Mar
7
Dell – Is it really the power to do more?
I remember getting my first Dell in the late 90′s and it was an incredible and customized PC. It’s crazy to think that less than 15 years ago they were basically the pioneer is this area. You had many different selections to choose from to custom you pc such as processor, ram, graphics card, modem, ethernet, speakers, optical drives like cd or dvd, hard drive size, the software you wanted it to come with preloaded on the pc & many more. My original dell that I bought sometime around 1998 still functions in my house as a guest computer.
Because of the way computer technology advances often referred to as Moore’s Law(where processing speed and memory double approximately every 18 months) this system is no longer the fastest. However, it still serves as a computer to those relatives who always seem to put some type of spyware on my computers somehow. This computer has been through a lot and was used for several years exclusivity and has still yet to have the need to replace a single component. Although, I did upgrade the memory at some point. This experience has made me believe Dell was an amazing quality brand for many years.
Dell was the #1 PC manufactorer from 1999 to 2005 minus a small period time when Compaq & HP the 2nd and 4th largest manufactorers respectively merged. In 2005 PC growth slowed considerable and by the end of 2006 Dell had been retaken by Hewlett Packard. Dell seems to have cut out both research and development as well as customer service. Most of the computers I purchased from 2005 onward have had some issues. I’ve had 4 of my 5 desktop pc’s have an issue with the power supply. My laptop battery doesn’t work and needs to be constantly plugged into an outlet to maintain a charge. Many of my friends and co-workers have had various issues with their Dells as well.
In 2010 I ended up building my own computer and haven’t thought about it much since. Since I’ve talked with my boss a bit about the Dell brand(he hates it and says if he gets something from Dell it always breaks) I’ve realized it a lot more about how far its fallen off. My sister’s quad core pc broke after minimal use. Another friend attempted to have their laptop replaced 3 times but they couldn’t even get the right screen for it. The cooling is often bad in their gaming laptops and I’ve heard many cases of overheating. Another friend said their laptop ran fine at around 100C until it would overheat. It seems nearly every Dell has a shorter life span now. I no longer have the faith in the brand I once did.
This post by John Hoang an internet marketing specialist created using Dragon speech recognition technology. For more information check out the dragon naturally speaking review.
Feb
27
I recently read an article recently that suggests the following:
Imagine if schools were judged not by how well students achieved while they were in school, but in how well they achieved once they left. If schools saw their worth not in how many kids got accepted to college, but in how many kids went on to live meaningful and engaged lives and who would point back to their school years as the point of relevancy that was the foundation of it all.
These measurements for the most part are just impossible though. First the metrics couldn’t be collected till many years after the person had left the school institution. Next, there’s no level or gauge for a meaningful engaged life. What some people would consider a complete and utter failure others are perfectly content. Are you going to put contentment into a statistical metric? I seriously doubt it.
I think the underlying issue is the flaws with the school system. I also don’t think there’s any easy or quick fix answer. Looking back on my days at school I can only say what I wish would have been handled and done better. I remember growing up learning the same materials in math through 2nd grade all the way to 7th. This turned something I actually enjoyed into something extremely boring. It’s the same with many areas of English, history & science where you “re-learn” the same material year to year. I’m sure many people feel the same way about a wide variety of subjects.
Most individuals will go on to do something in a specialized field. I understand its rather useful to have some core skills in a variety of areas but I think its taken to a ridiculous level sometimes. If someone doesn’t excel at a subject say math…why make them take it over and over again? Does the general majority of the population that reside in this country need to use Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, Trigonometry & Calculus? Think about how often you use these skills in the real world day to day. Why not have a core curriculum taught in elementary school then in middle school proceed to a more specialized analysis based upon what you’re good at and what you enjoy. High school serves as mostly a training grounds for achieving the knowledge you need to succeed in the fields you choose.
Moving on to core skills that I wish were included into the curriculum. I don’t understand why public speaking wasn’t some type of required class to graduate in high school. I remember growing up I never placed much emphasis on presentation. How you present something can have drastic effects on the outcome. I remember completely failing at one job interview project we had to do in 10th grade simply because I was too shy to interact with the interviewer properly. I think because of this learning experience I was able to react much better the next time I had to do a major interview to get into college. (Side note: Yes, I didn’t really work in high school mainly because I always found different entrepreneurial ways of making my own money.)
For the most part there’s probably about a one day to a one week period of actual real world experience in school. Maybe you shadow someone you want to be like when you grow up for a day. Maybe you prepare for a job interview which you don’t know if it’s mock or real. Spending more time in a work place which may be similar to what you want to do for the rest of your life seems like it would be a much better use of time than going over the same “core” materials over and over.
Will school stay relevant? How can we improve the public school system? I am interested to hear your thoughts. Unfortunately, this blog cannot be open for comments due to spam. But email us at:
and I’ll try to post / address your comment.
This post by John Hoang an internet marketing specialist created using Dragon speech recognition technology. For more information check out the dragon naturally speaking review.
