free agency. Teams have tried and failed for decades. The key is being smart.
The Bucs were the free-agency winners in 2012, getting Vincent Jackson, Eric Wright and Carl Nicks, but they finished 7-9. How the Dolphins will do this season depends on the development of quarterback Ryan Tannehill. He should improve with Wallace, Gibson and Dustin Keller as added targets.
Overall, though, the Denver Broncos should be recognized for what they did both in the hot early market and late in the game. They ranked 12th in unrestricted spending, putting up $44.5 million on five players, but all five had at least 634 snaps last season and four had 799 or more.
2013年5月16日星期四
Southeast thrives in OT at Northwest
In the first minute, Villa’s shot from the right side went directly into Southeast goalkeeper Abel Mendiola, and the Raiders’ defense cleared the deflection. That ended Northwest’s window to tie, though, because just a minute later Southeast’s set-play magic took all hope away from the home team.
After Rosillo was fouled in the corner, he crossed in on another free kick for the Raiders and set up Victor Garcia’s header. Deanda, who made three saves and often took charge on set plays in regulation, again couldn’t block it.
“It was more like holding on and surviving, but we got a break and they fouled our player,” Garcia said. “They did a quick play and I asked for it. I was at the right place.”
Southeast spent much of the night building its attack through the midfield, getting the ball to the side and either crossing or setting up a deep throw-in.
Northwest had the most offensive success with long balls over the defense to striker David Perez. Cielo Nunez’s pass to Perez in the fifth minute ended in an off-balance shot too high and wide. Bryan Villa’s pass to the same spot ended when Perez’s volley was off target.
“I couldn’t get a clean foot,” Perez said. “I tried at least getting a good chance, but it didn’t happen.”
In the 53rd minute, Giovanni Aguero laid off to Perez around 15 yards away but from a tough angle. Perez passed to Nunez, who couldn’t get a clear shot. It was the best of Northwest’s few chances. The Bruins finished with three shots on goal to the Raiders’ five.
For Northwest, this was the furthest the program has gone in the state tournament. Scoggins took over in 2007 and led the Bruins to their first tourney appearance. Last season, they earned their first tourney win and advanced to the quarterfinals before coming up short.
“To come this far and lose one before the championship, it sucks,” said Perez, a senior. “Why come this far if you won’t win it all?”
Southeast must face Dalton without midfielder and team captain Jorge Hurtado, who received a red card with two minutes remaining in overtime after shoving a Northwest player. The Catamounts, who are 21-0 and Class 4A’s top-ranked team, have beaten Kettenring’s squad three times this oil painting reproduction.
“We’ll have to play around that and persevere,” said Kettenring, who is in his first season as the Raiders coach after previously serving as an assistant for the boys and leading the Lady Raiders’ program.
The reworks inside the iPhone 5S guts, according to BGR News, were made to accommodate new handset components and features, chief of them is the sapphire-coated fingerprint sensor that serves two purposes - tougher mobile security and secured wireless payment processing via near-field communications (NFC).
Citing an unidentified source, BGR pointed to the following internal parts as the 'invisible' to the iPhone 5S: loud-speaker bracket, ear speaker bracket, vibrating motor assembly, Wi-Fi flex cable ribbon and SIM card tray.
While the leaks could not be independently verified, the iPhone parts shown were called 'plausible' by numerous blog reports, adding that the expected arrival of the revamped iOS 7, thereby spawning new features for the smartphone, indeed requires major adjustments inside.
This week, reports have suggested that Apple is ditching the physical Home button in favour a capacitive alternative. The switch was intended to provide more durability to iPhone 5S owners, made possible by the elimination of a moving part, which in turn greatly mitigates the wear-and-tear factor of the device.
At the same time, the new key will be coated with sapphire to make it scratch-resistant and beneath the same button, a fingerprint sensor chip will be embedded, which is designed to bolster the iPhone 5S' security features.
After Rosillo was fouled in the corner, he crossed in on another free kick for the Raiders and set up Victor Garcia’s header. Deanda, who made three saves and often took charge on set plays in regulation, again couldn’t block it.
“It was more like holding on and surviving, but we got a break and they fouled our player,” Garcia said. “They did a quick play and I asked for it. I was at the right place.”
Southeast spent much of the night building its attack through the midfield, getting the ball to the side and either crossing or setting up a deep throw-in.
Northwest had the most offensive success with long balls over the defense to striker David Perez. Cielo Nunez’s pass to Perez in the fifth minute ended in an off-balance shot too high and wide. Bryan Villa’s pass to the same spot ended when Perez’s volley was off target.
“I couldn’t get a clean foot,” Perez said. “I tried at least getting a good chance, but it didn’t happen.”
In the 53rd minute, Giovanni Aguero laid off to Perez around 15 yards away but from a tough angle. Perez passed to Nunez, who couldn’t get a clear shot. It was the best of Northwest’s few chances. The Bruins finished with three shots on goal to the Raiders’ five.
For Northwest, this was the furthest the program has gone in the state tournament. Scoggins took over in 2007 and led the Bruins to their first tourney appearance. Last season, they earned their first tourney win and advanced to the quarterfinals before coming up short.
“To come this far and lose one before the championship, it sucks,” said Perez, a senior. “Why come this far if you won’t win it all?”
Southeast must face Dalton without midfielder and team captain Jorge Hurtado, who received a red card with two minutes remaining in overtime after shoving a Northwest player. The Catamounts, who are 21-0 and Class 4A’s top-ranked team, have beaten Kettenring’s squad three times this oil painting reproduction.
“We’ll have to play around that and persevere,” said Kettenring, who is in his first season as the Raiders coach after previously serving as an assistant for the boys and leading the Lady Raiders’ program.
The reworks inside the iPhone 5S guts, according to BGR News, were made to accommodate new handset components and features, chief of them is the sapphire-coated fingerprint sensor that serves two purposes - tougher mobile security and secured wireless payment processing via near-field communications (NFC).
Citing an unidentified source, BGR pointed to the following internal parts as the 'invisible' to the iPhone 5S: loud-speaker bracket, ear speaker bracket, vibrating motor assembly, Wi-Fi flex cable ribbon and SIM card tray.
While the leaks could not be independently verified, the iPhone parts shown were called 'plausible' by numerous blog reports, adding that the expected arrival of the revamped iOS 7, thereby spawning new features for the smartphone, indeed requires major adjustments inside.
This week, reports have suggested that Apple is ditching the physical Home button in favour a capacitive alternative. The switch was intended to provide more durability to iPhone 5S owners, made possible by the elimination of a moving part, which in turn greatly mitigates the wear-and-tear factor of the device.
At the same time, the new key will be coated with sapphire to make it scratch-resistant and beneath the same button, a fingerprint sensor chip will be embedded, which is designed to bolster the iPhone 5S' security features.
2013年5月14日星期二
Otca’s Monkey Kit Lets You Hang Your iPad Wherever You Want
Want to hang your iPad from a tree limb? Too far out? How about on your microphone so you can see your play list, or on the tripod of your camera? Otca has created the Monkey Kit, a unique product that lets you safely hang your iPad anywhere you can wrap a heavy duty “tail” to hold it secure. Other uses include attaching it to exercise machines, putting it between cushions on a couch, securing it while working on your car, and using it as a desktop stand.
The kit consists of two parts. There is a Vacuum Dock and a Monkey Tail. The two pieces can be taken apart for storage or travel. The Vacuum Dock is 1.95-in (4.95 cm) at it’s widest point. the Monkey Tail is 36-in (91 cm) long and together the pieces weigh 1.49 pounds (676 grams). The outer surface of the Vacuum Dock is hard plastic, and there is a soft rubber dome cap included to protect the connectors when storing or traveling with the dock. The tail is wrapped in soft, grippy silicon. The Vacuum Dock is interchangeable with other products sold by the company.
I have only one negative thing to say about this product so let me get this out of the way first. The written instructions that accompany the package are awful. The print is very tiny because they have instructions in several languages on a small sheet and then complicate it further by having color combinations that look good, but are impossible to read. As an example, pale green type on light green background. Fortunately, they have excellent written and video instructions on their website for every aspect of working with the Air purifier.
To attach the kit to an iPad (or iPad mini) you place the Vacuum Dock against the back of the iPad, making sure there are no air pockets anywhere, and pump the air pump five or six times. There is no reason to hold down the Vacuum Dock like you would ordinarily have to do with other vacuum seal products. When the pump handle remains all the way in, the seal is set. The instructions note that in some cases, it is wise to check the pump handle periodically to assure the seal is still set satisfactorily, but I did not experience any problems with that.
One outstanding feature of this product is that it will work with some iPad covers. The cover must be completely smooth and nonporous and, at least from my testing, have no front cover as the front cover seems to unbalance the vacuum seal. I had two covers available to test this feature, both were smooth, but only the hard plastic one worked. However, that one worked great and it was very nice to be able to use the stand without undressing the iPad.
Using the Monkey Kit as a table top stand works well as long as you follow the directions. You have to create a half or three-quarter circle on the table surface and then make sure the iPad’s center of gravity is lined up with the stand base you have created. It is a very logical formula and after trying it a couple of times, it was easy. My son-in-law who has hands three times bigger than mine set it up with one try and loved it.
It costs about ￡800, and for that money you get a fairly standard-looking 15.6-inch laptop in the typical Acer style. This V3 series looks a bit like the Timeline models from a while back. You won't find any aluminium here, just plastic. The stand-out feature is the matte 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display. IPS screens tend to have much better viewing angles, brightness and colors than the more common TN screens.
The modest design betrays the powerful hardware inside, however. While the Intel Core i7-3630QM is the entry-level model in Intel's quad-core processor series, it's a lot faster than a dual-core processor. The Nvidia GeForce GT640M has 2 GB of video memory, and while it's not a GPU from Nvidia's GTX series, it does provide better performance than the integrated graphics. It's a chip from Nvidia's Kepler family which has 384 Cuda cores (624 MHz) and a memory bandwidth of 1.8 GHz. It's one of the few GT-class cards that's actually fast enough for playing games.
It's an impressive laptop in other areas as well. Both memory slots are filled with 4 GB DDR3 RAM modules, of the DDR3-1333 kind. Storage is provided by a 1 TB, 5400 rpm hard disk. There's also a Pioneer Blu-ray player that can also burn cds and dvds. A pretty deluxe configuration, in other words. The only thing you're missing is an SSD.
Adding an SSD yourself isn't that difficult. Acer put the replaceable components like the hard disk, WiFi module and RAM underneath a cover that's kept in place by two screws. You can't fit both a hard disk and an SSD, however, so you'll have to choose.
The kit consists of two parts. There is a Vacuum Dock and a Monkey Tail. The two pieces can be taken apart for storage or travel. The Vacuum Dock is 1.95-in (4.95 cm) at it’s widest point. the Monkey Tail is 36-in (91 cm) long and together the pieces weigh 1.49 pounds (676 grams). The outer surface of the Vacuum Dock is hard plastic, and there is a soft rubber dome cap included to protect the connectors when storing or traveling with the dock. The tail is wrapped in soft, grippy silicon. The Vacuum Dock is interchangeable with other products sold by the company.
I have only one negative thing to say about this product so let me get this out of the way first. The written instructions that accompany the package are awful. The print is very tiny because they have instructions in several languages on a small sheet and then complicate it further by having color combinations that look good, but are impossible to read. As an example, pale green type on light green background. Fortunately, they have excellent written and video instructions on their website for every aspect of working with the Air purifier.
To attach the kit to an iPad (or iPad mini) you place the Vacuum Dock against the back of the iPad, making sure there are no air pockets anywhere, and pump the air pump five or six times. There is no reason to hold down the Vacuum Dock like you would ordinarily have to do with other vacuum seal products. When the pump handle remains all the way in, the seal is set. The instructions note that in some cases, it is wise to check the pump handle periodically to assure the seal is still set satisfactorily, but I did not experience any problems with that.
One outstanding feature of this product is that it will work with some iPad covers. The cover must be completely smooth and nonporous and, at least from my testing, have no front cover as the front cover seems to unbalance the vacuum seal. I had two covers available to test this feature, both were smooth, but only the hard plastic one worked. However, that one worked great and it was very nice to be able to use the stand without undressing the iPad.
Using the Monkey Kit as a table top stand works well as long as you follow the directions. You have to create a half or three-quarter circle on the table surface and then make sure the iPad’s center of gravity is lined up with the stand base you have created. It is a very logical formula and after trying it a couple of times, it was easy. My son-in-law who has hands three times bigger than mine set it up with one try and loved it.
It costs about ￡800, and for that money you get a fairly standard-looking 15.6-inch laptop in the typical Acer style. This V3 series looks a bit like the Timeline models from a while back. You won't find any aluminium here, just plastic. The stand-out feature is the matte 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display. IPS screens tend to have much better viewing angles, brightness and colors than the more common TN screens.
The modest design betrays the powerful hardware inside, however. While the Intel Core i7-3630QM is the entry-level model in Intel's quad-core processor series, it's a lot faster than a dual-core processor. The Nvidia GeForce GT640M has 2 GB of video memory, and while it's not a GPU from Nvidia's GTX series, it does provide better performance than the integrated graphics. It's a chip from Nvidia's Kepler family which has 384 Cuda cores (624 MHz) and a memory bandwidth of 1.8 GHz. It's one of the few GT-class cards that's actually fast enough for playing games.
