Having had a couple of weeks to familiarize myself with the Nokia N900 and having spent some time configuring and tweaking, I decided it was probably about time to initiate some kind of backup procedure.

The Nokia N900 is a fantastic device and has completely surpassed my expectations of what a "hand held" device can do. It's amazing how much functionality has been crammed into this 'phone'.... however there is one small issue I am not impressed with: The N900 comes with PC Syncing software but it's for Windows! - Apparently, you simply connect the supplied USB cable, select the appropriate option on the phone ("PC Suite Mode") and install the relevant software on your Windows PC. What? If I wanted to sync with Windows, I would have bought a Windows Mobile based device.... I don't, so I didn't. As I use Linux on all of my computers, I have no use for the included software.

The Nokia N900 (released is the US a few months ago) has only recently become available, through official channels, in Australia. I had been contemplating the purchase of a new 'Smart Phone' for a couple of months and had considered a few options (I had looked at the Apple iphone and some Android powered devices - the latter being more likely, as I am not a big Apple fan but enjoy using Linux). Nothing had really jumped out at me... until I read an article in "Linux User & Developer" (mag) about the Nokia N900 & the Maemo 5 Operating System: I was intrigued and 'sold' within minutes.

When is a Computer not just a computer? 

Some details about my current "Main Rig"

(the sum of all parts mentioned in previous posts).

Geek: "a peculiar or otherwise odd person, especially one who is perceived to be overly obsessed with one or more things including those of intellectuality, electronics, etc." *

What does a typical geek look like?  How do you define a "geek" in the first place...?  Just a few days ago I was having a conversation with one of my customers and the subject of "being referred to as a geek" came up.  The person I was talking to seemed to be under the impression that calling someone like me a "geek" may somehow be offensive...

My response was something like this: "Well, it depends a little on who is saying it and what the context is.  If it was some technophobic twat using the term in a derogative way, then yes it might be mildy offensive, although I would probably just laugh!  If, on the other hand, it was a person whom I perceived to be quite knowledgable.., a technology guru of some sort, then being called a "Geek" would be a compliment".

I've been playing a bit on Xbox 360 and Xbox Live again since Operation Flashpoint - Dragon Rising and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 came out recently.  One thing is clear.  If you don't spend enough time honing your skills, things are not going to go well.  In short: "I suck at this!", is probably the best description I can give....

Just downloaded and installed Linux Mint 8 "Helena" RC1.   Sweet!

I currently have it running in Virtualbox on top of Mint 7 and will wait for the full release before upgrading my main system but I really like what I've seen so far. 

Windows 7 Sins:

The case against Microsoft and proprietary software

... borrowed from here:

"The new version of Microsoft's Windows operating system, Windows 7, has the same problem that Vista, XP, and all previous versions have had -- it's proprietary software. Users are not permitted to share or modify the Windows software, or examine how it works inside.

The fact that Windows 7 is proprietary means that Microsoft asserts legal control over its users through a combination of copyrights, contracts, and patents. Microsoft uses this power to abuse computer users. At windows7sins.org, the Free Software Foundation lists seven examples of abuse committed by Microsoft.

Having built a solid foundation using an Asus P6T Deluxe V2 M/B, Intel Core i7 CPU and 12GB of Kingston DDR3 1333Mhz DRAM (all in a Thermaltake Element S Case), it was now time to complete the 'picture' so to speak....  I wanted reasonably good graphics in my new machine so after a bit of research and price checking, I decided I liked the look of the Asus ENGTS250 1GB GTS 250 "Dark Knight" card.

Some Specs:

Next on the list of ingrediets for my new computer (based on an Asus P6T Deluxe V2 Motherboard and an Intel Core i7 920 CPU), is the memory.  The new range of Core i7 processors require DDR3 Memory (currently available in 2GB modules) and the P6T has six available slots, so I ordered 12GB (2kits of 3x2GB) of Kingston KVR1333D3N9K3/6G

Once installed, I added some extra 'refreshment' (dedicated DRAM cooling fans) and tweaked the bios settings on the M/B to increase the cards speed from 1333Mhz to 1501Mhz.  This a fairly conservative setting for this system but I am more interested in stability... with just a touch of extra speed.

The 'Core' component of my new system is the Intel Core i7 920 Processor (pun intended).  The i7 is a significant step up from the previous range of Core2 processors.  From Intel: