Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Its free and you didn't know it
With the ever escalating prices for essential software like Microsoft Office more attention is being focused on open-source (free) alternatives. One of note is Open Office and it provides the features the average user needs without the escalating cost of the brand name product. Venture over and take a quick tour. I was on board in the early days and, I must admit the user interface is drastically more intuitive. In fact, the latest major release was one of the most downloaded applications at its release. Servers were scurrying to keep up with demand but the wait was well worth it.
To give credit where credit is due, Microsoft has a program that allows Students and Teachers to purchase their products at greatly reduced prices. You can check that program out here. That's quite a discount given the fact that Microsoft Office 2007 costs anywhere from $199 to $399 depending on which features you need.
Another essential product that every computer user needs is an AntiVirus program. There are scores of free products out there but which one does the job without requiring too much user input. I have found AVG Antivirus-Free to be the least intrusive while maintaining a decent level of protection. I have used other vendors free products and was really irritated by how often I had to answer questions from pop-ups.
To keep your computer running optimal you need to scan for mal-ware and (Little malicious pieces of code or files) that are picked up from time to time. They elude almost all of the Anti-virus software I have used to include the big boy Symantec's offerings. One good application to install and run on a fairly frequent (depending on your surfing habits) basis is Malwarebytes. If you frequent sites that may be questionable frequently then buy it. It is worth every penny. The free versions requires you to manually update and run it at selected intervals while the paid version does it for you. If your computer has been running exceptionally slower than it used to, run Malwarebytes and you will probably be amazed at how many threats it catches.
Of the programs I have mentioned that offer free versions, if you find them particularly useful then please purchase the full version. They are usually very inexpensive and offer even more features you have grown to like.
To give credit where credit is due, Microsoft has a program that allows Students and Teachers to purchase their products at greatly reduced prices. You can check that program out here. That's quite a discount given the fact that Microsoft Office 2007 costs anywhere from $199 to $399 depending on which features you need.
Another essential product that every computer user needs is an AntiVirus program. There are scores of free products out there but which one does the job without requiring too much user input. I have found AVG Antivirus-Free to be the least intrusive while maintaining a decent level of protection. I have used other vendors free products and was really irritated by how often I had to answer questions from pop-ups.
To keep your computer running optimal you need to scan for mal-ware and (Little malicious pieces of code or files) that are picked up from time to time. They elude almost all of the Anti-virus software I have used to include the big boy Symantec's offerings. One good application to install and run on a fairly frequent (depending on your surfing habits) basis is Malwarebytes. If you frequent sites that may be questionable frequently then buy it. It is worth every penny. The free versions requires you to manually update and run it at selected intervals while the paid version does it for you. If your computer has been running exceptionally slower than it used to, run Malwarebytes and you will probably be amazed at how many threats it catches.
Of the programs I have mentioned that offer free versions, if you find them particularly useful then please purchase the full version. They are usually very inexpensive and offer even more features you have grown to like.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Coming Soon - We put the QNAP TS-639 NAS through the wringer
We have a QNAP TS-639 on the bench to see how it performs. As part of our normal test battery we will drop it from 1000 feet and then load it with 5 SG 7200.10's and see if the bugger boots or bogs. Stay tuned...
CollerMAster 2009 Modding Contest
Cooler Master's Global Modding Contest 2009 is now officially opened. The contest begins on July 1st, 2009 through September 30th, 2009 (last day to register is September 20th, 2009), then voting shall begin! The winners will be announced on Oct 15th, 2009.
This year we will have AWESOME prize packages for ALL the winners including the runner ups. So get your tools ready! We look forward to seeing all your Creative mods! May the best modder win!
More details here: 2009 Modding Contest
Make sure to review the rules, terms and conditions before you participate.
Fremont, CA - ASUS, a worldwide leader in innovations and technologies, is proud to announce that customers who purchase a qualifying PC between today, June 26th, and January 31, 2010 will receive a free* upgrade to Microsoft’s highly-anticipated upcoming operating system, Windows® 7. ASUS’ offering of this upgrade program allows its customers to shop with confidence from now until Windows 7 General Availability.
ASUS customers will be able to upgrade from Windows Vista® Home Premium, Windows Vista® Business and Windows Vista® Ultimate to a corresponding Windows® 7 operating system, while users who purchased eligible PCs and downgraded their operating systems from Windows Vista® to Windows® XP operating systems are also eligible for the upgrade program. The upgrade program applies to certain ASUS notebooks and desktops.
"ASUS is pleased to announce that our customers worldwide who purchase qualifying ASUS products now will be able to enjoy all that Windows 7 has to offer as soon as it is available," said Tony Chen, Vice President of ASUS System Business Group. "The Windows Upgrade Option program through ASUS gives our users the advantage of buying a qualifying ASUS notebook now, with the guarantee of an upgrade to Windows 7 once it is launched. ASUS engineers have kept close pace with the development of Windows 7 right from the beginning and have made every effort to provide the best computing experience. The ASUS Windows 7 Upgrade Offer will be free in the USA, while users from other parts of the world will be able to enjoy the upgrade for a nominal shipping and handling fee." "We are pleased with the level of collaboration between ASUS and Microsoft during the development of Windows 7," said Steve Guggenheimer, corporate vice president of the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) division at Microsoft. "With the Windows Upgrade Option Program, we can help our joint customers get a PC now and be ready to enjoy all the benefits of Windows 7 when it becomes available in October." Windows® Upgrade Option Program Procedures ASUS -- #1 in Reliability in North America
ASUS has made the upgrade process simple and easy to follow. Upon the purchase of a qualified ASUS product, customers need to register their PCs for the Windows® Upgrade Option Program via the official ASUS website at http://event.asus.com/2009/windows7. Once registered, users will receive their Windows® 7 upgrade kits after the General Availability Date. The upgrade website also lists qualifying ASUS products that are eligible for participation in the program.
ASUS has been ranked #1 in reliability for North American PC manufacturers, according to a report from PC repair company Rescuecom. In the report, which examines a company’s market share compared to the number of support calls it receives, Rescuecom scored ASUS the highest among all PC brands. ASUS’ ranking in the report was more than double that of the next-best company.
Back High Speed Wireless Router from ASUS Delivers Convenient Bandwidth Management and Enhanced Connectivity
ASUS RT-N16 Sets Wireless Networking Standards with Leading Performance, Exceptional Ease-of-use, and Intuitive Traffic Management Capabilities
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA - ASUS, a leading producer of innovative networking solutions, today announced the ASUS RT-N16, a technologically-advanced wireless router with a host of intuitive, easy-to-use features. ASUS RT-N16 is a Wireless-N Gigabit Router offering three "S's"—Speed for ultra-fast data transfers, Simplicity for unparalleled ease-of-use and ease-of-setup, and Security for absolute peace of mind when performing online tasks.
Speed: With a maximum wireless speed throughput of 300Mbps and 8xoperation, the ASUS RT-N16's data transfer performance is outstanding. It also enables 24/7 downloads to wireless clients even when PCs are turned off.
Simplicity: The ASUS RT-N16 is equipped with an innovative EZ UI which lets administrators easily setup and manage their network environments. Home and business users can seamlessly allocate bandwidth to suit their specific needs, share multimedia content and setup printer or scanner functions.
Security: With support for WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup), the ASUS RT-N16 lets users set up secure Wi-Fi Networks within minutes and lock down the network to prevent potential intrusion by unauthorized outsiders.
Back
High Speed Wireless Router from ASUS Delivers Convenient Bandwidth Management and Enhanced Connectivity
ASUS RT-N16 Sets Wireless Networking Standards with Leading Performance,
Exceptional Ease-of-use, and Intuitive Traffic Management Capabilities
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA (Jun 29th, 2009) - ASUS, a leading producer of innovative networking solutions, today announced the ASUS RT-N16, a technologically-advanced wireless router with a host of intuitive, easy-to-use features. ASUS RT-N16 is a Wireless-N Gigabit Router offering three "S's"—Speed for ultra-fast data transfers, Simplicity for unparalleled ease-of-use and ease-of-setup, and Security for absolute peace of mind when performing online tasks.
Speed: With a maximum wireless speed throughput of 300Mbps and 8xoperation, the ASUS RT-N16's data transfer performance is outstanding. It also enables 24/7 downloads to wireless clients even when PCs are turned off.
Simplicity: The ASUS RT-N16 is equipped with an innovative EZ UI which lets administrators easily setup and manage their network environments. Home and business users can seamlessly allocate bandwidth to suit their specific needs, share multimedia content and setup printer or scanner functions.
Security: With support for WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup), the ASUS RT-N16 lets users set up secure Wi-Fi Networks within minutes and lock down the network to prevent potential intrusion by unauthorized outsiders.
Speed: Engineered for 8xOperation and 300Mbps Performance
Ultra-fast and Convenient Downloads with the Revolutionary Download Master
The ASUS RT-N16 supports the latest Wireless-N Local Area Networking standard for wireless communication. Home users and businesses can experience the ultimate in wireless performance with data speeds up to 300Mbps. Combined with its powerful CPU, the ASUS RT-N16 delivers maximum bandwidth, ensuring effortless synchronous file transfers and downloads, flawless video streaming, incredibly low-ping wireless gaming, and VoIP calls with minimized jitter. Equipped with ample 128MB DDR2 video memory, it delivers exceptional multi-tasking with no system lag. Four Gigabit Ethernet ports are available for faster transfer of data-intensive files. Additionally, two USB ports enable the creation of a secure network for sharing photos, data, audio visual files, and network resources such as printers or storage devices.
Additionally, the Download Master provides up to 300,000 sessions for unparalleled P2P performance—offering 20 times the bandwidth oftraditional routers. P2P or BitTorrent downloads are accomplished rapidly with assurance of complete data transfers throughout the day—even when the users’ PCs are turned off. Despite such heavy loading, the ASUS RT-N16 can still allow more user connections onto the Internet, letting them run multimedia applications with ultra-stability.
Simple: Built with Easy Connectivity in Mind: EZ UI
The ASUS RT-N16 wireless router features EZ UI, a powerful graphical user interface that helps users manage their networks as well as set up a shared printer with great ease. Using auto-detection and network mapping capabilities, the wireless router simplifies the setup of multiple wireless clients. EZ UI comprises a host of innovative connectivity features such as the EZQoS, All-in-one printer, AiDisk, QIS (Quick Internet Setup), Network Map, Dr. Surf, and EZ MFP—all of which are controlled and managed through a single user interface.
EZQoS lets an administrator easily allocate bandwidth according to individual user needs, ensuring the smooth flow of data traffic and providing uninterrupted IP phone and A/V streaming. To support network usage of a shared printer, the EZ All-In-One Printer function allows multiple users to simultaneously access a printer and use its print and scan functions. Businesses can thus empower wireless users to perform printing tasks on networked printers without having to purchase a print server. AiDisk allows users to engage in file-sharing via the web in minutes
Security: Secure Data Communication with WPS Support
The ASUS RT-N16 keeps streaming data safe from prying eyes with built-in WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) capabilities. All data is automatically encrypted to prevent unauthorized viewing of information. WPS lets users set up secure Wi-Fi Networks within minutes and lock down the network to prevent potential intrusion by unauthorized outsiders.
Specifications
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA - ASUS, a leading producer of innovative networking solutions, today announced the ASUS RT-N16, a technologically-advanced wireless router with a host of intuitive, easy-to-use features. ASUS RT-N16 is a Wireless-N Gigabit Router offering three "S's"—Speed for ultra-fast data transfers, Simplicity for unparalleled ease-of-use and ease-of-setup, and Security for absolute peace of mind when performing online tasks.
Speed: With a maximum wireless speed throughput of 300Mbps and 8xoperation, the ASUS RT-N16's data transfer performance is outstanding. It also enables 24/7 downloads to wireless clients even when PCs are turned off.
Simplicity: The ASUS RT-N16 is equipped with an innovative EZ UI which lets administrators easily setup and manage their network environments. Home and business users can seamlessly allocate bandwidth to suit their specific needs, share multimedia content and setup printer or scanner functions.
Security: With support for WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup), the ASUS RT-N16 lets users set up secure Wi-Fi Networks within minutes and lock down the network to prevent potential intrusion by unauthorized outsiders.
Back
High Speed Wireless Router from ASUS Delivers Convenient Bandwidth Management and Enhanced Connectivity
ASUS RT-N16 Sets Wireless Networking Standards with Leading Performance,
Exceptional Ease-of-use, and Intuitive Traffic Management Capabilities
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA (Jun 29th, 2009) - ASUS, a leading producer of innovative networking solutions, today announced the ASUS RT-N16, a technologically-advanced wireless router with a host of intuitive, easy-to-use features. ASUS RT-N16 is a Wireless-N Gigabit Router offering three "S's"—Speed for ultra-fast data transfers, Simplicity for unparalleled ease-of-use and ease-of-setup, and Security for absolute peace of mind when performing online tasks.
Speed: With a maximum wireless speed throughput of 300Mbps and 8xoperation, the ASUS RT-N16's data transfer performance is outstanding. It also enables 24/7 downloads to wireless clients even when PCs are turned off.
Simplicity: The ASUS RT-N16 is equipped with an innovative EZ UI which lets administrators easily setup and manage their network environments. Home and business users can seamlessly allocate bandwidth to suit their specific needs, share multimedia content and setup printer or scanner functions.
Security: With support for WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup), the ASUS RT-N16 lets users set up secure Wi-Fi Networks within minutes and lock down the network to prevent potential intrusion by unauthorized outsiders.
Speed: Engineered for 8xOperation and 300Mbps Performance
Ultra-fast and Convenient Downloads with the Revolutionary Download Master
The ASUS RT-N16 supports the latest Wireless-N Local Area Networking standard for wireless communication. Home users and businesses can experience the ultimate in wireless performance with data speeds up to 300Mbps. Combined with its powerful CPU, the ASUS RT-N16 delivers maximum bandwidth, ensuring effortless synchronous file transfers and downloads, flawless video streaming, incredibly low-ping wireless gaming, and VoIP calls with minimized jitter. Equipped with ample 128MB DDR2 video memory, it delivers exceptional multi-tasking with no system lag. Four Gigabit Ethernet ports are available for faster transfer of data-intensive files. Additionally, two USB ports enable the creation of a secure network for sharing photos, data, audio visual files, and network resources such as printers or storage devices.
Additionally, the Download Master provides up to 300,000 sessions for unparalleled P2P performance—offering 20 times the bandwidth oftraditional routers. P2P or BitTorrent downloads are accomplished rapidly with assurance of complete data transfers throughout the day—even when the users’ PCs are turned off. Despite such heavy loading, the ASUS RT-N16 can still allow more user connections onto the Internet, letting them run multimedia applications with ultra-stability.
Simple: Built with Easy Connectivity in Mind: EZ UI
The ASUS RT-N16 wireless router features EZ UI, a powerful graphical user interface that helps users manage their networks as well as set up a shared printer with great ease. Using auto-detection and network mapping capabilities, the wireless router simplifies the setup of multiple wireless clients. EZ UI comprises a host of innovative connectivity features such as the EZQoS, All-in-one printer, AiDisk, QIS (Quick Internet Setup), Network Map, Dr. Surf, and EZ MFP—all of which are controlled and managed through a single user interface.
EZQoS lets an administrator easily allocate bandwidth according to individual user needs, ensuring the smooth flow of data traffic and providing uninterrupted IP phone and A/V streaming. To support network usage of a shared printer, the EZ All-In-One Printer function allows multiple users to simultaneously access a printer and use its print and scan functions. Businesses can thus empower wireless users to perform printing tasks on networked printers without having to purchase a print server. AiDisk allows users to engage in file-sharing via the web in minutes
Security: Secure Data Communication with WPS Support
The ASUS RT-N16 keeps streaming data safe from prying eyes with built-in WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) capabilities. All data is automatically encrypted to prevent unauthorized viewing of information. WPS lets users set up secure Wi-Fi Networks within minutes and lock down the network to prevent potential intrusion by unauthorized outsiders.
Specifications
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Motorola Delivers TETRA Solution with Innovative Fuel Cell Backup Power to Denmark’s SINE Network
Robust, environmentally-friendly TETRA solution backed up by fuel cell technology
June 30, 2009
GLOSTRUP, Denmark – 30 June, 2009 - Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today announced that a total of forty Motorola TETRA Base Stations with fuel cell back-up are now live across Denmark’s SINE public safety network, with approximately 50 planned and commissioned for installation throughout the remainder of the year.
The environmentally friendly, fuel cell-based back-up solution, which was developed with Dantherm Power, was installed to provide mission-critical operations with continuous secure communication across the nationwide SINE network in Denmark. It is the first network of its kind in the world.
“The use of our hydrogen fuel cell technology in mission-critical environments provides public safety networks across the country with uninterrupted network access.” says Per Albæk, CEO for Dantherm Power. “Our partnership with Motorola is a world’s first and we hope to continue developing innovative technology that helps professionals do their jobs more effectively.”
Government guidelines dictate that batteries or conventional generator solutions have to be provided as a backup for main power at critical locations or if the main power has regular outages. However, conventional diesel or petrol-based generators have a number of disadvantages, including carbon emissions and noise. Fuel cell technology offers a no carbon, low acoustic alternative to match the needs for TETRA base stations in challenging locations. They are proven in critical power back-up situations and can run for extended periods limited only by the supply of the hydrogen, and the only emission is water.
“Loss of power should never be an issue to professionals working in mission-critical or emergency environments, and Motorola has continued to invest in environmentally-friendly backup power systems for TETRA” said Jens Kristiansen, vice president and general manager, TETRA Global Products and Solutions, Motorola. “We are delighted that the SINE rollout has been such a success and we look forward to rolling out further hydrogen powered fuel cells in critical locations across Northern Europe.”
Where the fuel cell power system is being used at a TETRA base station in an emergency, and no main power is available, excess back-up power can be used to recharge TETRA radios, eliminating the need for the user to return to the base to recharge. Motorola has worked to ensure that as its TETRA technology is extended to more and more industries and locations, its solutions have remained cost-effective and environmentally friendly.
To learn more about Motorola’s environmental initiatives, visit our newly released 2008 Corporate Responsibility report at www.motorola.com/responsibility.
June 30, 2009
GLOSTRUP, Denmark – 30 June, 2009 - Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today announced that a total of forty Motorola TETRA Base Stations with fuel cell back-up are now live across Denmark’s SINE public safety network, with approximately 50 planned and commissioned for installation throughout the remainder of the year.
The environmentally friendly, fuel cell-based back-up solution, which was developed with Dantherm Power, was installed to provide mission-critical operations with continuous secure communication across the nationwide SINE network in Denmark. It is the first network of its kind in the world.
“The use of our hydrogen fuel cell technology in mission-critical environments provides public safety networks across the country with uninterrupted network access.” says Per Albæk, CEO for Dantherm Power. “Our partnership with Motorola is a world’s first and we hope to continue developing innovative technology that helps professionals do their jobs more effectively.”
Government guidelines dictate that batteries or conventional generator solutions have to be provided as a backup for main power at critical locations or if the main power has regular outages. However, conventional diesel or petrol-based generators have a number of disadvantages, including carbon emissions and noise. Fuel cell technology offers a no carbon, low acoustic alternative to match the needs for TETRA base stations in challenging locations. They are proven in critical power back-up situations and can run for extended periods limited only by the supply of the hydrogen, and the only emission is water.
“Loss of power should never be an issue to professionals working in mission-critical or emergency environments, and Motorola has continued to invest in environmentally-friendly backup power systems for TETRA” said Jens Kristiansen, vice president and general manager, TETRA Global Products and Solutions, Motorola. “We are delighted that the SINE rollout has been such a success and we look forward to rolling out further hydrogen powered fuel cells in critical locations across Northern Europe.”
Where the fuel cell power system is being used at a TETRA base station in an emergency, and no main power is available, excess back-up power can be used to recharge TETRA radios, eliminating the need for the user to return to the base to recharge. Motorola has worked to ensure that as its TETRA technology is extended to more and more industries and locations, its solutions have remained cost-effective and environmentally friendly.
To learn more about Motorola’s environmental initiatives, visit our newly released 2008 Corporate Responsibility report at www.motorola.com/responsibility.
Corsair® Launches New 128GB and 64GB Performance Series Solid State Drives
Fremont, CA. June 25, 2009. Corsair®, a worldwide leader in high-performance computer memory, power supplies and flash memory products, including solid-state drives, today announced two new products in its Performance Series SSD family: the P128 and P64 high-performance solid-state drives.
Building on the success of the award-winning P256 SSD, the Corsair P128 delivers the same 220MB/sec read speeds and 200MB/sec write speeds as its higher capacity cousin, at a lower cost. The P64 is one of the best-performing, lower-density SSDs available, with read speeds of up to 220MB/sec and write speeds of up to 120MB/sec. Both drives utilize the same cutting-edge technology as the P256, including a sophisticated Samsung controller IC with 128MB of cache memory and NCQ support to deliver class-leading, stutter-free performance.
“The high performance of the new Performance Series solid-state drives, combined with the inherent reliability and stability of flash technology, make them ideal for both new system builds and upgrades of desktops and notebooks,” said Jim Carlton, VP of Marking for Corsair. “These drives have also been extensively validated in a wide range of popular notebook computers, which means that you can upgrade with absolute confidence.”
The Corsair P128 solid-state drive is available immediately from Corsair’s authorized distributors and resellers worldwide, and is backed by a Two-Year Limited Warranty. The Corsair P64 solid-state drive will be available in early July. Complete customer support via telephone, email, forum and Tech Support Express is also available.
For more information on Corsair solid-state drives, please visit http://www.corsair.com/
Building on the success of the award-winning P256 SSD, the Corsair P128 delivers the same 220MB/sec read speeds and 200MB/sec write speeds as its higher capacity cousin, at a lower cost. The P64 is one of the best-performing, lower-density SSDs available, with read speeds of up to 220MB/sec and write speeds of up to 120MB/sec. Both drives utilize the same cutting-edge technology as the P256, including a sophisticated Samsung controller IC with 128MB of cache memory and NCQ support to deliver class-leading, stutter-free performance.
“The high performance of the new Performance Series solid-state drives, combined with the inherent reliability and stability of flash technology, make them ideal for both new system builds and upgrades of desktops and notebooks,” said Jim Carlton, VP of Marking for Corsair. “These drives have also been extensively validated in a wide range of popular notebook computers, which means that you can upgrade with absolute confidence.”
The Corsair P128 solid-state drive is available immediately from Corsair’s authorized distributors and resellers worldwide, and is backed by a Two-Year Limited Warranty. The Corsair P64 solid-state drive will be available in early July. Complete customer support via telephone, email, forum and Tech Support Express is also available.
For more information on Corsair solid-state drives, please visit http://www.corsair.com/
StudioGPU Ships MachStudio Pro "Supercharges 3D Workflow with Real-Time Finishing and Compositing
DMN Newswire--2009-6-30--
StudioGPU announced today the immediate availability of MachStudio Pro(tm), a professional 3D workflow and rendering package created by artists for artists. MachStudio Pro offers a seamless way to create and interact with cinematic quality 3D objects and environments in a non-linear workspace by leveraging the horsepower of off-the-shelf professional graphics processing units (GPUs) to deliver real-time and near real-time workflow performance on a desktop workstation.
MachStudio Pro streamlines real-time 3D workflow, allowing artists to easily manage and interact with complex lighting, caustics, cameras, shaders, materials, ambient occlusion, and color grading. With MachStudio Pro, render times can be dramatically reduced from hours to minutes and minutes to seconds or sub-seconds. Comparable final scenes are consistently rendered with MachStudio Pro at rates of 500 to 900 times faster than traditional rendering packages. A complex 1.98 million polygon high-definition image, for example, renders in 14 seconds using MachStudio Pro while the same scene rendered with a traditional rendering package can take more than three hours to complete.
"Attempts at real-time workflow on workstations for the past 30 years have been futile--until now," said Dr. Jon Peddie, founder and CEO, Jon Peddie Research. "Designed by real studio pros at StudioGPU, the MachStudio Pro product provides a design environment that professional artists and technical directors should recognize immediately. This software is fast, and it can run even faster using GPUs for real-time or near real-time 3D workflow," Peddie emphasized. "MachStudio Pro could very well change the way things are done for real-time productivity and rendering on the desktop."
"MachStudio Pro is a core part of our previsualization pipeline," said Jericca Cleland, director and CEO of Twenty One Inc., a cross-media film development and preproduction studio in Vancouver, British Columbia. "It removes the stranglehold traditional CG lighting and rendering has placed on production and provides a way for directors, supervisors, and artists to creatively explore and render lighting on the fly, enabling significant increases in efficiency throughout the process," Cleland explained. "With the fluidity of lighting in MachStudio Pro, we remain visually focused instead of technically focused during lighting, which greatly enhances our ability to host interactive sessions and deliver quality results to our clients without losing control of the budget."
Powered by a real-time rendering engine, MachStudio Pro software fits into the creative pipeline after all 3D models are produced and provides lighting, cameras, materials, compositing and finishing capabilities. The MachStudio Pro workflow is akin to a virtual 3D real-time studio environment, allowing artists, designers, directors, and TDs to work with lighting, camera views and multi-point perspectives for a real-time view of frames as they will appear in the final rendered format.
MachStudio Pro Features and Benefits
Developed and continuously proven in a true high-end production environment, MachStudio Pro empowers creativity with real-time 3D workflow and rendering features that eliminate the need for expensive render farms. Key features include:
For a complete MachStudio Pro list of features, product overview videos and related software and hardware requirements, please visit www.studiogpu.com.
A total out-of-box high-performance solution, MachStudio Pro ships with an AMD ATI FireGL(tm) V8650 3D workstation graphics accelerator card featuring 2 GB onboard graphics memory and a parallel processing Unified Shader architecture. Supporting a wide range of industries--from computer-aided design (CAD) visualization and 3D animation to top-quality film and broadcast projects-- MachStudio Pro offers seamless interoperability with leading professional 3D modeling, animation, and 3D CAD software packages. Artists, designers, and producers facing tight deadlines, hardware limitations, or rendering bottlenecks will ultimately benefit from the real-time workflow and GPU rendering performance advantages of MachStudio Pro.
"The ongoing commitment at AMD to offer its professional customers the fastest and most innovative GPU accelerated workstation graphics performance led to our technology relationship with StudioGPU," said Janet Matsuda, senior director, Professional Graphics, AMD. "The cutting-edge speed and performance that MachStudio Pro software offers, paired with the graphics performance of the ATI FireGL V8650 3D professional graphics accelerator card, removes performance barriers and gives production artists and technical directors a competitive edge vital to today's?finish it yesterday delivery expectations."
Pricing and Purchasing Information
MachStudio Pro is now shipping for Microsoft Windows XP Professional and Windows Vista operating systems, and comes standard with an AMD ATI FireGL(tm) V8650 3D workstation graphics accelerator card. The special introductory price of MachStudio Pro is $4,999 (USD MSRP), which includes a full year of technical support and product maintenance updates. Education and volume licensing is also available upon request. For more information about how MachStudio Pro can streamline a 3D-production pipeline or to locate a reseller, please visit the StudioGPU web site at www.studiogpu.com.
About StudioGPU
StudioGPU develops software and technology that frees digital artists from the creative shackles of time, money and resources. Founded by a group of 3D computer artists and engineers interested in improving the 3D-production pipeline, the companys flagship product, MachStudio Pro, harnesses the power of professional graphics processing units (GPUs) for real-time workflow and rendering. A standalone application with seamless support for popular modeling and animation packages, MachStudio Pro empowers artists and designers working in film, broadcast, game development, computer-assisted design (CAD), and pre- and postproduction to create and manipulate fully rendered film-quality 3D design and animation in real-time. StudioGPU is headquartered in Hollywood, Calif. For more information, visit www.studiogpu.com.
StudioGPU announced today the immediate availability of MachStudio Pro(tm), a professional 3D workflow and rendering package created by artists for artists. MachStudio Pro offers a seamless way to create and interact with cinematic quality 3D objects and environments in a non-linear workspace by leveraging the horsepower of off-the-shelf professional graphics processing units (GPUs) to deliver real-time and near real-time workflow performance on a desktop workstation.
MachStudio Pro streamlines real-time 3D workflow, allowing artists to easily manage and interact with complex lighting, caustics, cameras, shaders, materials, ambient occlusion, and color grading. With MachStudio Pro, render times can be dramatically reduced from hours to minutes and minutes to seconds or sub-seconds. Comparable final scenes are consistently rendered with MachStudio Pro at rates of 500 to 900 times faster than traditional rendering packages. A complex 1.98 million polygon high-definition image, for example, renders in 14 seconds using MachStudio Pro while the same scene rendered with a traditional rendering package can take more than three hours to complete.
"Attempts at real-time workflow on workstations for the past 30 years have been futile--until now," said Dr. Jon Peddie, founder and CEO, Jon Peddie Research. "Designed by real studio pros at StudioGPU, the MachStudio Pro product provides a design environment that professional artists and technical directors should recognize immediately. This software is fast, and it can run even faster using GPUs for real-time or near real-time 3D workflow," Peddie emphasized. "MachStudio Pro could very well change the way things are done for real-time productivity and rendering on the desktop."
"MachStudio Pro is a core part of our previsualization pipeline," said Jericca Cleland, director and CEO of Twenty One Inc., a cross-media film development and preproduction studio in Vancouver, British Columbia. "It removes the stranglehold traditional CG lighting and rendering has placed on production and provides a way for directors, supervisors, and artists to creatively explore and render lighting on the fly, enabling significant increases in efficiency throughout the process," Cleland explained. "With the fluidity of lighting in MachStudio Pro, we remain visually focused instead of technically focused during lighting, which greatly enhances our ability to host interactive sessions and deliver quality results to our clients without losing control of the budget."
Powered by a real-time rendering engine, MachStudio Pro software fits into the creative pipeline after all 3D models are produced and provides lighting, cameras, materials, compositing and finishing capabilities. The MachStudio Pro workflow is akin to a virtual 3D real-time studio environment, allowing artists, designers, directors, and TDs to work with lighting, camera views and multi-point perspectives for a real-time view of frames as they will appear in the final rendered format.
MachStudio Pro Features and Benefits
Developed and continuously proven in a true high-end production environment, MachStudio Pro empowers creativity with real-time 3D workflow and rendering features that eliminate the need for expensive render farms. Key features include:
- Optimized shader and material pipeline
- Ability to adjust and view all render passes independently
- Full materials library
- Interactive ambient occlusion (AO)
- Fully configurable lighting and animation constraint system
- Animatable and keyframeable properties for all objects, lights, cameras and materials
- Real-time High Dynamic Range (HDR) cameras and lighting
- Exporters to support a wide range of file formats, including Autodesk 3ds Max, Maya and .fbx formats
- Completely customizable interface with assignable hot keys, drag-and-drop tabs and fully functional scene manager
- Support for the creation of unlimited lights and gels
- Simulated global illumination, reflections, refractions and subsurface scattering
- Resolution independent with support for all popular final file formats and codecs
- Full Python scripting support
For a complete MachStudio Pro list of features, product overview videos and related software and hardware requirements, please visit www.studiogpu.com.
