Tis the Season for New Toys...

So I spent three hours yesterday assembling my brand new computer and I must say, it is pretty sweet. The case, a solid steal super mid tower, weighs a ton. But someone once said, the weight is a sign of reliablity. In my haste to get things going yesterday, I forgot to connect the CPU power connector which lead to some major trepidation after I hit the power button and nothing happened. Now I've heard all manner of nightmare tales from people who have bought components that were DOA (that's dead on arrival for the non-tech peeps out there) but have yet to experience it myself. I guess that streak will continue for now because after I plugged in the CPU power, everything worked like a charm.

My only concern is that my 150GB Raptor drive is running at a blazing 48 degrees celcius. I ordered a heatsink/fan and hopefully that that'll get it down to below 40. Anyway, sorry to bore all with my technical ramblings. But this system probably won't be majorly upgraded for another three years. So it better be good enough to last me. Plus I figure I can always overclock and watercool it later if I need to.

Oh yeah, in case anyone is curious... total cost after everything: $1700 (without a monitor).

A Tale of Two Teams...

Ah... a couple of weeks ago, both the LA Lakers and LA Clippers were vying for first place atop the Pacific Division. The two teams met at Staples Center, an arena both teams call home, but in this particular case, served as an away game for the upstart Clips. My Lakers emerged victorious and since that time, the Clips have lost 4 straight and slipped to DEAD LAST in the division, while the Lakeshow is sitting pretty on top. Don't know how long this will last, but for now I'm just enjoying being #1! Add to that, the Chargers squeaked one by the Raiders on a HIGHLY questionable illegal forward pass call, and it's been a pretty good week (sports wise anyway).

I could probably do without the rain (rain in SD? weirdness), but considering I spend the majority of my day inside, cooped behind this monitor and trapped within my cube, I suppose it doesn't matter much. Oh yeah, my computer case and psu arrive today, which means I now have all the necessary components to build my new super system! w00h00. This new computer is gonna be so blazing fast, I can't wait!

The Downside to Yesterday...

Even though the people of this country have stood up and told the President where he can shove it, it wasn't all good news coming out of yesterday. In California, we gave the governator, who has already borrowed billions, the ability to borrow tens of billions. This from the state with the highest state debt! I love our debt and spend mentality. And on top of that we strike down the alternative energy initiative. So California, despite all common sense, will remain one of the few states in the union that doesn't tax oil companies for drilling rights. I guess that $90 million campaign Cheveron spent was really worth it. I swear sometimes I question how forward we in California actually are. To end on a good note, at least we knocked off that parental notification proposition.

A Reason to Celebrate...

The Democrats take back the House! w00h00! The Senate is still in the air but at this time it seems, unlikely. Anyway, even if they did take the majority, it would only be by the slimmest of margins. The real power will come from the House. Eat that Bushies!

Get Out The Vote...

I feel like I've been on a long road trip for ages, constantly asking "Are we there yet." Well after today, it'll all be over. It's funny, I hear about all these problems with voting machines and voter suppression tactics across the country. For some reason it never seems to be much a problem in San Diego. I wonder why that is... probably because it's solidly red and never truly up for play. Anyway, if you haven't yet, go out and vote.

Worthy Words of Wisdom...

Sometimes we strive to articulate things better and smarter men have already said. Instead of butchering their quotes in sad attempts at paraphrasing, best to just post them in their entirety and be done with it.

"Theocracy is the worst of all governments. If we must have a tyrant, a robber baron is far better than an inquisitor. The baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity at some point be sated; and since he dimly knows he is doing wrong he may possibly repent. But the inquisitor who mistakes his own cruelty and lust of power and fear for the voice of Heaven will torment us infinitely because he torments us with the approval of his own conscience and his better impulses appear to him as temptations...

The nearer any government approaches to Theocracy the worse it will be. A metaphysic, held by the rulers with the force of a religion, is a bad sign. It forbids them, like the inquisitor, to admit any grain of truth or good in their opponents, it abrogates the ordinary rules of morality, and it gives a seemingly high, super-personal sanction to all the very ordinary human passions by which, like other men, the rulers will frequently be actuated. In a word, it forbids wholesome doubt. A political programme can never in reality be more than probably right."
-C.S. Lewis

As recent history has shown, it's hard to argue morality with someone who believes they are the absolute authority on the subject. This is how they rationalize even the most heinous acts in defense of noble ideals such as freedom and democracy. They're not evil or even stupid, just fanatical. Ok, maybe a bit dillusional as well.