Independant Bitchfest (Rokodo)

Just a quick update for you all. Recently I purchased the domain astoni.sh and now I am running a seperate blog over at http://rokodo.astoni.sh so I will probably be blogging there more often than here. Be sure to watch both, who knows where I will post next!? Well me actually. But that's beside the point.

Rokodo

PC cases really grind my gears (Rokodo)

Above: New case - Click to enlarge

So I'm on my third desktop case. That's right, my third one. I was actually quite happy with my last acrylic one until screws kept shattering on it. Why it is that I seem to be having such rotten luck with my current desktop I do not know. I think the majority of the problems stem from the fact that I keep wanting to add things inside the case - every time you unscrew shit, it becomes weaker. -3-

Anyhow, I just received my latest case today. It's an Akasa Eclipse 62. Now, Akasa didn't design the chassis themselves. It's actually a fairly old design that was intended to be used for tower servers. I chose it because it has awesome airflow and loads of space inside to keep my CPU and other components cool. In fact, I overclocked my Intel Core i7-920 by another 200MHz from 4 to 4.2GHz - this baby flies! And; it still runs 50-60C instead of 70-80C as it did in the old acrylic case. This is a real stress off the mind knowing that my CPU isn't likely to melt any time soon. Practicality and longevity is what I wanted from this case. Hence why I didn't spring for an Antec 1200 - too many LEDs, man!

The only downside of this case appears to be a small flaw in the finish on one corner of the top (roof) panel. However, I ordered this online so it is inevitable for it not to have a dink or two in it. This is just one of those things you have to accept when you buy online. It is a shame I couldn't find a cheaper counterpart of the same chassis, the Eclipse seems to be the only one being sold in the UK right now. Other than these issues it is very sturdy and seeing as it is an aluminium case I consider it to be fairly good value. Fingers crossed that nothing goes wrong with it, I would recommend this Full ATX case as a sensible and practical component housing solution to any system builder for a workstation or server.

If I can find the same chassis under a more generic brand at a considerably cheaper cost I will most definitely consider it for a build in the future, perhaps a personal file server.

TTYL,

Rokodo

Fruits of my Labour (Rokodo)

I used the last stable release of TYPOlight (recently changed name to Contao) CMS in order to set up the website of the COMENIUS Project that I am currently taking part in at my adjoined school/sixth form college. Having learnt from my mistakes by testing various things with my personal site, I was able to set up this one with relative ease. You can check it out at http://www.comeniusteenager.net right now, but the majority of the website is still under construction as content is being added by various people from various sources. The site will continue to be in development until roughly this time next year. The majority of the graphics were made using Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended, but the animated gif on the home page was made using Adobe Premiere Elements 7 and E.M. Total Video Converter Standard version 3.50.

Ciao.
Rokodo

Site Design (Rokodo)

Backend: What I see as site admin when updating the site.
Frontend: What the user sees when they are browsing the site.

I attained some space on my friend's server so I could practice with the implementation of a website via the TYPOlight open source Content Management System (CMS). I will spare you the details and revelations of the horror of implementing the drop-down menu. Essentially I modified the default template including modifying some of the Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) of the default template to suit my needs, as well as creating new graphics. You can view the website here for now, until the domain changes which is highly likely to happen at some point in the future. (Note that some things are likely to be broken in terms of page design, because for some reason after the daily site maintainance I noticed it had ruined my hard work of positioning the navbar.) The beauty of using a CMS is you can update pages and change site structure via the backend with relative ease, without having to constantly maintain individual pages and uploading them manually. The site's theme can be modified and instantly applied across all the pages of the site by modifying a CSS file and uploading that, as opposed to downloading each individual page and changing each one manually. This is the reason why most reputable companies use a website with a CMS along with CSS controlled themes. Information is easier to track, design changes can be implemented across hundreds or even thousands of pages with ease, and one does not have to worry about inconsistencies in page design.

Ciao.
Rokodo

MediaPingas (Rokodo)

Above: Click thumbnail to view a larger version of the image.

