Biggest Evolutions in Computers in YEARS!!!

We are in the era of the biggest evolution in computers since the PC was introduced in the early 80s. However this time it is not one object that is making it so revolutionary, it is multiple that have allowed us to finally reach the potential of computing and the Internet. All designed to allow us to easily enjoy our life’s and to easy interact with each other. More than ever we can do this with a handful of new technology that have been released from about 2002 to now. These technologies are so revolutionary I am naming this the biggest evolution since the car, lol. Well maybe not that big - but close…

Number 4. Gigabit, Now 10Gigabit (10G), Even 100Gig Wired The theme of this article really seems to be everything in the industry is growing exponentially and like wireless, wired networking is no different. Although wired networking is not as interesting of a topic as wireless, it is here to stay. Wired is much more secure and reliable than wireless, it will take years for wireless to reach this point. So what’s the big news in wired, 10G baby!!! For years the 10/100 MBits/sec transmission rate was the standard of the industry. Then in 1999, 1000 MBit/sec or Gigabit Ethernet was released. A major change for a slow changing segment of the industry. Although it has not become popular until recently, it is now the standard on even average computer NIC cards. Then last year, 2006, 10GBit/sec was released. As of last month, Feb 2007, I have only heard of it being considered in server use as a backbone to the network. As everything it should be adopted throughout the industry in the next couple of years as long as 100gig doesn’t beat it out! Thats right 100GBit/sec is now in its preliminary discussions as the next Ethernet, still another 2 years away atleast.

Number 3. Wireless N - 802.11G has been the staple for wireless communication of wireless devices, however that is about to change. The much needed upgrade for wireless will be the new 802.11N or Wireless N, which has just reached Draft 2.0 on March 14th. With the release of this draft, most likely the last before the final standard is released, this technology has finally become usable. The Wireless N devices with previous drafts were nothing but problems, however Draft 2.0 has appeared to correct most of these issues. PC Mag reports that one final draft, Draft 3.0 will be released later in 2007 to early 2008 and the final release of Wireless N will be in 2009, however Draft 2.0 is more or less the bulk of what Wireless N will be ( PC Mag Article - Draft 2 of 802.11n Standard Sails Through ). So what is the big benefit with Wireless N, really just a major increase in distance and bandwidth - much needed in today’s day and age. Wireless N components will get a range of 165 feet with a bandwidth of 130 to 200 MBits/s compared to the 2003 release of Wireless G, the industry standard as of now, with a range of 82 feet with a bandwidth of 25 to 54 MBits/s.

Number 2. The Hybrid, Soon to Be Fully Flash Hard Drive - SanDisk is taking the lead with helping the computer industry with the computers biggest drawback, the hard drive. A hard drive is the computers biggest drawback not because of capacity, hell we can fit a terabyte of data NOW!, but speed. Mechanical components are the slowest operation with a computer and the only mechanical component left in a computer is the hard drive. Present hard drives require disk spinning 5,000 upwards to around 10,000 times a minute read by a arm. Although this seems fast, actual computer memory (RAM) is memory stored via electricity and transmitted the same way. So computer memory, AKA Flash memory is a million times faster than a hard drive. The writing was on the wall with Flash memory, AKA solid state memory, that it would one day replace the hard drive and change computing forever. Well that time is now with SanDisk now offering a 2.5-inch, 32 GIG drive for just $350 and soon will be offering a 1.8-inch, 32 GIG drive for ultra portable laptops for the hefty price of around $700! Now I know 32GIGs is not that much space and for $300-$700! This is just the start and soon we will be seeing near 100GIG drives that will be in every laptop. In the meantime, companies are now offering hybrid drives or drives that combine flash with a traditional Hard Drive so that frequent files are in flash memory and infrequent files are on the traditional drive, a good start to 100GIGs!

Number 1. Multi-Core Processing - It seems everyones eyes were on the Intel and AMD battle to make the fastest processor. They have gone from mhz to 2Ghz, then it hit 3Ghz, I wondered how many gigs they could possibly pack into a processor, while continuing to make it smaller. From pumping out 60mhz at a whopping 5 Volts in 1993 to 3.73ghz at a little above a volt in 2006, the single core Pentium seemed incredible! Then in spring 2005, it finally came the first multi-core processor, a processor die with multiple processors embedded on it allowing the processor to multi-task large task through individual processors. Intel released it’s “Smithfield” dual core processor as the Pentium Extreme Edition. The processor featured the first two in one processors with its hyper threading technology, or virtual dual processors. Packed with two physical and two virtual cores or processor, the extreme started at a whopping $1,000! Now dual core is the standard, shipping on just about 75% of computers sold. Last year was marked with Intel’s impressive Core Duo, Intel’s first low power dual core processor ideal for laptops. The processor was released in January 2006 and pumped out up to 2.33ghz at less than 25-watts. On top of that it was sized with Intel’s new and smallest processor size ever of 65 nm! It was so revolutionary it was the first processor to end the Pentium line of processors in existence since 1993! This years big hype was the Core 2 Duo, an even bigger improvement. The Core 2 increased the standard by bumping from the traditional 32-bit to the 64-bit. It also was the first quad core processor out, another leap in the industry. The “Kentsfield” Processor is the first true quad-core processor with a whopping 2.4Ghzs. I have really only seen them offered in servers so far, but expect them in the PC real soon! So what’s down the road in the next 3-5 years. Intel says a 45nm processor will be next years big release, then it will be about packing cores and shrinking the processor. By 2011 we can be looking at a 32nm or even 22nm processor packing in either 8 or a very big maybe of 16 cores! POWER BABY!

I know there is so many more advances in computers to talk about and offer my wisdom on such as Windows Vista, large LCD screens, and so much more; however with three busy jobs it is tough to go on. So I will soon follow up with a part II with these other big evolutions in computers. Have a happy and safe day.

It’s That Time Again! Fantasy Baseball Season and the Beacon Mets are Back

I have been playing fantasy baseball since 2000 with my fantasy team, the Beacon Mets. I have had some good seasons and some bad seasons, but it is always a fun time. Now in our 8th season we hope to have a repeat of last years season being the World Series Champs of our league. One thing we also hope to hold on to is that every time we make the playoffs, we win the World Series. A big bragging and intimidation record we hold. One other interesting fact also is every time Lance Berkman is our MVP, we also win the World Series. So we have Lance again this year and are ready for 07 and our third World Series Title.

This years draft turned out pretty good. Although we are a better offensive team than pitching; we are happy to take the best catcher, Joe Mauer, and closer, Francisco Rodríguez, in baseball as well as this years number one prospect, Delmon Young. If anything holds us back though it would have to be our starting rotation that has three injury prone starters that pose a great risk. Thankfully we have the best closer and relief staff in baseball to back them up. So if anyone cares or is into fantasy baseball, here is a breakdown of this years team and our previous years records:

The 2007 Beacon Mets

STARTING LINE-UP

1. Felipe Lopez (SS) - Ranked around 10th for Shortstops, Felipe boast average skills however what puts him at the lead off this year is his speed and last years 44 steals, ranking 9th in baseball in base steals. Hopefully his .274 hitting average will increase this year for an even better pickup for this 7 year veteran. (2006: .274 AVG, 98 RUNS, 11 HR, 52 RBI, 44 SB).
2. Vladimir Guerrero (RF) - Our number one draft pick for many reasons. This 11th year veteran ranked 5th for outfielders with his 8th in baseball average of .329 and 13th in baseball 116 RBIs. As long as he stays healthy Vlad will be a big value pushing Felipe to third base. (2006: .329 AVG, 92 RUNS, 33 HR, 116 RBI, 15 SB).
3. Joe Mauer (C) - The number one ranked catcher in baseball, Mauer provides us with his number one in baseball average of .347. Joe is in his prime and enters his 4th season to hopefully earn us another pennant this year. (2006: .347AVG, 86 RUNS, 13 HR, 84 RBI, 8 SB).
4. Lance Berkman (1B) - Evey year Lance is our MVP, we win the World Series. The number four first basemen in baseball ranked 5th in baseball for home runs with 45 and bats clean up to hopefully give us another Word Series in his 9th career season. He also ranked 18th in baseball with his .315 average and number four in baseball with his 136 RBIs. (2006: .315 AVG, 95 RUNS, 45 HR, 136 RBI, 3 SB).
5. Delmon Young (LF) - The number one prospect in baseball starts his rookie year with us. He played in 30 games last year and boasted incredible stats with a .317 avg. Just as a rookie, he is already fielding around the number 20 spot in baseball for outfielders. (2006 (30 Games): .317 AVG, 16 RUNS, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 2 SB).
6. Ryan Zimmerman (3B) - In his third year of his career, notorious as a baseball players best, Zimmerman ranks 6th in baseball for third basemen. He provides us with some solid stats for the middle of the line-up and in his prime may only improve this year. (2006: .287 AVG, 84 RUNS, 20 HR, 110 RBI, 11 SB).
7. Julio Lugo (2B) - The 7th ranked in baseball second baseman will start his 8th season leading off the bottom of the order. His flexibility to play SS and 3B also gives the infield more flexibility if their are any injuries (2006: .278 AVG, 69 RUNS, 12 HR, 37 RBI, 24 SB).
8. Ryan Freel (CF) - Ranked around number 40 in baseball for outfielders, the one thing Freel provides is speed in his 6th season. The number two base stealer on the team ranked 12th in baseball with base steals at 37. Hopefully the combination of Lugo’s and Freel’s speed will help the bottom of the order. (2006: .271 AVG, 67 RUNS, 8 HR, 27 RBI, 37 SB).
9. Eric Chávez (DH) - Now in his 10th season Eric will have to battle with Brian Giles for the DH spot. With numerous injuries last season, Giles may take over the DH while Chávez goes through rehab. (2006: .241 AVG, 74 RUNS, 22 HR, 72 RBI, 3 SB).

STARTING ROTATION

1. Ben Sheets - Our Ace this year starts his 7th season ranked 9th in baseball for starting pitchers. We have taken a big risk with Sheets after being injured for two straight seasons, we hope he will revert back to the 2004 season were he pitched 12-14 with a 2.70 ERA. (2006: 6 Wins - 7 Losses, 116 K, 3.82 ERA, 1.89 WHIP).
2. C.C. Sabathia - Our number two man may earn the aces slot depending on Sheets health. Sabathia follows Sheets ranked as the number 10 starting pitcher in baseball also is starting his 7th season. He posted an impressive 3.22 ERA ranked number 6 in baseball in 2006 with 172 Ks which ranked him 20th in baseball. (2006: 12 Wins - 11 Losses, 172 K, 3.22 ERA, 1.77 WHIP).
3. Chris Capuano - Chris starts his 5th season leading the team in Ks with 174, 19th in baseball. He ranks in the lower 40s for starting pitchers and offers the team a healthy solid pitcher. (2006: 11 Wins - 12 Losses, 174 K, 4.03 ERA, 1.25 WHIP).
4. Brad Penny - The 8 year veteran gets the number 4 slot ranked in the upper 30s with 16 wins last year, 8th in the Majors. Although he boast a great amount of wins, he lacks with his ERA. (2006: 16 wins - 9 Losses, 148 K, 4.33 ERA, 1.38 WHIP).
5. Kerry Wood - Starting his 9th season after being injured for two years, Wood adds to the teams weak rotation that is injury prone. As with Sheets, we hope that Wood will not fall to injury (2006: 1 Win - 2 Losses, 13 K, 4.12 ERA, 1.37 WHIP).

THE CLOSERS
1. Francisco Rodríguez - Baseball’s best closer will defiantly be getting a lot of work in his 6th season with the weight of a weak starting rotation on his shoulders. With 47 saves, the best in baseball and a ERA of 1.73, among the best of the relievers. (2006: 47 SAVES, 2 Wins - 3 Losses, 98 K, 1.73 ERA, 1.10 WHIP).
2. Brian Fuentes - In his 7th year of baseball, the upper teens ranked closer will be very busy. His 30 saves, 19th in baseball will help the weak starters with a weak rotation. (2006: 30 SAVES, 3 Wins - 4 Losses, 73K, 3.44 ERA, 1.16 WHIP).

