Especially if you are not already running an antivirus solution, this may be a good time to help them test.  It’s a novel concept, at the least . . .

I have a feeling the price point on these AMD 6-core chips makes a LOT more sense for most of us : http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/processors/phenom-ii/Pages/phenom-ii.aspx vs. the intel.

AMD 6-core pricing vs. Intel 6-core pricing

So you are thinking about upgrading your gaming rig or workstation to the latest AMD 6-core Phenom II X6 processor. While most of the components today will work with the new processor from AMD, not every case, power or cooler will provide the same level of performance to ensure optimal gaming or working experience. So here are some of today’s hottest products for you next upgrade! Case Armor A90< (P/N: VL90001W2Z) • Black Armor Design for Combat w/ Massive Protective Mesh Door & Drive Accesses. • 10 Drive Bays w/ Tool-Less Structural Mechanism. • Awesome Cooling Capability: Oversized Top 200mm Blue LED Fan, Rear 120mm TurboFan, Front 120mm Blue LED Fan (Supports 200mm Fan Upgrade) and Optional Side 120mm Fan Mount. Element V< • Full Tower w/ 12 Drive Bays & 7 Expansion Card Slots • 6 Color Shifting Modes & Speed Adjustable Cooling Fans for Optimal Gaming Experience. • Thermal Capability w/ 2 x 50mm, 3 x 120mm, 2x 200mm & 1 x 230mm Case Fans. V3 Black Edition< (P/N: VL80001W2Z) • Black Finishing Interior w/ 9 Drive Bays & 7 Expansion Card Slots • Omni Directional Thermal Solutions w/ Capability of Four 120mm Cooling Fans • Bottom-placed Power Supply Sign for Ease of Installation & Structure Gravitational Stability. Power Supply TR2 RX 750W < Cable Management (P/N:TRX-750M) • 80 PLUS Standard Certified: 80% or More Efficiency @ 20%, 50%, and 100% Load. • Ultra Quiet 140mm Cooling Fan delivers Excellent Airflow Thermal Solution. • Cable Management: Internal Airflow Improvement by Reducing Cable Clutter within PC to Promote accelerated Heat Removal. • 5 Years Outstanding Warranty Guarantee. Toughpower XT 775W < (P/N: TPX-775M) • 80 PLUS Bronze Certified: Provides up to 89% Effective Power Conversation to Cut-Down Electric Cost • NVIDIA SLI & ATi Cross Fire X Certified. • 24/7 @ 50 °C: Guaranteed to Deliver 775W Continuous Output Power • Fan Delay Cooling Technology: Dissipate Remaining System Shut-Off Heat – Prolonging System Lifetime. • Cable Management: Conveniently Save Space w/o Cluttering Un-Needed Cabling Spaces.. TR2 700W< (P/N: TR-700P) • 80 PLUS Standard Certified: 80% or More Efficiency @ 20%, 50%, and 100% Load. • Stable 700W Continuous Output 40 °C Operating Environment. • 99% Active Power Factor Correction provides Clean and Reliable Power CPU Cooler Frio< (P/N: CLP0564) • Ultimate Overclocking Thermal Structure Design • Dual 120mm Performance VR Fans • 5 X Ø8 mm U-Shaped Copper Heat Pipes for Accelerated Heat Conduction SpinQ VT< (P/N: CLP0554) • Optimized Spiral Aluminum Fins Structure & Smart 360° Airflow Design • Silent 80mm Blower VR Fan w/ Red LED • 3 X U-Shaped Heat Pipes ensures Ultra High Efficiency Contac 29< (P/N: CLP0568) • 3 X Ø8 mm Heat Pipes w/ Direct Contact processed Heat Sink for Rapid Heat Dissipation • Versatile Compatibility, No Cost for Future Processor Upgrades. • 2 Sets of Anti-Vibration Soft Mounts allow transforming compatibility of Second 120mm Fan. If you no longer wish to receive your newsletter from Thermaltake, please unsubscribe here

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Now playing: Creedence Clearwater Revival – Up Around The Bend
via FoxyTunes

Hey, I was making the same arguments, but I had no idea thousands of others cared enough to say so as well on Amazon.

To quote :

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15,508 of 16,094 people found the following review helpful: 1.0 out of 5 stars “We won’t get fooled again…”

August 17, 2009    By     C. BURNS “The Dude”
This review is from: The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy (Theatrical Editions + Digital Copy) [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

Some confusion among other reviewers that somehow we’re obligated to post a five star recommendation for the movie. This is an incorrect understanding of the review process. If I were reviewing the movie itself it would get a five. This review is for the product, as listed–in other words, I DO NOT RECOMMEND BUYING THIS PRODUCT/DVD. This product is being created FOR NO OTHER REASON than to dupe people into buying this movie twice…again. Those of us who were huge fans bought the original DVDs of the theatrical releases. THEN the studio FINALLY released the extended editions, even though they could have released both at the same time. Now that Blu Ray has won the High Def battle, the studios are salivating at screwing us all again the same way!

