Author: Mike Cline, T/X Resources
I’m sure by now, most of our blog visitors have heard about external hard drives. However, if you aren’t familiar with them, they simply allow you to add a hard drive to a computer by attaching it externally (via a plugin socket), instead of having to take the computer apart, and installing the drive internally.
This technology, which is commonly used for storing data, or backup files, has essentially replaced most tape drives. It has been around for quite a while, so I would also guess that many have even purchased “ready-built” enclosures, or like me, built their own.
See the larger Adobe Reader pdf file.
Author: Mike Cline, T/X Resources
How cool is this? I just found a new online spreadsheet application that allows you to share, collaborate, and publish spreadsheets that actually work when they are posted on a website, or blog. EditGrid received a very good rating from PC Magazine. The concept is somewhat similar to what is already being done with the online spreadsheet applications of Google Docs, and Zoho. However, the company focuses all of its efforts on the spreadsheet application solely, and apparently does a much better job at it, than either of its competitors.
Author: Mike Cline, T/X Resources
If you’re like me you probably spend long hours at the computer. Because of this, it’s easy to develop Repetative Stress Injuries (RSI) if you’ve improperly positioned yourself, your computer equipment, or your office furniture.
I just ran across a few websites that may be helpful and informative as to the proper, ergonomic placement of these items.
The U.S. Governments Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) website provides a lot of useful information concerning Computer Workstations, and provides a Workstation Checklist, and Workstation Purchasing Checklist, Good Working Positions, and Selecting Workstation Components .
Even with the correct design and placement of the workstation, RSI can become a problem unless the risk factors are reduced by Work Process and Recognition, and the Workstation Environment.
Author: Mike Cline, T/X Resources
Being in business for myself, I have to wear several “hats” during the day. Not only am I a Geophysicist, but also must be adept at geology, marketing/sales, finance, etc. (and now running a blog). Whew, sometimes there doesn’t seem to be enough time in the day!
Another one of my duties, which often seems to take a lot of my time, is being the unofficial, computer support person for several computers: three of my own, one in a currently active client’s office, and three for my family—all with Windows XP (I’ve had no desire to jump to Windows Vista yet, with all of its reported problems, and slowness). It seems that I’m continually fixing something that is broken, corrupted, won’t work, etc., or continually searching for upgrades/fixes, and boy do I get frustrated with the seemingly never-ending problems.
As a result, I have recently started to investigate the possibility of using Linux as an OS (operating system). Let me state here, that I’m not an expert yet, by any means—I’m still way down on the learning curve. There’s still a lot to learn, but I thought that I would share some of what I have found out so far. Here’s a recent Linux user survey that I found, about some of the leading Linux distributions (distro’s in geek speak).
Author: Mike Cline, T/X Resources
This is a continuation of my previous Linux article (which eventually got too long for one posting), discussing the results from my Linux tests.
First, the negatives from my tests: From the initial results, additional research, and my other experiences, many of the currently available Linux operating systems (OS) doesn’t yet seem to be able to recognize every hardware component available like Windows usually does. Generally, Linux still has problems with network-related hardware (especially wireless adapters), video adapters, and some external devices such as printers, and digital cameras. Because of these network, and video-related problems, laptops seem to have more problems than desktops do.
Fixing a problem usually requires delving into the very “geeky”, and unfamiliar domain of the CLI (Command Line Interface, similar to the old MS DOS commands). It can be a bit intimidating, initially. Also, the general user-interface appearance on many distros are still very garish—I have no idea where they come up with some of the colors, or graphics symbols which are used, or when they did think of them, why they decided to use actually them. However, as they become a more mainstream OS, they will improve these problems. Actually, I can already see it happening, in just the short time that I’ve been looking into Linux.
Author: Mike Cline, T/X Resources
Well, as Yogi Berra once said, “It’s deja vu all over again”. Here I am doing it again—it is nearly 4:30 in the morning (when I started this), and I’m back at the computer once more, after finishing up last night at 10:30.
The reason that I’m back at it so early this morning is partly due to waking up with wrist problems (aka. carpal tunnel syndrome / repetitive stress injury), brought on (again) by too much computer work, and thinking about what I still need to do to get ready for a client meeting later this morning.
Author: Mike Cline, T/X Resources
Do you already have a fast computer, but wished it were faster? Redundant Arrays of Independent Drives (RAID) is one way to accomplish this. Since hard drives are, by far, the slowest piece of equipment in a computer, a RAID hard drive configuration can dramatically increase the apparent speed of the computer.
A RAID hard disk array is simply a collection of a number of hard drives—ranging anywhere from two, to several—combined in a way to increase speed, maintain data protection, or both. The type of RAID array is annotated with numbers such as RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1, RAID 5, RAID 6, etc.
Author: Mike Cline, T/X Resources
Continuing the hardware theme for today, flash-based solid state drives (SSD’s) are making great headway towards eventually displacing the conventional hard disk drive. Contrary to the conventional hard drives now used for program and data storage, SSD’s store data in non-volatile, “always on” memory chips (see the graph of a comparison test below).
Author: Mike Cline, T/X Resources
For those of you who may be interested in computer hardware technology, read on and I’ll explain:
Most of us use computers in our current jobs, right (duhh…, we are SMT users after all)? It’s also well established that the continual advances in computer hardware technology allows us to crunch more geoscience data, and do it easier, faster and cheaper by the day. However, what may be less well known by some, is that video gamers are currently helping to drive much of the hardware advances in their quest for faster computers, and video cards. Being able to display more realistic scenes, and action, in their games may be helping keep many of us employed (for now)!
Author: Mike Cline, T/X Resources
Well, as they might say in West Texas, “We’re in bidness (business) now”. No offense Midland SMT users!
It recently occurred to me that there might be some visitors who have recently stumbled into the blog from my website, that may not be a member of the SMT Users Group, so I thought that I would get them up-to-speed on the blog so far. The following text is an editted version of some of the emails that I have sent within the Users Group email forum, in the last few days.