Federal agency bans Microsoft Vista...

Well I for one knew that this was going to happen!!! No one wants to have to go to the new Vista Operating System. The American people are speaking out and are tired of being bullied by Microsoft. Most people are "happy" with their home computers and have way more power to do what they need to be able to do at home. Think about it, New MOBO, MORE RAM, NEW VIDEO CARD, NEW MONITOR...About $1200 for a baseline system.

Where as Xp with 2 gigs of ram will work wonderfully, Vista requires a minimum of 2 gigs to start with and if you go with the Vista 64 bit version, expect to need about 4 gigs of ram to start with. The only reason to upgrade to Vista is if your are a total gamer. The next version of Direct X being DX10 will only run on Vista, but if you are not a gamer and like your computer which uses Direct X 9.0c, then do not upgrade until you truly have to. I, for one, am not switching to Vista until I have to, or when they stop supporting Xp. They have plans to stop supporting Windows 2000 by 2008 and that will hurt a lot of companies. Our company uses 2000 for most of its applications...

DOT executive wary of software and labor costs, compatibility issues.
"WASHINGTON - At least two federal government agencies are refusing to upgrade their computers with Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Vista operating system, citing concern over costs and compatibility issues.In a Jan. 19 memo to staff, Dan Mintz, the Transportation Department's chief information officer, imposed an "indefinite moratorium" on upgrading desktop and laptop computers with the new operating system, Office 2007 and Internet Explorer 7."

Vista will bring most "current" machines to a crawl due to the new graphical interface and RAM requirements. Let’s take my machine for example. I have an AMD 3000+ Processor(2.12ghz) and 1.2gigs of RAM(366fsb) GeForce 6200(128 VRAM 8xAGP) I am VISTA compatible, but I would not be able to run the "FULL" Vista Media version because my video card will not support DX10. SO, why go to the "Next Best Thing" when I would reap none of the benefits? I did however upgrade to Internet Explorer 7, and Office 2007 which both I like. IE7 has some good new features as well as Office 2007. IE7 is a free upgrade, Office 2007 is not. It is well worth the money for the Office 2007 upgrade.

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Geology and stuff...

For many years I have been a rock collector. I have many Geodes and crystals that are very pretty. I bought a crystal from Africa one year that is brown and very large. I also bought a crystal structure while we were on vacation in Arkansas. It is over 1 foot long and about 8 inches wide with many crystal growths coming off of it. I would love to go and to be able to see these caves.

Now, while I was on the net last night, I saw a story that just blew me away!!It is called: Crystal Cave of the Giants - Discovery of the Largest Crystals on Earth They are from a mine called Penoles-Naica Mine of Chihuahua Mexico.

Here are some of the pics from that story:





This looks like something from out of a SCI/FI movie!! It remeindes me of a movie called The Core with Hilary Swank as one of the main characters. The forces that it took to creat these formations are just incredible.

Quote:

"These crystals are probably stable, as the temperature in the cave is over 150 degrees Fahrenheit with 100% humidity. In other words, these structures are enveloped in steam. A human can only function in this environment for six to ten minutes before severe loss of mental functions occurs. Found deep in a mine in southern Chihuahua Mexico, these crystals were formed in a natural cave totally enclosed in bedrock. When I first stepped into the cavern it was like walking into the Land of the Giants. I have often admired crystal geodes held in my hand, but when photographing these unique natural structures it was almost impossible to get any sense of scale. This is a geode full of spectacular crystals as tall as pine trees, and in some cases greater in circumference. They have formed beautiful crystals that are a translucent gold and silver in color, and come in many incredible forms and shapes. Some of the largest are essentially columnar in shape and stand thirty to fifty feet high and three to four feet in diameter. Many of the smaller examples are four to six feet in circumference, have many incredible geometrical shapes, and probably weigh in excess of ten tons. The columnar pillars are at first the most striking shape, but later I noticed there were thousands of "sharks teeth" up to three feet high placed row upon row and dispersed at odd angles throughout the caverns. While some of the crystals are attached to the ceiling walls and floors of the cave as might be expected, some exist in great masses of spikes and almost float in air. These crystals seem to defy gravity, as they must weigh several tons."

I also found some other pics from another site called The Cellar to demonstrate just how big this place really is.

My many thanks goes to Richard D. Fisher Photographer/Explorer of The Crystal Cave of the Giants and Brothers, Juan and Pedro Sanchez for having the foresight to not drill any farther into the caves and for bringing the amazing pictures and wonder to the rest of the world.

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Tonight...

It has been a bla night. I have a lot on my mind and not much to talk about. I am stressed about work and contracts, or the lack of them soon. We just dont know about what is going to happen here at Qimonda...

I hope to have some stuff to post about Tonight...



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Photos and Stuff

I just organized the pics to different sets on FilckR.

