Mac Vs. the PC. To Serve or Not to Serve?

From the "I'll Show you Fast!!!" Dept.

Hi there.

What's faster, A Dual-1Ghz PowerMac, or a similarly priced x86-based computer?

Recently two articles were published by two reputable sources pitting Mac-based and x86-based (AMD/Intel) hardware against one another. The MacNightOwl wrote a rather interesting article using the famous "Photoshop-bake-offs" demonstrated by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computers. Charlie White, an award winning film editor and contributor to DigitalVideoediting.com performed similar benchmark testing on film compositing software.

Great articles. Both were jammed-packed with a slew graphs, analysis, etc.

So what's the "4-1-1" (quoting a pundit that is often used by my friend David Vu)?

Well, sometimes a Mac is faster, and sometimes a PC is faster.

I see......

These type of articles really drive me insane. They've caused a lot controversy among the tech-elite, of which I don't see an abatement anytime soon.

I T ' s    O N L Y    A    C O M P U T E R !

If it works for you, fine, but for me--I use whatever works best.

I guess I've grown out of the "How-many-FPS-can-my-computer-pump-out-in-QuakeIII" stage of live.

Not that I don't keep up with hardware advances anymore, but benchmarks don't tell the whole story; they never have.

These two articles above show that.

For now, I'll just putter along on my iBook and aging AMD K6-3+ 550 MHz desktop.

From the "To Serve, or Not To Serve?" Dept

The above question is about turning your Mac OS X box into a server.

Recently, I wrote that Apple is now charging my iTools service.

Already, the more technical of the Macintosh-community have posted solutions on making your own "iTools" service, using the built-in Unix-technologies found in Apple's own OS X.

Ironic, isn't it? That Apple's own OS can be used to replace the services that they now want to charge for.

Now, I've been thinking about doing this ever since Kevin did it. I think it's a very convenient solution...truly ultra-chic in a Geeky sort of way. It's just so damn cool.

Some thoughts though:

• I would never put any of my mac hardware on-line, especially if it is my priimary workstation. It's too much of a security risk and imposes strain on some very expensive hardware.
• Linux on an old x86-desktop/notebook is a proven solution.
• I'm not to sure how well OS X handles as a server OS. Sure it's Unix underneath, but the OS imposes an already significant performance overhead (It does however, work great as a test environment with its built-in apache, PHP, Perl, and an almost effortless mySQL installation procedure).
• How secure is OS X? I don't know, and I'm not willing to find out.
• Making a home server costs $$ in terms of energy used, hardware upkeep, etc. That doesn't include the time (and frustration) it takes to acutally setup and administer your own box.
• Finally, running a server on my cable connection is illegal....<cough, cough>

Right now, I use an ISP, blacksun.ca, to host my page and email. They offer an excellent service, top notch support, plus they're dirt cheap. Their lite account, is only $10 CDN a month for 25 MB of Web Space, an open CGI/Perl bin, FrontPage extensions, 5 IMAP Email Addresses, plus website tracking software to boot.

They're by far the best ISP I've found in Canada.

For $20 CDN a month, their business account they give you all of the above plus 100 MB Space, a shell account, PHP/mySQL, ASP, and other stuff to boot.

Amazing service. I really recommend them.

But away from the shameless plug--I think having your own server is cool.

It demonstrates that you are truly a Zen-uber-techno-L33T-user.

If I ever do free up that old Pentium-200MMX, the first thing I'm doing is installing Linux and going crazy.

Cheers

-T

Weekend Review: Roxy Blu, BBQ, Jen's Co-workers

From the "Roxy Blu Blues" Dept.

So this Friday, Aneil, Eric, Cris, Flo, Le, Rob, Warren, Rinki, Joyce and I went out to Roxy Blu. It was okay.

I wasn't a fan of the music that they were playing. The DJs were mixing these Retro, 70's inspired, Fusion Jazz House beats. It wasn't bad, but to me, the music was meant for chillin'; I wasn't in the mood to dance.

It's funny, Jen really digs that type of music, and I've always wondered where she feels that emotional attachment from. She's was born in 1978--so It's not like she was a child of the seventies... (I shouldn't be speaking either...I'm only a year older than she is). She was kind of upset that Flo, Eric, Aneil and I wanted to leave early.

Went out to Amato's Pizza--gourmet pizza at bargain prices, I had a Vanilla Coke, wasn't too impressed. It's much sweeter. It doesn't have that bite at the end that Classic Coke has, but it does have a pleasant French Vanilla taste at the end. I guess you could call it smooth, if not flat.

Besides at 2:00 AM in the morning, all that sugar and caffeine kept my awake well past 5:00 AM. Didn't sleep well at all.

From the "Broken House" Dept."

Sometimes I swear that the house is falling apart. First the Dryer, then the Stove, then the Washing Machine, then the central Vacuum...

The front yard is a mess, the Water Heater sprung a leak, and the Roof is leaking.

Excellent.

Well, I guess I'm fortunate in that the roof leak and the water heater leak are very small....

Besides, I've noticed that a lot of our neighbors are getting their houses re-roofed, so after 16 years of living here on-and-off, I think it's high time to do something about it.

As for the Water Heater Leak, I'll call Enbridge.

From the "Saturday Extravaganza" Dept.

Slept unwell because of the Vanilla Coke and a leaky air mattress ("What could me more comfortable than sleeping on Air?").

Went out and watched Austin Powers 3: Gold Member. It has an absolutely great beginning. It's better than number 2, but not as good, or as fresh as his first movie. The character Gold Member was a really stupid villain.

Jen and I then went to a Birthday BBQ @ Brenda's house. It was nice. Lot's of people. We left early to go downtown and hook up with some of Jen's co-workers. Spent some time at an Irish Pub (Flonn McCool's I think) and then went to the Keg.

[Click the More link to read more about my time with Jen's co-workers [READ: Very Introspective.]

That was an interesting experience.

Jen works at Accenture, an IT consulting firm (formerly known as Andersen Consulting). I met her co-workers Shig and Kamal. Nice guys. Shig is going to work out in BC this Monday (he's been assigned there for a year-and-a-half!!).

Now, when I get together with co-workers, one of the things that I keep in mind is that we shouldn't talk about work. In fact, this was a lesson I learned back in my Humantech day's from a consultant named Jamie.

Tai: "So guys, what do you think of that XXXX contract." Group: <uncomfortable silence> Jamie: "Dude! Don't talk about work now...we're trying to have a nice evening [outside of work]."

It kind of "clicked" for me.

Now when I was with Jen and her co-workers...work pretty much all they talked about.

Here are some informal statements that I've been forced <snicker> to conclude about where Jen works:

• A lot of people have bad breath [Halitosis]
• A lot of people swear and gripe in the confines of their cubicle, alone by themselves
• Half the people there are "crazy" or "stupid"

This makes for some great anecdotes, sure. However, it gets kind of irritating for the outside person looking inside (namely me).

I mentioned this to Jen while we were driving back uptown. I wondered out loud why the dinner conversation gravitated towards work at Accenture (I tried to change subjects on several occasions but was rebuffed each time). Jen didn't know why--I think she was kind of embarrassed, actually. I could only conclude that working at Accenture--well, that makes up most of your life.

Unsettling.

Jen mentioned something anecdotal, but significant none-the-less. Apparently if a person begins work at Accenture while single, they invariably find a boyfriend/girlfriend, possibly even a husband/wife from within Accenture. Those who bring in a partner, and manage to stay together, often marry said partner. Those who bring in a partner, but break up while at Accenture usually find another person from within the company (or they leave the company and make amends with said partner)

Co-workers make strange (if not appropriate) bedfellows, i think.

Now, I would lie if I said that I didn't have the occasional doubt or two about my relationship with Jen, but it never lessens my resolve. However, after that night--it really made me think.

Not doubt, but think. [Need to clarify that point]

Does that make any sense?

Well, regardless, I'm still in love with Jen, and I still intend to marry her, but if she begins to only talk about work...well, it's obvious what I would do.

How about that for introspection?