Beacon Mets through the Years

Flickr Photo Album Review, Solved Major Web 2.0 Theme Issues with Plug-In

As you know, I use Word Press for my blog. As many developers do, I also feel it among the best blog suites out in the market - especially as open source freeware. One of the major pluses to it or any software is its plug-ins. Word Press developers love to make them and there are literally millions of them. One major project of my blog was to make a photo album section, so as always I spent about 2 or 3 days doing some major research on the topic and I have found what I think is a home run for your Word Press Blog. However as always I ran into some issues with customizing it with my theme, a problem I have scene with numerous other Word Press blogs who use the Web 2.0 Theme. Rest assured though I fixed those problems too.

The Flickr Photo Album Plug-In ( Tan Tan Noodles ), is a great plug-in for Word Press. However before I even talk about the plug-in, I have to talk about the step before it. I needed to decide if using my own server or a third party service to host my pictures. Doing my research I feel in love with the Web 2.0 phenomenon of Flickr. With this suite you can not only manage your photos, but the Web 2.0 technologies are endless. You can comment on pictures, join picture discussion groups, map your photos on maps, add tags to your photos (a web 2.0 staple) and so on. This is a great site and I highly recommend it for your online photo album. It is a great and easy way to organize your photos into albums and share with your friends/ family. So with that said it came time to decide what plug-in to use to integrate my albums into Word Press. I quickly went through the list getting very disappointed not to find anyone that would work. Finally I found two great possibilities FAlbum and Flickr Photo Album. After working with both though, I really liked and felt comfortable and decided to go with the latter. It offered easy integration of your Flickr photos right into your blog post and a great looking photo page that included your photo albums and tags associated with them.

So I setup the plug-in and followed the instructions in how to move the required files from the plug-in into your theme in order to customize the album into your theme:

1. Copy preview.php and rename it to photos.php and place it into your current theme directory.
2. Copy all html files starting with photoalbum- into this same directory. These are the template files you will be working with.
3. Modify the HTML and CSS in the template files to fit your own site. All the CSS is located in photoalbum-header.html.

Then I crossed my fingers and took a look with disappointment. Everything worked great except it did not like my theme at all. Anytime I used the php call to get the side bar the background would not drop down to the bottom and the side bar would be pushed to the bottom. So then took my three day commitment to fix it and boy what a time it was. So if you use the Web 2.0 WP Theme with the Flickr Photo Album here is your answers….

The first thing I knew was it had to do with something in the side bar since it rendered fine without it. So I picked the entire side bar apart with no avail, great I knew it would be one of those small hidden issues. So I decided to actually paste in the entire side bar code into the photos page to see if I can find the issue by deleting sections of it at a time to find the problem. A home run because I did indeed find the primary issue with the side bar. Of course the problem had to be something as simple as a misplaced close tag for the wrapper div of the theme. This explained to me why the background would not drop to the bottom and why the side bar would fall below the albums.

The issue was that I organized the div close tags improperly causing the plug-in to fail in the web 2.0 theme. So here is what I did by mistake:

// Get the universal header of the photo album.
<?php get_header();?>
// I inserted these two div from my theme to integrate the plug in into the theme.
<div id=”wp-content”>
<div id=”wp-content-pri”>
// The following is the photo album coding.
<div id=”content” class=”narrowcolumn”>
*** Photo Album PHP Calls ***
// Closes the content div that surrounds the photo album.
</div>
// I inserted in order to close the wp-content-pri div which is the main column containing the photo album.
</div>
// HERE IS THE ERROR. I inserted in order to close the wp-content div which is suppose to be the wrapper for the entire main area which includes both the sidebar and photo album. SO REMOVE THIS div close tag.
</div>
<?php
// This call for the side bar already has the end tag for the wp-content. PROBLEM SOLVED!
get_sidebar();
get_footer();
?>

So thats it, you pretty much have to make sure you dont close the wp-content div, because it is already closed in the side bar. A pretty simple fix for a common issue with the web 2.0 theme and this plug-in. So other than that, she works like a charm! Enjoy the photos…