GO and Check them out!!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rmstringer/sets/


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AudioVisual Institute Of America...

The Audiovisual Institute Of America

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This week...

This week will be a very busy one. I will be in Culpeper VA from Monday till Tuesday night working on the Audio Visual Institute Of America Project that is on 522 and 3 intersections. I hope to have some pics of the building as it is being built into the side of a mountain. I will post some pics on Wednesday night.

This pic is an artist's rendering of what it will look like. I will post a few shots of it as it looks now. I have been working on and off at the project for the last 9 months for Sun Control Systems in Rockville Maryland. We have been installing Mechoshades and controllers for the front of the building.

I will return to work here at Qimonda on Wednesday night and Thursday night for my normal shifts. It is going to be very tiring this week.






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BS or Not, You decide...

They say that it is flying 1 meter off the ground, I am NOT buying it at all...

It looks like they Photoshoped the hell out of it...

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Powhite Park...

At 7.30am this morning, it was 33degrees... FREAKING COLD!!! We met at the park to go and do an early morning ride and met there at 8.15am, still 33degrees. Mark, Anders, and myself all met up, Mark and Anders got acquainted, as he works at the same Fab as I do. He is from Germany.

It was my inaugural ride of my new bike on the trails! SO we started off slow so I could get the "feel" of the new bike's geometry. It is drastically different from my old bike. It is much easier to ride then my old one as well, 8lbs Vs. 22lbs. Very BIG difference. 24 speed Vs. 21 speed also makes a big difference as well. So, off we went up the trails.

For the first time, I was able to make it over the tree obstacles that I did not do on my old bike. The new one has more ground clearance and my other bike would drag the pedals on the wood. This one did not. So, in that respect, I was very proud of my self. We finally made it to the Half pipe!! At the beginning of it, it is about 6 feet deep and to start it, you have to go threw it to get to the other side of the trail. In the past, I would make it over a root that was at the top, parallel to the ground because my momentum would carry me over it. This time however, it did not and I crashed!! The bike is lighter than my old one and its front tire just went along the root...CRASH!!! I think that I was more worried about my bike getting messed up than I was myself! My knee is a little banged up, but I am ok.

The rest of the ride was AWSOME!!! The Half Pipe ROCKS!! Having Disk breaks is totally different from the old style breaks. With Disks, you can stop on a dime!! So this too, was a learning period. When you are riding down the single track trails, you have to make minor adjustments with both breaks to navigate over roots, rock, and other obstacles. Having good breaks allows you to do this, but learning on a new set of breaks, takes some time to do.

After we made it down the Half-Pipe, we made another round up a different trail, all leading up to the Half Pipe once again. All trails lead to it. So, all in all, It was a very good ride this morning and I can’t wait to go and do another.


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FlickR Photos...

I have been doing some updating on my FlickR page with some of my pics that I have been taking over the past several years. I hope that you enjoy them.

Also, if you live in the Richmond area and love photography, then join the
The Richmond Photography Meetup Group
I just joined and I will tell you how it is.


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New Music out soon.

Well, we have a few new albums coming out this next month. Among these are Front Line Assembly and VNV Nation.

FLA's new album will be out on April 24 and it is titled "Fallout" It will have 3 new tracks as well as nine remixed tracks from previous albums.

01. Unleashed (Mindless Mix by Sebastian R. Komor)

02. Buried Alive (Dj (?) Acucrack Mix by Jason Novak)

03. Beneath The Rubble (Combichrist Remix)

04. Electric Dreams

05. Armageddon

06. Social Enemy (Anti-Social Mix by Jeremy Inkel)

07. Lowlife (Remix by Portion Control)

08. Humanity (Kearley Edit Remix by Dan Kearley)

09. Reprobate (Lowlife) (Remixed by Greg Reely)

10. Domination (Unleashed) (Remixed by Rhys Fulber)

11. The Storm (Covenant Remix)

12. Unconscious

I have followed FLA since 1992 when their album called "Tactical Neural Implant" came out. It was heave synth laden album with incredible synth work and apocalyptic lyrics and awesome samples. Vancouver-based musician Bill Leeb, a founding member of Skinny Puppy, Leeb moved on to form FLA in 1986 with Michael Balch, releasing some cassettes (since released as Total Terror I & II) which paved the way for their 1987 releases: The Initial Command, State of Mind, and Corrosion. In late 1988, they recorded the mini-LP Disorder, since combined with Corrosion and released as Corroded Disorder. Their 1989 release, Gashed Senses and Crossfire, further cemented their popularity in the industrial scene, and prompted their first world tour. By 1990, Balch had departed and Rhys Fulber rounded out the duo.

I have all of their albums. I took some time to collect all of the FLA albums and singles as they span over 25 years. They also have many side projects. The most noted to date being Delerium. With all of the combined albums, I have nearly 80 total! This includes all the side projects as well. A good resource for this band is called Mindphaser.

01. Prelude

02. The Farthest Star

03. Testament

04. Descent

05. Momentum

06. Nemesis

07. Secluded Spaces

08. Illusion

09. Carry You

10. As It Fades
VNV Nation's new album will be out April 10, 2007. The name VNV Nation stands for "Victory Not Vengeance;" a motto that means that one should strive to achieve, not just sit in bitter regret. Their music is IDM (Industrial Dance Music) with a little twist. Ronan Harris's lyrics are a bit different as the are not downtrodden as with most Industrial music, but aver very uplifting and enlightening. I think that their music is a natural progression for that genre. I just got into their music about 6 months ago and I was total blown away by it. The pounding synth bass lines and Trance like melodies with his lyrical content blew me away. I suggest you give them a try, I bet you won’t be disappointed.

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Google Image Ripper

I found this little utility and it works very well. I tried it and did a few searches and it pulled a wide range of pics, some safe for work and some not. If you are like me, this is a handy little tool to have access to. I also tried to incorporate this into my site and it worked.

"The Google Image Ripper which gives you a page of full-sized images grabbed from Google Images results. Just enter a search term and image size (for some reason you can’t just view all sizes), and Image Ripper takes all the search results from Google Images, grabs the actual photo they point to, and displays them on a long single page (pictures along the right). Google Images’ thumbnails often do a very poor job of helping you compare images, so this inelegant solution gives you everything you need to know, just the facts."


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Day and Night Shots

I took most of the pics during the day and night off the Robert E. Lee bridge over Tredegar street. It gave me a good vantage point to shoot Downtown Richmond from the West Side. I hope that everyone enjoys the pics. Shots 1 - 21 were taken here as well as 36 - 48 were shot here as well. The Night shots of the city were made from those sets.


Some of the Day shots were taken on the East Side of the city in the Church Hill region and i took a great percentage of them from Jefferson Park. Shots 20 - 34 were taken here and also the Rich Pan 2 & 3 were made from those shots.



You can go and see all the pics at this link: Pic Page




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Our Website

I have updated the Website ton ight with some new stuf and also the Pic Page as well.

Go an take a look at it...

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My New Bike...

Gary Fisher Wahoo Disk

Here are the specs:
Main frame
Gold Series 6061 T6 internally and externally butted aluminum Genesis Geometry
Fork
RockShox Dart 1 w/preload 100mm travel
Headset
Aheadset semi-cartridge
Crank
Shimano M341 42/32/22
Pedals
Alloy platform
Front derailleur
Shimano Acera
Rear derailleur
Shimano Deore
Shifters
Shimano EF50
Cassette
Shimano HG50 11-32 8 speed
Front wheel
Shimano M65 disc hubs Bontrager Ranger Disc rims
Rear wheel
Shimano M65 disc hubs Bontrager Ranger Disc rims
Front Tire
Bontrager Jones XR 26x2.25
Rear tire
Bontrager Jones XR 26x2.2
Front brake
Shimano M465 mechanical disc
Rear brake
Shimano M465 mechanical disc
Handlebar
Bontrager Crowbar Sport 25mm rise
Stem
Bontrager Sport 10d
Saddle
CRZ+ HC Sport - 2006
Seatpost
Bontrager Sport

I purchased it from Agee's Bicycle
11020 Midlothian Turnpike
Richmond , VA 23235-4710 804-794-6754
I am very pleased with their service and I have to bring the bike back in one month for a Tune-up that is free of charge. They were very nice and considerate to me and very helpful in purchasing this bike.



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300 Spartans Vs. Iran (Persia)

I went to the movies last night and I saw The 300. It was an incredible show!! I remember going to see The Lord Of The Rings and thinking that this was amazing what they did with CGI (Computer Generated Images). Well, The 300 Have upped the bar on that note. The battle scenes were amazing and the backgrounds looked like it was a comic book. All other shows of this genre will and should be jugged by this movie.

Now, this being a “true" account of a battle that took place circa 480BC, you have to take this movie with "a grain of salt" as the saying goes. Persia, what is now called Iran, has taken offense to this movie.

In an article written by the BBC; "Javad Shamqadri, a cultural advisor to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said it was "plundering Iran's historic past and insulting this civilization". He branded the film "psychological warfare" against Tehran and its people. But Iranian culture was strong enough to withstand the assault, Mr. Shamqadri said."

If we got pissed of about every movie or book that written about the USA and our wars and culture, we would have waged war on every freaking country especially France for making insults about us. I mean, if they get pissed about getting their asses beaten by a little island country some 2400 years ago, I just wonder what they think about the movie “Alexander” which showed the Macedonian general easily conquering the Persian Empire.

Is it our faults that 300 men killed 70,000 + of their best warriors and that they were finally beaten and pushed back after the full force of the combined Greek forces lead by the Spartan army. They are just having issues dealing with the Sanctions that are going to be placed on them and the world’s displeasure with their testing and going forward with their Nuclear program. The are just lashing out any way they can to make the USA look like the Evil Empire.

I mean, come on guys, It is a FREAKING MOVIE and it was a comic book before that and then 2400 years ago, it was happening! All anyone has to do is go and look up about the Spartans and you can see and read about it. I looked it up on Wikipedia and it told the story, but in much greater detail than what the movie went into. Are they going now try to get pissed at the owner(s) of Wikipedia? Will they say that "psychological warfare" is being wagged on them by that website also? It is free information that is most likely taught in Greece because it is part of their history.

When a movie about our on Civil war comes out, we don't get all pissed off at the producers for making an adaptation and their perception of that event. We don't say that someone is wagging a new war on our history and running a “SMEAR CAMPAIGN” on the North or South. We are not trying to Smear the good country of Iran, but merely trying to make a few dollars to line our pockets with. This is America, The land of the Free and the home of the Brave! We all love to make money and it if a few toes are stepped on, well it happens...

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Panaroma Shots of Richmond...

I took over 40 shots to make the Panorama pics. I used a program called Panaroma Maker 3.0 It takes the guess work out of making photos like these. In the past, I have not had much luck with the program. Last night however, I think that I found the technique. In my photo series, I left enough of an overlap between the photos to allow the program to integrate the photos seamlessly with no odd angles between the buildings.

I took the pictures with my Sony Cybershot 5.1 M/P with a 12x Optical Zoom and a 5x Digital Zoom using a 512 Sony Mem Pro card. I went around to different sides of the city to get the shots. I will post most of them on my PicPage this week.

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Night Shots in Richmond...

Well, I took about 45 shots today of day and night shots of Richmond Downtown. I will be editing them soon and posting them on the Blog!!!
I am off to sleep!!

RMStringer
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Let teachers and priests and philosophers brood
over questions of reality and illusion.
I know this: if life is an illusion, then I
am no less an illusion, and being thus, the
illusion is real to me. I live, I burn with life, I
love, I slay, and I am content.
(Robert E. Howard, Queen of the Black Coast, Weird Tales, May 1934)



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Hardware stuff...

I went out yesterday and i purchased a new keyboard. I have used an ergonomic keyboard for the last 5 years and i really like them. The other day at work, i saw a keyboard that one of the engineers had, it was new and from Microsoft.

I saw that it was also an ergonomic one. I picked it up to see what the model was and it was the Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000. My very first keyboard was the Microsoft Natural Pro.

Here is a review of the 4000. It is taking a few days to get used to the slant and the feel of the one as it is totally different from the other one i had.

This is the Natural Pro:

This is the Keyboard 4000:


The 4000 is very different in style and feel. I like it, but it is very different from the other one. This has many new function keys such as Favorite(5), Volume, a built in Search Function, A Zoom bar that works well, as well as the Mail and Web features. The leather cushion to rest your palms is very nice to feel. Unlike the Natural Pro, this board is slanted from back to front. It does not have any USB ports like the Natural Pro did, but the would be had to use with the slant that the 4000 has. The color of the 4000 is GREAT!! Silver and Black instead of the light Tan of the Pro. The 4000 fits better with my color scheme. Everything that i have is Black, Gray and Silver, so a perfect fit.

IF you are worried about Repetitive Motion Injuries, this keyboard will be a very good purchase in that case. I use my hands for my work as a technician and also as a drummer, so, any help i can get in that department helps.

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Stuff this weekend...

I went today and i proceeded to put my down payment on my new mountain bike. I am going to get it on Monday when my brother is here. I went with the Gary Fisher Wahoo

I cant wait to get it!!! I am getting last years model, so i am getting a good price on it and by doing that, i can get some extra stuff with it!! New seat, light and a toolkit for it.

My brother will be here tomorrow evening, and i think that we are going to go and do some night shots around the city. I will post them if they turn out nice and how i like them to.

We are off to the movies...


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Time Change and Microsoft...

As I stated before, the Daylight Saving Time change will occur on March 11 at 2.00 am. Most computers have an automatic feature that will change time for you, but this was set up prior to the governmental change of The DST. So, Microsoft has issued a patch that can be downloaded from their website.

Some computers that have "Automatic Updates" activated will have this patch already. But if you, like me, do not choose to use this feature and want to pick and choose what patches are applied; then here is the link to the patch site.

It is called: February 2007 cumulative time zone update for Microsoft Windows operating systems

This should advert any problems that might happen with this time change.
For other information on this and how to change the settings yourself:How to configure daylight saving time for the United States in 2007



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