Please do not let them get away with pretending that Blu Ray can’t hold both versions on one disc–it certainly can! A simple menu option would let you watch the Extended Edition when you have time, or Theatrical Edition when you don’t.

Their other argument, that “Peter Jackson is busy working on The Hobbit and will work on Extended Editions later” is 100% total BS. He’s ALREADY DONE THE WORK–just copy what he did for the regular DVDs onto a new Blu Ray master!

BOTTOM-LINE: The studios will make whatever argument they think will fly to convince us they can’t put both versions on one disc, because they want to double their income on this movie. Which has ALREADY MADE THEM A BILLION DOLLARS. Don’t play along–let friends know not to buy ANY LOTR Blu Ray that doesn’t have BOTH versions on one disc.

Please do not let them get away with holding the extended edition hostage until everyone buys the theatrical versions.”

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Couldn’t have said it better myself, so there’s his quote.  BD technology is fine, but trying to truly double (I’m not talking a nominal fee, but doubling!) your sales, by running the same tired gag again is just sad. Of course, I was one of the many thousands who agreed with him, and so I hit the “Yes – Helpful Review” sort of button.

Great Trilogy, but disappointing release.  As much as I loved the films. I’ll pass until they can manage to fix this blatant fleecing policy.
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Now playing: AC/DC – Shot Down In Flames
via FoxyTunes

20 Smart Android Phone Tips and Tricks

For starters: customize your Android phone’s background. Some devices will even let you add a moving, interactive image. Just hit the menu button and select the Wallpaper option. Follow the directions to select images from your phone’s camera, images loaded onto your phone, or a default wallpaper. But images are just the beginning of what you can put on your desktop. Clever programmers have created dozens of widgets that can also be moved to your home screen. Press down on an empty spot of real estate on your home screen, and that will pull up a menu to let you add everything from widgets, to program shortcuts and folders. If you can bear to part with a little over $1, Beautiful Widgets from the Marketplace is a great place to start for finding home screen add-ons.

view the full tip list at http://www.tomsguide.com/us/pictures-story/160-Android-Smartphone-Tips-Tricks.html

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Now playing: Nirvana – Lithium
via FoxyTunes

As much as I admire how well my Garmin 1490T works, I think even devices like the new Garmin below are due for near-extinction in a few years.

The capability of the new Android phones, as well as the newer iPhones, is sure going to put a damper on single purpose devices. (why bluetooth link to your phone when you can dash-mount your phone, charge it there, and read it as a high-speed, fully featured GPS ???)

Tomtom even has that neat kit for the iPhone – wish the Androids had a mount like that, although I don’t need the receiver gain (I can typically get 8 satellites at middlin’ strength inside the center of the house!)

Anyway, here’s a new bit o’ Tech for ya

To view this email as a web page, go here.

Introducing the new nüvi - uniquely personal navigation. Sleek and stylish, yet loaded with new and enhanced Garmin navigation features. Just look at it. The new nüvi is so elegant, so refined, less than 9 mm thick. Such a beautiful design, it’s award winning . It features a bright, clear, multi-touch full-glass display that offers you the convenience of both landscape and portrait views. But don’t allow its good looks to deceive you. It’s a powerful piece of technology. What makes the new nüvi uniquely personal is the introduction of Garmin nüRoute™ technology with trafficTrends™ and myTrends™. As your new nüvi becomes better acquainted with your driving routines, it starts to recognize your routes by start location, end location, day of week, and time of day. It actually seems to learn your preferences, observe traffic flow and it may even start suggesting quicker ways to your destination. Just to be nice. Or is it because it hates to be late, too? There are three new nüvi models and all include everything previously mentioned and the convenience of lane assist with junction view to help you navigate complex highway interchanges. So whether you’re exploring the city or the world, on foot or by car, this new nüvi is your uniquely personal navigator. nüvi 3750 - Includes all the features mentioned above and more. nüvi 3760T - Offers everything available on the nüvi 3750 and adds subscription-free traffic alerts and hands-free calling compatibility. nüvi 3790T - Offers everything available with the nüvi 3760T and adds voice-activated navigation and 3-D building and terrain view. Did you know? Multi-touch Sure the new nüvi features the one finger drag to pan just like all touchscreen nüvis. But the new nüvi also responds to other simple finger taps and drags. There are 10 quick and convenient multi-touch commands in all. One finger drag: Pan like a nüvi always has. One finger tap: A map bubble gives location where you tapped. Double tap: Zoom in and center on tapped location. Two finger drag down: Changes perspective view to be more 3D. Two finger drag up: Changes perspective view to be more 2D. Two finger drag right: Rotates map to right. Two finger drag left: Rotates map to left. Two finger diagonal drag: Changes the perspective view and rotates at the same time. Pinch: Zooms in. Stretch: Zooms out. Cool Accessories . Portable Friction Mount Pliable, non-skid base molds to fit any dash. Easily moves from vehicle to vehicle. Order today! Lifetime Map Update nüMaps Lifetime™ subscription lets you download the newest map up to 4 times per year. Replacement suction cup Someone used your suction cup mount to hand a wreath on your glass storm door? Order a new one! It’s easy. This email is an advertisement. You have received this email because you are a registered member of myGarmin. To unsubscribe from future myGarmin advertising emails, please click here. Garmin, 1200 E. 151st Street, Olathe, Kansas 66062 | (913) 397-8200 Garmin.com | Privacy Policy

