I started playing with with 3D modelling software (Blender, Wings 3D, and MakeHuman) and was graphically (pun intended) shown just how old and slow my ATI 9250 graphics card really is. The older GPU has are several problems which are individually tolerable, but, when taken together, you've basically hit a wall.
I'm shopping around for a replacement card. I have three basic constraints: I'm on a very tight budget, I want an ATI GPU, and it must be an AGP card. AGP?! Yup, I'm not replacing the motherboard yet (see constraint #1) so that's the way it has to be. An older design such as this ATI 3650 should be adequate.
Nvidia may offer better performance but that really only matters to serious gamers. Nvidia's closed source Linux drivers are actually very good, but since AMD released the programming documentation for ATI GPUs, the open source drivers for have been improving slowly but steadily. They are far from perfect yet but with proper documentation available, it's only a matter of time.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
FlashForward
What surprised me about FlashForward was that I kept watching it. The first few episodes were not promising. The series felt too much like a soap opera and had too many gun battles, almost one per episode. The proof that I was hooked came when I resumed following the series after it returned from a three month hiatus.
I was in the minority. A steady decline in ratings ensured that the series would not be renewed. I've been wondering why the show was not able to hold the viewers. It certainly wasn't a terrible series and it catered to the prime time crowd more than the scifi enthusiast.
Perhaps the series reminded too many people of Lost, which seemed to have disappointed many of the loyal viewers who stuck with it for six seasons. There's very little in the first season of FlashForward to indicate that its creators had a long term plan for the series.
Except for the final episode, that is. There's another backout and this time we see flashes as far into the future as 2015. That does suggest there is a long term story arc, but we'll never know now. The folks who gave up on the series, were right as they were spared the cliffhanger ending of an unfinished series.
I was in the minority. A steady decline in ratings ensured that the series would not be renewed. I've been wondering why the show was not able to hold the viewers. It certainly wasn't a terrible series and it catered to the prime time crowd more than the scifi enthusiast.
Perhaps the series reminded too many people of Lost, which seemed to have disappointed many of the loyal viewers who stuck with it for six seasons. There's very little in the first season of FlashForward to indicate that its creators had a long term plan for the series.
Except for the final episode, that is. There's another backout and this time we see flashes as far into the future as 2015. That does suggest there is a long term story arc, but we'll never know now. The folks who gave up on the series, were right as they were spared the cliffhanger ending of an unfinished series.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Ookami Kakushi
Ookami Kakushi is a great mystery anime series. The first episode is just everyday happenings and yet is one of the creepiest I've ever seen. You are left feeling that something is not right. It is one of the few times I've been completely hooked on a series after only the first episode. I won't spoil the mystery but it is completely resolved by the end of the series. However, there are more story possibilities which suggests there may a second season anyway.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Kobato
Kobato is a wonderful anime series but going into too much detail would ruin the story. The title character is a lovable ditz with a heart of gold and unstoppable tenacity. The story has a fairy tale ending but any other ending would have ruined the story. Watch this anime with your girlfriend, or your wife and family, and keep the Kleenex handy because you are going to need it.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Bill C-32
Bill C-32 is the latest attempt to change Canadian copyright law. The U.S. copyright lobbyists should be mighty pleased with the result since it gives them everything they could ever want. The Bill makes breaking a digital lock illegal and that provision trumps everything else in proposed legislation. What good is expanded fair dealing if a digital lock prevents you from exercising your rights.
The Bill distinguishes between commercial and non-commercial infringement but only to the extent that the penalties are greatly reduced for non-commercial infringement. I wonder whether this encourage or discourage suites against file sharers in Canada. It could go either way, since the difference between the minimum and maximum penalty is quite large ($100-5000). It seems tailor made for outfits like the US Copyright Group who have turned copyright law suits into a business model.
The Bill may make web sites like isoHunt illegal if they are deemed to have no other purpose other than to facilitate infringement. Note how this conveniently lets mainstream search engines off the hook. I smell a rat.
Bill C-32 is bad. Michael Geist thinks it can be fixed if we make enough noise. The problem is, we made lots of noise during the copyright consultation last year, and if C-32 is any indication, we were completely ignored.
The Bill distinguishes between commercial and non-commercial infringement but only to the extent that the penalties are greatly reduced for non-commercial infringement. I wonder whether this encourage or discourage suites against file sharers in Canada. It could go either way, since the difference between the minimum and maximum penalty is quite large ($100-5000). It seems tailor made for outfits like the US Copyright Group who have turned copyright law suits into a business model.
The Bill may make web sites like isoHunt illegal if they are deemed to have no other purpose other than to facilitate infringement. Note how this conveniently lets mainstream search engines off the hook. I smell a rat.
Bill C-32 is bad. Michael Geist thinks it can be fixed if we make enough noise. The problem is, we made lots of noise during the copyright consultation last year, and if C-32 is any indication, we were completely ignored.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
WRC Portugal 2010
Obviously, nobody told Ogier that road sweeping slows you down! He took over the lead on stage four and never relinquished it, despite having the disadvantage of sweeping the road. Even the mighty Loeb wasn't able to chase Ogier down and Loeb had to settle for second. The fact that Ogier didn't succumb to the pressure, confirms that he is a world champion in the making.
The fight for third became equally intense on day three with Sordo, Petter Solberg, and Hirvonen all in contention for the last podium position. In the end, Sordo was quickest while Solberg had some bad luck and fell back to fifth.
Day three was a real nail biter much like New Zealand was. When so many drivers are pushing themselves to the limit, there's a greater chance of it all going wrong. Unlike New Zealand, Portugal was a straight fight to the finish and Ogier won the rally on merit alone.
What's going on with Hirvonen this year? He started the season in good form with a win in Sweden, but has since faded away, never finishing higher than third. Although there is excellent competition this year, they are only squabbling over second place in the championship. If Hirvonen doesn't up his game soon, he is going to hand Loeb a seventh drivers' title on a silver platter.
The fight for third became equally intense on day three with Sordo, Petter Solberg, and Hirvonen all in contention for the last podium position. In the end, Sordo was quickest while Solberg had some bad luck and fell back to fifth.
Day three was a real nail biter much like New Zealand was. When so many drivers are pushing themselves to the limit, there's a greater chance of it all going wrong. Unlike New Zealand, Portugal was a straight fight to the finish and Ogier won the rally on merit alone.
What's going on with Hirvonen this year? He started the season in good form with a win in Sweden, but has since faded away, never finishing higher than third. Although there is excellent competition this year, they are only squabbling over second place in the championship. If Hirvonen doesn't up his game soon, he is going to hand Loeb a seventh drivers' title on a silver platter.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Colourful Log Entries
With No. 19 Squadron routinely engaging German aircraft, I was surprised by how much detail was in the log entries. Here are two examples. I did not expect such colourful descriptions of the combat manoeuvres. This only makes sense if the reports are straight summaries of the debriefing sessions where the pilots might have recounted how they attacked the enemy an aircraft. I wonder if it was common practice to those details into the squadron logs. It certainly makes for much more dramatic reading.
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