Feb
18
Twelve years ago I started playing my first ever online first person shooter game – on dial-up internet. It seems like an eternity since I’ve had to deal with 300ms pings in games, but I think it’s one of the few things I will NOT miss when reminiscing about the good old days of the internet. The others would have to be the slow download rates (remember when it took 45 minutes to send someone an mp3?) and the random connection drops. Oh those random connection drops were infuriating, especially when someone else in the house happened to pick the phone up. And even though I thank god every day that those problems are gone, I still have a fondness in my heart for how things used to be.
One of the great things about the internet in the beginning was the fact it was new to everyone. Chatting with others on services like AOL in 1990s was exciting, mostly because it was a new way to communicate and get to know people. Remember how giddy Meg Ryan was to get online once her boyfriend left for work in the movie You’ve Got Mail? That was me when I was a kid (though it was when my parents left). I’d sit there for hours on end getting to know people online, all the while having little to no social life off the computer. That was fine with me though. The other kids at school were mean, and I wasn’t a big fan of the bullying that always went on. I found that the internet was a great way for people to be judged for who they were and not for more superficial things like appearance.
Sometimes I wish I had been older during the rise of the internet, just so I could have enjoyed and understood it more when things were in development, but I am thankful that I did get to witness a glimpse of it.
Times eventually changed what the internet was and most of those changes were positive. I ended up getting off dial up and finally got dsl which improved my latency in online games dramatically. I became a significantly better player from that one upgrade alone. Mp3s would transfer in a matter of 2 to 3 minutes. No longer would my connection drop anytime my mom wanted to make a call. Things certainly were more convenient, but other parts of the internet started to devolve as well. It has become increasingly harder to meet intelligent people as internet service became more common for everyone to have. Thankfully, even though 90% of the chats out there are mindless sex rooms now, I’ve still maintained many meaningful relationships with people online, and that’s what keeps me coming on every day. It’s not the games, it’s not the mp3s, or even the fast transfer rates. It’s the people that make the internet interesting to me and I feel lucky to live in a world where such a fantastic thing exists to connect people.
Dec
16
In November I purchased a new computer because I had been having issues with the hard drive on my previous computer. This purchase would be my 8th or 9th PC purchase since the 1990s, and I still have yet to get rid of any of them. Yes, believe it or not they have been piling up in my closet over the years as they get replaced. Some of them still have decent components and run well, which is the main reason why I can’t simply throw them out.
It would be a waste to just toss the old computers out, but at the same time I don’t use them and want some of my closet space back. I’ve considered formatting the hard drives and giving them away for Christmas to friends and family, but one of the downsides to that is I don’t have monitors for them. The people I’d be giving the computers to aren’t exactly computer savvy and probably wouldn’t want to invest $100 into a monitor just to use the PC. There’s only two people that I can think of that would need these computers too, which doesn’t account for the numerous other ones sitting in my closet.
I’m thinking the next best option in my case is to consider recycling. I’ve been looking at computer recycling tips and there are companies that will take unwanted electronics and safely dispose of them in an environmentally friendly way. While some of my PCs do have decent components, some are extremely old and barely run, so this is probably how I will get rid of those.
I honestly wish I could just throw them on eBay, but because of how PCs devalue over the years, I would be lucky if I got $10 for most of them. It’s funny because when I originally purchased the computers, most of them cost over $500 (some of them over $1,500)!
Dec
12
There’s now less than two weeks left until Christmas and time to buy Xmas gifts for friends and family is quickly running out, especially if you are like me and you buy things online. I’ve done a lot of browsing on Amazon the past few weeks but most of their good sales get bought out before I have a chance to. I guess I’m not the kind of person who sits there waiting for a product to become available for eight hours straight in order to buy it at a slightly cheaper price. I guess that’s become a non-issue now though because most of my shopping is already done.
I’m still at a loss for what I should get certain people, mainly relatives I don’t see on a regular basis and even people I know online. I know most people don’t buy things for people online but I’ve come to know a lot of nice people online and I wish I had some sort of direction for them when it comes to Christmas gift ideas. The hard part about it is that even though you get to know people online in a way, you don’t really know as much about them than if you had a relationship with them in person (what their likes are, hobbies, etc.). In the past I would just not buy Christmas Presents for anyone but my immediate family, and while I may end up doing the same this year, I am at least considering a few approaches.
I think the most important part of picking a gift out for someone is getting them something that’s useful. I don’t believe it’s important to get someone something expensive so much as something that the person would actually use and not throw in their closet to collect dust. Another option is to get something thats cool, like a lava lamp or a coin sorter. If someone got me something like that, I think I’d be a lot happier than if they got me a sweater that I’d never use.
Aside from gift choices, this year a big question for me is if I’ll be getting a Christmas tree or not. Since I don’t have a car, I’d have to rent one and I’m not even sure if I want to spend the money on a tree let alone a rental car. It’s a tough choice, but I believe that the money can be put to better uses, such as bills or gifts. Christmas trees were an integral part of my Christmases as a child but now that I’m in my 20s, not so much. I haven’t made up my mind regarding the issue but thats the direction I’m leaning in right now.
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