I am moving from birthdays to version numbers…. here is to PHH v4.6 !!

Arrived at lunch today! Can’t wait to get it programed and try it out!

My friend Lee dropped me a note and got me caught up on the gaming back in the PNW. Going to try to find him on line and play a bit of BF2 or 2142.

” At the age of eleven or thereabouts women acquire a poise and an ability to handle difficult situations which a man, if he is lucky, manages to achieve somewhere in the later seventies.”

– PG Wodehouse

And yesterday my Nostromo N52 died the bad-key-death…. So I broke down and ordered a new gamepad. After reading the reviews, I went with a Saitek PZ31A. We will see how that works out when it gets here!

Well, the rebuilt PC went together very well! Heres the total build:

* AMD A64x2 5400+ 2.8G Dual Core Processor

* MSI K9A2 Motherboard

* XFX 8800 GT Video Card ( Started all this in the first place…)

* Antec 550w Power Supply

* 2 Gigs Crucial Memory

* 2 – 250 GB Seagate Hard Drives at RAID 0

* Windows XP64 Pro

The machine runs extremely well! I updated Farcry to the 64bit version and it is amazing. I have BF2 and 2142 running wikiwiki on the rig and have had no problems even though on install both packages warned me that they had only been tested on XP 32.

Hard to belive I had to run all this though just to get that darn “free” PCI-e card running!

But, I love it!

Actually, its not a “Latitude” at all…. Its my personal custom PC. Ok thats a geeky joke about Dell laptops.

I built this rig just about 5 years ago when AGP was hot and PCI-X was just coming on board. Its a good rig and has been fun to work with and tinker with. I tried to eek out a couple more years with the graphics system by picking up a Nvidia 7900 in November when they were on sale from New Egg, and it worked wonderfully for about a month until it failed. (You will note the conversation with XFX in a previous post…).

Well, the wonderful folks at XFX replaced it with a rand new 8800GT for PCI-X so, that meant I had to upgrade the box if I wanted to use it, so, a trip to New Egg and $456 latter, the new parts arrive.

Next… what’s in the box(s)!

I got my first taste of Dungeons and Dragons about 1977 and if I remember correctly it was my friend Billy’s brother who DM’s the “Chain Mail ” or “Black Moor” supplements. Long time ago… anyway, I spent a lot of my younger days and college years playing D&D and it influenced my life in many very positive ways.

Gary Gygax one of the creators of D&D passed away this morning…. and to his memory I raise my glass and say “Thanks for all the great adventures Gary. May you sail swiftly to Avalon.”

[Pat Hartley – 01/12/2008] While playing BF 2142 the monitor suddenly began displaying dozens/then hundreds of short horizontal bars all over the screen. I rebooted and the problem appears in XP everywhere. I have uninstalled the old drivers, installed the latest ones and cleaned the registry multiple times. The problem remains and everything is corrupt. Switched monitors as well , not change. Put in my old NVIDIA card and the problem disappears. Reappears when I put the 7900 back in. HELP!

[Pat Hartley – 01/16/2008] Can you folks tell me when you will be able to address this issue? Thanks! ~Pat

[MARK_C – 01/16/2008] Hello Pat. Sorry for the delay in responding to your ticket. This sounds like a faulty card. Please double check that your serial number is registered correctly. Please verify that your profile has your current contact phone number and mailing address that someone will be able to sign for a package and we can escalate this for RMA evaluation. Please let us know once everything is updated. Mark

[Pat Hartley – 01/16/2008] Hi Mark, Thanks for the help! My mailing address is correct and I double checked the warranty info. So, everything should be good to go. ~Pat

[MARK_C – 01/16/2008] Hello Pat. I am sorry but we cannot ship to a P.O. Box. FedEx won`t deliver to one. It is my fault for not mentioning that. I tried to call but could not get a hold of anyone. If you can update us with a non PO box address we can get your RMA issued. If you can call us before 5 PST at 800-880-3225 than we can do it while you are on the phone. Mark

[Pat Hartley – 01/17/2008] Hi Mark! Not a problem. We can ship it directly to my street address: 46 Greenlee Drive Bisbee, AZ 85603 Let me know if that will work! Thanks for the help! ~Pat

[KEVIN – 01/18/2008] I`ve gone ahead and authorized your RMA (Returns Merchandise Authorization) so you can send your XFX product in to get it serviced. Your RMA number is (xcr8418). Also please copy and paste the following link into your browser, ftp://xfxsupport.com/public/other/PCA_RMA_TC.pdf, this PDF is the RMA agreement and paperwork. It contains all the RMA terms and conditions; please fill it out, sign it, and include it with your RMA. If you wish to waive the signature on return shipments from XFX please obtain the waiver form here: ftp://ftp.xfxsupport.com/public/other/signaturewaiver.pdf. Please note: Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view the PDF documents listed above. Please download and install the latest version of Acrobat Reader from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html before attempting to open the forms.

[Pat Hartley – 01/18/2008] Thank you. I will fill out the forms and get this shipped to you.

[MARK_C – 01/18/2008] Thank you

[Pat Hartley – 01/24/2008] Should be there anytime now! Thanks!

