Matias Mini Quiet Pro Keyboard

My keyboard arrived the day before Christmas.  It is pretty much the size I expected it to be, a little larger than both my old [broken] HHKB2 Pro and my KB Pure mechanical keyboards, but certainly smaller than a full-size keyboard.  My biggest issue with the size is that if I want to properly position my hands for typing I need to shift over or lose space for my mouse.   This is not an indictment against the keyboard, it's a problem with my own space.

So far I love this keyboard.  It is as quiet as advertised... very quiet for a mechanical keyboard!  Sounds just like the recording on the Matias website.  I've owned Cherry, Topre and Alps keyswitch keyboards and I can safely say that the Topre and Alps are by far preferred (by me) over the Cherry mechanics.  They just feel more natural and the stroke seems smoother.

This particular keyboard DOES have a shorter stroke than the TactilePro and the HHKB2.  I notice it but it isn't terrible or anything like that.  The feedback / pressure is firm but not tiring.  The keys themselves are well arranged and nicely shaped to prevent slippage.  The fact that it is not a compact keyboard means that there are a few more unique keys (that do not require the FN button, and have a typical placement as in a 103-104 key arrangement).  I have used the compact keyboards for years now and it is taking me some time to get used to the location of the ESC, and ~ keys.  I also like having actual arrow keys and the PG UP and PG DN keys... they are more useful than I realized.  But over time I'll get it down.

One thing I miss from my KB Pure is the backlighting... but again it shouldn't be necessary if I allow my hands to remember key positions ... I just have to be sure to start at the F-J keys.

The keyboard construction is SOLID.  It has a heavy feel to it and the shiny black case is strong and probably DOES attract fingerprints... but I work out of a dark closet so it really doesn't weigh heavily on my mind.

It is a wired USB keyboard.  That might bother some people but I believe Matias has other keyboards that are wireless, I like having them wired, it is fine for me.

There isn't much more to say.  If you have tried a TactilePro at an Apple store, or have owned one of the previous incarnations of Matias keyboards I think you will be pleased.  While there is a slight difference in stroke length for the "quiet" aspect of the keyboard, it isn't a painful reduction in stroke, and the fact that the keyboard is virtually silent (compared to other mechanical keyboards).  If you are a bottom-out typer (as I really am myself) the shorter stroke WILL be noticeable, so take that into consideration.  Also, and this really may be all in my head because I don't have any tools to measure it but, they keys seem a little firmer than my TactilePro 2.0.   Again, that is probably just a perception, perhaps because of the shorter stroke?  But it feels like you need to apply an ever so slightly firmer strike.

Well anyway, there you have it.  I am please with my purchase.  They Alps-like switches are smoother and feel more natural to me (whatever that means) and the bonus is this board is quiet.  The laser etched keys won't wear.  Also, if it is still made with the same quality as my (still working) TactilePro 2.0, it will last for many years.

Kittens and Bunnies

Our kitten, a little female about the same age, maybe a week or so older than the bunny, has been trying to get to know the bunny.  Today they had a supervised meeting... kitten was fascinated but the bunny was a little upset that the kitten was sitting in her favorite spots and several times chased the kitten away.

Kitten, however, had other plans and kept coming back.  After awhile Bun Bun got tired of chasing Nilla away and finally drank some water, nibbled some hay and lay down for a nap.  Nilla lay down right outside of her cage and went to sleep as well.  Kind if a silly scene.

As I said I am not sure of Nilla's intentions but she seems to think that maybe the bunny is another dog or cat or something...  someone more her size.  I'll have to keep a close eye on those two... Bun Bun thinks she is tough and can tackle anyone and so far Nilla has simply run away from her...  but Nilla's little kitten claws are sharp should she choose to stand her ground.  So far tho' it has been mostly peaceful... nose to nose sniffing and such, just a little territorial behavior by Bun.  Can't blame her... kitten has the run of the house but Bun only has a small room or two.

-----

On a completely different topic, my Matias Mini Pro Quiet keyboard should arrive tomorrow.  And even more different, Arizona stifled the Seahawks IN Seattle!  Quite a game.  Seahawk fans mention the questionable interception at the end of the game that sealed it for the Cardinals, but to that point the Cardinals had been consistently squelching every drive by the Seahawks...

...anyway, tomorrow!

Saw the official trailer for Godzilla and...

...I am officially, insanely pumped for this movie!  Even the description is great:  An epic rebirth to Toho's iconic Godzilla, this spectacular adventure, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, pits the world's most famous monster against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity's scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence.

YEA BABY!

Quick, General Update

Christmas is coming... my least favorite holiday.  It should be a wonderful time but it has become so commercialized that it is almost ... disgusting.  On the other hand it's in my own hands as to how I approach it... so I need to correct that as well.

About a month ago something terrible happened that really affected me...  most people who know us know that we live in a bit of a "zoo" with multiple pets of varying ancestry (dogs, cats, birds, reptiles and arachnids).  We spend more time with animals than other humans, really...  but anyway...  my daughter and her friends like to train our dogs in the grass patch across the street.  One day they were over there and they got away from them and attacked a rabbit.  Turned out this rabbit didn't really run away because it was an escaped / released domesticated rabbit.

The girls got the dogs but it was too late and the bunny was paralyzed from the waist down.  We took the bunny in, gave him a warm spot, water, food pretty sure he would die very soon.  He didn't.  In fact it was almost like he did not know he was crippled.  So we began to call bunny rescues for advice and after no one responded for 2 days we called the vet... the rabbit vet was on vacation and wouldn't be back for a week.