So a few days ago I decided I wanted a music library/playlist application that was lightweight enough for me to run on my system in conjunction with a wide range of other programs, as well as handling FLAC lossless audio decoding (along with MP3 of course). One can only manage with VLC media player for so long before manually browsing for each file tires them for good. I therefore decided to give MediaMonkey 3 a try, and opted to plump for the full Gold version of the program.

I am highly impressed with the features and customization options of the program, though a professional and usable custom background for the playlist may be a tad difficult to achieve for the average end user. I used my proficiency in Photoshop to modify an existing piece of artwork to fit in with one of the default skins provided with the program. There is also an option to use an image on the directory tree if wished, as well as on the "now playing" background. The program itself can be viewed without skins in a native to windows form, but this rather detracts from the aesthetic appeal of the application. As would be expected, the columns for information of and relating to each music track can be swapped around to the left and right of each other by clicking and dragging the named tabs such as "Title" and "Artist". Columns can also be resized outwards to show extended amounts of text, or inwards to allow more columns to fit without having to use the horizontal scroll bar at the bottom of the playlist. This feature ensures that the information that you want to see first and foremost is shown exactly that way.

In terms of decoding quality for FLAC audio I was slightly disappointed. The internal codecs, to my ears, do not produce as crisp or as an appealing tone as the internal codecs used by VLC media player at the time of writing. Pure audio output clarity is one area where I have found VLC media player nigh on impossible to be beaten. Having said this, there may be a way to tweak output settings to my personal preferences as the program is quite complex, and I have not yet explored all of its subdirectories and options. It may also be a possibility to find and replace the codec manually, replacing the current one with one from VLC media player. In any case, I cannot blame the program itself for my ears. It is likely that different individuals with different audio setups will have different opinions on this matter.

All in all I would say that this is a very well rounded program that should sufficiently serve anyone looking for an iTunes or foobar2000 alternative on a Windows based operating system.


Until next time.
Rokodo

fffff FUCK, ROKO. (Agnes)

Jesus, man. That is one monster blog post. I still need to read it. =|

Anyway, hi. Life is running smoothly for now. Went through some complicated times and whatnot. For example, auditions for a thing called Night of the Arts. Night of the Arts is a special performance that consists of Band, Orchestra, and Chorus all performing songs in one huge concert, along with other artistic-related things, such as decorative cooking. Anyway, back to the frustrating story. My Chorus teacher has been working my Chorus so hard lately to make everything perfect. The other day, she finally lost her mind and decided to say these words:

"Now I want all of you to go home, listen to your CDs, and practice your part for the song. If you don't have it perfect for auditions, you won't be participating in this concert. AT ALL."

Yeah, scary shit. By the way, the song is Michael Jackson Melody. It's awesome. I love Sam Tsui and Kurt Hugo. But yeah, I simply got through the damn thing. Made it anyway. I felt bad for my friend who tried out for Solos, though. To be honest... she never stood a chance against those who sang as well.

And in other news, as of May 15, 2010, I will be absent for basically the entire day. 8:00 AM to 10:30 PM.

Which means I have to go to bed early on Friday just so I can get my ass to the school for HOLIDAY WORLD. <3 Fuuuun day. I can't wait. I'll be on every other ride. I'm so excited. Squeeee!

In other news, I don't have wireless internet anymore. My network adapter died on me and I had to move around so much stuff today just to plug in the damn Ethernet cord. Ugh, never again. Oh, and my Skype is active now. Yay! You can add me on Skype. I'm aggydon, I believe. I often sing a lot, especially with Derekku Chan.

Anywho, enough of my ranting. I'm off.

Xem bạn,
Agnes

Price versus performance for CPUs (Rokodo)

Source

Note: I've included a breakdown of my ideas at the bottom of the article. Skip to here if you have a low IQ/attention span.