It's an impressive laptop in other areas as well. Both memory slots are filled with 4 GB DDR3 RAM modules, of the DDR3-1333 kind. Storage is provided by a 1 TB, 5400 rpm hard disk. There's also a Pioneer Blu-ray player that can also burn cds and dvds. A pretty deluxe configuration, in other words. The only thing you're missing is an SSD.
Adding an SSD yourself isn't that difficult. Acer put the replaceable components like the hard disk, WiFi module and RAM underneath a cover that's kept in place by two screws. You can't fit both a hard disk and an SSD, however, so you'll have to choose.
2013年2月20日星期三
Orem radar company demos product for defense department
Harris, the owner of Orem-based SpotterRF, developed a portable radar device that has received the attention of the U.S. Department of Defense. He was invited to demonstrate the Spotter M600C at the Stiletto Maritime Demonstration Program last month for the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command.
"The Department of Defense on a regular basis does investigations into new technology," Harris said. "They invite groups that might be applicable and test in real world situations."
The point of the radar is essentially to allow people to see around corners and into areas where traditional radar cannot reach. That allows military users to both move and deploy with a greater knowledge of the type of situation they are entering. During the demonstration, the Spotter M600C was set up remotely on a tripod at the mouth of the harbor. Several vessels traveled into and around the harbor. The radar communicated movements to the military vessel about a mile away, giving sailors real-time detections on a map that displayed the location, distance and speed of the target.
"We were their remote eyes where they didn't have coverage," Harris said. "Ships have large radar dishes limited by line of sight areas without view. We were in a port area where the entrance wasn't visible."
The military ship was able to get the advance alerts needed and deploy to take care of the problem. According to Harris all a person would need is a small tripod and a radio along with the M600C radar.
"Warfighting needs are rapidly changing, and our interest is in looking at mature technologies and future capabilities that could be transitioned to fill an operational need sooner than later," Dale Shiflett, NECC's deputy assistant chief of staff for strategy and technology, said in a news release. "Using the Stiletto Maritime Demonstration Program allowed us to look at the realm of possibilities for new and improved technologies. What better way to do that, than to have both the warfighter and the system developers in the same environment using the systems and having discussions on how it could work better."
Brock Josephson, SpotterRF's team lead for the demonstration, said, "The M600C was very effective at detecting all vessels coming in and out of the harbor. The system even detected and tracked a drifting jet ski."
Weirdly, you switch into macro mode by turning a ring on the lens; it snaps into a new position. I ruined more than one great photo because the lens ring had accidentally wound up in macro mode.
Superwide shots are effortless, since the RX1 inherits the Sweep Panorama feature of Sony’s other models; as you swing the camera around you, pressing the shutter button, it snaps away, creating a 270-degree, automatically stitched, usually perfect panorama in real time.
Video is gorgeous, too: 1080p high definition with stereo sound. There’s a miniplug input for an external microphone, too.
Clearly, this camera is intended for professionals or nearly pros. It’s built like a tank, all metal, with markings etched and not just painted on. Its shutter is completely silent. Its hotshoe accommodates various expensive accessories, including optical or electronic viewfinders.
It offers every kind of manual control, and you can customize it to the hilt; its scene mode dial offers three positions for storing your own memorized settings. There’s an aperture adjustment ring right on the lens, and there’s a dedicated exposure knob on the top.
Unfortunately, there are also some aspects that will drive you crazy. Focusing can be slow — in low light, really slow; as a result, this isn’t a great camera for sports, pets or children. There’s no stabilization for still photos, either. And you can’t play back stills and videos consecutively. You have to dive into the menus to switch from one form of playback to the other. That’s common to other recent Sony cameras, and it’s idiotic.
As the state has sought to profit more from the game, the Legislature has lifted most of the original restrictions, allowing it to expand from restaurants and bowling alleys to bars and large stores, and authorizing play almost around the clock.
The remaining restrictions prohibit businesses that do not serve alcohol from offering Quick Draw unless they occupy more than 2,500 square feet, and require players to be 21 years old in venues serving alcohol. (In other states, the minimum age is 18.) Removing those rules would allow small stores to offer Quick Draw, and would be likely to generate more sales in New York City, where per capita revenues are low compared with the rest of the state.
While the ZIP codes with the highest earnings tend to be in New York City — the neighborhood of Sunset Park, Brooklyn, is tops in the state, doing almost twice the business of the second-place ZIP code, northwest Staten Island, according to lottery figures — that is because city neighborhoods are far denser than those upstate.
The proposal would also allow players as young as 18 to play Quick Draw in bars, even though they cannot legally drink there.
“The restrictions have proved cumbersome and unnecessary, and have substantially reduced the amount of earnings that would otherwise be generated by the game,” reads the governor’s memo.
Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz, a Brooklyn Democrat who chairs the Assembly’s Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Committee, warned in a statement that the age change could result in a generation of new addicts. About one million New Yorkers have already been identified as “problem gamblers,” he said, noting that Quick Draw has been called “video crack.”
"The Department of Defense on a regular basis does investigations into new technology," Harris said. "They invite groups that might be applicable and test in real world situations."
The point of the radar is essentially to allow people to see around corners and into areas where traditional radar cannot reach. That allows military users to both move and deploy with a greater knowledge of the type of situation they are entering. During the demonstration, the Spotter M600C was set up remotely on a tripod at the mouth of the harbor. Several vessels traveled into and around the harbor. The radar communicated movements to the military vessel about a mile away, giving sailors real-time detections on a map that displayed the location, distance and speed of the target.
"We were their remote eyes where they didn't have coverage," Harris said. "Ships have large radar dishes limited by line of sight areas without view. We were in a port area where the entrance wasn't visible."
The military ship was able to get the advance alerts needed and deploy to take care of the problem. According to Harris all a person would need is a small tripod and a radio along with the M600C radar.
"Warfighting needs are rapidly changing, and our interest is in looking at mature technologies and future capabilities that could be transitioned to fill an operational need sooner than later," Dale Shiflett, NECC's deputy assistant chief of staff for strategy and technology, said in a news release. "Using the Stiletto Maritime Demonstration Program allowed us to look at the realm of possibilities for new and improved technologies. What better way to do that, than to have both the warfighter and the system developers in the same environment using the systems and having discussions on how it could work better."
Brock Josephson, SpotterRF's team lead for the demonstration, said, "The M600C was very effective at detecting all vessels coming in and out of the harbor. The system even detected and tracked a drifting jet ski."
Weirdly, you switch into macro mode by turning a ring on the lens; it snaps into a new position. I ruined more than one great photo because the lens ring had accidentally wound up in macro mode.
Superwide shots are effortless, since the RX1 inherits the Sweep Panorama feature of Sony’s other models; as you swing the camera around you, pressing the shutter button, it snaps away, creating a 270-degree, automatically stitched, usually perfect panorama in real time.
Video is gorgeous, too: 1080p high definition with stereo sound. There’s a miniplug input for an external microphone, too.
Clearly, this camera is intended for professionals or nearly pros. It’s built like a tank, all metal, with markings etched and not just painted on. Its shutter is completely silent. Its hotshoe accommodates various expensive accessories, including optical or electronic viewfinders.
It offers every kind of manual control, and you can customize it to the hilt; its scene mode dial offers three positions for storing your own memorized settings. There’s an aperture adjustment ring right on the lens, and there’s a dedicated exposure knob on the top.
Unfortunately, there are also some aspects that will drive you crazy. Focusing can be slow — in low light, really slow; as a result, this isn’t a great camera for sports, pets or children. There’s no stabilization for still photos, either. And you can’t play back stills and videos consecutively. You have to dive into the menus to switch from one form of playback to the other. That’s common to other recent Sony cameras, and it’s idiotic.
As the state has sought to profit more from the game, the Legislature has lifted most of the original restrictions, allowing it to expand from restaurants and bowling alleys to bars and large stores, and authorizing play almost around the clock.
The remaining restrictions prohibit businesses that do not serve alcohol from offering Quick Draw unless they occupy more than 2,500 square feet, and require players to be 21 years old in venues serving alcohol. (In other states, the minimum age is 18.) Removing those rules would allow small stores to offer Quick Draw, and would be likely to generate more sales in New York City, where per capita revenues are low compared with the rest of the state.
While the ZIP codes with the highest earnings tend to be in New York City — the neighborhood of Sunset Park, Brooklyn, is tops in the state, doing almost twice the business of the second-place ZIP code, northwest Staten Island, according to lottery figures — that is because city neighborhoods are far denser than those upstate.
The proposal would also allow players as young as 18 to play Quick Draw in bars, even though they cannot legally drink there.
“The restrictions have proved cumbersome and unnecessary, and have substantially reduced the amount of earnings that would otherwise be generated by the game,” reads the governor’s memo.
Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz, a Brooklyn Democrat who chairs the Assembly’s Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Committee, warned in a statement that the age change could result in a generation of new addicts. About one million New Yorkers have already been identified as “problem gamblers,” he said, noting that Quick Draw has been called “video crack.”
2012年5月2日星期三
Couple ask for the help of the town
LAST September we brought you the story of a Forfar woman who has been living in a bubble for over a year because of her struggle with extreme asthma and multiple allergies.
Maggie Balfour must wear a highly specified Moldex 8000 series gas mask, goggles and gloves as without these ‘protections’ her life would be quickly put in jeopardy.
Maggie and her husband Jim have struggled for over a year with no additional financial support above the state benefits they receive.
Back in late September 2011 the couple faced the added “nightmare” of Maggie becoming allergic to most man-made fibres used in her existing clothing. With winter fast approaching the couple scoured the globe for the help Maggie needed. Finally, a family in Kansas and another in Wisconsin agreed to help.
Including outerwear and footwear the final bill topped 600. Jim says it was “A huge draw on our very tight finances and ‘assets’ had to be sold to help pay for this unwelcome surprise. The whole process from ordering to delivery took four weeks.”
Maggie is very ‘cold sensitive’ which means she struggles to stay warm. Proper outerwear was vital and Raymond from Greenvale Trading, in Forfar, stepped in to help by providing access to clothing at wholesale prices. Jim added: “I would also like to thank Barry Greenhill Construction for the kindness and support they have shown throughout Maggie’s illness and also my friends at the Forfar Resource Centre who gifted us a small air purifier.
“Many others including Jim and Geoff have unknowingly kept me going with their good humour and concern for Maggie.”
Jim added that he would also like to thank specifically a man who had given him two pounds in a charity shop so that he would be able to buy a bag for Maggie to carry her gas mask in.
Under the expert care received from the Academy Street Surgery and other healthcare professionals Maggie’s body stubbornly refused to respond well to conventional treatments and her immune response to all but a few medicines has resulted in the most extreme side-effects.
The last attempt to introduce an anti-histamine was abandoned on March 10. Jim explains: “This drug was causing Maggie’s body temperature to vary by up to 4C each day. She felt very unwell whilst she was taking it and the side effects far outweighed the benefits.
“With a referral by her sympathetic GP to the NHS Homeopathic Hospital in Glasgow, it was hoped that we could find alternative medical solutions which could be tailor made to fit Maggie’s very unique circumstances and physiology.
“Unfortunately, the waiting time for a first appointment to see the most Senior Homeopath was going to be 12 to 13 weeks.
“That is a very long time in ‘Maggie’s world’ more so because her illness is causing her to loose weight.
“I reasoned that time was critical. Maggie was currently stable but there was no guarantee that she would remain so. After considerable research and taking opinion from others one name kept coming up and we took that collective advice.
“This man is a homeopathic doctor of considerable years of experience; highly respected both here and internationally. He is a compassionate, thoughtful and creative practitioner who is absolutely committed to his chosen profession. We are very glad to have him on board.”
A number of other companies have helped the couple. Jim said: “Scottish and Southern Energy PLC; (Hydro Electric); Blueair AB of Stockholm, Sweden, Moldex and George Henderson Electrical, are by technology or direct intervention ensuring that Maggie’s ‘Bubble’ does not slip or fail. Their help and gifts are very, very, welcome!”
None of these companies know of anyone else with such complex problems although a search of the internet will reveal others with individual components of her complex condition.
Jim says he is quite good with money but has found the last 15 months a challenge.
Maggie’s needs are so specific and complex that every detail must be micro managed with considerable care.
One of the main worries facing Jim right now is finding food that Maggie is safe and able to eat. He said: “Our budget for food is less than 45 a week. Maggie cannot have anything that has been processed with man made chemicals and so all her food must be organic.” Jim spends over two hours each day working the supermarkets for reduced price safe and Organic foods. He said: “Keeping Maggie’s environment safe is essential and so is keeping her well enough physically to face future treatments whatever they may be. A safe and cost effective food supply is absolutely essential.
“We’ve come a long way on our own financially but both of us are very battle weary, especially Maggie. It’s been a very challenging and frightening time.
“Would there be someone skilled, trustworthy and energetic enough to oversee the setting up and management of this process?
Maggie Balfour must wear a highly specified Moldex 8000 series gas mask, goggles and gloves as without these ‘protections’ her life would be quickly put in jeopardy.
