The Architecture of Quad Cores
AmbiguicCoherence
Intel supposedly released the first line of quad core processors. A lot of enthusiasts out there were very hesitant to agree with people when this conversation arose. This post is to give some insight to those discussions and hopefully bring some conclusion to it.
When Intel released their dual core processor, the architecture suggested a ‘piggy-backed’ core upon a standard one core package. A simpler way to describe this: one core talks to the motherboard and the second core only talks to that core, and through it to the motherboard. AMD’s dual core package was two individual cores on, each with the ability to talk to one another and to the motherboard. Intel vs AMD… speed? Is it really about clock speed? No.
For the moment, I’m going to set aside my AMD enthusiasm (which has been fading since the ATI merger) and enable the Electrical Engineer in me. Yes, I let that slip out – Electrical Engineer. Speed and performance are not dependent on a simple clock timer. It has more to do with compatibility of all hardware controllers, RAM, data transfer, etc. However, this post is not going to explain what the textbooks and white papers on my bookcase can. Having a faster clock speed (GHz) doesn’t make Intel better.
Intel Q6600 AMD 9600 Phenom
Intel’s Quad Core is a double double. It’s two piggy backing cores on one substrate. 2 separate dies. Like I described above, but there are two side by side – you can really see it too. The suspicions are true. AMD’s however, phenom errata set aside, is a true 4 cores on one die. And the first manufacturer to include an L3 cache – on die memory shared between the cores. Although I have my doubts, AMD will pull through and offer some punishment to Intel in the next two quarters if they can figure out how to fix the erratum. (Note: You can’t see the silicon die on either brand because of the thermal compound, no comment.)
You can see the difference yourself. I don’t need to explain it at any level of technical expertise. Just look at it.
Rainbow Tables
AmbiguicCoherence
Everyone knows that a faster, more efficient way of solving a problem is usually better.
[Unless you get paid by the hour of course]
It should be common knowledge, at this point in the computing era, that passwords are not stored in plain text on a computer. You can’t simply do a search off the start menu (for those window’ users out there). Side note: I use all operating systems, including UNIX, so don’t start with any of that OS battle crap. Where was I?, Passwords are stored in encrypted strings of characters called Hashes, with a specific length, pattern, and style – usually generated with an equation or sorts. Billions of possible combinations can be generated and each combination of characters represents a unique decrypted word.
One of the most common forms of password decryption is to brute force a password. This method is like trying to break down a door or better yet, trying to pick a lock. The shortest way to describe this method is to try, starting with a to zzzzzz if you are trying a 1 to 6 character in length password (alpha only for those of you who know far to well more than what I’m haphazardly writing in this blog, just trying to k.i.s.s.) and trying every possible password in between. The main problem with this method is that it takes far too long and far too much processing power to guess a long password quickly. Curious? Look up Brutus AE or Jack the Ripper.
Another common technique is to use word lists. A word list is, you’ve guessed it, a very long list of commonly used words. On average, I’ve seen lists of 20million words or more used, roughly a 50mb text file. This technique is less accurate in terms of ‘guessing everything possible’ than brute forcing, but can take a lot less time. Curious? Look up Access Diver or anything by Seven (good luck there).
At this point, I’m going to avoid making this sound like a hacker’s blog because it’s probably not allowed on WordPress. And I’ve been out of the scene for quite some time now. (Many ‘a Hat Color) I’m just trying to throw out some answers to those many questions that “the rest of us” know without going into much detail.
Now that I’ve given two other examples of what Rainbow Tables might be used for, I’ll go ahead and talk about them.
… And yet another work week has passed …
We start with a password in plaintext. Using a hash function, we convert it through a one-way equation to make a long hash of it. A hash function’s job is to prevent a reversal of itself. So that if ABCD – > 1234, we couldn’t run the equation backwards and do 1234 -> ABCD. Something like this would be far too simple. Hash cracking basics suggest that can either produce one hash at a time (like brute forcing) – producing one hash at a time and trying it against the one we’re trying to break. Or precalculate the hashes for a dictionary, load them into memory, and find the one we want. The trouble with this approach, no one has the computing power or memory capacity necessary to run an application to search a list of that magnitude.
Next, we use what is known as a reduce function – or reiteration from abbreviation (which is a term I learned in a machine level programming class). A reduction function takes a converted hash, truncates it, produces another hash from that simpler hash, and continues the cycle with that hash. When a rainbow table is produced, it takes this reduction function and runs with a single plain text or several and stores the chains. Each chain can represent millions to billions of hashes. Each table has a single plain text and a single ending hash. The following is a general procedure of the Rainbow Table algorithm:
Step one: Of all the chains produced, compare the hash you are trying to break with all the end hashes. If it matches, then that chain contains the original hash and in turn the plain text. If it doesn’t match, reduce the hash and continue the process. Upon identification of the needed chain, we use use the plain text at the start of that chain to figure out the original plain text of the unknown password.
Step two: start rehashing and reducing that starting plain text while remembering the reduced part of the previous hash and the newly generated hash from that iteration. This is so that, after we generate a new hash during that loop, if it matches the hash we have, then that reduced hash from the previous loop in in fact the plain text of the password we are searching for. And Viola, password found (not cracked, because we did no cracking or attack).
To avoid false positives, multiple reduction functions are used in our table in the different chains. This greatly increases the probability of finding the correct plain text. A rainbow table set that is approximately 120GB of all alpha-numeric-symbol, can usually find what you need. But, you’ll need weeks of time and a powerful resource hungry system to run it.
Thank you Dr. Phillipe Oechslin for writing the white paper on rainbow tables. I’m glad I had my EE degree handy so I could understand it. [ http://lasecwww.epfl.ch/philippe.shtml ]
El Mexicano – Beltsville, MD
AmbiguicCoherence
Time and time again, when it’s not fourth meal (which is a term we all used long before Taco Bell stole it) I’d like to be able to find a Mexican restaurant where I can take a seat and enjoy a properly put together meal. Right outside of the beltway, El Mexicano can be found, hiding behind one of the many banks in that area.
From the looks of it, I’d say a family owned realistic Mexican restaurant. Although I had a plate of tacos, the people I was with got things I’d have to read twice to pronounce. Offering full menu and good selection of beverages included alcohol, if more people knew about smaller places like this one, Taco Bell would have to start serving better quality food. The food was prepared fresh, in front of you – grilling of the steak/beef/chicken and frying of the tortilla shells – and the service was quick. When the food was prepared it was delivered straight to your table.
4.0/5.0 stars.
When did you last lose your heart to a book?
The Littlest Megan
In the words of Paul Sweeney, “You know you have read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend.” In this stunning six book series, there is no choice but to fall in love. Do not be fooled by the length of the books, in actuality they just are not long enough. Diana Gabaldon takes the reader back to 18th Century Scotland and then later to the new colonies of America. Seen through the eyes of Claire Randall, a woman from 20th Century Scotland, she is transported back in time to the 1740s, where she meets and falls in love with the handsome, Highland warrior, Jamie Fraser. The stories would make even the classic authors proud; danger, suspense, passion, betrayal, true love, tragedy, and finality.
The story is so intricate, woven in a way that the reader is so entrenched in the action it’s as if you are really there. Even when you leave the book, their memories remain; they touch you in such a way. The book is not for the faint of heart however, for while reading it is impossible to hold back real emotions, you will laugh out loud, cry buckets, get angry, and weep for joy. Never has a book been so written that when the 800 pages end, you are begging for more, desperately wishing it did not have to end. This series is a must-read!
Stars: 5/5
The Outlander Series
By Diana Gabaldon
Outlander
Dragonfly in Amber
Voyager
Drums of Autumn
The Fiery Cross
A Breath of Snow and Ash
Heath Ledger, May He Rest in Peace.
The Littlest Megan
Fat chance! If only he had not been a celebrity, then he could have found peace. Instead, his name is being dragged through the mud, and his image being spoiled…and he cannot even defend himself. My heart goes out to his family; they are left to watch his memory tarnished.
As Americans, we believe we have a right to know the ins and outs of every celebrity, and I will admit I enjoy the tabloids. However, there comes a point where they go too far. I read the tabloids because I LOVE to see who is dating whom…and then, I root for them, hoping against hope that they will beat the odds! I digress. Celebrities are role models, I would agree with that, but when they are in the public eye. Their private life should be just that private, a time when they can kick back and do as they please. If it does not affect their public image, then so be it. For years, Owen Wilson used cocaine, but no one knew. In the public eye, he was a role model, a person people admire. Should we forget this because he tried to escape the intensity of being a celebrity and the pressures of always being in the public eye?
How about those against gay marriages or unions? They are supposedly going to Ledger’s funeral to protest. PROTEST at a funeral, are you serious? This is the same radical group that attended the funerals of the fallen soldiers to protest because they do not believe in war. They are protesting Ledger’s funeral because he acted in Brokeback Mountain.
How’s about we give the man and his family some peace. The peace he could not find in life, he should at least be granted it in death.
The 7-10 Approach
AmbiguicCoherence
The following was conceived from excerpts from a conversation about timings, persuasion, and perspective. Take it with a grain of salt, but in the desert, salt isn’t plentiful – so you choose how to use it.
The Mentor finishes his words with his apprentice; “…just a suave type of move, talk about her friends, her school, and then move in slow. You’ve gotta hold your ground with your drinking and push your intellect just enough, while being a bit romantic and using some old fashioned chivalry. This whole thing is just a chapter in itself, and can be hard to explain… But it does work.
The Apprentice wonders what are, and how to use the other approaches mentioned before all of this, and laughs.
Well, that’s it; Let me explain it a little further to you: There’s the passive approach which usually rocks a kiss or two and a probably make out session in the end. The passive/active approach which usually gets you to third base, and then there’s the active/passive approach which allows you to play a little hard to get while ‘ignoring her’ which will make her curious- and that’s a random outcome, but my friend, the hard to get maneuver is the 7-10, and its gotten me some play… quite a bit… that’s what you’ve gotta do.
If you ask yourself: “Well, how will I know if when I play hard to get that she might move on?”
Then you should always know that if you play it right, it’ll never hit that low- and if it does, you screwed up. Try again next time. Overall, this is why it’s called the 7-10. It’s like the time: the time after dinner through the early evening – it’s like prime time. You have to play the game like you’re sober, making sure you dont act like a fool, but as 10 o’clock approaches, you must make sure she knows that you’re hooking up that night so she doesn’t leave. You have to ‘hook up’ before you hook up because you then have it in the bank before 10, right before night come.
If you’re game hunting at dinner, you have to make it look like you have something that they can’t get (playing hard to get)- because there’s too much time available during dinner for her to change her mind: that’s a 5 o’clock. 6 o’clock is a dead number because some people eat a late dinner, but from 7-10, there’s plenty of time to get to know and let her know. From 9 till 11 you dont have much time to achieve anything, and it’ll force you to move to quickly. It creates too much pressure. If she’s a slow moving girl, then you already screwed yourself over without even trying. So, you must use the 7-10 approach: Play hard to get while moving in.
And it does work. Let her take control without knowing it, and consistently make sure that you hold your own ground. This approach stops you from pushing too fast. If the girl wants to move faster, then she can without any hesitation – just follow her lead.
Office 2007 Rebuttal
AmbiguicCoherence
The MountSpyder asked for some assistance in delaying a company wide update to office 2007.
This is what we threw together.
Innovation:
Microsoft Office 2007
“I’ve found it to be perhaps the most innovative and life-changing upgrade of any Microsoft product in the last seven years.”
In a rebuttal to someone’s plea that Office 2007 is the greatest thing since sliced bread, or the greatest thing since the $8 case of Natty for those of you going to college or just graduated or miss those days. We dismantled all seven of the attempts to show change, upgrades, and new, essential features.
First, Office 2007 provides a tabbed interface (the Ribbon) that allows many commonly-used functions (ex: inserting a picture or a table) to be accessed quickly and simply.
Office 2003 and all other versions allow you to customize the way you view menus. You have the explicit options to pick and choose which ever toolbars, buttons, and optional button text you want. If you want larger icons, you can even have that too. Looks like this feature already existed with the ‘customize toolbars’ option, which has existed since the establishment of Office.
Second, Office 2007 includes innovative citation tools that go beyond what is presently available in Office 2003 programs and would make it very easy for students to do proper citations (and give them less excuses for making mistakes).
This feature exists in Office 2003, although it doesn’t have fancy little pictures on the menu. Insert-> reference-> footnote/caption/cross-reference/index&tables. I use this on a daily basis at work when I write reports. It provides a functionality where you don’t have to relabel sections, tables, graphs, equations, or even figures: place a reference and cross reference it. If you make any changes, including deleting anything or changing anything around, you click ‘update’ and everything gets relabeled automatically – definitely not a new feature.
Third, Office 2007 provides enhanced document recovery features as compared to Office 2003. It is much easier to recover past versions of documents (especially if students accidentally save over a paper they are working on).
Any Office App crashes, you get a recovery option, nuff said. Office 2007 gives the same options but instead of being a side menu that pops up, it opens in the center of the screen – wooooow that’s exciting, i never had the ability to turn my eyes or if that was a challenge, turn my head 0.5 degrees.
Fourth, Office 2007 provides improved document and application security, helping to protect contents from infection or unauthorized disclosure.
Exploits in Microsoft Office 2007 – From Credible Computer News Websites:
http://www.betanews.com/article/New_Exploit_Could_Affect_Both_Office_2007_and_IE/1158713655
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9016279
http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=197008454
http://www.news.com/2100-1002_3-6161835.html
http://www.dailytechrag.com/story/first-office-2007-bug-awaits-confirmation/2007-02-23
http://securityvulns.com/news/Microsoft/Windows/XML-CE.html
http://securityvulns.com/news/MS/Excel/calculation.html
http://securityvulns.com/news/MS/Excel/MB/2007.05.html
Fifth, Office 2007 provides the option of running in a compatibility mode for use with existing file formats while still supporting the new XML-based formats.
Each office version is backwards compatible with the previous versions. Word97-2003 & 6.0/95 all use the same format. It’s not a new feature. Microsoft has released updates for Office 2007 that fixes an ‘upgrade’ they had to subdue older formats which has caused many problems. It was like Office thinking your whole My Documents folder was filled with viruses – people freaked out.
Sixth, formatting text and documents is streamlined in Office 2007.
Formatting is streamlined in all versions of office. You can add whatever buttons you want to those toolbars. If you just want formatting and nothing else, then get rid of those menus. This is nothing new.
Seventh, Office 2007 includes more flexible presentation options for students, making it easier for them to add interactive features to their class presentations.
You mean Microsoft PowerPoint 2007, don’t you? Yes, we’ll agree with that. Microsoft took all the third party plug-ins: animations, transitions, and sounds, and packaged them all into it. Sure, it makes it easier because you don’t have to install a plug-in. Did you know that using power point for presentations is over played? Animations and transitions take away from any sustenance of the presentation, unless the student doesn’t have any, and therefore added them in to fill time. You can download FREE third party plugins for all other versions of Office – that make things look pretty or increase productivity.
Rebuttal
Pretty colors and fancy menus do not make a program better than its predecessor
- security, ease of use, and new essential features do.
Here’s what other people had to say:
“For users new to Office, who may stumble on menus and a conglomeration of options spread across many dialog boxes in the 2003 version, the attractive user interface will probably make learning the applications easier. Advanced users who are accustomed to customizing their interface … will learn to adjust, albeit perhaps grumbling loudly along the way.
If you use Office for everyday correspondence and not for creating documents with fancy formats, or to analyze data or create budgets and update lists in Excel, Office 2007 offers little in the way of new features for the stand-alone user.
Excuses included, if it’s working well enough why try improving on it? I only use 10 percent of the features, Office is bloated, and I don’t need Microsoft Office when I have OpenOffice, which is free.
(http://www.activewin.com/reviews/software/apps/ms/office2007/)
“Microsoft was only able to ribbonize the core Office applications.”
“Office Home and Student 2007 will retail for $149 in the US, but the actually street price will likely be closer to $125. That’s a bargain, though you should note that purchasing this product does not qualify you for upgrade pricing to other Office versions, now or in the future.”
“So Microsoft is likely to have a hard sell on its hands. Becta (the British Education and Communications Technology Association) has already warned UK schools to hold off on upgrading to Vista and Office 2007. Sensibly, Becta knows that organisations would be better to wait until bugs and other issues that gradually come to light have been ironed out. Nevertheless we’re pretty gung-ho about Office 2007. It’s not just an incremental change here and a tweak there – Microsoft has overhauled the whole look and how you interact with it. It now features a chunky toolbar, known as a ribbon.”
“I downloaded Office 2007 and installed one lazy afternoon at the office. After a few minutes of using Word 2007, I was struck with the terrifying realization that I would have to learn some new terms–”home” instead of “file,” for example–and would have to relearn where to find the customize and option selections. I started to panic. I am in a small office and we don’t have the luxury of time or money to go relearning everything. We have used Office 2000 since first buying it and have seen no good reason to upgrade.
I quickly uninstalled Office 2007 and went back to Office 2000. I only lost one afternoon and the feeling of panic soon left. The change is simply too radical. Maybe we’ll dink around with it later, but for now we have work to get done.
Besides, Microsoft would let us use Office 2007 for free until February 2007, then it would be time to pay the piper. We’ll stick with Office 2000 for now. We have Open Office installed also, just in case evil things begin to happen.”!- Read overall Cnet reviews = BAD
“Forget the stupid RIBBON and FIX the THINGS THAT DON’T WORK since Office 2003 and even previously.”
“Cons:
Drastic design changes demand a steep learning curve if you’re upgrading
New interface isn’t always intuitive
Contextual tabs and style galleries can be distracting
Users of Office 2000 through 2003 must install converters to open Office 2007 files
No easy way to save work to the Web”
(http://reviews.zdnet.co.uk/software/productivity/0,1000001108,39285683,00.htm?r=2)
“First, the product is exceptionally slow. It takes PP nearly a minute to load a 50 Mbyte file. Word takes as long to load. Once loaded, many macros and plug ins do not work properly, or at all.
Second, its ‘look and feel’ is a disaster for experienced users. There are two elements to this:
1: Even when customized with third party software, the ribbon takes three clicks where one sufficed before. There seems to be no reason to ditch ten years of experience for what is on offer.
2: The interface itself is wasteful of space. The graphics are seemingly random in design and color. “Template” in PP produces something 3×4 cm on an orange background, drawing object that is tiny and grey on a grey-blue base. Many icons replicate each other: new drawing object and change drawing object. The working area jerks around spastically when sub menus are introduced. PP has a graduated background, which makes graphics look different from how they project. And so on…
Third, the innate opacity of Office seems to be taken to a higher level, It knows what you ought to want, and it will change only after negotiations. Users of e.g. Dreamweaver who are accustomed to telling the package what they want find this frustrating. Trying to import an Excel chart into PP is seamless if you want what it thinks you ought to want, but a half hour battle if you know your own mind.
One wonders what MS strategy people can have been thinking. We cannot be alone in rejecting this product. If it sits on the MS development line, then we are rejecting MS products for the longer term. This has to be a general issue. Few companies can afford the 10-15 working days it will take to recover the skills this package kills.”
(http://reviews.zdnet.co.uk/software/productivity/0,1000001110,39285683-39318833o,00.htm)
!- Screen Shot Evidence of Crap
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
(http://byronmiller.typepad.com/byronmiller/2007/04/office_2007_one.html)
“Microsoft has continued to focus on security in Office 2007 because hackers have turned their attention from server attacks to exploiting vulnerabilities in applications, according to Joshua Edwards, a technical product manager for Office 2007.
“It’s a huge burden for an IT manager to go through all the Group Policy or registry settings, which have doubled with Office 2007, so we’re providing them with all these options,” Edwards said.
There are 6,000 Group Policy and registry settings in Office 2007, 300 of which are security settings, he said.”
!- Which means it much more vulnerable
!- read the reviews
Office 2007 adoption hurdles shared by IT managers
!- read this article
(http://searchwinit.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid1_gci1232198,00.html)
!- registration issues
(http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=111)
!- MS and their tricks, an alternative
(http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS4935936784.html)
!- the almighty ribbon feature
(http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/8561/1023/)
!- compatibility mode problems
(http://www.slideshare.net/funnybroad/office-2007-compatibility-mode-confusion?order=4)
!- first security flaw
(http://keznews.com/15476=_First__Security_Flaw_found_in_Office_2007)
Simply Asia – Thurmont, MD
MountSpyder
Alright I realize that many of you have no idea where Thurmont, Maryland is, nor does anyone have a real reason to go and find it BUT being a connoisseur one must find the best in every area that he finds himself. At the moment I am working for Mount St. Mary’s University in the Office of Student Affairs in the small town of Emmitsburg. If you are a current student of the Mount or you are from the Frederick, MD / Gettysburg, PA, this is a perfect restaurant to check out.
The offerings: Simply Asia is quite simply described in its name, they serve Japanese, Chinese, and Thai. This three at a time combo is simply asia-tastic (yeah corny but hey what you going to do). Think of your favorite dishes from the 3 cultures and odds are they have it and fact is if they do, it is prepared to perfection. They also have some of the best sushi I’ve had tasted, especially when considering the area they are in.
Favorite:
Their Maki, Sushi, and Sashimi. If you like the delicate taste of artistically prepared, presented Japanese favorite this place has you covered. One will taste and wonder how such great Sushi can exist in this area. Only downside, the rice is bit moister than Japanese Cuisine would normally have it, so it creates a slightly different texture, though still extremely good.
Overall Rating:
MountSpyder: 3.5 / 5.0
What’s Next?…..
MountSpyder
So I was reading over our main page and this one line seems to be theme of today, “that little blinking cursor, when you just don’t know what to write or say.” Deciding to start a blog was a genius idea by a very close friend of mine, the only technologically savvy Amish engineer (no he’s really not Amish, sorry for any confusion, haha) but, as I’ve sat here, reviewing my previous post on the Mac Book Air, I wonder what’s next, and like a explosion from a bad acid trip (or at least the way the movies make it seem) I realize that I don’t have a clue. This is truly the question everyone is looking towards coming up with an answer for: “What’s Next?” Who knows, do I know, do you know, hmmm…..
Well I can’t tell you what’s next for you, your choices are your own, your likes/dislikes, aspirations, goals, accomplishments, education, etc. are all your own. The only advice I can offer others is that same advice I follow everyday.
1.) Life shouldn’t be that serious. “If you take life too seriously you’ll never get out alive.” This may not make much sense at first, obviously everyone will eventually pass away, however, the point is that no matter what you do the end will come, so enjoy what you do and do it to the best of your ability. Satisfaction comes from a job well done and from doing what you enjoy. So when you ask yourself “what’s next?” make sure you are answering with something that makes you happy.
2.) Never Regret. Why would you want to burden yourself by looking back and saying “damn, I should’ve, would’ve, could’ve, but didn’t.” Don’t worry about what you haven’t done and instead realize what you have done. Life is one long journey of learning, if you made a “mistake” odds are you learned a valuable lesson from it, whether big or small. This learning experience is nothing to regret, but to take hold of and realize through your trials and errors you have become the person you are today. So don’t regret choices, don’t ask what could’ve happened, continue on with what you’ve learned and make the best choices you can in the future. This leads me to next piece…
3.) Don’t be afraid of mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes in their life. We’re human and therefore imperfect. Maybe you have made a mistake in your job choice, who you’ve dated, who you’ve left behind, but mistakes are what makes us human and allows us to truly live. So if you make a mistake, move on, it’s not the end of the world, obviously if you’re reading this, just strive for better next time and learn from them.
4.) “I Did It My Way.” Frank Sinatra was a great man; he did it his own way at all times. You should do the same, don’t listen to others about what you should or shouldn’t do with your life. Others advice is always good to take into consideration, and their thoughts may truly be beneficial, but don’t let others lead you about, take the reigns on your own life. Do it your way and do what you want to be happy.
5.) Always Smile. The worst thing you can do in your life is live it full of anger, full of sadness, full of hatred. I have lived my life with the goal of making the others around me smile, putting them in a better mood, and keeping myself in the highest of spirits. I see no point of being in a bad mood; it’s a waste of time and waste of energy. I know that later on a full post will have to be written on this subject. But for the purpose of keeping this post brief and general, always smile; don’t end up looking back wondering why you spent so many years not smiling, and the key to this: constant unwavering optimism. Smile and laugh more and you’ll definitely enjoy your life more (as if it’s not obvious, but many don’t practice it).
Well these five guidelines are similar in many aspects but it is what I try to do in my everyday life. I can’t tell you what’s next, I can’t even tell myself what’s truly next. All I can do is try to live by a common set of guidelines and work towards the goals that I have set for my life.
Apple Mac Book Air: Who Its Really For and Why I Want One
MountSpyder
Apple is making leaps and bounds into entering the long time Windows-dominated business market. Their marketing and offerings have been geared solely toward high-end users in graphic design, video editing, etc. The introduction of the Mac Air Book delivers Apple into a new world of opportunities.
As a strong business minded individual (B.S. Economics, M.A. Business Administration), I love the Mac Book Air, it is as near to perfection as possible for business-minded individuals looking for extreme mobility. Individuals, like myself, who do not need a large hard drive, are not looking for do-it-all laptops with similar desktop capabilities, and do not need the extensive functionality that these more feature enriched systems offer. Now as an avid tech user, you may be asking yourself why we would be looking for a computer without the extra features. We are not doing extensive programming or gaming, instead we are just giving presentations, surfing the web, and typing the occasional office memo. Also, in an industry where first impressions truly count, especially in a make or break sales situation or department presentation, what could be better than opening your brief case and removing a beautiful, stylish, sleek laptop? It looks good and looks sell. So now you have a computer designed for ultra-mobility, in a durable form, that provides all the basics business users crave.
However, these benefits are not without their drawbacks. For those business travelers the extremely short battery life is going to be a problem along with anyone looking to use it for an extended period of time without an outlet. The other large issue that must be discussed is the single USB port. In today’s society one would have hundreds of things to plug in, even basic business users, especially when that problem in compounded by the fact that there is no Ethernet port. As a business user the problem is most clearly found when plugging in a flash drive for portable storage but being unable to surf the web at the same time due to unplugging your adaptor that allows you to connect via Ethernet through your USB. Many of the other problems that individuals have had with the system are based around power users and those looking for greater productivity; including limited hard drive, non expandable memory (locked in at 2GB of RAM), and other lacking features. I don’t feel that this applies to the mass majority of business users, using their laptop as secondary workstations.
With the negatives being stated, at least as they apply to business users, I want one because it is a perfect secondary computer. Its portable, I am not without a plug or outlet and am willing to work with the one USB port to have the looks, the basic functionality, and the strong Apple operating system over Windows Vista. This new laptop is moving into the business realm and with the great alternative to Windows Vista systems, who can blame me for wanting one.
Final Recommendation: If you already own a powerful or feature rich desktop this is the secondary computer for you.
Other Options: If you don’t like the price, the lacking features, or you are against Apple’s Leopard Operating system check out the Fujitsu LifeBook Q2010 which has a few more features and uses Windows at http://www.fujitsu-siemens.com/campaigns/lifebook_q2010/index.html
Two Other Great Reviews:
