I made the kayaking plunge!

My pal Ken came through again with a great introduction to kayaking this weekend. He set me up with an “Perception RPM demo” rental. It was a great fit, and kayaks are all about getting a really good fit. You basically wrap yourself up in an airtight container of pvc and rubber, and with this straightjacket on, you shoot yourself down the rapids. You instantly become one with the water, and the smallest rapid becomes hard work and bunches of fun.

The ExpertThe Clown


«-Ken

Me-»

[9.0] Monsoon Wedding

The Ladies

Monsoon Wedding has a dozen or more well-developed characters, all involved in the whirlwind of activity preparing for an arranged marriage. There are lots of great little subplots, bringing out the weaknesses and strenths of each of the characters. You’ll find something (or someone) to love in this one for sure.

Week off outta nowhere

After spending 25 hours straight getting my part (the GUI) of our “power outage management” software through a gruelling “performance test” for Chicago’s electricity utility provider, my boss said “I don’t wanna see you for a week”. Ha, cool!

So we spent the week swimming, ice skating, making cookies, making new “Age of Empires” scenarios, getting back to our new “alternative” movie theater, reading, and playing cards past the midnight hour hoohoo! It was a great, relaxing time.

[9.0] Enigma

English and Scottish accents, bad Nazis, lots of fun plot twists, cute smart girl-next-door that beats out the bombshell, and ENCRYPTION! How can you go wrong?

I would see any movie weird enough to have cyptography as the main theme, but I would have never thought I would get to watch it with my wife. And then that she would actually enjoy it. Fun!

Choosy customers choose PRICEWATCH!

> This is a reminder to email your brother since your brain is not
> functioning! He wants the complete specs, price list, and photos of the
> PCs that you are constructing! Give him the vendor web sites and do it
> NOW!!! If this doesn’t get you to remember, then I will never speak to
> you again!
>
> Does that jog your memory? eh? ;-)

OK punk, here it is, read it and weep. BTW, all this comes from

W W W . P R I C E W A T C H . C O M

which is where all hardcore pc enthusiasts do their shopping.

Just be ready to put a stop on your credit card if ya get screwed by some random “entrepreneur” hoooohoooo!

Today’s prices, INCLUDING SHIPPING (tomorrow’s will be cheaper):

mobo $129 http://www.gameve.com/store/gameve_viewitem.asp?idproduct=334
cpu $108 http://www.tcwo.com/cgi-bin/webc.cgi/st_prod.html?p_prodid=1390 (get the $20 heatsink/fan)
mem $ 66 http://www.edgemicro.com/go.asp?&ic=PC2100256
case $ 77 http://63.74.13.42/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=electroseller&Product_Code=3508-400w
(get two extra case fans)
vid $152 http://avlogic.com/product.cgi?code=11002239
hd $ 70 http://www.esystor.com/shop/IPS003.asp?ProCd=HASAM6003H&LClssCd=000&LClssNm=
———
$602 TO YOUR DOOR! All you need is a screwdriver. :>

UPDATE: Check the comments for a warning on the CPU component.

LAN party on, Garth!

Don’t know if ya can call it a party, there were only 3 of us, but…

Chau gave Jason and me a nice Tribes ][ clinic. I was on my afore-mentioned TI4200 board, and not to be outdone, Jason picked one up that very night (along with a $15(!!) copy of T2). Despite being completely out-GPU’ed, Chau skooled us real good.

Update: CHAU HAS FALLEN! :P See comments…

Update: CHAU HAS BACKUP! Aaaaaa!! Duck and cover!