Maggie and her husband Jim have struggled for over a year with no additional financial support above the state benefits they receive.
Back in late September 2011 the couple faced the added “nightmare” of Maggie becoming allergic to most man-made fibres used in her existing clothing. With winter fast approaching the couple scoured the globe for the help Maggie needed. Finally, a family in Kansas and another in Wisconsin agreed to help.
Including outerwear and footwear the final bill topped 600. Jim says it was “A huge draw on our very tight finances and ‘assets’ had to be sold to help pay for this unwelcome surprise. The whole process from ordering to delivery took four weeks.”
Maggie is very ‘cold sensitive’ which means she struggles to stay warm. Proper outerwear was vital and Raymond from Greenvale Trading, in Forfar, stepped in to help by providing access to clothing at wholesale prices. Jim added: “I would also like to thank Barry Greenhill Construction for the kindness and support they have shown throughout Maggie’s illness and also my friends at the Forfar Resource Centre who gifted us a small air purifier.
“Many others including Jim and Geoff have unknowingly kept me going with their good humour and concern for Maggie.”
Jim added that he would also like to thank specifically a man who had given him two pounds in a charity shop so that he would be able to buy a bag for Maggie to carry her gas mask in.
Under the expert care received from the Academy Street Surgery and other healthcare professionals Maggie’s body stubbornly refused to respond well to conventional treatments and her immune response to all but a few medicines has resulted in the most extreme side-effects.
The last attempt to introduce an anti-histamine was abandoned on March 10. Jim explains: “This drug was causing Maggie’s body temperature to vary by up to 4C each day. She felt very unwell whilst she was taking it and the side effects far outweighed the benefits.
“With a referral by her sympathetic GP to the NHS Homeopathic Hospital in Glasgow, it was hoped that we could find alternative medical solutions which could be tailor made to fit Maggie’s very unique circumstances and physiology.
“Unfortunately, the waiting time for a first appointment to see the most Senior Homeopath was going to be 12 to 13 weeks.
“That is a very long time in ‘Maggie’s world’ more so because her illness is causing her to loose weight.
“I reasoned that time was critical. Maggie was currently stable but there was no guarantee that she would remain so. After considerable research and taking opinion from others one name kept coming up and we took that collective advice.
“This man is a homeopathic doctor of considerable years of experience; highly respected both here and internationally. He is a compassionate, thoughtful and creative practitioner who is absolutely committed to his chosen profession. We are very glad to have him on board.”
A number of other companies have helped the couple. Jim said: “Scottish and Southern Energy PLC; (Hydro Electric); Blueair AB of Stockholm, Sweden, Moldex and George Henderson Electrical, are by technology or direct intervention ensuring that Maggie’s ‘Bubble’ does not slip or fail. Their help and gifts are very, very, welcome!”
None of these companies know of anyone else with such complex problems although a search of the internet will reveal others with individual components of her complex condition.
Jim says he is quite good with money but has found the last 15 months a challenge.
Maggie’s needs are so specific and complex that every detail must be micro managed with considerable care.
One of the main worries facing Jim right now is finding food that Maggie is safe and able to eat. He said: “Our budget for food is less than 45 a week. Maggie cannot have anything that has been processed with man made chemicals and so all her food must be organic.” Jim spends over two hours each day working the supermarkets for reduced price safe and Organic foods. He said: “Keeping Maggie’s environment safe is essential and so is keeping her well enough physically to face future treatments whatever they may be. A safe and cost effective food supply is absolutely essential.
“We’ve come a long way on our own financially but both of us are very battle weary, especially Maggie. It’s been a very challenging and frightening time.
“Would there be someone skilled, trustworthy and energetic enough to oversee the setting up and management of this process?
2012年3月1日星期四
Aunt invites guests at host’s expense
For our recent baby christening, we invited our closest relatives to a home reception after church. A stranger arrived, saying she was invited by my aunt, and stayed eating and drinking.
There wasn’t extra room at the table, so dinner had to become a buffet. My grandmother then spilled her dinner on her dress and our sofa. My aunt said: “You should’ve planned a sit-down dinner! Old people can’t cope with a buffet!” My brother later told me she’d brought three friends to his corn roast.
She has a beautiful house, but never has her friends there. With baby number two on the way, how do we avoid a repeat of this problem? Most of the family makes a joke of it.
Family humour can be more memorable than perfect dinner parties, but still, there has to be a limit put on Auntie Dearest who likes to “entertain” at others’ expense. And, perhaps, these special invitations keep her friends’ attached to her.
Allot her one guest and be clear that there’ll be no room for more at the sit-down dinner she herself recommends.
Entertainment tip: keep an inexpensive fold-up card table tucked in a closet, that can be pulled out for unexpected “overflow” to whom you don’t want to be rude.
I have allergies to fragrances. Most of my co-workers refrained from using scented products when asked, but one doesn’t seem to care.
When I approached her about it, she complained to the assistant manager, who spoke to the manager, who’s asked me not to talk to her about it anymore because she “got upset.”
The manager won’t implement a fragrance-free policy but asked me to alert him so he can smell for himself and then talk to her. The assistant manager will have told her this, so she’s not upset anymore.
Now, the days the manager is in the office, she’s fragrance-free. When he’s not there, she’s heavily scented.
She knows that the manager won’t talk to her about it because she’s unscented when he’s there.
Others in the office who dislike her strong fragrances are afraid to say anything because she has the assistant manager wrapped around her little finger. I’m the only one not afraid to say something.
I’ve thought about working from home, but that’s not ideal for my job. I’ve already switched desks to be as far away as I can get from the fragrances.
My doctor isn’t too keen on helping me because my symptoms aren’t bad enough yet. But it’s getting worse because of the constant exposure.
For some immediate relief, set up a small fan or air purifier on your desk to alleviate the smell. And consider working from home on the days when the manager is not there, if this is doable.
Then, whatever your symptoms, your doctor should be willing to write a note listing them, and the likelihood of heavier reaction with increased exposure.
You should also get informed about labour relations policies in your jurisdiction. You are certainly within your rights to take this to a human resources department if your company or parent company has one.
This is regarding the parents who are worried about their son, age 14, going out publicly dressed up in furry costumes, and isolating himself :
Reader: “I myself have been in the furry fandom for many years, most of my friends locally are furry in some sort of way, and I also make costumes for myself and other people. “I even met my partner of 10 years through the furry groups.
There wasn’t extra room at the table, so dinner had to become a buffet. My grandmother then spilled her dinner on her dress and our sofa. My aunt said: “You should’ve planned a sit-down dinner! Old people can’t cope with a buffet!” My brother later told me she’d brought three friends to his corn roast.
She has a beautiful house, but never has her friends there. With baby number two on the way, how do we avoid a repeat of this problem? Most of the family makes a joke of it.
Family humour can be more memorable than perfect dinner parties, but still, there has to be a limit put on Auntie Dearest who likes to “entertain” at others’ expense. And, perhaps, these special invitations keep her friends’ attached to her.
Allot her one guest and be clear that there’ll be no room for more at the sit-down dinner she herself recommends.
Entertainment tip: keep an inexpensive fold-up card table tucked in a closet, that can be pulled out for unexpected “overflow” to whom you don’t want to be rude.
I have allergies to fragrances. Most of my co-workers refrained from using scented products when asked, but one doesn’t seem to care.
When I approached her about it, she complained to the assistant manager, who spoke to the manager, who’s asked me not to talk to her about it anymore because she “got upset.”
The manager won’t implement a fragrance-free policy but asked me to alert him so he can smell for himself and then talk to her. The assistant manager will have told her this, so she’s not upset anymore.
Now, the days the manager is in the office, she’s fragrance-free. When he’s not there, she’s heavily scented.
She knows that the manager won’t talk to her about it because she’s unscented when he’s there.
Others in the office who dislike her strong fragrances are afraid to say anything because she has the assistant manager wrapped around her little finger. I’m the only one not afraid to say something.
I’ve thought about working from home, but that’s not ideal for my job. I’ve already switched desks to be as far away as I can get from the fragrances.
My doctor isn’t too keen on helping me because my symptoms aren’t bad enough yet. But it’s getting worse because of the constant exposure.
For some immediate relief, set up a small fan or air purifier on your desk to alleviate the smell. And consider working from home on the days when the manager is not there, if this is doable.
Then, whatever your symptoms, your doctor should be willing to write a note listing them, and the likelihood of heavier reaction with increased exposure.
You should also get informed about labour relations policies in your jurisdiction. You are certainly within your rights to take this to a human resources department if your company or parent company has one.
This is regarding the parents who are worried about their son, age 14, going out publicly dressed up in furry costumes, and isolating himself :
Reader: “I myself have been in the furry fandom for many years, most of my friends locally are furry in some sort of way, and I also make costumes for myself and other people. “I even met my partner of 10 years through the furry groups.
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