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Now playing: Jimi Hendrix – The Wind Cries Mary
via FoxyTunes

Accessing Ext3 and Ext2 partitions from Windows can be accomplished using a few different methods, as previously noted in (How to access a Linux partition from Windows). However, one of the easiest methods is by using a tool called Ext2Fsd. This tool ships with the drivers necessary for windows to detect and mount an Ext2 or Ext3 filesystem as read only or read/write. Additionally, Ext2Fsd comes with a Volume Manager and many other useful tools like mke2fs.exe (allowing you to actually create an ext2 formatted partition from windows). Installation is simple and straight forward.

Ext2Fsd – Ext2 Ex3 Volume Manager Screenshot

More at http://www.pendrivelinux.com/access-ext2-and-ext3-from-windows/

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Now playing: Rush – Tom Sawyer
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The 20 Best Firefox Extensions : The Firefox Universe

Accounting for roughly 30% of the total Web browser market, Firefox has gone from being a niche player a few years ago to a present-day browsing powerhouse. Firefox has seen three major releases and a bevy of smaller but still important updates along the way. Firefox 3.6 was released back in January, and like after all major Firefox updates, the Firefox-tweaking ecosystem has been revamped to accommodate the new code.

There are thousands of add-ons available for Firefox, so a truly comprehensive list is nearly impossible. However, we sifted through some of the best to come up with a list of 20 killer Firefox extensions that we’re willing to call “the best.” From improving the tab system to changing the interface to providing entertainment, these must-have Firefox add-ons are all free, compatible with Firefox 3.6.3 (the latest version) and generally compatible with each other.

(click on the picture above to get the rest of the article, mates!)
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Now playing: Johnny Cash – Singin’ in Vietnam Talkin’ Blues
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Wired Top Stories – E-Books Too Expensive?

Behold: The $20 DIY Book Scanner

By Charlie Sorrel  – April 9, 2010 7:14 am

http://goodphp.mirrors.phpclasses.org/package/4896-PHP-Create-and-parse-Torrent-files.html

Good stuff, and a very friendly author as well ! Merci, Adrien . . .

* @author   Adrien Gibrat <adrien.gibrat@gmail.com>
* @copyleft 2010 – Just use it!
* @license  http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html GNU General Public License version 3
* @version  Release: 1.0

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Now playing: Thomas Dolby – Pulp Culture
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Data compression is a subject that most of us typically take for granted. But in fact, it surrounds us: every installation package for a new piece of software and many file formats, such as JPEG for photos and various video and audio formats, depend on heavy compression to conserve storage space or transmission time and cost.

Users touch file compression first-hand when they need to work under certain restrictions when handling files. For example, having only one file to work with instead of many is often important for instance messenger- and FTP-based transfers. And getting a high compression ratio to fit data onto a fixed medium can be a critical factor as well.

But don’t forget that compression and decompression also take time, and the processing muscle required to make these processes worth waiting on can be substantial, especially when you start factoring in encryption as well. We’ve received a lot of feedback from our readers in response to the compression tools tested in our processor and platform benchmarks. So, today we’re looking at four different compression utilities: 7-Zip, FreeArc, WinRAR, and WinZip, comparing compression ratios and processing time. Which utility turns out to be the best?

There are plenty of software options available for storing, compressing, and archiving data in different ways. These tools no longer simply reduce file size and merge your input files into a single, manageable archive. They also support automatic downsizing of images, virus-checking, content-checking to avoid unnecessary compression of files that already are compressed, splitting, encrypting, and more.

Regardless of the value-added functionality your favorite tool includes, a comparison of compression programs typically comes down to performance and effectiveness (at least, when you ask enthusiasts). It’s important to realize a high compression ratio, ideally across as many file types as possible, and quick processing time is desirable, too. Most tools are capable of handling at least the popular ZIP format, and sometimes also RAR and/or LZH. Some tools claim to be more efficient or offer more flexibility. However, which format offers the best overall value when considering compression and processing time? Do all tools provide similar performance on common containers, such as ZIP?

We can’t possibly test all available compression tools, so we decided to focus on some of the most popular ones, based on your feedback in past stories. WinRAR and WinZip dominate the field, almost without question. 7-Zip and FreeArc were our additional choices. Let’s have a look at what these can do for you.

(for the full monty, err, details head to http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/archive-zip-compression,2572.html )

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Now playing: Creed – With Arms Wide Open
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