According to the examiner, any discussions on SOPA have been suspended indefinitely. This essentially means that the bill has been stopped, but it is not dead. Like someone commented, "it's like putting it on a shelf". Shelved indeed, but a major victory. It (the bill) will no longer be discussed unless there is a serious consensus.
PIPA, or Protect IP Act, is essentially the same thing as SOPA, and it is still open for debate. It's future, however is just as cloudy as SOPA, with the author taking out any DNS blocking. As for the future of the OPEN act, which actually does something about pirating... it has been postponed to an undisclosed date from its original 1/18/2012 date.
I would suspect that internet companies still plan to protest this bill as it moves into the Senate for discussion. As for Rupert Murdoch and News Corp/Fox? He thinks you are a criminal if you are against him and these bills, and that YOU and the White House can go screw themselves.
Source 1
Source 2
Showing posts with label Computers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Computers. Show all posts
January 16, 2012
January 1, 2012
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim redefines fun
To understand where I am coming from here, I have over 20 years experience with video games. I had never been heavily involved in hardcore RPGs, lacking the patience and slow progress. That all changed when I walked into a retail store with holiday money burning a hole in my pocket. I decided to give Skyrim a try- I remembered back in November that I wanted to give it a try.
From the get go, my mind was blown. It wasn't just the graphics that enhanced the experience- those seemed to fade secondary or tertiary to the amazing immersion and role playing that were taking place. With the close call at Helgen, I was hooked on this game. My interest was cemented when I left the city and began adventuring in the countryside; seeing the beautiful snow capped mountains and flowing streams.
Skyrim seems to do something... different than most video games. Not only is the game huge, it is jam packed with content and narrative. I mean seriously, the amount of stuff in this game is absurd. For the first time in a video game, I was not concerned about leveling my character. Instead, I was simply playing the game- and how I freakin' wanted to.
You learn the details of the world, and if you look close enough there is plenty of humor.
"Well, you see- the store is named the Drunken Huntsman because my brother and I were out hunting. We had too much mead, and he shot me... well... in the rump, and we decided upon a name for our new store".
Everything is believable. Most things are optional. You have so many choices that you can make, from being the sneaking bad guy to the vagabond 2-handed warrior. The perks system allows for extreme flexibility in bonus stats. There are so many fun spells, imcantations and pieces of gear that it will have anyone foaming at the mouth. Of course- there are the mother ******* dragons. Oh what fun I have slaying badass dragons.
This game has the richest soundtrack I have heard to date. Everything is vivid and has its place- this music sounds epic and magical, but of this world. Gregorian monks, chorus singing, epic battle ballads- this game has everything that I have asked for in a game- and it is extremely hard to knock points off from it.
I am playing the PC version, and I have very minor complaints. The game could have used more voice acting and a little more gore. The voice acting is AMAZING. I am not going to complain about that. I sort of wince at the fact that I have to hear very common voices all around Skyrim. The power blows would be more gratifying if a stringy esophagus was coming off of a chopped persons head. Nasty yes, but it would have been much more gratifying. I guess with the ESRB that Bethesda had its limits. Then again, what the hell about Fallout 3?
It is hard for me to explain this game in one small article. I am 30 hours into the game- a place where many gamers end their adventures in other games. Not this one- oh hell no. I'm not even a QUARTER done with this game. There are literally hundreds of hours in this game- for you to explore and enjoy. Oh- zero of it is padding. This game literally is the life sucker. If Bethesda were to ever make this series into an MMO, and apply the Skyrim formula- they could usurp World of Warcraft in a heartbeat.
I will give Skyrim the honor of a 99/100. It has officially trumped Zelda: Ocarina of Time as my best game ever made. Well done, Bethesda!
From the get go, my mind was blown. It wasn't just the graphics that enhanced the experience- those seemed to fade secondary or tertiary to the amazing immersion and role playing that were taking place. With the close call at Helgen, I was hooked on this game. My interest was cemented when I left the city and began adventuring in the countryside; seeing the beautiful snow capped mountains and flowing streams.
Skyrim seems to do something... different than most video games. Not only is the game huge, it is jam packed with content and narrative. I mean seriously, the amount of stuff in this game is absurd. For the first time in a video game, I was not concerned about leveling my character. Instead, I was simply playing the game- and how I freakin' wanted to.