In that time we learned a little about bunnies from "George" as we called him.  Despite his problems, what happened to him he was so sweet.  My wife took decent care of him while he was here (regular wipe downs / cleanings, etc.) and the time came to go to the vets.  Brought him in and the doctor did an exam, x-rays, etc. and concluded that the paralysis was permanent and George would never recover at all.  I made the decision to have him put down and stayed with him for the entire time (which took a long time, btw... I had an hour to spend holding, talking, feeding him treats as he slowly fell asleep then passed).  I was a wreck that night because of the loss of such a sweet creature who was still young and could have lived a long life.

Over a few weeks it gnawed at me and I began researching rabbit which, until George, I never really gave much thought to...  I finally settled on a breeder in Mesa and brought home Bun Bun, my baby lionhead rabbit.

Rabbits are far more complex and amusing than I ever thought they could be.  I'll probably blog about her from time to time but for now I just wanted to share our new addition to the family.

Godzilla 2014

GODZILLA 2014!  YEEAAAHHHH!

Where is Romney now?

Not where I wish he was.

Our country, while never perhaps loved around the world, was at least grudgingly respected.  By the time our current president leaves office there will be a LOT of work to be done both at home and abroad for the reputation of our gov't to be restored to some marginally acceptable level.

Healthcare is being botched.

International safety is being botched.

International relations are being botched.

Budgeting has been botched.

The current office has been found to have lied or misrepresented data on multiple occasions (I know this is true for any regime to some extent).

Yet STILL there is love for the democratic party and their fearless leader.  I don't get it.  Then again I don't get why people reject the free gift of eternal life either when there really are more reasons to believe than not.  But back to politics...

We REALLY need a Mitt Romney now.  A person with business savvy, experience with large corporations, someone who really understands them (and let's face it, Mitt had to based on the role his company played) because a) we need corporate / industry support if there is to be health care reform (among other reforms) and b) our gov't IS a large corporation.  We need someone who will be fiscally conservative or fiscally moderate at best, someone who will be more careful of regulations and policies, someone who will be less likely to over commit our military and far less likely to allow things to be run loosely.

Certainly Mitt would not be a perfect president, has there EVER been such a person?  I am not trying to say that a Republican president will automatically solve all our issues but certainly conservatives stand a better chance at solving many of our current issues (if they truly are conservative and truly understand the issues at hand).

Finally, we should not loose track that we live in a republic that is dependent on our capitalist way of life.  Without allowing capitalism to flourish (that means being in bed with large and small for-profit entities to the extent that we should at the very least listen to what they have to say and understand that they live in that world and while they might be self-serving, some of their concerns are legitimate) WE won't flourish.  I feel like I am about to start ranting and raving about supply and demand, taxation and other issues related to businesses versus gov't spending so I will stop here.

Sorry for my rare political rant.  And yes I know I am simply raising questions and not providing answers.

Why are arachnids, and tarantulas in particular, so fascinating?

Honestly I am not sure why I am so drawn to them.  I like to think I am able to find something to like about every aspect of God's creation, but for some reason I really find spiders and their kin most fascinating.

The reasons are many and varied.  For example, motion... tarantulas (spiders and other arachnids - but I will tend to focus on tarantulas here) have ONLY flexor muscle attachments in their limbs.  That means that using muscular contraction spiders can only bend their legs inward (they have multiple types at the attachment points to move legs forward / backward in range).  So how do tarantulas extend their legs?  Blood pressure.  They literally use a hydraulic system; they force blood / fluids into the legs under pressure which extends them.  Pretty cool!  Another example is how they feed.  Tarantulas cannot ingest solids.  They literally have filters around their mouth and in their hard esophagus that prevent particulates from entering their stomach and intestines.  So how do spiders eat?  Well, they basically masticate (chew) their prey while regurgitating digestive fluids onto it.  They create a nutrient-filled, gooey mash which they then suck on with their little vacuum-like mouth.  How do they suck it up?  They don't have cheeks or tongues like we do.  They have a special "device" that is part of their stomach called a "sucking (or pumping) stomach".  It works both ways, it can eject fluids from the spider or suck them into the spider.  They have internal cheeks.  Pretty smart.

Speaking of smart, tarantulas have relatively large brains but what I think is most interesting is the shape of their brains.  Tarantula brains are torus shaped... a donut.  The size is necessary to be able to accept sensory input from all the sensory organs all over the spider as well as control the legs and in some spiders with good vision, to be able to judge depth and distances and identify potential prey.

Finally (for now) something that always amazes is me is the fact that the esophagus and sucking stomach run right through the hole in the brain and are part of the exoskeleton.  This means when a spider molts, the esophagus and stomach are pulled out of the body and left with the rest of the exoskeleton.  You can see them clearly in larger tarantula molts.

A couple other, minor factoids...  one of the primary waste elements in spider poo is the same chemical that provides the reflective part of dog and cat eyes (when they shine at night if you point a flashlight at them).  Also, not ALL spiders are venemous... there are actually at least two know species that do not have venom.  Most do have venom, but in general, spider venom is designed to disable their prey and has little effect (can you say no worse than a bee sting?) on humans and other mammals, assuming they actually do inject you during a bite (venom is precious, they don't want to waste it).

Hope you enjoyed my little spider rant.  :)

AMD product path...

My current build is based on the belief that AMD would finish and release the desktop version of the steamroller architecture, and that it would indeed be AM3+ compatible.

The FX-8350 (Piledriver) performs very well, but it was the next generation, whose tweaks promised much-improved single core execution, that I was planning for.  I am feeling an ominous cloud hovering in regards to AMD ever releasing Steamroller.  All the road maps that have been released over the past year leave off the desktop CPU path and focuses on APUs and server CPU SOCs.

Much has been written about how AMD has restructured itself in an effort to better compete with Intel, to focus on niches where they have traditionally beaten Intel... how (this is from memory, it could be 60%-70%) almost 80% of their focus will now be APU and SOCs.  I am beginning to think I wasted my build $$$.  This build must last me 2 years...  I suppose if AMD does ditch its desktop workstation line of CPUs I will simply HAVE to look at the new Mac Pro.  :)

Anyway, I hope my worriers are unfounded.

Quick post about Skyrim and physics...

Just a quick note...  I have suffered from odd behavior in-game over the past year where animals fly into the sky, water seems to be all around you on dry land, creatures distant from you vibrate rapidly, etc.

Turns out when I upgraded my monitor to a 120hz model, it wrought havoc on Skyrim.  Apparently Skyrim's physics engine cannot handle anything above 60hz very well and what it does is it tries to match FPS with the refresh rate.  On my old rig I saw the issues but not as bad as my newer rig... the quirks were becoming intolerable.

I recently found the solution and it works pretty well.  Someone on nexus mods posted a direct x DLL wrapper / replacement that allows you to set a hard limit to the refresh rate when the game runs.  It is noticeable when you turn quickly in-game, you can see the sequence of frames (just barely).  But otherwise it makes the game 100% better to play.

If you are suffering from the same issue, search on skyrim.nexusmods.com for FPS Limiter.  Works like a charm.

On the duality of scripture...

Don't you hate it when someone pulls out scripture and quotes it to you, totally out of context?

Whenever people (non-believers) throw scripture in an attempt to disprove something I am saying or to prove a point they are trying to make that is the first thing that comes to my mind:  CONTEXT IS EVERYTHING!

Much of the New Testament is chock full of quotes from the Torah.  (I think I am using that correctly, I might not be).  Jesus and the Apostles reference OT scripture frequently.  There are even points where you question whether or not they are using it correctly based on YOUR understanding of the scripture, but you must always remember their context, who they were, how the Bible was used then, and the fact that their context included a physical representation of God who died on a cross and rose to offer some final lessons before ascending to heaven, shedding even MORE light on old text.

And here's my proof: "Lord, the king finds joy in Your strength."

I am using old-style quoting.  :)  This is the first verse of Psalm 21 (see my previous post on Psalm 22).  Psalm 21 is a piece of scripture that had meaning to David hundreds of years before Jesus was born but it seems oddly familiar to a Christian as being indicative of GOD'S victory on the cross.  It is as if the Psalmist wrote this knowing what would happen in the future.  This is what I mean when I mention the duality of scripture.  

Scripture isn't REALLY dual natured, it is what it is, but it is enduring.  The thoughts and reasons behind ancient scripture can still be applied today (even scripture that seems irrelevant to this day and age has a message behind it that you need to ponder.  Read it in the context of the time, the location and the state of the people to whom it refers and you will most likely be able to better understand what it means).

Scripture speaks to the will and nature of God; it is eternal.

[edit]

Psalm 21

1 Lord, the king finds joy in Your strength.
How greatly he rejoices in Your victory!
2 You have given him his heart’s desire
and have not denied the request of his lips.
3 For You meet him with rich blessings;
You place a crown of pure gold on his head.
4 He asked You for life, and You gave it to him—
length of days forever and ever.
5 His glory is great through Your victory;
You confer majesty and splendor on him.
6 You give him blessings forever;
You cheer him with joy in Your presence.
7 For the king relies on the Lord;
through the faithful love of the Most High
he is not shaken.
8 Your hand will capture all your enemies;
your right hand will seize those who hate you.
9 You will make them burn
like a fiery furnace when you appear;
the Lord will engulf them in His wrath,
and fire will devour them.
10 You will wipe their descendants from the earth
and their offspring from the human race.
11 Though they intend to harm you
and devise a wicked plan, they will not prevail.
12 Instead, you will put them to flight
when you aim your bow at their faces.
13 Be exalted, Lord, in Your strength;
we will sing and praise Your might.

Psalm 22

In my ongoing read through of the Bible, I have reached Psalm 22, arguably my favorite and one of the most important (to me anyway) Psalms.  The book of Matthew, the Gospel which convinced me when I was younger that Jesus is God and that the Bible speaks Truth, records that just before Jesus dies on the cross he speaks "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Each Gospel ends slightly differently and I should note that each Gospel READS differently.  All share some similarities but parts of the text (not just the end) vary in sequence and in content.  Some people believe this is a problem (those who tend not to believe in Jesus, really) but remember, these are written accounts from different eye witnesses and it is PERFECTLY natural for each account to vary quite a bit.  People focus on what is important to THEM or what catches their eye or ear.  But back on topic.

At the end of Matthew it is written that Jesus references Psalm 22.  Back then, people did not reference books, chapters and verses, they simply indicated a section of scripture by stating the first verse.  SOME people believe that Jesus actually recited all of Psalm 22 on the cross and the writer was simply referencing that instead of writing the entire Psalm, but I think it likely he was simply referencing the verse as he was hung on a cross and such a long Psalm would be difficult to recite in His state.

So what did Jesus say with his dying breath?

I won't post up Psalm 22 here... you can look it up and read it for yourself (is that rude?  Sorry I am not trying to be rude).  But BASICALLY it is both descriptive of His end and a statement as to the present and future when He dies.  If you've read Psalm 22 you understand what I mean.  It is as if the writer sat at the foot of the cross writing the Psalm.  The end of the Psalm is indicative of what happened next:  Jesus arose, and fulfilled God's purpose, and the Word was shared from generation to generation.  Really, it's Jesus final footnote on who He really is.

O.K.  Maybe I will post Psalm 22 (a Psalm written by Kind David) for your reading pleasure (HCSB version):

¹ My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
Why are You so far from my deliverance
and from my words of groaning?
² My God, I cry by day, but You do not answer,
by night, yet I have no rest.
³ But You are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
⁴ Our fathers trusted in You;
they trusted, and You rescued them.
⁵ They cried to You and were set free;
they trusted in You and were not disgraced.

⁶ But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by people.
⁷ Everyone who sees me mocks me;
they sneer and shake their heads:
⁸ “He relies on the Lord;
let Him rescue him;
let the Lord deliver him,
since He takes pleasure in him.”

⁹ You took me from the womb,
making me secure while at my mother’s breast.
¹⁰ I was given over to You at birth;
You have been my God from my mother’s womb.

¹¹ Do not be far from me, because distress is near
and there is no one to help.

¹² Many bulls surround me;
strong ones of Bashan encircle me.
¹³ They open their mouths against me—
lions, mauling and roaring.
¹⁴ I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are disjointed;
my heart is like wax,
melting within me.
¹⁵ My strength is dried up like baked clay;
my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.
You put me into the dust of death.
¹⁶ For dogs have surrounded me;
a gang of evildoers has closed in on me;
they pierced my hands and my feet.
¹⁷ I can count all my bones;
people look and stare at me.
¹⁸ They divided my garments among themselves,
and they cast lots for my clothing.

¹⁹ But You, Lord, don’t be far away.
My strength, come quickly to help me.
²⁰ Deliver my life from the sword,
my only life from the power of these dogs.
²¹ Save me from the mouth of the lion!
You have rescued me
from the horns of the wild oxen.

²² I will proclaim Your name to my brothers;
I will praise You in the congregation.
²³ You who fear Yahweh, praise Him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor Him!
All you descendants of Israel, revere Him!
²⁴ For He has not despised or detested
the torment of the afflicted.
He did not hide His face from him
but listened when he cried to Him for help.

²⁵ I will give praise in the great congregation
because of You;
I will fulfill my vows
before those who fear You.
²⁶ The humble will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek the Lord will praise Him.
May your hearts live forever!

²⁷ All the ends of the earth will remember
and turn to the Lord.
All the families of the nations
will bow down before You,
²⁸ for kingship belongs to the Lord;
He rules over the nations.
²⁹ All who prosper on earth will eat and bow down;
all those who go down to the dust
will kneel before Him—
even the one who cannot preserve his life.
³⁰ Their descendants will serve Him;
the next generation will be told about the Lord.
³¹ They will come and tell a people yet to be born
about His righteousness—
what He has done.

2 Songs

There are two songs that I can think of off the top of my head that make me tear up.  There is actually a third song that causes me to tear up but I forget the title, it's a hymn, it might be "As the Deer Pants".  One of those songs was part of a Wednesday night class and it was used to introduce the topic of the importance of parenting.

The two songs that really get to me are "The Cat's In The Cradle" and "The Little Drummer Boy".  I know everyone can understand why the former causes me to tear up, but the latter?  I am not sure if I can explain it well but let me try.  I'll start with a summary of the lyrics:

I am a poor boy too
I have no gift to bring
That's fit to give the king
Shall I play for You
On my drum?
...
I played my drum for Him
I played my best for Him
Then He smiled at me
Me and my drum

I guess what it is is this:  Here's a boy who feels he has nothing to offer, he owns nothing but a drum.  He does the only thing he CAN do for the King, and that's to play on his drum which he does and it pleases the King.  To me this is a song of hope and redemption.  The boy has nothing to give to God, indeed none of has anything to offer to God that isn't already his, including our possessions.  One thing he can do is to offer up his heart, in this case his music which was the thing in life he most enjoyed and what defined him, to God, and that is what pleased God.

So, a poor boy comes before God, who owns nothing, has nothing to offer anyone and he knows it.  How can he honor the creator of the universe?  What can he possibly do, what can he possibly give to He who literally has it ALL.  He can play his drum.  He makes music for God.  And God smiles back at him.

I know I am not explaining myself well, certainly not well enough to convey what I am feeling by the time "Then He smiled at me" is sung, and tears are streaming down my cheeks.  God loves us all.  He doesn't love us for our "gold" or "incense"... He loves His children because we ARE His children, his creation.  We have a choice, to love Him back or ignore Him.  And what we have to give him is OUR love.  Prayers, praise, song, dance, helping others, loving others or simply taking in nature are all ways of showing our love for Him, and making Him smile back at us.

On being unreasonable

I asked a question today on a science site...  the background is regarding SETI and people were insulting politicians who felt spending money on SETI was wrong and that the money could be better spent elsewhere.

Whether you agree with that idea or not, calling people idiots simply because they disagree with you is ridiculous.  Out of the 5 or six men mentioned as idiots, the 2 I researched in light of those posts would be what most people would consider to be exceptionally gifted.  One began college at age 16, earned a degree with high honors and went on to get a doctorate.  Yes... must have been a total moron, that one.  The other had a similar history... bright, very hard working.

So, I mentioned that much (that the these men appear to be quite bright, actually) and also mentioned what benefits I KNOW SETI contributes (such as general mapping for places that might be interesting to focus on with better tools, and for the international effort), and then posed the simple question:  how has SETI pushed the boundaries of science and what has it contributed back to society?  These are the 3 major points I got back as an answer:

No. You just have a short attention span.
I strongly suspect you think the same thing about fusion research too.
You appear to be one of them.

"Them" is a person who demands immediate results.  The person also provided this nugget:

Given now that habitable planets in our galaxy appear to be as common as beach sand, I would think advanced governments would be willing to refund the effort with renewed vigor.

So I responded (in two posts) that first, please stop trying to fit me into your mold and second please go ahead and name all these wonderful places!  (In a much less snarky tone, honest).  The answer was:

 You know damn well I was talking from a statistical standpoint!

So I asked my original questions again, granting that he believes, statistically, there are a ton of human-habitable worlds out there (apparently... as I did make the caveat in one of my posts that I consider habitable planets ones that are capable of supporting human life).

He still has not answered the question I posed.  He has added thoughts, and drummed up other questions for me, but has not answered my direct question, which I have now asked 3 times.  I can tell you what the next response will be... he will call me a name and tell me that I am stupid.

The world and the people in it are wearing me out.

Science vs. Science Fiction

I think that few people realize that much of the "science" they are exposed to is in reality "science fiction".

It is fine fantasy to imagine paleontology finds, for example, living lives similar to our own, or animals alive today.  For example, watching a National Geographic special on dinosaurs the finds were romanticized, portraying moving stories of the animals such as them struggling to reach the surface as they were buried alive, or two finds, close together, holding hands.

This is what people WANT to hear.  They WANT to imagine a scene of intimacy, of complex behavior that is obviously unknowable.  And science narrators are more than happy to oblige, to delve into this story telling that would support their ideas and perhaps bring more money into their profession.

Science is the process of trying to figure out how the world/universe works.  In regards to history, especially ancient history, it becomes quite difficult to know everything we WANT to know.  How do we fill the gaps? With fiction.  Stories.  Romanticized ideas.

There is nothing WRONG with this, per se, but when people don't understand the difference between science and science fiction misunderstandings occur.

What I find interesting is when we have good historicity, ancient documentation supporting something current, that is well supported by critical analysis but it borders on the "supernatural" it is immediately discarded.  Yet something that is literally IMPOSSIBLE to know that happened perhaps 80 million years ago and little or no supporting evidence, even circumstantial evidence exists, it is easier for people to believe the "stories" crafted to support theoretical ideas that are not provable.

Ah well.

Continuing thoughts on my AMD build...

The tests are slightly unfair as my disk optimizations (I previously used RAID 0 - but when installing everything I messed up, forgot to set my RAID in the BIOS beforehand and Windows doesn't really like you changing from AHCI to RAID after it has been installed/configured).  So I forwent RAIDing my drives and keep a USER drive and a WORK drive.  My point is that read and write times will be slower.  That being said, some things to note:

Large system compilation went from an average of 58 seconds on the Intel build to 72 seconds on the AMD build.  No surprise as single thread execution is known to be slower in some cases.

The flip side is WinZip decompresses the WAR files MUCH more quickly in the AMD build.  It is so fast I don't have time to do my usual little things (closing my selection windows for the war, emptying the trash, stuff like that).  I click "Expand to" and *BOOM*... done.  The AMD CPU is practically made for this sort of work tho'...

Starting JBOSS (after a FRESH deploy) the first time on my AMD build took 13 seconds.  That's not bad...  I've only done it once so far... taking into account slightly slower disk read times that's not too different from the 9 to 10 seconds it took on the Intel build.  Again, all of this doesn't surprise me either, since Java doesn't seem to be overly multi-thread friendly (the Java app itself, not its capabilities).


More soon!

Short update, new build...

I received all of the parts over the course of this week and completed the build yesterday.  Still all new so I don't have much to report except that I went a little overboard with air circulation...  I have too many fans and even with them turned down as low as possible, it is still louder than my previous machine.

Not a horrible noise, just louder.

Because of all the bad reports of the FX (Piledriver) series of chips and how poorly they compare with Intel, I immediately fired up Skyrim to test.  Couldn't tell the difference from my previous build... settings on Ultra+.  I do have to note that I also have a better graphics card, too, but even so, the game performed exceptionally well.  So, I am pretty confident that I made the right decision going with AM3+ and the FX-8350.

More later as I get back to work...

Trigger has been pulled. New build on its way.

My new PC is on its way here in pieces.  There have been a few changes from my original build specifications.  Here is what I got:

Corsair Graphite 600TM
Asus Sabertooth 990FX
Gigabyte 770GTX w/4GB VRAM
Corsair HX850 PS
AMD FX-8350 CPU
Samsung 500GB SSD
GSkill 1866 RAM, 16GB (4GB x 4)
Seagate 1 TB HD x 2
Corsair H60 CPU Cooler
Cougar 120MM Case Fan x 2
Windows 8 Pro

The changes from the original build are the graphics card, the power supply (newer version of same PS), a single SSD instead of 2 in RAID, and I threw in one more fan.

I was also going to reuse my current Windows 8 DVD but... decided since I am passing my current computer down to my son it would be easier to simply create an account for him on this box, and reinstall all of my stuff fresh.

The most important change was probably the graphics card... the NVidia 770 is ... well, it's a souped up version of the 680, but much cheaper than the 680 and most other cards in its class.  It is quite the bargain.  Apparently Nvidia has decided to become a little more aggressive in their pricing and are pressing ATI not only with excellent performance but excellent value.

So the parts are on their way!  I should (theoretically) have all the pieces by Friday, and can begin putting them together over the weekend.  Very exciting!

My Next Build

When Bulldozer was in the works I thought my next build would be an AMD machine.  Then the early reviews came out and Bulldozer was a bust.  I ended up with a machine centered around the i7 2600K CPU from Intel.  It was the right choice and I do not regret it.  It's a solid machine with good performance all around.

Time has come for my next upgrade.  AMD has been working toward a better Bulldozer.  Late last year AMD came out with Piledriver, which improved overall performance by 12% - 15% from Bulldozer.  Much of the improvement centered around bumping up the clock speed.  Late THIS year Steamroller arrives.  With Steamroller AMD focused on making more substantial changes focused on improving single core execution.  Most people and tech websites recommend that people go with Intel, that AMD is not even competitive but...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu8Sekdb-IE

...that is not so.  Certainly Intel is superior in single core execution but not overwhelmingly so.  AMD focused on multi-threading and less on single core execution, as they felt that was the future (and it is).

Anyway, so my plan is to build a machine around AMDs AM3+ socket, which would include the FX-8350 as my CPU of choice, which will be replaced by a Steamroller CPU when they arrive for desktops in early 2014.