Tai

Two Interesting Facts

From the "Psychomotor Repository" Dept."

Hey all,

Just wanted to talk about two facts that I found out recently...something that I've been wondering for years...

Sometimes as I lie in bed, right before I fall asleep--I'll jerk up awake in a rather violent "twitch".

Now I know that this doesn't sound to interesting, in fact, I'm sure all of you who are reading this right now know that this is a common occurence.

Well, over the years I've come to realise and sense this "half-awake, half-asleep" state. I also observed that the "twitch" was localized to a specific body part; the body part that I was half-dreaming about.

So let's say if I was in this "half-awake, half asleep" state. If I enivisioned myself throwing a punch with my right hand, my right arm would violently jerk up, waking me in the process.

Now the amazing thing is that this phenomenon actually has a name.

It's called a "Myoclonic Twitch" or "Hypnic Twitch".

How did I find this out? Well, I was reading a book, a graphic novel, written by Neil Gaiman....

I checked the word out, apparently "Myoclonic Twitch" is a little old, and the correct, or modern way to say it is "Hypnic Twitch".

I'm finally glad that this phenomena has a name. Byron is happy because he can now explain why he punched Cris in the face while sleeping.

From the "Big Brother is Watching" Dept.

Aneil and Eric pointed this out to me.

Apparently there is a list of words that cannot be used as your MSN Messenger handle. They include, but are not limited to:

• problem
• member
• message
• MSN

Weird.

As Eric said in the following MSN conversation:

My Mac Infactuation: The Bait and Switch

From the "Mac's are sooo much more expensive than a PC" Dept.

Hi all,

Just wanted to rant about how my favourite computer company is doing some very bad things to its loyal supporters.

In December 2001 I purchased a top of the line iBook from Apple Computer for just over $3000 CDN.

Specs for you tech-heads:

• 600 MHz G3 Processor
• 640 MBytes RAM
• 8MB ATI Rage128Mobility Graphics
• 12-inch TFT XGA display (1024x768)
• 15GB HDD
• DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo Drive

It weighs less than 5 lbs, has firewire and USB to boot--it's pretty sweet.

I love the size and form-factor.

Now, my main beef with the iBook is that the operating system really bogs down what I feel is reasonably fast hardware. I don't think you'll get any arguments from anyone who uses Apple's Mac OS X. It's downright pokey on my iBook.

Now, currently the OS is at version 10.1.5, but a new version of Mac OS X, labelled 10.2, and codenamed, Jaguar, will be released August 27th.

Now, from what I've read, the OS is suppose to pack a wallop of a performance increase, even on older hardware. Although, I daresay that my 7-month old iBook is old.

Finally, an OS upgrade that doesn't slow down your computer.

Here's the problem: There's no upgrade deal for it. I have to buy a full version of OS 10.2 at $195 CDN. That's pricey.

To add insult-to-injury, Apple iTools, a free service that Apple provided to its customers (a 5 MB @mac.com IMAP Email account, 20MB of online Files storage, a greeting card service and a Webpage/photo gallery), that was advertised on the box that my iBook shipped no less, is now requiring users to pay $100 USD to keep their accounts active.

Now, I don't use iTools all that much, but damn yo! that's not the way you keep customers, or make PC users switch to the mac platform....

I should note that the newly rebranded iTools, called .Mac (dot-mac), does add significant functionality (15 MB IMAP email account, 100 MB of File storage, back-up software for you computer, Anti-Viral program for your computer, Online Calendar, etc).

<sigh>

Needless to say, a lot of people in the Macintosh community feel betrayed.

Personally, I don't blame Apple. The days were Free-stuff on the Internet are way over--it costs money to run their service. However, I'm pissed because Apple didn't give me much of a choice. Well, no choices at all, really.

You either spend the money to upgrade the operating system to 10.2, or you stay with 10.1.5.

You either spend the money to upgrade to the .MAC service, or you drop your iTools account and email account.

Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't care. Microsoft does this all the time with their OS.

However, it's the principle of it. Mac OS X is an "incomplete" operating system. It's cool, it looks great, but it lacks certain functionality, speed and polish. Even Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO admits it, "Mac OS 10.1 is only half-way there", and won't be finished until some time in 2003 when OS XI (10.3?) is released. A lot of people are asking, why should I pay for functionality that was promised all the way back when OS 10.0 was release back in May 2001? Moreover, a lot of people feel that they already pay a premium for the hardware (they do) and that the OS and especially the iTools/.Mac service was bundled with the the hardware.

Apple is a hardware company, right?

It sucks to own a Macintosh computer these days.

I'm very fortunate that I didn't switch all my email and stuff over to iTools, or I'd be fleeced for an account that was advertised as a free service to all Mac users.

I think the OS upgrade is worth it. So I'll spend the $200 CDN on that.

As for the new .Mac service (iTools), I'd rather spend my money upgrading the functionality of this site (PHP-mySQL support + 100 MB storage).

Now I don't know how everyone else feels about this. I truly think that mac's are more expensive than PCs, but you get what you pay for I feel. I just wish I had a choice.

Cheers,

Tai

Week(s) in Review: Wasaga to TONIC

Hey all,

I've think I've vacuumed my house 3 times since I got the Hoover. The floors seem to be bereft of dust (human skin cells now).

That's definitely a good thing.

Some things that have happened since I last wrote:

• I finished my contract at Critical Path; Update: Just got paid (Tuesday)
• working on a new contract proposal for Voice XML testing -- very cool.
• Looking to get a new digital camera

Chung invited a bunch of us (Kev, Buk, Ha, Karen, Jesse, and myself) to a condo in Collingwood, ON.

This condo was amazing. 3 Bedrooms, 4 double beds, 3 bathrooms--thanks to Raymond for supplying us with the sweet pad for the 3 days we were there.

The weather was great too with the exception for Thursday (which rained). Atleast my legs are no longer bone white.

Very cool, lots of fun.

Highlights:

• Beach Fun -- See the pictures at Kev's Site
• Drinking at 11AM in the morning
• A wicked Lightning storm
• Lying on the docks at 3AM in the morning
• Assaulting Jesse and Karen with a Banana
• Eating said banana (I was hungry...)
• Fresh bread

Last Saturday, we gathered at TONIC night club I had a great time. Jen and I don't normally club together (on account that we were off term from each other, and I was usually away from TO when we first started going out). It was a total Waterloo Reunion....one big Asian Jam. Just like back in the day...

I had a great time (lots of great people, it was Matt's b-day, and there were a lot of HOT Asian chicks).

Jen had an okay time: people kept stepping on her feet.

Still have half a roll of film to develop...when I finish the roll, if I ever, I'll post them online.

Cheers,

-T

Battle against the Dust-Bunnies

From the "Eek, my house is filthy" Dept.

Hi All,

Another untimely update from your friendly, neighborhood Usability Specialist. Last week, I was in the zone, working like a madman to finish my deliverables for Critical Path. Whew...sometimes, I have to admit, I even manage to impress myself.

I was really focused, and super productive.

Umm, this weekend past, I was suppose to go to Cris's BBQ, but had to pass because of work obligations (yet again). Too bad, a lot of people were there, and it sounded like they all had a good time.

One great thing though: I bought a new vaccuum for the house.

For those of you who don't know, the appliances in my house seem to be dying off, one-after-the-other.

First the Dryer and the oven, then the Washing Machine, and then the Central Vacuum.

So we had to repair the dryer, replace the washing machine, and this weekend past, bought a new vacuum.

Instead of replacing the Central Vacuum, we decided to go back to an upright.

$350 CDN for a Hoover WindTunnel� Bagless - U5750900.

I must say, I am very impressed with it.

It's ugly (but then again, I don't think aesthetics were on the minds of the product designers when this thing was being built), but man does it suck--and I mean that in a good way.

This thing was picking stuff from our carpet that really made my family open our eyes. Jeez. We had to change the cannister 3 or 4 times when we cleaned the house. EEK.

My room alone filled up 1/3 of the cannister. It even managed to pick up Jen's hair.

Pros:

• Super suction and dirt lifting capabilities
• An extremely long cord
• Floor-level adjustment
• Bagless Design
• Three-year guarantee on the HEPA filter

Cons:

• Heavier than it looks
• Messy to clean
• HEPA needs to be "dusted"
• HEPA filter is expensive ($70 CDN)
• Loud

I found that if the HEPA filter gets completely covered in Dust, you have to remove it and tap the walls of the filter in order to knock off the sides of the filter to improve the airflow. That seems to stop the dust from leaking from the cannister.

I honestly think my house smells cleaner.

We will probably vaccuum again just to make sure the carpets are clean.

Cheers,

-T

My Long Weekend: Day 2 of 3

From the "Canada Day Long Weekend" Dept.

Well, it's 11:30pm Sunday night. It is Day 2 of my 3 day long weekend.

I have to admit, it's very difficult to work when you're suppose to be on holiday.

I've managed to complete 1 1/2 reports of the 4 reports that are suppose to be done. Not as productive as I would have hoped, but hey, it is the weekend, right?

I cut my hair today. A little on the short-side, but in a week it will be fine.

I'm always amazed at how much hair I'm managed to cut away. It's a very liberating experience--I liken it to shaving (another infrequent past-time for me). Very cleansing; almost spiritual.

My contract at Critical Path ends soon, so I'll be looking for a new job.

Hmm...I hope I am more focused than I was in my prior sabbatical. I am fearful that I might move into that blue-funk again....Especially with the release of such games as Neverwinter Nights (D'n'D RPG --the way it was meant to be on the computer) and Warcraft 3 (hey, it's made by Blizzard, so it has to be good, right?), I am worried that I may be spending the summer playing video games rather than looking for full-time work.

Now, I know I'm too smart to let something like that happen, but man...I've been waiting for these games to come out for such a long time. Especially, Neverwinter Nights. However, I have to admit, I don't own any computer hardware that could play these games (not even on my 6-month old iBook). So the likelihood of such a summer is not in the cards.

From the "What do I do when I get Paid" Dept.

I am getting paid soon, and I'm wondering what should I spend my money on?

Next to paying off bills and debt, I'm thinking one of three toys:

• a Digital Still Camera,
• a Digital Video Camera, or
• a computer upgrade for my PC

Now I know I don't need a computer upgrade. There's no reason for me to spend the 800 dollars and move my K6-3 550 MHz to an Athlon 1800+ (w/ an ABIT KR7A mobo, 512 MB of PC2100 DDRAM, and a RADEON 7500 64MB + misc hardware). My computer does everything just fine (except for games...).

So it's a toss up for Digital Video or a Digital Still Camera. I know it would be more affordable for the Digital Still Camera (probably a Canon Powershot S30 or G2-- while my co-worker Peter isn't a fan of either camera's aesthetic, even he admits that they're both good cameras with competitive features). As for a Digital Video camera, I'd probably go with either a low end Canon or Sony.

I don' t know. I don't own a camera, so I'm not "picture crazy" like some of my friends who INSIST on documenting our lives on film. Moreover, what would I do with a DV Cam? Make ASB #3?

From the "Books that inspire Right-Side of my Brain" Dept.

I found an interesting book called "Batman :: ANIMATED" in Indigo Books last Friday. Fascinating. It's about Batman: the Animated Series. I've always liked the series. I've seen every episode and most of the feature-length, animated movies. I love the art design and the direction of each episode--very adult sometimes. The book talks about the series, how the characters were developed, and the inspiration for some of the better known episodes. It has a really rich, graphical layout too. Perhaps, the most amazing thing about it are the full page spreads of some of the storyboards used in the series. Fabulous. I'm always amazed at how an cartoon or movie can be manfuctured from a sequence of still pictures.

I'm kicking myself for not buying it. Damn. It WAS $45 CDN, so it wasn't cheap. However, in hindsight, it's one of those books that really can inspire the atrophied right-hemisphere of my brain.

If any of you do find that book and like it, I would also suggest "Batman Collected" by Chip Kidd.

Anway, I have to hit the sack and wake up early to do some major work.

Cheers,

-T