Geekiness Abounds
I think I have strange tastes in what I do for fun. Sure I do my fair share of hanging out with friends, playing rock band while drinking beers, watching movies (more on that below). But I also like to geek it up hardcore. In fact I draw a certain sense of satisfaction from recognition of my nerd cred.
I took the day off Friday for a host of reasons including being tired of work and wanting ot avoid inclement weather. But my primary reason was to have some uninterrupted time to assemble my computer (round 2). I was talking to my boss about this via the company IM program and her response was "lol ur a big nerd!" Now, I find that response particularly great mainly because my 30something boss and manager of a multi-million dollar government defense contract uses the terms "lol" and "ur." However, I could not deny the truth of her statement.
It was computer round 2 because I discovered anomolies in the temperature sensors on my previous CPU so I sent it back. Unfortunately, there appears to be a nationwide shortage of the E8400 chip (probably related to it being faulty). I thought I would never get around to finishing my new computer when I happened across a mention of an incredible deal at Microcenter where I could pick up one of these:
...for a mere $200! I actually got a better CPU for $20 cheaper than the first one!
I immediately picked one up and got to work installing it! Here you can see me applying thermal grease to the CPU to make sure the heat is transfered to the monstrous heatsink that goes on top.
So, my weekend was filled with slowly testing various overclocking settings. I have generated mounds of cryptic notes to document my progress...
I even got the crazy idea to use some old legos as a measuring stick to figure out how large a fan I could put on part of the motherboard...
The space was far too small to fit a ruler, so I built a small lego contraption in the approximate size of the fan I wanted to fit. Viola! It works.
Most people would probably find this tedious, but I find a sense of enjoyment in tweaking my computer. I think it is akin to the joy people find in working on antique cars. While light years apart in form, I suspect these two pastimes spring from the same yearning to tinker.
But my weekend was not all geek-filled. I also had the opportunity to socialize with a whole bunch of folks over at Peter's house on Friday. And then again on Saturday I went with Peter, Jimmy, Krissy, and Arielle to see Be Kind, Rewind the new film with Jack Black and Mos Def. Quite a funny movie and a rather ridiculous premise. I recommend the film.
Finally, I am pleased to see that Mr. Gisch (6x7) is once again gracing this site with his presence. I hope to read more entries from him soon. Now if I can only get Mr. Cassiday (tribesman2007) to post more frequently...