Here is what I have spec'd out for my build:

CPU:  AMD FX-8350
RAM:  Quad channel kit of 16GB, PC14900 (1866gHz) (CL8, 8.9.9.24 @ 1.525v)
STORAGE:  C drive will be 2 240 GB SSDs in RAID 0
                     U drive (data) will be 2 1 TB drives in RAID 0
MOBO:  ASUS Sabertooth 990FX
PS:  Corsair AX850 (Gold)
GRAPHICS:  Vapor-X Radeon 7970 GHz edition
COOLING:  Corsair H60, Extra Cougar Vortex fan
CASE:  Corsair Graphite 600T

I was going to go for 32 GB of RAM but I figured I couldn't use that much (unless I create a RAM drive but I don't think I will need that) and if I really feel like I have to have it, I can always upgrade the RAM easily.

I might not RAID the 2 hard drives and purchase an additional SSD for storage but...  they are still very costly.  So I probably WON'T do that.

So that's it.  That is what my next build is shaping up to be.

Vortex KBT Pure

My new keyboard arrived today!  Kudos to Tiger Imports for getting it to me in a timely fashion.

Aesthetically speaking the keyboard is rather plain.  It's black and the key lettering is difficult to see in low light without the back lights being active.  Since I don't spend a lot of time staring at my keyboard I don't really care how it looks, it is fine for me.  Black is sleek.

Size-wise, it is comparable to my HHKB Pro 2.  A typical 60% keyboard.  It leaves me plenty of room for my mouse even in my tight work space.

I took it out of the box and noticed there were absolutely no instructions with the keyboard, but Google was my friend and I quickly figured out how to activate the lighting using Fn+B... once back lit, you can immediately recognize most of the other available functions (light adjustment, special keys, etc.)  The keyboard worked immediately with Windows 8, no drivers, nothing required... just plugged it into a USB port and away I typed.

As far as back lighting goes, I have mine at the second dimmest setting... the brightest setting is REALLY bright.  I cannot see myself ever using it.  There are other lighting options as well, for example if you are gaming and want to focus on your WASD keys, there is a setting to only illuminate those keys.  The CAPS LOCK key has an additional LED that lights when you lock your caps.

Noise was a concern as I had heard that Cherry keys were noisy.  I bought the extra o-ring silencers but have not put them on yet because the keyboard is not as noisy as I expected it to be and pulling off key caps scares me.  It's quieter than my old Matias mechanical keyboard.  Perhaps a tad louder than my HHKB Pro, but that is to be expected since they already have a rubber stopper in the domes that cover the mechanics.  There IS an additional click noise in these keys where the key passes the mid/activation point.  It's a soft sound, not annoying.

Unlike my HHKB, the keys are generally exactly where you would expect them to be, and I will have to relearn my CAPS LOCK and CTRL keys.  That is not a big deal and I should figure that out quickly enough.  I am not as comfortable with the FN key.  It's placement could have been better, in a place where your fingers could easily reach and hold.  As it is, it will require me to figure out how to train my hand to use it.  My best bet is to use the thumb on my right hand, since it is next to the space bar.  But doing that limits the rotation of my right hand... but such is life.

I've been typing with a minimal amount of mistakes and my fingers are finding the keys quite nicely!  I am please with that.  Key depression is not too heavy, not too light.  Possibly a little heavier than the Topre keys with a little more travel.  I am a hard typist, so I bottom out a lot... I don't have a gentle touch and perhaps it MIGHT benefit me to apply the o-rings simply to dampen my impacts.  To do that I think I will have to purchase a key remover, I am afraid to remove the keys and break the keyboard... the base of the mechanical keys are connected to the controller board itself.  I need to think about it.

Haven't tried gaming with the board yet.  Having the click mid-depression seems a little weird in that regard but I don't think it will be an issue.  Topre keys do not have any indicator for key activation so I am used to a sort of silent activation.  Again, I don't really think it will be an issue.

So that is it for now.  The keyboard seems solid enough and the arrangement is good and of course the back lighting is great.  Really like the back lighting.

Nooooo ... My HHKB Pro has died.

I love mechanical keyboards.  My favorite keyboard for awhile was the Tactile Pro.  Love the noise and the feel of mechanical keyboards, it just feels right to me.  Unfortunately I have special needs in regards to space:  My workstation is in a closet.

As you can see my Tactile Pro does not fit well in my workspace.  This was not a problem until today, when my Happy Hacker keyboard died.  The HHKB Pro 2 is a wonderful keyboard.  It is uses Topre key switches which are tactile AND quiet.  They are also absurdly expensive and I expected this keyboard to last me a looong time.  Somehow, while plugging/unplugging a dongle I broke it.  I think some component associated with the USB port broke loose; I hear something rattling around inside (the keyboard, not my head).

I cannot justify paying the crazy high amount for another HHKB so I shopped around a little and decided on a Vortex KBT Pure.  The Pure is another mechanical keyboard that uses Cherry MX Blue switches.  They are noisier than Topre switches so I also purchased Cherry red rubber o-rings to silence them.  From what I have read the Cherry MX Blue switches are the most popular Cherry switches, a good, general switch (not specifically for gaming, not specifically for typing... in the middle).

The Pure is also a backlit keyboard which is nice in my dark little closet where sometimes I need to realign my hands with the keys.  The Pure is also a 60% keyboard, which is what the HHKB was as well.  60% means more or less what you think it means, it's about 60% of the size of a regular keyboard with a minimal amount of keys which, with the help of a function key, play multiple roles.

I requested second day shipping so hopefully it will arrive by mid-week.  It's difficult typing on my Tactile pro with this orientation and you can see by the photo that my Anywhere MX mouse has very little room for maneuvering.

If anyone has experience with Vortex products, particularly the Pure, please feel free to share your thoughts. I've heard about the paint jobs on the key caps, the occasional bad LEDs, but I am more interested in how they last and perform mechanically.

Thank you!

Steamroller

While I have been happy with my now aging, pre-Ivy Bridge intel processor, I am planning on returning to AMD.  I know, your first thought is "he's gone off the deep end."  You would probably be right to think that, too...

I have a little bit of a soft spot for AMD CPUs.  I admit that is part of my reasoning, if not a GREAT part.  But I fell in love with the idea of the Bulldozer CPU when AMD first announced it years ago.  The technology was different, uniquely AMD.  Even so, I was cautious and did not buy into Bulldozer but instead went with Intel for my current computer iteration, replacing my Phenom 6 core with my 2600K build.  At the time it was the right decision, as Bulldozer's performance was... not good.

When Piledriver was introduced performance (overall) increased between 12% and 15%.  It helped but while heavily threaded applications had soaring performance (even better than the top-of-the-line Intel CPU in some cases), single core execution still fell WELL short of Intels offerings... and unfortunately the vast majority of the applications you use in your day-to-day interaction with your computer execute on a single core.  The top-of-the-line Piledriver (which is the followup to Bulldozer) is about on par with an Intel i3 or a low end i5 as far as non-threaded performance goes.  That's not to say Piledriver is a bust, it isn't.  It out performs the last generation top-of-the-line AMD CPUs (pre-Bulldozer) and in some aspects, such as certain types of encryption/decryption, it out performs Intel CPUs across the board.  It also still performs well in general use, just not on the level of an i7.

HOWEVER... there is hope.  AMD is finishing work on the Bulldozer architecture with its final release, Steamroller.  Steamroller starts "rolling out" late in 2013.  There have been widely varying claims as to the performance of Steamroller which reportedly tweaks the architecture in all the right places to maximize single core performance and instruction caching/access, which have been the weaknesses of this architecture from the get go.

Steamroller fits in the same socket as Bulldozer and Piledriver, AM3+.  So this is my plan:  Build my system based on the best Piledriver CPU available, the FX-8350, and in 6 months when the desktop Steamroller CPU is available, swap it out.  Keep in mind that the top-of-the-line FX-8350 costs about the same as a low to mid-range, locked i5 CPU.  It's very inexpensive.  When the Steamroller arrives it will be about the same price.  I would be able to purchase two CPUs for a little more than the price of a high-end i7.

The rest of the components would be solid... AMD 7970 gHz edition graphics card, decent-speed DDR3 RAM, 2 SSDs in RAID 0 and 2 enterprise class hard drives in RAID 0 for data storage, water-based CPU cooler... and a pretty superior case to hold all the components.

Well, that's it for now... just thought I would share.

What's wrong with this?

Loud segment of Republican Party makes them all look like fools. ... When the Republican party lets loudmouths lead their group and blames the world on "others" it makes all Republicans look foolish.

1. There is little or no substance to the argument[s].
2. It's just a broad brush ad hominem attack.
3. The person seems to assume that he, and only he, is able to perceive the failings of a group of people and that no one else can think for themselves.

This is the kind of junk I see all the time on the internet.  Sometimes these posts are in appropriate forum topics but lately they are extending to random posts in technical boards, science boards, ART boards... everywhere.  People just like to deal poo for the sake of spreading the malice they feel in their own hearts.  It's frustrating.  It's tiring.

If I am on a site to talk about the latest CPU architecture from a given company, that's what I want to discuss, not politics, not religion, not baseless, unsupported arguments for "this CPU is crappy!  This other one is BEST!"  I want to hear discussions about how the instructions are fed from the cache into the processor, how the scheduling of instructions takes place, how many instructions are handled per time unit.

But even in a thread designed to discuss politics... what is the point of a post like this ^^^ ?  What does it serve?  Does the person even understand that what they are trying to apply to the "loud mouths" is precisely what they are doing in this quote?!

And I am the worst... I often get worked up by trolls and posts of this nature and allow them to raise my own blood pressure and respond unfavorably.  Instead of pointing out their own issues, I should just keep quiet and pretend I didn't see the post at all.

Ah well.  Such is life.

Another caution about "science"...

...not TRUE science, but "pop-science".

I've been researching the find and subsequent speculation of Gobekli Tepe.  It's an amazing find, wonderful architecture that could date back to between 10,000 and 13,000 BC.  By all appearances it is a temple and not much is known about it yet... as only 5% of it has been dug and some archeologists think it could take up to 50 years until to complete the dig.

This is good.  Scientists are digging, studying, speculating...  but all the non-technical communications of the find are NOT good.  The communications directed at you and me.  The most COMMON fallacy is that this is the world's first Temple, the worlds first example of organized religion.  They aren't saying "this is the earliest example of ... that we have found", they are saying it IS the first.  Period.  This is the part about "pop-science" that irritates me.  I love that finds are communicated, but I don't like that they are exaggerated or fantasized.  Presenting non-factual data to people instills incorrect ideas, I get that they are romanticizing and attempting to make the find even more appealing to the public, but it's just not RIGHT.

For example, for all we know there could be ANOTHER temple, 5000 years OLDER than Gobekli just a few hundred yards away.  There could have been similar temples constructed in other areas that were NOT preserved.  To say it is THE FIRST TEMPLE EVER is simply leading and dishonest.

Finally, I want to be clear that this is not coming from the responsible scientists investigating the find, but from the media, from artists, and other people who simply shouldn't be saying what they are saying.  Meanwhile anyone who happens to see one of the videos I saw on youtube or someplace else will be now telling all their friends that we've found the world's first temple... a legend is born.

O.K.  I am done.  Sorry for the rant.

Euphoria

I am a software engineer and I enjoy using a variety of languages for my work and my play. Some of my favorites are the old-time imperative languages like Fortran or Pascal or even BASIC (extended versions). I also enjoy some functional languages, like IO, and "almost" OO languages like Ada and C++. I say almost because they don't REALLY fit the bill as true OO languages, but have OO features.

I also enjoy byte interpreted languages like Python, Groovy, and a few others... but perhaps my favorite language that embraces the imperative with the interpreted is Euphoria. There are two flavors of Euphoria available: original and opensource-continued. The original version of Euphoria is simplicity itself, lacking many advanced features. It ended at version 3.1 when the creator of the (commercial) language open sourced it. The open version of the language at 4.x now, has added some more modern features to the language but they are also doing their best to maintain a level of simplicity by maintaining the core of the language which consists of two basic data types, the atom and the sequence.

An atom is basically a numeric value. A sequence is a group of atoms or other sequences.

Some Atoms:

1
3.14
'A' (or the numeric value 65... it becomes a letter when you output it using something like puts())

Some Sequences:

{1}
{1, 2, {'3', '4'}, 5}
{'A', 'B', 'C'} which is the same as "ABC", a string is a sequence.

In addition to the two data types two other variable containers are defined: integer and object.

An integer is an atom that is limited in its nature to an unsigned numeric value. An object can be whatever you assign to it. For example:

object my_var

my_var = 1
my_var = "this is acceptable too"
my_var = {2.1, 'V', "something else"}

With these simple data types you can create just about anything you can think of.

Another fine feature of Euphoria is that it has in-built vector processing for sequences. Some more examples:

{1, 2, 3} + {4, 5, 6} => {5, 7, 9}
{1, 2, 3} + 1 => {2, 3, 4}

You can add/subtract/etc. two sequences with the same number of items, or a sequence with an atom.

It is a fun and fast language. The original version was estimated to execute 6 times faster than the equivalent java code. It is not the most popular language but there is a small following and a variety of packages have been and continue to be created by the fans of Euphoria.

Check out:

The original website (v3.1) http://www.rapideuphoria.com/
The open source version (4.0.5) http://openeuphoria.org/index.wc

Enjoy.

Lazy Repost

I haven't posted much lately...  so I am reposting here something I wrote elsewhere:


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Most of what God gave the Israelites are what we would consider to be common sense, today.  But it wasn't to them.  Also, I might add that when you encounter laws that you disagree with for some reason while reading exodus, deuteronomy, etc. think to yourself, "most of these laws just make sense..." and give the other laws the benefit of the doubt.  Not everything recorded applies to all of us today because society has changed and our situations have changed (ie. not wandering around in a wilderness with a large population for 40 years).  But the BASIS of the laws still apply, the reasoning behind them, and are right and just.

Some laws laid out by God
==============================
You must not exploit a foreign resident or oppress him, since you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
You must not mistreat any widow or fatherless child.
If you lend money to My people-to the poor person among you, you must not be like a moneylender to him; you must not charge him interest.
If you ever take your neighbor's cloak as collateral, return it to him before sunset.  For it is his only covering; it is the clothing for his body. What will he sleep in? 
You must not spread a false report.
Do not show favoritism to a poor person in his lawsuit.
You must not deny justice to the poor among you in his lawsuit.
If you come across your enemy's stray ox or donkey, you must return it to him.
If you see the donkey of someone who hates you lying [helpless] under its load, and you want to refrain from helping it, you must help with it.
Do not kill the innocent and the just.
You must not take a bribe.
You must not oppress a foreign resident.
Sow your land for six years and gather its produce.  But during the seventh year you are to let it rest and leave it uncultivated, so that the poor among your people may eat [from it] and the wild animals may consume what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.
------------------------------------------------

...and they go on and on like this.  These are some of the "minor" laws listed after the 10 commandments.  What do you see in this?  I see a desire for justice (fairness) and compassion... even for your enemy.

People who do not want to believe tend to focus on some of the more difficult passages of war/destruction, despite the context of being harassed and attacked by many of the same groups during their jaunt through the wilderness.  But you see from the laws God lays out that He is just and compassionate... we assume innocence on those peoples' part but that is not the case.  We are not offered the whole picture, just what we need to learn about the relationship God has with Israelites (and later with us all).

And of course there are the 10 commandments:

Do not have other gods besides Me.
Do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth.
Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
Remember to dedicate the Sabbath day (ie. remember to take a break, and even if you don't, let those who live in your household or work for you have a break).
Honor your father and your mother.
Do not murder.
Do not commit adultery.
Do not steal.
Do not give false testimony against your neighbor.
Do not covet your neighbor's house. Do not covet your neighbor's wife ... or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

Most of the minor laws are based off the 10 commandments... but ALL of the law (including the 10 commandments) is dependent on and based off of the top 2 commandments:

Love God with all your heart and mind and soul.
Love your neighbor as you love yourself.

Jesus expounded on these two laws and noted that we should love one another as HE loved us (he gave up everything for us, even his life and served us).

Yeah, there are some tough parts in the Bible that we find difficult to accept or to understand... but based on this, you have to at least stop and think if THIS is SO RIGHT, why shouldn't the parts we DON'T like be also right?

Finally, it should be noted that the Israelites were to be God's HIGH PRIESTS to the world.  Often their laws required a punishment of death, which shocks some people, but these people were supposed to rise above and beyond the common people of the world in their relationship with God and one another.  Hence the punishments for breaking some of the laws were pretty tough.  And yet there were often caveats on the punishments, like the law on murder states that if a death was accidental, then the punishment would not be death but recompense to the family.   Or if your ox gores someone, pay recompense, but if the owner knows the ox is a mean one and has gored people in the past and allows it roam free to gore again... well... the punishment is much more severe.  So you can see the punishments often will fit the ATTITUDE of the person committing the crime.  Even among God's High Priests...