[WILLIAM – 01/29/2008] Not a problem at all pat, we will let you know when we receive your graphics card. William.

[Pat Hartley – 01/29/2008] Thanks Guys!

[TAYLOR – 01/30/2008] We have received your recent returns ref: XCR8418. Your returns will be passed to the RMA department for testing and diagnosis. We will notify you on completion. Thank You. XFX Support Team

[KRYSTLE – 01/30/2008] Your recent returns ref: XCR8418 has recently completed the testing process with the following status: {I4H178003 = FAULTY}. A technician will be in contact shortly to discuss completion of this returns. If you have any queries regarding this test result – please send a message to the support team. Thank You. XFX Support Team

[Pat Hartley – 02/05/2008] Guys, I have not heard anything form you on this issue since the testing. Can you tell me what I need to do next to get this resolved? Thanx

[DANIwp_o8u7fe_E – 02/06/2008] Hi, your card tested as faulty so we’re replacing it. Once your replacement is ready to ship out we`ll contact you through this ticket. Regards, Daniel

[Pat Hartley – 02/06/2008] Thank you!

[BRIAN – 02/07/2008] HI pat, we`ll keep you posted. thanks Brian.

[SHANNON – 02/08/2008] We apologize for your situation in regards to currently not having replacement video cards for the 7900GS AGP video card. What we would like to offer you the chance to upgrade to an 8800GT 512MB PCI-E (PV-T88P-YHF4) video card at no charge. This of course will not work in your current system as it is a PCI-E video card and not an AGP, but we have noticed many customers wishing to have this option. If you do not want the upgrade we will contact you if we are able to get more 7900GS AGP or equivalent video cards in stock. Please let me know.

[Pat Hartley – 02/08/2008] Hi Shannon! Can you tell me, is the upgraded card new or refurbished? Thanks! ~Pat

[DANIwp_o8u7fe_E – 02/08/2008] Hi, it will depend on our current stock at the time; it may be from new stock or from tested good stock. Rest assured any replacement card will be tested before going out to ensure it is full functional. Let us know how you`d like to proceed and we`ll get this rolling for you. Daniel

[Pat Hartley – 02/08/2008] Any idea when you might have 7900GS in?

[CURTIS – 02/12/2008] We are not sure. The chips are not available at this time and we do not know when we will get more from nvidia. That is why we are offering the other options. Please let us know how you would like to proceed. Curtis

[Pat Hartley – 02/12/2008] Folks, please go ahead and send me out a new 8800GT 512MB PCI-E (PV-T88P-YHF4) video card at no charge as noted in the discussion on 2/8/08. I appreciate the help and the offer. Thank you.

Between the girls being off for vacation and me home sick over News Years, the Dog and I managed to catch up on a few movies. Some of which were viewed through the haze of cold medication and Niquil. Therefore I have asked the Dog to rate them himself on a scale of 1-5 Bones: ( The comments are all his…)

30 Days of Night – (3 Bones) No Surprises here.. A vampire flick that could have provided a much better backstory. The ‘Renfield” character was text book.

No Country for Old Men – (3.5 Bones) Awesome first half. Excellent photography but the story dosent cary through. The pit-bulls were predictable characters.

28 Weeks Later – (2 Bones) Promises much but delivers little. Does not hold a candle to the original. Never lives up to it’s potential.

The Constant Gardner – (4.5 Bones) Amazing film. Excellent characters, strong performances, fantastic photography. Looses a little due to being a bit heavy handed in the premise.

Bourn Ultimatum – (2.5 Bones) Not much. OK Sequel… lacks the power and originality of the first film. You stop caring about the character.

Children of Men – (3 Bones) Excellent idea. good acting.. many plot holes . Fast paced but predictable ending. Lack of dogs.

So, those are the Dog’s opinions… and he loves a good movie discussion so please feel free to write him at Anubis@teknoviking.com if you want to chat.

Ok, Here is my all time favorite eggnog recipe…. I don’t remember where I got it from originally, but it has been changed and babied since then.

6 Eggs
2 1/2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Cups Whole Milk
1 Cup Baker’s Sugar (Ultrafine)
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg ( If you are using fresh, reduce this to 1/2 Teaspoon)
1/2 Cup Brandy
1/2 Cup Dark Rum (The darker, the better…)

* Chill all the ingredients first, it seems to go together better that way.
* Beat the eggs together until they are very frothy. You can do this by hand, but it is much better using a electric device of some sort… isn’t that always the case? 😉
* Add in the sugar and continue beating.
* Slowly sprinkle in the nutmeg and vanilla while you continue to beat the mix.
* Are your arms tired yet??
* Slowly, a little at a time, add in the whipping cream. The texture will really start to change here.
* Now add in the milk the same way you did the cream.
* When the mix is very well combined, beat int he rum and the brandy.

After its all combined, pour it into a covered pitcher and put it in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours. We have found the Nog is more Noggier after it sits over night in the fridge.

Be sure to give the Nog a good stir before you pour it into glasses and don’t forget to top it with just a dash of nutmeg.

Enjoy and here is wishing a bright and wonderful Winter Solstice Season to you all!