If you're looking to invest in a new computer or a new motherboard/CPU combo and you're wondering the best way to ensure the most "bang for your buck" in terms of all round computing, here is the answer. The most bottom right processor indicates the most powerful processor for the best value, however the AMD Phenom II range is not necessarily bleeding edge in terms of pure performance. Obviously one must consider along with the processor savings over, say, an Intel Core i7 processor, the savings on the supporting motherboard and RAM. On a Phenom II you use a relatively cheap AM3 based motherboard, and you have the option of running the cheaper DDR2 RAM as opposed to the expensive DDR3 that is compulsary for both Core i5 and Core i7 CPUs. In addition to this, the AM3 platform is likely to have an extended life by comparison to Intel's LGA1156 or 1366 sockets. I have the feeling that Intel will drop one, if not both of these platforms before AMD cuts the life support on AM3.

Keeping the same CPU socket is important if you're one of those people who likes to upgrade their machine fairly frequently. The cost of a new motherboard along with a new CPU may be too expensive. In addition to this, the platform may also be suited for those who wish to keep an older machine running. Say your Phenom II dies within a few years, you could possibly replace it with AMD's next high end CPU. By that time of course, this one could be obselete, but that isn't important if you just want to keep an older machine running at the same or slightly higher operating capacity. And again, we come back to the issue of the supporting parts. I feel that LGA1156 and LGA1366 motherboards will still be quite pricey, even in 2011. The case is probably not going to be the same for AM3 boards. Intel can afford to hike prices for their newest products for a relatively long time period, because there are so many computer enthusiasts who are willing to pay a premium for their top tier components.

One thing that I have noticed about Intel vs. AMD myself is that in terms of general computing and multitasking, Intel seems to have the upper hand. I am not a biased person, owning both Intel and AMD based computers. At my school we have computers in our study centre with mostly the same specs, but some use a Pentium dual core and some use an AMD Athlon X2, both at roughly the same unit of GHz. Both processors are also built on a 65nm process. However, the Pentium machines are noticeably faster running Windows XP.

What would my advice be? Well, if you want a ridiculously cheap dual core desktop for general use, I say you should invest in a present day single core AMD Sempron and unlock the second core. This is the cheapest method of getting a dual core processor. If you're looking for a high end gaming machine, then you should aim for an LGA1366 Core i7 machine. If you still want some power for gaming without ridiculous pricing then you might consider getting hold of a budget Pentium processor such as an LGA775 model, specifically E5200 or E5400, and overclocking it to 4GHz or so with the aid of a sufficient cooling fan. The stock fan simply will not do for overclocking, in any case, so look up your options for your socket platform and CPU if you plan to overclock more than a few hundred MHz. This solution is still just fine for gaming if you would rather pump more funding towards an amazing GPU - this is more important than the CPU in gaming, really.

If you're interested in running a HTPC (home theatre pc), even for full HD video, then pretty much any Athlon X2 or Pentium dual core upwards will work. For an HTPC you want a processor that is fairly quick and powerful but also runs quite cool so you don't need a big noisey fan to cool it and ruin your movie experience. (Also note that most HTPC cases have built in cooling solutions so the industrial strength fan idea goes out the window!) I recently read an article on amazon UK where a reviewer said he bought a 2.6GHz Pentium E5300 and managed to overclock it at an acceptable temperature to 3GHz in an HTPC. This speed is more than sufficient for full HD video, assuming that you have a decent graphics solution too. (Can anyone say "dedicated video card"?)

My recommendations for CPUs at different computing levels:

Basic use/office work - AMD Sempron unlocked to dual core/overclocked or, if you're feeling snazzy, Athlon X2 energy efficient.
Good value general use/gaming - Athlon X2 or Pentium dual core (e.g. E5400) overclocked (there is also a Phenom II X2 which can potentially be unlocked to quad core) coupled with mid range/high end GPU.
Video encoding - High end dual core e.g. Phenom II X2 or preferably a quad core Phenom II X4/Socket LGA1366 Core i7 coupled with mid range/high end GPU.
High end gaming/bleeding edge/Crysis/bragging etc. - Socket LGA1366 Core i7 coupled with ultra high end GPU(s).