You learn the details of the world, and if you look close enough there is plenty of humor.
"Well, you see- the store is named the Drunken Huntsman because my brother and I were out hunting. We had too much mead, and he shot me... well... in the rump, and we decided upon a name for our new store".
Everything is believable. Most things are optional. You have so many choices that you can make, from being the sneaking bad guy to the vagabond 2-handed warrior. The perks system allows for extreme flexibility in bonus stats. There are so many fun spells, imcantations and pieces of gear that it will have anyone foaming at the mouth. Of course- there are the mother ******* dragons. Oh what fun I have slaying badass dragons.
This game has the richest soundtrack I have heard to date. Everything is vivid and has its place- this music sounds epic and magical, but of this world. Gregorian monks, chorus singing, epic battle ballads- this game has everything that I have asked for in a game- and it is extremely hard to knock points off from it.
I am playing the PC version, and I have very minor complaints. The game could have used more voice acting and a little more gore. The voice acting is AMAZING. I am not going to complain about that. I sort of wince at the fact that I have to hear very common voices all around Skyrim. The power blows would be more gratifying if a stringy esophagus was coming off of a chopped persons head. Nasty yes, but it would have been much more gratifying. I guess with the ESRB that Bethesda had its limits. Then again, what the hell about Fallout 3?
It is hard for me to explain this game in one small article. I am 30 hours into the game- a place where many gamers end their adventures in other games. Not this one- oh hell no. I'm not even a QUARTER done with this game. There are literally hundreds of hours in this game- for you to explore and enjoy. Oh- zero of it is padding. This game literally is the life sucker. If Bethesda were to ever make this series into an MMO, and apply the Skyrim formula- they could usurp World of Warcraft in a heartbeat.
I will give Skyrim the honor of a 99/100. It has officially trumped Zelda: Ocarina of Time as my best game ever made. Well done, Bethesda!
November 15, 2011
The Computer Nightmare May Be Over
That computer lasted about six years. The OS failed to load, and eventually the screen to the laptop gave out. I began to run into crisis mode for the following reasons. I don't have enough money for a new machine, and I have bills coming in. Like many college graduates without a career job, I am making ends meet by paying bills. This computer is just eating at everything else.
Being as resourceful as I am, I went to Newegg.com and began looking at computers. I found a couple, but with intermediate computer knowledge, I didn't know what I was looking at exactly. I had some friends help me out, and they could build a system for $800. It was nice, but met with stiff resistance from my father. Why care what he says about it, right? problem was that he was helping me out here- I would pay him back over time. Perhaps, in hind sight, I should have hard balled him and told him I knew what I was doing.
On his advice, I checked out HHGregg for computers. Every one of them were a non-gaming machine. The only gaming machine on the floor was priced at $1500. I can do better than that on the price for what was given. I will pass on retail stores (my father worships retail stores, thinking "the best" and "all of your needs" can be fulfilled by the large retail chains". He is flat out wrong, but don't tell him that- after all, he knows "everything about computer prices".
Despite his ignorance of computers, he did have one fair and obvious point- I wanted a computer already built and ready to go. I like the convenience of that- but don't want to be effed over by someone knowing what they are doing. I found another machine on Newegg that was going for $700. It was what I wanted, and I began saving up for it. Excited, I checked back a week later and it was out of stock. Two days later, they jacked the price up to $850, above my price range. Newegg just lost my business on that particular machine. *Sticker shock!*
So I decided to try and go local. A local business by my grocery store specializes in computers. I stopped by, but the owner was not in that day. He called me back a few days later and I missed his call. I called the business back, but he is never in. There is so much miscommunication, and with the store answering service calls, I can't pin down a definite time to sit down and discuss the computer.
My options are growing limited. I have one more store I can check out a few miles down the road. A friend of mine who I will nickname "J" provided me a link to a computer on Tiger Direct that meets my needs for an affordable price.
- AMD Phenom II (X4 Quad Core) Processor
- 3.4GHZ Processor Speed
- 1TB HDD 7200 RPM
- 4GB RAM (8GB Max upgrade)
- 1GB Nvidia Geforce GT 520
- VGA and HDMI support
This is a fairly decent computer for $659. It meets my needs NOW while being easily upgradeable in the future. From reading the specifications, the only "integrated" part about it is the sound devices (integrated means no ripping it out and upgrading). If I can gather up my monies for this one, the computer nightmare will be over.
October 14, 2010
Why Penn State gets an "F" for IT Services and Network Integrity
Penn State Berks gets an "F" in the following categories:
Network Stability
Network Performance
IT Services
Allow me to explain.
I am sitting in a computer lab right now, and I received the following two errors, the first one upon a slow startup, and the second one when trying to access the internet. Every other page I attempt to visit gives me the timed out message.
I cannot print to a printer because there is no option to do so. On top of that, the network is choppy and I can't get any work done. I am starting to get really irritated with this, and I am going to demand some of my tuition back that covers IT costs, because they haven't done JACK for students.
Comments to SGA were taken, but not followed up on. Same story with Berks Senate. When will the madness end? who knows, but this campus gets an "F" in the IT department. There isn't even a head of IT on the student government!
Network Stability
Network Performance
IT Services
Allow me to explain.
I am sitting in a computer lab right now, and I received the following two errors, the first one upon a slow startup, and the second one when trying to access the internet. Every other page I attempt to visit gives me the timed out message.
I cannot print to a printer because there is no option to do so. On top of that, the network is choppy and I can't get any work done. I am starting to get really irritated with this, and I am going to demand some of my tuition back that covers IT costs, because they haven't done JACK for students.
Comments to SGA were taken, but not followed up on. Same story with Berks Senate. When will the madness end? who knows, but this campus gets an "F" in the IT department. There isn't even a head of IT on the student government!
July 27, 2010
Facebook- How to STOP THE ANNOYING EMAIL SPAM.
A lot of people use it. Do you know how to use Facebook? This is a short post on how to stop the annoying email spam. Are you getting spammed in your mailbox about Facebook notifications, such as EVERY TIME someone makes a comment? you can turn that off. I will show you how.
1) Log into facebook using your username and password.
2) In the top right corner of your screen, click account, then go to account settings.
3) Click the notifications tab.
There is an entire list on this page of stuff that happens while on Facebook. If the event occurs, say a friend adds me to their list, then I will receive an email notifying me of this change. I find that annoying and unwanted, so I am going to uncheck the box. Yes yes... it is annoying to uncheck every little box, but it will solve the problem. On a second note- if you WANT some notifications turned on, leave them on.
1) Log into facebook using your username and password.
2) In the top right corner of your screen, click account, then go to account settings.
3) Click the notifications tab.
There is an entire list on this page of stuff that happens while on Facebook. If the event occurs, say a friend adds me to their list, then I will receive an email notifying me of this change. I find that annoying and unwanted, so I am going to uncheck the box. Yes yes... it is annoying to uncheck every little box, but it will solve the problem. On a second note- if you WANT some notifications turned on, leave them on.
Iphones- Wait a Minute Here...
In the general sense, I am not technologically inclined. I know the inner workings of a computer, how RAM and ROM work, basic circuits, etc. But phones, especially these "smart" phones, confuse the hell out of me.
The US Government recently said that it was perfectly legal to hack your Iphone, despite Apple's claims to the contrary. What the US Government CANNOT do, however, is rewrite the Terms of Service agreement between Apple and the customer without Apple's consent. So who is right here? Do I aggressively defend Apple, or defiantly stand with Iphone users? The answer lies somewhere in the middle.
You should be free to hack your Iphone- if you are perfectly fine with breaking any TOS contracts you hold with apple. When you do this, and complain that Apple won't fix your hacked Iphone, please by all means cry more.
I have a standard cell phone that isn't a "smart" phone, but it isn't crude, either. I have a contact list, I can text (using a numerical keypad of course) and take pictures. Putting a tiny camera into a phone is a lot harder than most people think. I need a phone that can save my contacts and make phone calls. I don't need a computer in my pocket.
Am I old fashioned, or just frugal with my money and practicality? I tend to think the latter.
October 17, 2008
Tech Evolving at a Fast Pace
\Aside from the obvious, technology has come a long way in the past decade. This is a nostaligic post so here we go....
10 years ago I had my red Game Boy Pocket. If I wanted to use a computer we had to use the family computer, which had a 20GB hard drive (I think?) and 256MB of ram or less. We used Discs but Floppy Disks were still common place. I didn't have a cell phone either- those were cumbersome (big) and expensive. If we wanted directions we consulted a map or asked locals. Email was in its infancy.
Today is so much different. I have a Nintendo DS that plays 3d games, My computer runs a 160GB Hard Drive, on top of that I have an external hard drive that can connect to any machine. I am running 2GB of ram. I use my hard drive more often then discs, and my flash drives just went extinct. I now have my own cell phone and I can text message for free- sometimes this is very convinient. I don't have a GPS- but the family does. Like the family computer of old- someday GPS units will be so cheap it's insane. I use email daily.
October 16, 2008
Whats Your Opinion On the App Killer?
Apple admitted to an application killer in their Iphones and even worse, on a similar note, Sony will not admit to a kill switch in their devices as many of their devices failed unexpectedly around the world all on the same day. Android, backed up by Google, now admits that they have app killers. What is your opinion on App Killers?
For me, it depends on what the application is and what the terms in the agreement were on. If I paid for a service that will last 30 days, say access to a music store to download free music, then I expect in 30 days for the music store to be disabled, but NOT my music files to be disabled. This is why we must read the user liscense agreement to see what the terms of service entail- however if companies are being quiet about terms that are happening that are not agreed upon then I would have a beef. From Gizmodo.com.
October 2, 2008
"Im a PC!" (TM) Advertising- Microsoft Digging their Own Grave With Windows 7
Windows 7 is a trademark of Microsoft.
To boost sales of the failing Vista operating system, Windows has employed a new marketing strategy to recognize the users as "unique" in becoming "My PC" to counter the sucess of Apple's Mac series.
In reality, I could care less about marketing gimmicks and calling the same thing by another name- an operating system is an operating system. Vista is nifty sure, but many people are still sticking with Windows XP. The next operating system to come out will be Windows 7. Windows wants to make the online experience full and complete- everything you do on your computer is connected to the internet.
HUGE mistake.
By connecting every operation to the internet you run a much higher risk of identity theft and hacker foreplay, the ladder leading to a hacked system. I am not sure what Microsoft was thinking- but the next OS will be a flop. A lot of people are going towards MAC and for good reason- they work and can support Windows as an OS. Sadly, not every program was written for MAC, but every program was at least written for Windows, save a select few.
I am going to keep Windows XP for as long as I can- and my laptop runs on Vista, which is fine. This is a technological period where innovation and new ways of thinking are landing big sales (Nintendo Wii), but this is NOT how you make an Operating System. Get rid of all the bad people in the world Microsoft and then I might consider trying Windows 7. Ensure me that malice will not happen.
February 24, 2008
Re-Thinking the PC
This is a semi-rant about my computer experiences with Windows Products.
I am starting to rethink purchasing a PC in the future. I have had nothing but headaches and problems with Gateway's NX860XL Laptop that I am almost at my limit with both Microsoft and Gateway. Why can't anyone make something that works? I am very thankful to have the computer running again, but now everything else is "breaking down" as well. My SD-Card reader broke with recent windows updates, it is now disabled for whatever reason. Windows Vista is also having problems "remembering" my desktop background! This is a load and I have had nothing but pains and headaches with Microsoft products. I am seriously debating on switching over to a MAC machine but keeping windows, more than likely reverting back to Windows XP which worked a good amount of the time.
My advice is to not purchase Vista. It looks neat but it is so much worse than Windows XP. In fact I want to switch back to Windows XP but I don't even have a fraction of the money to pay someone to do it. The MacBook Pro sounds appealing, maybe after college I will make the switch to see how it really is. Dad always says "Windows has always worked for me". He hasn't tried Vista yet.
I am starting to rethink purchasing a PC in the future. I have had nothing but headaches and problems with Gateway's NX860XL Laptop that I am almost at my limit with both Microsoft and Gateway. Why can't anyone make something that works? I am very thankful to have the computer running again, but now everything else is "breaking down" as well. My SD-Card reader broke with recent windows updates, it is now disabled for whatever reason. Windows Vista is also having problems "remembering" my desktop background! This is a load and I have had nothing but pains and headaches with Microsoft products. I am seriously debating on switching over to a MAC machine but keeping windows, more than likely reverting back to Windows XP which worked a good amount of the time.
My advice is to not purchase Vista. It looks neat but it is so much worse than Windows XP. In fact I want to switch back to Windows XP but I don't even have a fraction of the money to pay someone to do it. The MacBook Pro sounds appealing, maybe after college I will make the switch to see how it really is. Dad always says "Windows has always worked for me". He hasn't tried Vista yet.
February 2, 2008
Penn State University Network Poor- My Experience
This is a bit of a rant, but is also an informative post on the current condition of the Penn State Network and what I believe to be it's invulnerabilities and annoyances. I have an eye for quality and an expectation for excellent performance- and the network here on campus isn't delivering.
Penn State University, like many other large universities that are hiking tuition rates are quickly becoming very wealthy. My understanding, and my expectations of attending a premium quality campus is that I will have the latest and advanced technology at my disposal to complete course work and other projects. I also have an understanding that if the campus is a multi-billion dollar campus, then they can furnish their students with the latest in technology upgrades and support. The support (IT) here at the Berks Campus is alright, but the current network is not.
Because of the increase in work load of my second semester, I find myself inside the library about 5-6 days per week on an average of 2-3 hours per day. Adding the math, I spend about 12 to 15 hours a week inside the library. Counting that I sleep about 8 hours a day, I am spending a lot of my free time in this library, nearly 50% of my free time. Currently University computers have been having a lot of problems, especially with me. I am not sure if others are affected but I have heard complaints.
Getting onto the problem, the network is slow, and very slow indeed. As a Penn State student I am required to log into the network just like any other university or school. When I enter my information correctly, the computer can take in upwards of 10 to 15 minutes to properly and fully load. The success rate of this is about 30%. Most of the time the computers just freeze on me. Other times they work brilliantly. After the ten to fifteen minute load, the computer needs an "extra" five to ten minutes to load all of the programs and what not. For a university network this is absoloutly ridiculous for the amount of money I pay the university each year- $20,000USD to be exact. If it were a privilidge to attend this university I would understand- but I am paying money out of my own pocket. If the SGA (Student Government Association) president is reading this- start pressuring the university to pay to upgrade it's computer systems.
The cheapest road is often the best road to increase wealth- and Penn State Berks spares no exception. They made a package deal with Dell to supply the university with all Dell computers. While I can't access this type of information, it seems the computers run off of 256MB of ram, something else that is very ridiculous. I have never been a fan of dell computers because of their integrational properties- If I want to upgrade the RAM in my computer than I HAVE to go through Dell to do it- and at a very hefty price. I'm not saying that the University should go with brand name computers- I am saying that they need to not buy crap for cheaper and expect to get away with it. I would consider something as fast as my home PC "acceptable" but it would not be what I would expect from the most expensive public college in the United States.
Logging into this network I also noticed that it has many vulnerabilities. The computer I just logged into has been reloaded, gives me error messages that files are corrupt it appears that the browser was hijacked. I accepted to Penn State with the understanding that this was an elitest college- and maybe it is, but we have a bunch of morons that are not only downloading illegal files but are also downloading harmful files that like to spread around networks. I do not like plugging my $1800 investment into this network but I don't have much of a choice- so I take extra precautions to beef up security. The network isn't constantly down, but you can expect it to be slower 4-5 days out of the week and completely crash at least once or twice a month, always during peak hours (Around 3pm-10pm EST).
Even though I accidentally exceeded bandwidth once, and I am paying for it with a consequence of 56 kbps for a day or so, I am very happy that Reslife enacted the policy of slowing down heavy downloaders- but it is ridiculous that we are limited to 2 GB per day up and down. What I am getting at is, money should be spent on the network in order to improve stability and most of all performance. I don't care if the bandwidth is low since I don't download much anyway- but if you are restricting students because bandwidth is so low then find another provider and increase the performance, NOT PUNISH YOUR STUDENTS FOR IT. I do however like the no bullcrap policy.
Pain in the neck- yes. Potentially dangerous- yes. I have detected multiple servers people are running and really nobody does anything about it, the servers are even named the last name of the people creating them! If the university spent more time upgrading their technology and improving the stability and performance of their network THEN they have the right to brag about being a top-notch university. I can go on and on, but until then and until we receive quality facilities for the College of Engineering then Penn State has no right to call itself a premium university- it's just another statistic out there with the rest of them.
Penn State University, like many other large universities that are hiking tuition rates are quickly becoming very wealthy. My understanding, and my expectations of attending a premium quality campus is that I will have the latest and advanced technology at my disposal to complete course work and other projects. I also have an understanding that if the campus is a multi-billion dollar campus, then they can furnish their students with the latest in technology upgrades and support. The support (IT) here at the Berks Campus is alright, but the current network is not.
Because of the increase in work load of my second semester, I find myself inside the library about 5-6 days per week on an average of 2-3 hours per day. Adding the math, I spend about 12 to 15 hours a week inside the library. Counting that I sleep about 8 hours a day, I am spending a lot of my free time in this library, nearly 50% of my free time. Currently University computers have been having a lot of problems, especially with me. I am not sure if others are affected but I have heard complaints.
Getting onto the problem, the network is slow, and very slow indeed. As a Penn State student I am required to log into the network just like any other university or school. When I enter my information correctly, the computer can take in upwards of 10 to 15 minutes to properly and fully load. The success rate of this is about 30%. Most of the time the computers just freeze on me. Other times they work brilliantly. After the ten to fifteen minute load, the computer needs an "extra" five to ten minutes to load all of the programs and what not. For a university network this is absoloutly ridiculous for the amount of money I pay the university each year- $20,000USD to be exact. If it were a privilidge to attend this university I would understand- but I am paying money out of my own pocket. If the SGA (Student Government Association) president is reading this- start pressuring the university to pay to upgrade it's computer systems.
The cheapest road is often the best road to increase wealth- and Penn State Berks spares no exception. They made a package deal with Dell to supply the university with all Dell computers. While I can't access this type of information, it seems the computers run off of 256MB of ram, something else that is very ridiculous. I have never been a fan of dell computers because of their integrational properties- If I want to upgrade the RAM in my computer than I HAVE to go through Dell to do it- and at a very hefty price. I'm not saying that the University should go with brand name computers- I am saying that they need to not buy crap for cheaper and expect to get away with it. I would consider something as fast as my home PC "acceptable" but it would not be what I would expect from the most expensive public college in the United States.
Logging into this network I also noticed that it has many vulnerabilities. The computer I just logged into has been reloaded, gives me error messages that files are corrupt it appears that the browser was hijacked. I accepted to Penn State with the understanding that this was an elitest college- and maybe it is, but we have a bunch of morons that are not only downloading illegal files but are also downloading harmful files that like to spread around networks. I do not like plugging my $1800 investment into this network but I don't have much of a choice- so I take extra precautions to beef up security. The network isn't constantly down, but you can expect it to be slower 4-5 days out of the week and completely crash at least once or twice a month, always during peak hours (Around 3pm-10pm EST).
Even though I accidentally exceeded bandwidth once, and I am paying for it with a consequence of 56 kbps for a day or so, I am very happy that Reslife enacted the policy of slowing down heavy downloaders- but it is ridiculous that we are limited to 2 GB per day up and down. What I am getting at is, money should be spent on the network in order to improve stability and most of all performance. I don't care if the bandwidth is low since I don't download much anyway- but if you are restricting students because bandwidth is so low then find another provider and increase the performance, NOT PUNISH YOUR STUDENTS FOR IT. I do however like the no bullcrap policy.
Pain in the neck- yes. Potentially dangerous- yes. I have detected multiple servers people are running and really nobody does anything about it, the servers are even named the last name of the people creating them! If the university spent more time upgrading their technology and improving the stability and performance of their network THEN they have the right to brag about being a top-notch university. I can go on and on, but until then and until we receive quality facilities for the College of Engineering then Penn State has no right to call itself a premium university- it's just another statistic out there with the rest of them.
January 26, 2008
Laptop Back Online and Operational
Phew. Looks like the laptop is back online and isn't crashing. The techie came out and immediatly knew the problem- he installed a brand new processor and motherboard and the computer worked fine. He ran a BIOS like I had before and reached a similar conclusion: It locked up during a BIOS scan so the motherboard went bad. I'll be knocking on wood and hopefully everything will be back to somewhat normal soon.
January 22, 2008
More Shenannigans with Gateway
Wow..... here is another post dedicated to slamming gateway and their NX860-XL laptop line of computers.
We just got the laptop back (week 9 of the affair) at my Dad's office and he fiddled around with it (booted the machine up, browsed internet, etc) and the computer froze, again. The previous time they had the computer in the C:drive was re-imaged. Instead of replacing the C Drive, Gateway decided to completely gut the fan and cooling system and replace it. Looks like that solved a lot- under the error description Gateway claimed "Laptop prone to heat failure". When I had this machine, it shut itself down properly twice due to overheating. When the computer froze it was still running: it sounded like it was still running.
The problem isn't necessarily tech support- it is the maintenance crew that services and repairs the machines. We have given them this computer twice and they have failed to fix it. I can take the bait and understand failing it once, but twice? I am not such a forgiving gentlemen or customer. We contacted tech support yet again, and after week 9 they know us pretty well by now. Tech support is baffled as to what is going on, and now they claim there is a motherboard failure. At this exact point in time I would love to know what the problem is- but I would rather own a new computer.
The machine costs $1800 USD and I have to say it was absoloutly NOT worth every penny I paid for it. A brand NEW laptop failed within 3 months off of the assembly line and maintenance can't even fix the problem. Hell what's worse, Gateway refuses to give us our money back- so my father and I were jipped $1800 by a multi-billion dollar corporation that refuses to admit they f****d up, apologize and replace the machine. If they would have replaced the machine with an apology, I would have forgiven them and probably continued to purchase Gateway products.
Quite honestly, if I cannot trust the communication between myself, tech support and between tech support and maintenance then I cannot trust that they will service my machine properly and I will take my future business elsewhere. Gateway is sending out a live tech person on site to diagnose the computer, and this will be their last chance with the machine. I have backed out on the laptop and I give up: I am never going to deal with this laptop again whether it is fixed or not. Tech support is doing a "good" job of attempting to repair the computer, and I thank them for that, but the job isn't being done right. I hate to sound hard on this but I expect the computer to work and I expect full product support to the extent of replacing the machine. I will let my Gateway Home PC finish out it's lifespan and when I buy a new PC, or Mac, it will certainly not be a Gateway. Great Customer Service, just hire competent technicians who can diagnose the computer. It's like pulling teeth: replace the damn machine and all the problems go away.
Also, although my father said he would pull every Gateway from his offices and I recognize that that was an empty threat, the fact that I might contact the Better Business Bureau and my father the General Attorney in San Fransisco is not.
January 10, 2008
DO NOT BUY the NX860XL from Gateway
I just got my laptop in around an hour ago and I was excited to finally have my baby back. I read the technical report and there was a C drive error: they had to reimage the entire thing. I booted her up and she didn't want to load- I thought ok this is fine- I will run a troubleshooter. The wizard worked like magic! I had my computer back and I began readding things to it that I once had. I downloaded Itunes and tried to reinstall it and BAM! choke. I am so pissed off right now it is unbelieveable. I have had more than enough hassle with this laptop and I am "done" with it. I will never buy a Gateway product for the rest of my life. They have top notch tech- but they can't solve the damn problem! They could have solved it by putting in a new C drive and now I am forced to take my desktop with me to campus. I am very disappointed Gateway....
December 31, 2007
Hooking the Worm
UPDATE- We (myself and tech support) think that there is an error somewhere while the computer attempt to read the C drive. Tech wants to "play" with it, so we will see... They told me they are itching to get ahold of this computer to tinker... -1/3/08
UPDATE- Here is the link to the website. I strongly encourage you NOT to download ANYTHING off of this website.
I have been thinking lately about what could have infected my other computer with the undetectable worm infiltration and I can think of one remote suspect other than a random jacking.
Dead smack before the problems started I had downloaded a few anime soundtracks from a certain "trusted" site.... once I find that web address again I will post it here to prevent you or anyone else from downloading content from that website. Due to the sophistication and high sensitivity of the worm, I seriously doubt that it came from this website, however it could have and there is a "slightly good" possibility. I just don't see a worm of this "exceptionally high" caliber coming from a website like this.
I had my first problems when it was connected into the University's network so I immediatly suspected a hacker infiltration into the network. I still suspect that it is more likely that I received a virus from a network with over 100,000 users on it rather than on an encrypted network at home with 3 or 4 users on it. Make no mistake that my server at home, in my opinion, is much more secure. When people create their own servers or hook up game consoles at the campus, the Penn State network is made more vulnerable to hackers. Why I am a high value target, I have no idea. There was nothing of importance on that laptop- for this exact kind of emergency I keep all school files on a flash drive and I back them up every 1-3 days as necessary on multiple computers and on the Penn State server.
If I can't hook this worm then I am calling in the worm eating fish to deal with it once and for all.
UPDATE- Here is the link to the website. I strongly encourage you NOT to download ANYTHING off of this website.
I have been thinking lately about what could have infected my other computer with the undetectable worm infiltration and I can think of one remote suspect other than a random jacking.
Dead smack before the problems started I had downloaded a few anime soundtracks from a certain "trusted" site.... once I find that web address again I will post it here to prevent you or anyone else from downloading content from that website. Due to the sophistication and high sensitivity of the worm, I seriously doubt that it came from this website, however it could have and there is a "slightly good" possibility. I just don't see a worm of this "exceptionally high" caliber coming from a website like this.
I had my first problems when it was connected into the University's network so I immediatly suspected a hacker infiltration into the network. I still suspect that it is more likely that I received a virus from a network with over 100,000 users on it rather than on an encrypted network at home with 3 or 4 users on it. Make no mistake that my server at home, in my opinion, is much more secure. When people create their own servers or hook up game consoles at the campus, the Penn State network is made more vulnerable to hackers. Why I am a high value target, I have no idea. There was nothing of importance on that laptop- for this exact kind of emergency I keep all school files on a flash drive and I back them up every 1-3 days as necessary on multiple computers and on the Penn State server.
If I can't hook this worm then I am calling in the worm eating fish to deal with it once and for all.
December 25, 2007
Merry Christmas! Yeah Right
My laptop is now toast, I have become a victim of a very sophisticated worm/hacker attack. No one or anything picked it up and I have lost a good chunk of my stuff. I am also not getting along with relatives so my Christmas has been ruined. Kudos to the hacker: I never found it or saw it coming. -Wii post
Im back on my home PC here: seems like a worm somehow got into my machine and past my detection. This is incredible yet frightening: The worm must be brand new for me not to detect it. It is one of those bad ones too: the backdoor. It will stick its tentacles through a port and reak havok with the system, laying undetected. Just when I thought I was safe with my computer but it really isn't safe. Maybe I am overreacting because of a one in a billion hack attack but for the past couple of weeks we could not figure out what was causing all the random lockups. Symantec picked up nothing, I manually picked up nothing and Lavasoft and Spybot picked up nothing.
So thanks to the hacker/worm handler that ruined my day: they didn't get my college files though so hah. I managed to get what I wanted off the machine before I had to blow out the C drive, and lost minimal data that was important to me but not all vital. I guess I will have to build back up from the beginning again: hopefully a hacker/worm attack will never strike me again. I don't remember opening unauthorized files and I don't remember downloading anything that could jeopardize my machine. Maybe it was Irfanview: but I seriously doubt it. I am sick, a bit depressed, having family issues and now my main machine is out of action- so it is idle for me until I can get running again and all started up. I will post from my main machine here.
Im back on my home PC here: seems like a worm somehow got into my machine and past my detection. This is incredible yet frightening: The worm must be brand new for me not to detect it. It is one of those bad ones too: the backdoor. It will stick its tentacles through a port and reak havok with the system, laying undetected. Just when I thought I was safe with my computer but it really isn't safe. Maybe I am overreacting because of a one in a billion hack attack but for the past couple of weeks we could not figure out what was causing all the random lockups. Symantec picked up nothing, I manually picked up nothing and Lavasoft and Spybot picked up nothing.
So thanks to the hacker/worm handler that ruined my day: they didn't get my college files though so hah. I managed to get what I wanted off the machine before I had to blow out the C drive, and lost minimal data that was important to me but not all vital. I guess I will have to build back up from the beginning again: hopefully a hacker/worm attack will never strike me again. I don't remember opening unauthorized files and I don't remember downloading anything that could jeopardize my machine. Maybe it was Irfanview: but I seriously doubt it. I am sick, a bit depressed, having family issues and now my main machine is out of action- so it is idle for me until I can get running again and all started up. I will post from my main machine here.
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