:Editor's Note: That Slow Down and Think Time of Year
Editor's Note: That Slow Down and Think Time of Year Dec 23, 2009, 23 :32 UTC (7 Talkback[s]) (4575 reads) (Other stories by Carla Schroder)
by Carla Schroder Managing Editor
Here we are at year end already, and for me the pace is going to slow down a bit until after the New Year. I plan to mix up some inside and outside activities, and rack up a long-distance phone bill talking to family. What's on your downtime to-do list?
This is a beautiful time of the year in my little corner of the world. It is cold and crisp, the bitey insects are gone, and at night the stargazing is prime. I plan to fool around with some computer projects, get in a couple of hikes, and loaf. This is a natural time of year for some contemplation and renewal, and while I'm fresh out of deep thoughts, loafing sounds good. I have a paycheck and a home, which is worth spending a few moments being thankful for.
It's a good time to refresh connections with friends and family. I have a large extended family--they're everywhere. We've lost a few recently, and there is also a growing new generation. I'm a great-aunt eight times over, which is a bit mind-blowing because my great-aunts were frail little old ladies. I'm not frail and dangit, I still have a couple-three good years left.
Multicore Upgrade
The great Upgrade the Studio Computer project, which I have talked about in previous Editor's Notes, is on hold for now. I was investigating saving some money by upgrading from a single-core Athlon to a multi-core Athlon or Phenom, rather than going to Intel. Unfortunately, my motherboard has some limitations that get in the way. It's an AM2+ board, but the CPUs that I like are AM3. Theoretically a BIOS flash would add AM3 support, but I've been down that road before and it's chancy, and I don't feel like fooling around with it. Especially since most vendors have restrictive CPU return policies, and I have to mail-order everything.
It's tolerable for the time being; I'm going to wait until I can buy an Intel Core Duo CPU and board, which are what I really want anyway. Meanwhile, Newegg has some nice buys on quiet Antec cases, like the Antec Solo, which is my current favorite mid-tower case.
Though that may take a back seat to some new power tools--cordless lithium-ion tools are great. I'm sure I can invent some reasons to justify having them.
What's on your calendar for the rest of the year?
This isn't really a holiday greeting, but I think it's a wonderful sentiment to share:
