|
1029usr078198
Forum Admin
USA
333 Posts |
 Posted - October 18 2009 : 14:03:38
|
Listen now. or Download the archive.
Question: I opened the door in my desk where my computer is stored. There was a lot of heat in there. Is this OK?
Answer: Many companies make desks that hide your computer. They do fine as long as there's sufficient ventilation in the back and at the sides and as long as your fans are working. Many computers have vents on the side and these should be given space so air can get through. Most of those desks have large openings in the back that allow the hot air to exit the cabinet and give you a path to connect the wires that are an inevitable part of owning a computer. All that said, anytime you open the door and the heat inside is noticeable, that's not good. Heat can kill computers. One of the things that might happen is that the computer will slow down. Often slowdowns are due to malicious software, but when heat builds up, the processor itself, if it's an Intel, slows down until it can run without overheating. I'm not sure what AMD processors do. To sum it all up, the situation you have isn't good, because the heat's slowing your system. But in general, these enclosed desks are fine; just watch the heat.
Cool Site: National Constitution Center: It's the "Which Founder Are You" quiz that, more than anything, makes this the Cool Site this week. This quiz was put together by a psychologist, so it's probably better than average in terms of accuracy. When I took the quiz, I was William Paterson from New Jersey. You've probably never heard of him – I know I hadn’t. I know him now, because each delegate to the Constitutional Convention has a short 2-3 paragraph biography on the site. The center itself is a museum in Philadelphia two blocks from Independence Hall, and is the only museum devoted to the Constitution. They have podcasts, news releases; you'll find a trip planner, and information about their exhibits. Currently, they have an exhibit about Princess Diana. That really doesn't make sense to me, but they also have information on Constitution Day. They have a Facebook page and you can follow them on Twitter. Take the quiz and let us know which founder you are.
Cool Gadget: Technosource Rubik's TouchCube: Where do I find these expensive toys? Anyone remember the Rubik's Cube? It was introduced in the 70's and is still one of the best selling toys in history. My son Daine has a couple and while I always used to need a screwdriver to solve one, he can actually work the thing. Well, now it's the 21st Century, and so now we have an electronic version of the Cube that, instead of twisting it, you slide your finger across the row and the computer inside moves the pieces. You can get hints for this cube, and even have it solve itself – no screwdriver needed. It comes with a charging dock. There's a video on YouTube of this thing in operation.
It's All "Geek" To Me: Golden Master: This week's word sounds like it came from the TV Show Kung Fu. Our term is Golden Master and it refers to the final version of software that is sent to the duplication houses for mass production. In other words, the software company writes the software, does all their testing, and then when they get the software as ready as they can, then they make up a CD or DVD and send it to the duplicators. They don't do the duplication themselves. This term was used by Apple for a long time, and now is used by many different software vendors.
Links
National Constitution Center:
http://www.constitutioncenter.org
Which Founder Are You Quiz:
http://www.constitutioncenter.org/FoundersQuiz/
Technosource Rubik’s TouchCube:
http://www.gearlog.com/2009/10/hands_on_technosources_rubiks.php
Golden Master on TechTerms:
http://www.techterms.com/definition/goldenmaster |
|
10/16/2009-Heat,NCCtr,Rubik,"Golden Master"
