i am noky » technology

nVidia SLI in 2010

Noky — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 23:35:57 +0000

Okay this seems to be following me everywhere I go in the PC gaming world so I'm going to address this. The new nVidia graphics cards scale extremely well in SLI. That's the news everyone is raving about. As is the nature of news the old information seems to get lost in the wind. By running SLI, you are running two graphics cards at once. It's a simple fact that people don't seem to get.

Not every developer codes their engine for proper multi-gpu scaling or even multi-gpu support. Some Starcraft 2 players are still smoothing out rough edges after the patch that fixed stuttering and slow down. The upcoming Final Fantasy XIV does NOT support SLI, at all. The recent MMO All-Points Bulletin does not support SLI either. This is not "the list" but it is merely an example of games still being released today that don't support SLI. Let's not even travel backwards to games that don't support SLI or don't scale well.

In addition, you're looking at about a twenty degree idle temp increase (comparing 2x460s to 1x480) and increased power consumption. I think this is a solid step towards making SLI reliable but if you're thinking about the cost savings then we're not there yet. This especially rings true to me someone like me who is only looking forward to FFXIV as his main title for 2010 while he takes Starcraft breaks and catches up on his giant Steam library of unfinished titles.

If you're the kind of guy that says, "I want to play Crysis 2 on Ultra and laugh at the people who spent $100 more than me on reliable across the band power," (yeah I just made an auto reference) then by all means go for it. Just get real used to play Crysis 2's 5 hour campaign over and over because all you're gaming addict friends are going to laugh right back when all your GPU-muscle suddenly disappears in the games everyone is playing.

The achievement nVidia has accomplished is destroyed any reason to think about a Crossfire setup. If you're looking for a power house setup, you're still looking at the GeForce 480 or the Radeon 5870.

NOTE: I'm too lazy to put a pic in, imagine something creative...

My look at the N900

Noky — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 07:19:26 +0000

So I got the N900 finally. I have to say, if you consider yourself an average power-user and you're looking for a hot new device, skip this one and wait until the next Maemo device comes out later this is year (or more likely, early 2011). That's the pretty much the end of it so if you don't care about the details of why, you can stop now.

The App Library is Lacking

It's kind of expected that there wouldn't be a lot of apps with the new operating system. It doesn't help that the N900 is the only Maemo device on the market and it's not exactly priced for mass consumption. Consequently, there are really only a handful of apps sitting in the Ovi Store and you're best bet is to just add the Maemo Extras repository and run through the free database. Maemo Extras is littered with goodies like non-Jabber (AIM, Yahoo, etc.) support, an SSH server, widgets, and media utilities. However, I still don't have a solid game I want to play on my phone not that it really matters...

The Battery Sucks

To be fair, the battery is actually really good. It's just that between the wifi, fm transmitter, 3.5" 800x480 screen, and multi-tasking apps on a 600mhz processor, you tend to run out of power pretty fast. I can't imagine how bad it'd be if I had 3G running. You can easily expected a day with high-moderate/low-heavy usage. Don't expect much more than that though. I'm pretty sure I max out around 26 hours myself. Just for a feeler, I keep the Facebook widget running, an RSS widget, my e-mail synced every hour, the weather widget every 4 hours, and podcast checks once a day, and about 4 IM services connected. That's a lot of passive internet access and processing but easily understandable. During the day I rarely use the GPS but I often use the FM transmitter while I drive. When I used to keep the GPS on for location-based status updates (pretty much a constant GPS line open), I would need to recharge near the end of the day (thinking about 6-8 hours of life). So yeah, if you really push the potential of this device, the battery will easily die before the end of the day.

Interface Quirks

I'm not going to go over something someone has done much better: http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=47126

In short, there are some little things that end up bugging you. In the end you get used to it but, I'm sure we'll see things go over smoothly when Maemo 6 rolls around in late 2010.

Hardware Limitations

The N900 is one of the most powerful devices you can snag right now. Unfortunately, without all the restrictions of iPhone and other proprietary locked down devices, you can actually notice slowdown. There seems to be a constant rvalry between my media player and surfing the web. Heaven forbid we add flash and blend the lines together. For some reason, embedded Flash playback performs horribly on the N900. It most-likely has to do with the high-quality video sites like Joystiq, Vimeo, and sometimes Youtube default to. Your best bet is always downloading the video first and playing back it back separately. If you start treating your computer like a modern slimmed down laptop (like I tend to do) then you're going to realize the limits of the 600mhz processor and 128kb of RAM.

Conclusion

The device is awesome. I really like it but with these issues, it's really not an everyman's phone. Tinkering with my phone and the possibility of developing on it makes the N900 a no-brainer pick-up. Anyone else, I'd suggest they stick with S60 or wait until next year to switch to Maemo. If you're still feeling adventerous after that, by all means, pick it up and enjoy the ability to make Skype calls whenever you want (yes it works beautifully over 2.5G).

Bad Ideas Reinvented: Opera Unite is the new Kazaa?

Noky — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 06:38:04 +0000

Why is Opera trying to launch a file-sharing service in their browser? I like Opera; I'm using it right now. I just don't understand how this won't devolve in to massive networked illegal activity withot active moderation. And then, if the service is actively moderated, aren't we still at the mercy of some stranger middlemen? So either they want to start a war with a variety of IP holders or they're wasting their time with a gimmick that won't catch on. The only way to truly get away from middlemen is wire everyone up on the same base router and call it a day. Suffice to say, that's a horrible plan vastly inferior to the working situation. What's so wrong with servers? I don't see how they're controlling anything but their own content. The real issue is if the government decides to start filtering/censoring various content (much like China). My problem is, I feel like I understand their "vision" but I think they're just idiots. What say ye? Am I just not getting it? Have I been jaded by Mozilla's Aurora concept and expect a too high a standard from browser companies?

Side Note: Opera 10.5b is some sort of hotness (get it with the custom Aero Glass skin).

Addendum: Opera went crazy on me for a second and I almost lost this post. It clearly doesn't like WordPress. Probably some non-standard CSS/JS/HTML in this complex monstrosity that is one of the best blogging engines around. However, WordPress had a copy of the draft so it's all good.

Old News is Old: Google Voice + Gizmo5

Noky — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 01:43:13 +0000

So I was looking in to ways to keep in touch in case I get accepted to JET and had be pretty much betting on using Skype. Now I find out Google Voice had acquired the internet service people were using as an intermediary to connect their Google Voice number with Skype. Basically Gizmo5 can forward any calls they receive to Skype and they link with Google Voice. Now in the near future we can pretty much bet there won't be a second step, just drop your Skype account in to Google Voice.

What does this mean? Provided I can get Wifi access, I'll have the equivalent of a free cell phone. That doesn't really mean much if you're in rural Japan but anytime I'm home or maybe in the city areas, I should be good to go. Definitely something I'm going to test out if when I get my hands on an N900.

Oh yeah, Merry Christmas blouses. I hope everyone got a pair of Space Jam Jordans. I know I didn't...

Terms That Need to Die #2

Noky — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 04:19:14 +0000

Current Trend: Having a PC as opposed to a Mac.

personal computer: a small digital computer based on a microprocessor and designed to be used by one person at a time - Princeton WordNet

No, I'm not saying you should get a Mac instead of a PC. I'm saying a Mac is PC and a Windows-based machine is a PC. They're both PCs and marketing divisions need to stop destroying jargon for their own selfish desires.

Windows != PC

There was an age where we could distinctly divide Apple machines from the rest of the world. That time ended with the death of the PowerPC architecture. Everyone is running on x86, OSX and Vista are interchangable.

On the side, I really don't like how this completely obscures Linux from the whole PC collective. Commercially backed Linux distros like Ubuntu and Red Hat are not to mindlessly ignored or grouped with Windows.

"Hi, we're actually both PCs..."

The Rumor Mill Rants: Apple’s New Touch Netbook?

Noky — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:57:00 +0000

Image via CrunchBase

Man, it's crap like this that makes me hate Apple. Do you see that mock-up? What do you do with a netbook that doesn't have an actual keyboard. It's one thing to suffer while typing a text message; everyone is used to that. Now the idea of surfing the web, writing e-mails, and typing essays with a touch screen is getting people hyped? This is ridiculous. I want to move (but not really because the U.S. rocks [ even though it doesn't but everywhere else sucks]) to Africa where people don't have the time or money to care about stupid things designed to bleed money.

Source: Rumor: Apple Releasing a Touchscreen Netbook this Summer?

Did I Mention I Love Nokia? Skype and Nokia partner up

Noky — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 04:51:00 +0000

Image by Hector Milla via Flickr

So anyone who really knows me knows: I love Nokia. Three out of four of my phones have been Nokia devices. My first phone was this crappy Verizon candy bar phone. I switched to the original AT&T Wireless promptly after I realized the extras were cheaper. The handset? A "progressive" 3650. It was my introduction to the S60 world. I skipped a beat when switching to Cingular and got a Sony-Ericsson Z500A. It was then I realized that I made a mistake leaving the open world of S60. After a long contract, welcome to the present with a Nokia E62. I've had my current E-Series for quite some time and while I've been disappointed with the sluggish nature of my phone, I can't be more impressed with the wide array of features an S60 3rd phone provides. I think I've covered myself enough.

I've been considering a new phone for quite some time and I've also considered not having a phone for even longer. Reading this (relatively) recent press release from Skype gives me the urge to drop a serious wad of cash on what one could call: the mobile device. Apparently, the new N97 will sport full Skype integration to go along with the bevy of slick features. Thanks to an old Cingular contract, I pay very little for unlimited internet access on my mobile (which balances the paltry 300 minutes and 100 text messages). This would essentially mean I can talk to everyone and their mother for next to nothing. The drawback is a big one though: the phone weighs in at a cool $800. Some retailers are even asking $1200 for a chance to wield this impressive piece of technology. Chances are, the price won't drop too much either. The original front-runner, the N95, is still selling for $375.

The question is: Does Skype support make this impressive phone worth it?

The more important question: Is Skype support what we need to see more of?

With providers subsidizing phones and trying to make their dollar on plans. This sounds like bad news for all the major telcos. With the ever expanding plans for city-wide Wi-Fi/Broadband access, a market is emerging to phase out the old system and drive more profits to the handset providers.

Skype and Nokia partner to integrate Skype into Nokia devices - About Skype

Faulty Technology: Monitors

Noky — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 10:06:00 +0000

So I finally broke down and did some web development today. The good side: I'm being productive. The bad side: I realized my shiny 22" monitor is brighter at the bottom than at the top of the screen. I don't know if it was always like this or the numerous transports to and from school had something to do with it. Yes, I always repackage my monitor before travel but who knows what could happen with the fragile technology of today.

How do I notice now and not before? Well when you're watching movies and tv in HD, you gawk at the crispness and then keep watching the show. When you're doing any sort of graphic design you're maximizing your desktop space and in my case, comparing the graphic prototype to the HTML creation.

At first, I thought that the color I selected was not HTML web-safe and consequently displayed in two different shades. That happens. However, I dragged the the windows around and low and behold, they are not two different shades.

This problem isn't super uncommon. In fact, I would bet that a lot more people have this issue and they just never notice. I've had this monitor for almost a year and just finally noticed. You have to really be paying attention and know that the two colors should be the same. Black doesn't really work because it's widespread knowledge that monitors don't always spread a uniform black.

What now? Nothing, I continue finishing this site design and I live with the fact that my top and bottom will always mismatch. At least now I have reasonable incentive for a new 24" or better yet a quality 30" behemoth.

The Future of Browsing: Aurora

Noky — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 22:31:00 +0000

So Mozilla is smoking again and they came up with something crazy in their concept labs. Enter Aurora highly collaborative web-surfing experience that at one point resembles something out of Real Drive (an anime). Check out their concept video here:

http://www.adaptivepath.com/aurora/