[H] Enthusiast

Shut Down Your Console To Save The Planet

The Natural Resources Defense Council wants people like me to shut off our consoles when not in use. I suppose this can apply to PCs as well and I know a lot of you guys leave yours running constantly too.

Today, more than 40 percent of all homes in the United States contain at least one video game console. Recognizing that all that gaming could add up to serious demand for electricity, NRDC and Ecos Consulting performed the first ever comprehensive study on the energy use of video game consoles and found that they consumed an estimated 16 billion kilowatt-hours per year -- roughly equal to the annual electricity use of the city of San Diego.

While I can clearly see what the NRDC is trying to say, the problem I have is that my PS3 and PC run Folding@Home 24/7. So, I am torn between saving energy and possibly finding a cure for cancer, Parkinson's disease or Alzheimer's. Then I remembered my car consumes about four dead dinosaurs a week when I drive it (so much for saving the planet) so I said screw it and I keep folding. So, if you are going to leave your PC or console running, you might as well join us in doing something positive while we kill the planet.

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[H] Deal Of The Day

Today’s smoking [H]ot deal is this BFG Tech GeForce 9800 GT OC+ for only $89.99 after rebate. What’s that you say? There are problems in the rebate industry right now? Not with BFG products, you can be sure you will get your rebate so buy with confidence and snag up a pair of these GeForce 9800 GT OC+ video cards, I know I am!

[H]ardware Round-Up II

Cases & Modding

Sunbeam Automation Mid Tower Case @ ThinkComputers

ETC.

ASUS Eee PC S101 @ ITreviewed

Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1.5 Terabyte HDD @ Overclockers Club

Video

HIS ICEQ4 Radeon HD 4850 TurboX @ CPU3D

BFG Technologies Offers Rebate Remedy

In case you missed this yesterday, BFG Technologies has just let us know that, despite the recent financial troubles in the rebate industry, they have come up with a solution that will allow you to cash your rebate checks. Our hats are off to BFG for being proactive in handling a situation that was no fault of their own, hopefully we see more companies follow BFG’s lead. Hit the forum link below for the rest of the information.

One of our third-party rebate processing companies recently informed us that they are experiencing financial difficulties, and that the funds provided to them by BFG Technologies to pay rebate checks for certain BFG products were no longer available. We are happy to inform our rebate customers in the U.S. that BFG has corrected the situation, and you CAN cash your check to receive your rebate payment.

If you are not up to speed on what is happening in the rebate industry, read this.

Employees Sue Over Half-Hour Boot Times

People are suing their employers because they are not being paid while their PCs boot-up and shut down. What the!?!? Look, I am not taking a side here….but…don’t you punch in when you get to work and punch out when you leave? Boot up and shut down in between those times. Two thousand cases solved, next problem please.

"These are hourly employees who are not making much more than minimum wage," Thierman said. "There's a good half-hour a day that they're not being paid for. It adds up."

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The Most Influential 3D Graphics Cards in History

Let me tell you something, it is an odd feeling when you read an article that lists “The Most Influential 3D Graphics Cards in History”…and you’ve owned every single one of the cards listed. I remember back in the day when the big rivalry was between GL-Quake and VQuake. Hell, I still have some of these cards around here somewhere.

Of course, because we’ve decided to present you with a list of some of the most influential 3D graphics cards to ever grace the desktop arena, it’s important to note that covering the last couple of years simply wouldn’t do it justice.

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GE Making Water Drops Bounce

Raise your hand if you knew General Electric was developing superhydrophobic surfaces in its Global Research Nanotechnology lab. Anyone? What is superhydrophobic? Let me show you:

Imagine how the anti-corrosion and water proof properties of a superhydrophic surface could be used in water cooling applications or on PC parts themselves. Makes you wonder if the coating would inhibit or help the cooling process, doesn’t it? More videos can be found here.

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Gaming News

BioShock PS3 Content on the Playstation Network @ VE3D

Grand Theft Auto 4 DLC Named, Dated and Pictured @ Shacknews

NXE Launch Day Update @ Major Nelson

Prince of Persia Developer Diary 4 @ FileShack

The PlayStation 3 Gift Guide @ Kotaku

6GHz Phenom II Overclock on Dry Ice

PC Perspective says AMD’s Phenom II has enough headroom built into it that 5GHz – 6GHz speeds are attainable using a little extreme cooling like dry ice or LN2. How do they know this? They went straight to the source and watched as AMD put on a little demonstration showing the Phenom II running at clock speeds up to 6GHz.

The first desktop products are expected to hit 3 GHz at the top end, but AMD has been hinting that the Phenom IIs can do a lot more in the hands of an enthusiast. The first leaks were that the Phenom II could hit 4 GHz on air cooling alone, though we obviously wonder how extreme that air cooling is. Well today AMD had some actual demonstrations at their gathering, and the Phenom II was able to hit 5 GHz at 1.6v by using dry ice cooling.

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Thermalright Ultra Extreme Copper CPU Cooler

For those of you that think you already have a bad ass copper cooler, I would like to introduce you to the Thermalright Ultra Extreme copper CPU cooler. Weighing in at well over 4lbs, this cooler is easily the most copper you’ll see in one place outside the vaults of the U.S. Treasury.

If you wanted proof-of-concept out of Thermalright that they could do it even better, the TRUE Copper is that proof. Totally effin awesome FTW-ness? Yes! Practical and of value? Not even close.

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[H]ardware Round-Up

Cases & Modding

NZXT Tempest Airflow King ATX Case @ MasShrimps

Silverstone FP35 Bay Card Reader @ NinjaLane

ETC.

Lian Li Maxima Force 750W PSU @ Modders Inc.

Memory

OCZ SLI Edition DDR3 2000MHz @ Pro-Clockers

Video

VIA Publishes 2D/3D Documentation @ Phoronix

Guns N' Roses Album On MySpace

Guns N' Roses has put their latest album on the band's MySpace page days before it will be available to the public. At least you’ll be able to hear it before you buy it…which is a good thing in this case.

Chinese Democracy, the US rock band's first album in 15 years, will not be available to buy until Monday. But fans can hear the album on the band's MySpace page. They are one of the highest-profile acts to use the site to launch a record.

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Sony Fined $18.5M in Patent Infringement Case

It would seem that Sony has lost another patent infringement case and has been ordered to pay $18.5 million. Considering it was products like the PSP that violated the patent, I think Sony is pretty lucky they are off the hook for under $20 million.

Over two years ago, Agere Systems filed a suit against Sony for potential infringement on patents regarding "wireless local area network apparatus." Looks like the courts ruled in Agere Systems' favor.

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Fold With The [H]

Did I tell you guys already that our Folding team (Team #33) is currently cranking out 3.25 million points per day, almost twice the amount of the next closest team. The [H]orde is currently the number one Folding team on the planet and you can be part of it all. It’s easy, everything you need to know about Folding with the [H], how to get started, where to get the clients, which one should you use and so on can be found in the forums. Thanks to forum member "Xilikon," who put all the Folding guides that a person could possibly need into one easy-to-find location, all you need to do is click the link, follow the directions and you’ll be up and folding in no time at all.

[H]andy Website Of The Day

Since most of you are probably the “go-to” tech guy in your circle of friends / family, I am sure you are constantly bombarded with idiotic questions all the time. The next time someone comes to you with a stupid question that they could have easily Googled for themselves, I give you this website.

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Best Inventions of 2008

Time Magazine has posted a list of the best inventions of 2008. Holy crap, are we doing “best of 2008” list already? It’s not even Thanksgiving yet!

From a genetic testing service to an invisibility cloak to an ingenious public bike system to the world's first moving skyscraper — here are TIME's picks for the top innovations of 2008

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Microsoft Lets Zune Subscribers Keep Tunes

I kinda like this idea of letting Zune subscribers chose ten songs a month to keep at no extra cost when you use their $14.99 service. This means that, for the price of a CD a month, you get all the music you can listen to and you get to keep ten songs you like the most. I think all music services should do this, what do you think?

Microsoft Corp. is giving an early holiday gift to people who pay for all-you-can-listen access to the Zune digital music store: 10 songs to keep each month, included in the $14.99 monthly subscription fee.

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MySpace Suicide Trial Underway

Well this ought to be interesting. That case in Missouri involving an adult woman that made a MySpace account to harass a 13 year old girl (that later committed suicide) is now underway.

Drew, 49, is charged with conspiracy and accessing protected computers without authorization to obtain information for the purpose of inflicting emotional distress on Megan Meier. The four charges each carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

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Sociable Robot Goo

What better way to interact with Facebook than an oozing stream of black goo all across your desk? Ummm, gross.

Our project offers an indirect way to deal with these problems. A virtual robot makes and keeps new contacts for you by taking over your virtual identity. Your only control over its decisions is through an interface representing the network itself : a black liquid surface covered by numerous spikes that stand for each of your “friends”. It is by altering the surface of this « liquid », that one can interact with the robot and influence his actions in the virtual world.

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IBM Awarded DARPA Funding for Cognitive Computing Collaboration

In an unprecedented undertaking, IBM Research and five leading universities are partnering to create computing systems that are expected to simulate and emulate the brain’s abilities for sensation, perception, action, interaction and cognition while rivaling its low power consumption and compact size.

The digital data explosion shows no signs of slowing down -- according to analyst firm IDC, the amount of digital data is growing at a mind-boggling 60 percent each year, giving businesses access to incredible new streams of information. But without the ability to monitor, analyze and react to this information in real-time, the majority of its value may be lost. Until the data is captured and analyzed, decisions or actions may be delayed. Cognitive computing offers the promise of systems that can integrate and analyze vast amounts of data from many sources in the blink of an eye, allowing businesses or individuals to make rapid decisions in time to have a significant impact.

Intel Corporation 2008 Top News Highlights

Intel celebrated its 40th anniversary this year, as the integrated circuit turned 50. Taking advantage of its 45 nanometer (nm) manufacturing and reinvented transistor prowess, Intel Corporation introduced a tremendous amount of new products, and achieved several R&D, environmental and corporate milestones this year. In addition to new products for Intel's traditional laptop, PC and server businesses, the company introduced a myriad of chips and technologies for new market segments and high-tech growth areas.

Left 4 Dead Fun and Games

Yes, we have work to do. Yes, we have piles of Core i7 benchmarks to analyze. Yes, we have been goofing off. My first non-demo outing in L4D went pretty damn good. Tons of fun and my ATI 4870x2 was clipping off more frames than I came close to needing at 25x16 with 2XAA turned on. So PC or Xbox 360? I think you know where I stand. I love my Xbox, but jeez, this IS a PC game for sure. Gamepad? Are you kidding me?

Judge Dismisses Psystar’s Claim Against Apple

A U.S. District Court judge threw out Psystar’s lawsuit against Apple that claimed the company is a “monopoly.” Apple’s lawsuit against Psystar is intact and moving forward. There was no comment from either company on today’s ruling.

With his ruling, U.S. District Judge William Alsup has handed Apple its latest victory against cloners that create and sell machines based on Apple's software. Psystar Ltd., based in Doral, Fla., was challenging Apple's requirement that only Apple-branded devices use its software, which Psystar contends illegally ties the sale of one product to another.

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NVIDIA GeForce 180.48 WHQL Drivers

The latest GeForce 180.84 WHQL drivers are out today, grab em’ if you need em’! There are drivers for Windows Vista 32-bit and Windows Vista 64-bit as well as for Windows XP 32-bit and Windows XP 64-bit. These drivers only support GeForce 8xxx series through the current crop of GTX 2xx cards, older GeForce cards need not apply.

[H]ardware Round-Up II

Cases & Modding

Lian Li Armorsuit PC-P60 (French) @ CowCotLand

ETC.

HannsG HG221AP 22-inch Widescreen LCD @ Bit-Tech

Power Supply

Lian Li PS-850GE PSU @ OCAholic

Video

MSI R4850 T2D512 Radeon HD 4850 @ Neoseeker

Texas Company Unveils World's First Hybrid-Core Computer

A revolutionary solution to the high-performance computing (HPC) industry’s expensive power, performance and programmability barriers launched today at SC08 in the form of the world’s first hybrid-core computer from new company Convey Computer Corporation . Created by the executive team that built Convex Computer, Convey fills a new market space called hybrid-core computing. Simply put, hybrid-core computing marries the low cost and simple programming model of a commodity system with the performance of customized hardware architecture.

The Convey HC-1™ integrates advanced, patent-pending computer architecture and compiler technology with commercial, off-the-shelf hardware – namely an Intel® Xeon® processor and Xilinx® Field Programmable Gate Arrays. The HC-1 features a Convey-engineered coprocessor with its own high-bandwidth, virtual memory addressed, cache-coherent memory subsystem in a scalable 2U chassis. Moreover, an ANSI standard development environment gives programmers 100 percent productivity and portability – an attribute unique to Convey.

BFG Technologies Offers Rebate Remedy

BFG Technologies has just let us know that, despite the recent financial troubles in the rebate industry, they have come up with a solution that will allow you to cash your rebate checks. Our hats are off to BFG for being proactive in handling a situation that was no fault of their own, hopefully we see more companies follow BFG’s lead. Hit the forum link below for the rest of the information.

One of our third-party rebate processing companies recently informed us that they are experiencing financial difficulties, and that the funds provided to them by BFG Technologies to pay rebate checks for certain BFG products were no longer available. We are happy to inform our rebate customers in the U.S. that BFG has corrected the situation, and you CAN cash your check to receive your rebate payment.

If you are not up to speed on what is happening in the rebate industry, read this.

Five Tech Predictions From 1968 That Came True

DVICE has a pretty cool list of five tech predictions from 1968 that were dead-on and five that…well, weren’t so dead on. This guy had some pretty amazing predictions. Even the ones that didn’t come true are still pretty close.

1968 PREDICTION "The single most important item in 2008 households is the computer… Computers also handle travel reservations, relay telephone messages, keep track of birthdays and anniversaries, compute taxes and even figure the monthly bills for electricity, water, telephone and other utilities."

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Window 7 Media Center On Video

Check out this video of Windows 7 Media Center in action (touch screen goodness). You can thank Deeper2k for the video.

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Ballmer Dismisses Yahoo Buyout But Open On Search

I saw this headline and had to do a double take. Seriously, how many times have we heard this now in the last six months? If it doesn’t happen this time, how many times will we see this headline in the future? Ugh, please let this be over soon.

Microsoft Corp. is no longer interested in buying all of Yahoo Inc., CEO Steve Ballmer said Wednesday, though he told shareholders that the company would still be "very open" to a collaboration on Internet search. His comments sent Yahoo shares diving by 12 percent. "Let me be clear," Ballmer said at Microsoft's annual shareholder meeting. "We are done with all acquisition discussions with Yahoo."

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