Loyd Case came to computing by way of physical chemistry. He began modestly on a DEC PDP-11 by learning the intricacies of the TROFF text formatter while working on his master's thesis. After a brief, painful stint as an analytical chemist, he took over a laboratory network at Lockheed in the early 80's and never looked back. His first 'real' computer was an HP 1000 RTE-6/VM system.In 1988, he figured out that building his own PC was vastly more interesting than buying off-the-shelf systems ad he ditched his aging Compaq portable. The Sony 3.5-inch floppy drive from his first homebrew rig is still running today. Since then, he's done some programming, been a systems engineer for Hewlett-Packard, worked in technical marketing in the workstation biz, and even dabbled in 3-D modeling and Web design during the Web's early years.Loyd was also bitten by the writing bug at a very early age, and even has dim memories of reading his creative efforts to his third grade class. Later, he wrote for various user group magazines, culminating in a near-career ending incident at his employer when a humor-impaired senior manager took exception at one of his more flippant efforts. In 1994, Loyd took on the task of writing the first roundup of PC graphics cards for Computer Gaming World -- the first ever written specifically for computer gamers. A year later, Mike Weksler, then tech editor at Computer Gaming World, twisted his arm and forced him to start writing CGW's tech column. The gaming world -- and Loyd -- has never quite recovered despite repeated efforts to find a normal job. Now he's busy with the whole fatherhood thing, working hard to turn his two daughters into avid gamers. When he doesn't have his head buried inside a PC, he dabbles in downhill skiing, military history and home theater.
Right now, my digital audio collection consumes a total of about 110 gigabytes. That number is a bit deceptive, as its really two identical collections—one ripped in Windows Media Lossless format, the other in Apple Lossless. The collection currently consists of 106 CDs ripped from my collection, with about another 60 or so to go. […]
Windows Vista will contain a Microsoft-embedded benchmark, known as WinSAT (Windows System Assessment Tool.) WinSAT serves several purposes: Its a tool for OEM system providers to help enable them to meet Windows Vista logo requirements WinSAT runs during the Vista setup procedure, to determine if the system is capable of running the Aero 3D user […]
Microsoft gets it. I never thought Id actually write those three words. However, Im not talking about operating systems or Windows Media. Im talking about games—and not just about the Xbox 360, but lets begin there, anyway. For people who dont own an Xbox 360, the killer app for the Xbox 360 isnt any one […]
Every year, a new crop of gadgets, game controllers and other interesting items of hardware are shown at E3. Many never make it into the big time. But dreams die hard, and a new crop of dreamers return with hopes of breaking into the big time. Of course, the big guys are doing some cool […]
Back in 2004, we tested out Dish 921—the companys first attempt at a high-definition DVR. The 921 was really a low-end PC with a lot of custom hardware. While it did yeoman duty, it wasnt perfect. For example the DVR functionality would simply be off by a full 24 hours on occasion. It was also […]
A lot of virtual ink has been expended over the last few days regarding the latest Intel Developer Forum. Much of it has been focused on Intels next-generation CPU architecture. What has been swept under the rug, at least when it comes to desktop processors, is the first half of 2006. By the end of […]
Its hard to argue with success. Take a look at Toyota, for example, which builds roughly a zillion different car models (or so it seems) based on the Camry platform. Theres the Camry itself, the Avalon, the Highlander SUV, the Lexus ES300 and the Solara. Each drives just a little differently, but each also builds […]
Serial ATA has become the storage mainstay of current-generation desktop PCs. Were even seeing SATA drive penetrating into laptop storage and some entry-level servers. But the term “SATA-II” is now technically incorrect. Realizing the potential for Serial ATA beyond just PC hard drives, the SATA working group has formed an industry organization dubbed SATA-IO, for […]
Your Data from Any PC Network attached storage (NAS) is huge in corporate IT functions, but NAS hasnt been on the radar for many home users. Weve touched on home network storage here at ET, including our reviews of the D-Link Central Home Drive and Ximetas NetDisk. And weve also discussed network storage in the […]
Not About Backup. Really. I promise, this column is not about backing up your hard drive. Like me, I assume youve been lectured constantly about backup. Most of us dont do it on a regular basis. Even automated backup devices like Mirra dont get much traction among most users, because of the extra cost. If […]