dwot » tech

This Is Sparta Techno Music Mix

shea — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:01:41 +0000

Just in case the Picard Song didn’t torture you enough, Chris thought this would be appropriate additional torture. Or, at the very least, payback for exposure to the Picard Song.

YouTube – This Is Sparta Techno Music Mix.

Investigating the Apple Tax: Part I – The iMac

shea — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:31:47 +0000

Apple earlier this week refreshed their desktops across the board. The all in one iMac, the spartan Mini and the workstation Mac Pro all got some new hardware. Does this hardware come at a premium? Is there an Apple Tax, a premium charged on hardware, unavoidable due to Apple’s closed platform? Consider the iMac, Apple’s flagship desktop line, available in all inclusive package with either a 20″ or 24″ LCD.

Base 20″ iMac
Processor: 2.66Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory: 2GB 1066 DDR3
Video: Integrated GeForce 9400M
Hard Drive: 320GB SATA
Monitor: Integrated 20″ LCD
Other features: Keyboard, Mouse, DVD Burner, Mac OS 10.5
Price: $1199

Fully Loaded 24″ iMac
Processor: 3.06Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory: 8GB 1066 DDR3
Video: ATi Radeon 4850 512MB
Hard Drive: 1TB SATA
Monitor: Integrated 24″ LCD
Other features: Keyboard, Mouse, DVD Burner, Mac OS 10.5
Price: $3249

Now, Mac OS 10.5 retails for $129, the Mighty Mouse and Apple Keyboard retail for $49 each. So we’ll round this up to $230 and credit each iMac. This gives us adjusted prices of

Base 20″ iMac
Original Price: $1199
OS/Accessory Credit: $230
Adjusted Price: $969

Fully Loaded 24″ iMac
Original Price: $3249
OS/Accessory Credit: $230
Adjusted Price: $3119

Now, for comparision, I’ve composed 2 systems from parts at Newegg.com. For each I’ve tried for a rough approximation of the hardware in the iMac. I’ve created “Wish Lists” for each to share them.

20″ dwotMock
Processor: 2.8Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory: 2GB 1066 DDR3
Video: GeForce 9400 GT 512MB*
Hard Drive: 320GB SATA
Monitor: Acer 20″ Widescreen LCD
Other features: DVD Burner, MicroATX Motherboard, MicroATX Case, 500W Power Supply, no OS
Price: $629.91

24″ dwotMock
Processor: 3.06 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory: 8GB 1066 DDR3
Video: ATI Radeon 4850 512MB
Hard Drive: 1TB SATA
Monitor: Acer 24″ Widescreen LCD
Other features: DVD Burner, MicroATX Motherboard, MicroATX Case, 500W Power Supply, no OS
Price: $1005.90

Savings over Adjusted Price

20″ dwotMock vs 20″ iMac
$339.09

24″ dwotMock vs 24″ iMac
$2113.10

Verdict? Well there’s certain concessions to be made, for certain. System building may not be for everyone, though it is certainly more simple that most would imagine. It’s not without it’s challenges, no one enjoys DOA parts and not everyone can troubleshoot a build gone bad. Off the shelf systems like the Mac often come with support, which I suppose someone has found useful sometime, though I couldn’t provide any evidence to support that conjecture.

There’s also the issue of Mac OS. No Apple Hardware, no Mac OS, right? Not quite. While Apple has certainly made their position clear with litigation, Macs run on standard hardware and there is an active underground scene dedicated to running Mac OS on non Apple hardware. It may not be for the Technophobe, but it’s certainly not impossible. Check out Lifehacker’s amazing Hackintosh guides.

That said, the 20″ dwotMock / iMac showdown gives the dwotMock a $339 edge, or 35% of the adjusted price. System building certainly has some financial benefit.

The 24″ dwotMock / iMac matchup, however, is a blow out. The dwotMock’s $2,113.10 edge is 68% of the loaded iMac’s price. For the cost of a loaded iMac you could build 3 equally spec’d PCs.

Check back later this week for our Mac Mini comparison.

Oscar Piracy Vending Machine

shea — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 23:48:13 +0000

From the brilliant Free Art & Technology, comes the latest piratical art installation, the “Pirate2Pirate Kopimi Station”. Simply insert USB stick, press button, receive Oscar winning films.

Art, Piracy and Free Culture, a beautiful thing.

F.A.T. » Pirate 2 Pirate Kopimi Station

Microsoft specs out ‘pay as you go’ PC scheme

shea — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 03:28:04 +0000

Cause everything is better in metered form! Dear Linux, gaming please now, thanks?

Microsoft specs out ‘pay as you go’ PC scheme

Text Messages Cost Carriers Nothing

shea — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 16:44:02 +0000

The mobile phone industry, kings of blatant consumer rape. Sure, we all know the perilous traps of Early Termination, suspect “fees”, mysterious “charges”, and horrendous customer service, but the real hot poker in the eye is the wild and wacky world of Text Messages. Wired does a nice job of breaking down the costs to the carrier ($0) and the vile micro-transaction model that rakes in the cash for carriers.

Text Messages Cost Carriers Nothing | Gadget Lab from Wired.com

Don Reisinger takes on CNN’s Election Failogram Tech

shea — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 22:40:46 +0000

Don Reisinger of CNET’s Digital Home breaks down the reasons why CNN’s hologram election gimmick was a sham.

Stop the insanity: CNN’s ‘hologram’ was horrendous | The Digital Home – Don Reisinger’s take on the tech closest to home – CNET News

When Life Imitates Webcomics…

shea — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:15:16 +0000

When life imitates webcomics, we are all doomed. And lo, the first harbinger of your animated apocalypse. Not too long ago, an xkcd comic proposed a fictional virus which read comments on You Tube aloud before they are posted. Today, You Tube unveiled a spiffy new feature, audio preview on comments. Bow before the power of xkcd.

xkcd » Blog Archive » Youtube Audio Preview

VLC Media Player Releases New Version

shea — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 12:44:42 +0000

VLC, the do it all, do it well, cross-platform, free and open source media playing powerhouse has dropped a new version as of yesterday. The new release adds even more supported formats, an updated UI, album art, improved library functions, and even YouTube support. VLC was already the king of all media players, but appears to have only gotten better. If you’re not using it, you really should check it out.

VLC media player