freealf.com

Life Update

It has occurred to me that I reskin this site as often as I actually post.  Bad me!

What's new with me:

• My team at work has grown huge.  We have 7 testers now, and I'm the leader guy.  It's taking a LOT of getting used to.  I would love to hear from anyone who has spent time standardizing a test process or giving good training to raw recruits.
• School is back in session.  I am taking one course this term: Astronomy Instrumentation.  So far, so good.
• Thinking about joining a new gym.  The old one just feels...  old.  And the new one is so bright and shiny!  [New] [Old]
• Spending too much time in my two favorite TO coffeehouses studying: Tequila Bookworm (open late, 490 Queen W.) and Bulldog (not open late, www.bulldogtoronto.com).  Bulldog has better coffee, but the Bookworm has more relax space and more food.

My New Machine

This is my first post from a new machine.  It's a Dell Inspiron 9400 laptop, with the new Core Duo processor from Intel.  It also features the nVidia GeForce Go 7800 video card, which is really improving my Call of Duty game.

I had three main reasons for an upgrade (besides "I can"):

1. I hated my old 1024x768 15-inch display.  I have dual 19-inch 1600x1200 at work, and they have completely spoiled me.  I felt like I was looking through a porthole on a ship instead of the gigantic observation deck on a train.  This new one has a 1960x1200 display, which should address my concerns nicely.
2. I was getting frustrated by having a separate file system on my laptop as opposed to my desktop.  There were several times where I couldn't do what I needed to do while out and about because I had forgotten to copy something or what have you.
3. My old system couldn't play Call of Duty 2.  After five years of incredible service, it had finally been outclassed.

Despite the size of the system (it's 15.5 inches wide), it's actually lighter than my old notebook.  That, combined with the convenience of the dock, the integrated wireless and the spiffy carrying case will hopefully encourage some mobility.

In any case, it's a nice new toy!  Scott, Jay and Paul: I think it'll handle CoV nicely.