A total out-of-box high-performance solution, MachStudio Pro ships with an AMD ATI FireGL(tm) V8650 3D workstation graphics accelerator card featuring 2 GB onboard graphics memory and a parallel processing Unified Shader architecture. Supporting a wide range of industries--from computer-aided design (CAD) visualization and 3D animation to top-quality film and broadcast projects-- MachStudio Pro offers seamless interoperability with leading professional 3D modeling, animation, and 3D CAD software packages. Artists, designers, and producers facing tight deadlines, hardware limitations, or rendering bottlenecks will ultimately benefit from the real-time workflow and GPU rendering performance advantages of MachStudio Pro.
"The ongoing commitment at AMD to offer its professional customers the fastest and most innovative GPU accelerated workstation graphics performance led to our technology relationship with StudioGPU," said Janet Matsuda, senior director, Professional Graphics, AMD. "The cutting-edge speed and performance that MachStudio Pro software offers, paired with the graphics performance of the ATI FireGL V8650 3D professional graphics accelerator card, removes performance barriers and gives production artists and technical directors a competitive edge vital to today's?finish it yesterday delivery expectations."
Pricing and Purchasing Information
MachStudio Pro is now shipping for Microsoft Windows XP Professional and Windows Vista operating systems, and comes standard with an AMD ATI FireGL(tm) V8650 3D workstation graphics accelerator card. The special introductory price of MachStudio Pro is $4,999 (USD MSRP), which includes a full year of technical support and product maintenance updates. Education and volume licensing is also available upon request. For more information about how MachStudio Pro can streamline a 3D-production pipeline or to locate a reseller, please visit the StudioGPU web site at www.studiogpu.com.
About StudioGPU
StudioGPU develops software and technology that frees digital artists from the creative shackles of time, money and resources. Founded by a group of 3D computer artists and engineers interested in improving the 3D-production pipeline, the companys flagship product, MachStudio Pro, harnesses the power of professional graphics processing units (GPUs) for real-time workflow and rendering. A standalone application with seamless support for popular modeling and animation packages, MachStudio Pro empowers artists and designers working in film, broadcast, game development, computer-assisted design (CAD), and pre- and postproduction to create and manipulate fully rendered film-quality 3D design and animation in real-time. StudioGPU is headquartered in Hollywood, Calif. For more information, visit www.studiogpu.com.
Shopster.com Unveils Free Merchant Network
Social networking brought to online retail
CALGARY, June 30 /PRNewswire/ - Shopster.com announced today the launch of the world's largest online Merchant Network. The Shopster Merchant Network is a one-stop shop for online sellers and suppliers to manage all aspects of their business. Users of the network are empowered with tools to manage their buying and selling relationships. In an industry first, it is free to join.
"Shopster.com is introducing social networking for your products," says Sarath Samarasekera, CEO and co-founder of Shopster.com. "Sites like Facebook and LinkedIn struggle to monetize, but the Shopster network is about making money for our users which aligns our interests. Your success is our success, and it's free to join, so there really is no risk."
According to Paul McCluskey, Shopster's EVP Research and Development, the Network is the product of five years of e-commerce development and extensive research with Shopster's large existing user base.
"We wanted to release something that not only met, but exceeded the expectations of the market," says McCluskey. "The Merchant Network takes traditional software as a service (SaaS) and pushes it farther than ever before, growing more powerful and more useful with each new user. You don't use Shopster to run your business, Shopster is your business. Cheaper, faster, more powerful. What every network and every platform has been striving for."
In addition to providing a proven, stable platform for building online stores, the new Shopster Merchant Network will allow you to:
- Dramatically reduce inventory costs - Connect with suppliers and sellers immediately and manage those relationships - Integrate online commerce activities under one portal - Enhance search engine discoverability ("search engine optimization" or SEO) Merchants and suppliers are encouraged to sign up at http://www.shopster.com at no charge. About Shopster.com:
Founded in 2004, Shopster.com is an official eBay Solutions Partner that offers a suite of eCommerce solutions for small to medium sized business. Thousands of online merchants rely on Shopster from around the world. Shopster simplifies the complexities of online retail, allowing merchants to manage their store, transactions, and supply chain relationships in one easy to use place. Joining the Network is free, so merchants can focus on growth and relationships, not on costs.
SOURCE Shopster.com
CALGARY, June 30 /PRNewswire/ - Shopster.com announced today the launch of the world's largest online Merchant Network. The Shopster Merchant Network is a one-stop shop for online sellers and suppliers to manage all aspects of their business. Users of the network are empowered with tools to manage their buying and selling relationships. In an industry first, it is free to join.
"Shopster.com is introducing social networking for your products," says Sarath Samarasekera, CEO and co-founder of Shopster.com. "Sites like Facebook and LinkedIn struggle to monetize, but the Shopster network is about making money for our users which aligns our interests. Your success is our success, and it's free to join, so there really is no risk."
According to Paul McCluskey, Shopster's EVP Research and Development, the Network is the product of five years of e-commerce development and extensive research with Shopster's large existing user base.
"We wanted to release something that not only met, but exceeded the expectations of the market," says McCluskey. "The Merchant Network takes traditional software as a service (SaaS) and pushes it farther than ever before, growing more powerful and more useful with each new user. You don't use Shopster to run your business, Shopster is your business. Cheaper, faster, more powerful. What every network and every platform has been striving for."
In addition to providing a proven, stable platform for building online stores, the new Shopster Merchant Network will allow you to:
- Dramatically reduce inventory costs - Connect with suppliers and sellers immediately and manage those relationships - Integrate online commerce activities under one portal - Enhance search engine discoverability ("search engine optimization" or SEO) Merchants and suppliers are encouraged to sign up at http://www.shopster.com at no charge. About Shopster.com:
Founded in 2004, Shopster.com is an official eBay Solutions Partner that offers a suite of eCommerce solutions for small to medium sized business. Thousands of online merchants rely on Shopster from around the world. Shopster simplifies the complexities of online retail, allowing merchants to manage their store, transactions, and supply chain relationships in one easy to use place. Joining the Network is free, so merchants can focus on growth and relationships, not on costs.
SOURCE Shopster.com
Wester Digital Caviar Green Power 2TB Review
I was lucky yo get one of these from Western Digital early on, Now after using it for several months I find it to be a nice quiet drive with loads of capacity. I just don't want to put 2GB of data on a drive that is not at least in a RAID 1. A further concern is Western digital only gives a 3 year warranty on the consumer model compared to 5 years for the enterprise model.
In search of the best case
I have been using the Antec 900 for customer builds but it is a chore getting the cables in looking right. Plus, you have to slide out a section of the front to add drive. When you finally get the drives in the Antec 900 you barely have enough room to cable them. IF the case was just 2" longer it would be perfect. What do you guys think?
Pick the HD for your needs- carefully
All techs in the know realize that a computers storage system is the bottleneck of system performance. After all, That where your operating system is installed and the OS is polled constantly during the workstations tasks. Not to mention the fact you have cache that is an extension of your memory in files on the HD's you choose
Want to make a system faster and have the money?, Go fiber channel, after that your option is a good SAS card with great bandwidth. Don't expect a fast boot if you have a RAID controller in the comp as it has to run its own bios and parity checks.
I had convinced myself that a 4x Velociraptor setup on a true raid card (Adaptec w/Intel IO processor on board) was the best. I set bench marks close to 400MB/s in RAID5 (see below) and was truly happy. But then in practical use I would be watching a movie on Netflix (streamed through the comp) and moving files off the array to my new 6 disk NAS. I looked at the loads and the drive queue was the bottleneck not the processor. I had a Cisco gigabit switch and dual gigabit links from the NAS. I verified that I was "jack and jilling" across the connects.
Anyway to make a long story short, I replaced the velociraptors with SGE32's and was surprised. The Seagates had a better IO algorithm (Native Command Queuing II) and increased performance by 20% at 50% the price for 500GB drives.
You may not hammer your drives like I do . I download, check parity, unrar, and move files to different folders. I DL at 1.2MB/s and whatch netflix HD movies now. The only hiccup is when i decompress the rared files as this is all CPU.
If you run a game machine (as I do). Using a velociraptor as the main drive makes it scream but, for your workhorse machine it might be wise to pick a good drive with loads of cache and a good prioritization.
MY .02
Want to make a system faster and have the money?, Go fiber channel, after that your option is a good SAS card with great bandwidth. Don't expect a fast boot if you have a RAID controller in the comp as it has to run its own bios and parity checks.
I had convinced myself that a 4x Velociraptor setup on a true raid card (Adaptec w/Intel IO processor on board) was the best. I set bench marks close to 400MB/s in RAID5 (see below) and was truly happy. But then in practical use I would be watching a movie on Netflix (streamed through the comp) and moving files off the array to my new 6 disk NAS. I looked at the loads and the drive queue was the bottleneck not the processor. I had a Cisco gigabit switch and dual gigabit links from the NAS. I verified that I was "jack and jilling" across the connects.
Anyway to make a long story short, I replaced the velociraptors with SGE32's and was surprised. The Seagates had a better IO algorithm (Native Command Queuing II) and increased performance by 20% at 50% the price for 500GB drives.
You may not hammer your drives like I do . I download, check parity, unrar, and move files to different folders. I DL at 1.2MB/s and whatch netflix HD movies now. The only hiccup is when i decompress the rared files as this is all CPU.
If you run a game machine (as I do). Using a velociraptor as the main drive makes it scream but, for your workhorse machine it might be wise to pick a good drive with loads of cache and a good prioritization.
MY .02
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Reporting Gas Price Gouging
On Friday morning September 12th as Hurricane Ike approached Texas and the heart of our countries oil refinery infrastructure, gas stations began increasing gas prices in apprehension of perceived loss of production and reduced availability in the days ahead. Even as North Carolina (My Home State) Governor Easley told the media that the wholesale price of gas had only increased 20 cents some local gas stations had increased their prices by 40 to 50 cents and more. The gasoline industry is highly regulated and any form of price gouging is not to be tolerated. Governor Easley declared a state of “abnormal market disruption” — a designation that gives the N.C. attorney general’s office authority to enforce a law that prohibits unreasonably high prices. While this is a great move it still requires that those companies choosing to set prices at exorbitantly high levels be reported so that inquests may be made. A great way to report said companies is via the Department of Energy's Gas Price Watch Reporting Form available on the internet at http://gaswatch.energy.gov/.
As an extra measure, if you witness gas gouging by these companies and have a digital camera or cell phone with a digital camera, take a picture of the gas stations marquee showing the prices being charged. While the gas station companies employees or management may deny price gouging when presented with a filled out complaint, an actual photo of the prices in question is impossible to deny.
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