Giveaway from Chronicle Books Whip Up Mini Quilts..

As I mentioned below, there would be a giveaway today of Kathreen Ricketson's new book Whip Up Mini Quilts. I am huge fan of quilts and quilting and looking at those teeny quilts below have me jonesing to get my hands on some serious fat quarters of calico! Leave a comment and three winners will be chosen in 24 hrs. Have fun!

so far so fantastic

O my, are we ever having a great time in Oregon. Hiking, meals as a family, good wine, down time, beach trip, feeding horses, beautiful scenery, beautiful people. (O, and free time to edit pictures and sleep in. I love grandparents.)

Chinese 'Red Pad' tablet reserved for top officials

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For the communist cadre who has everything, a shadowy Chinese company is offering a $1,590 tablet computer called the "Red Pad" reserved for the nation's top officials.

The pricey device, whose existence was publicised by state media this week, has drawn mocking comparisons to Apple's

Red is the colour of China's Communist Party and in the political context refers to someone who is patriotic.

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Red Pad Technology, reported to have links to China's powerful Ministry of Information Industry, will not sell the product to the public but only to bureaucrats, state media said.

The Red Pad, called the "

But the company selling the Red Pad appears to have grown publicity-shy, with its official website no longer accessible.

Chinese bloggers said only government officials could afford the tablet since they have access to state funds and illegal sources of income gained through their powerful positions.

"Your products should be aimed at those customers who do not spend their own money," said another microblog posting by Su Hailei.

In what appeared to be a joke, a seller on China's largest online shopping platform

NC State Unveils New DARPA Urban Challenge Driverless Vehicle

In a race that can only be described as futuristic, the Insight Racing team will field a driverless Lotus Elise to compete in the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge. The team will modify the sports car with sensors and on-board computers that have been programmed to autonomously maneuver it through an urban setting complete with traffic, intersections and traffic circles – the vehicle will even have to park itself – all without the help of a human.

The product of a collaboration among North Carolina State University, Insight Technologies Inc., Lotus Engineering Inc. and the Advanced Vehicle Research Center (AVRC), the technology that will guide the Elise through city streets may one day revolutionize not only the way the military performs missions but also the way that commuters drive to work each day.

“The College of Engineering is excited about being a part of this event,” said Dr. Louis Martin-Vega, dean of the College of Engineering at NC State. “Our students will be able to use their engineering skills to solve real-world problems that will one day help save lives.”

Sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Grand Challenge competition was created to answer a congressional mandate to convert one-third of military vehicles to driverless, computer-driven mode by 2015. The objective of the competition is to have teams design a completely autonomous vehicle with no human assistance that can maneuver through an urban setting while avoiding obstacles. The technology developed for the race will help DARPA reach its goal of having the autonomous vehicles perform missions that currently put military personnel in harm’s way.

Today, the Insight Racing team announced that Lotus Engineering had provided a Lotus Elise to use in the competition and will modify the controls interface. The Elise represents a leap up from the 1987 Chevy Suburban used in the 2005 competition, which took an overall 12th place from an original field of 196 applicants.

“Lotus is happy to support Insight Racing in the Urban Challenge,” says Don Graunstadt, chief executive officer and president of Lotus Engineering. “We are impressed with Insight’s proven record and are looking forward to working together.”

“We are proud to have Lotus as a sponsor,” says Grayson Randall, Insight Racing founder. “Lotus Engineering’s leadership will certainly contribute greatly to our efforts. The development of this smart vehicle technology has many applications and will ultimately change how we drive in the not too distant future.”

“It is exciting to think about the many ways this technology will change the automotive industry,” said Dick Dell, executive director of AVRC. “It is great to see North Carolina in a leadership position with this powerful Lotus-Insight partnership.”

Entered as one of the 78 Track B teams – and the only team representing North Carolina – in the 2007 Grand Challenge, the Insight Racing team will now face several elimination rounds to advance to the final Urban Challenge event in November 2007.

“We have a highly talented dynamic team that is composed of students from NC State University, members of the Triangle technical community and retired business executives,” Randall says. “The development of robotics technology will allow us to accomplish both human relief and military missions that pose a threat to our country’s personnel. We are thrilled to compete in this innovative race, which is moving autonomous driving ahead so rapidly.”

Source: NC State University

ATi Confirmed Launch Dates For R5xx GPUs

Some interesting info from an investor meeting held with ATI's CEO Dave Ortonon August 17th :

• Late September Launch Date Set for Three R500 Desktop Discrete Chips (R520,RV530, and RV515)
• The shipment dates will likely be staggered for the three chips, based on thedelivery cycles from TSMC, with one likely shipping at launch date and the othertwo within the first half of October
• R520 had been sampling since Dec/04, and although the architecture and 90nmprocess were not a problem, ATI was not able to run the clock fast enough due toa “soft ground” issue that was discovered in late July after debugging withseveral re-spins.
• R520 and RV530 had functional yields, but could not run at high speeds, whilethe RV515 and the C1 (the 90nm Xbox graphics chip) did not have any issues.
• In terms of performance, ATI believes the R520 should exceed the GeForce 7800GTX in benchmark tests if it can get the proper clock speed, but recognizes thatNVIDIA has some headroom to overclock the GeForce 7800 clock speeds.
• ATI unlikely to launch its R580 (speculated to have 32 pixel pipelines) inC2005 and expect a refresh of the R500 family beginning in spring 2006 withRV560, followed by RV540 and RV505.
• R600 targeted for (DirectX 10, targeting Vista and WGF 2.0) in Q4/F06 orQ1/F07

ASUS S-presso SFF System

ASUS today introduced the S-presso, an all-new desktop barebone system thatoffers multimedia entertainment in a compact small form factor (SFF) casing. Itprovides excellent support for high-quality graphics, powerful computing, TVviewing, video recording, FM radio, and comes in a stylish design that makes itperfect for home environments.

Easy multimedia access
With the LED Easy Touch Panel, the S-presso allows users to surf TV channels,adjust volume, skip CD and DVD tracks etc. Access and control multimediafunctions without touching the keyboard or mouse. When users are resting on thecouch, the S-presso also offers a remote controller, so sit back, relax andenjoy all the multimedia features.

3.4GHz+ Pentium 4 and powerful graphics
Powerful computing performance is a prerequisite for multimedia entertainment.The S-presso is Prescott ready, delivering 3.4GHz+ Pentium 4 processing formulti-task operation. The S-presso is also the only PC of its size with theability to accommodate all AGP 8x graphics cards. It eliminates graphics cardcompatibility issues and provides high-quality visual performance support.

Instant-On – OS-free audio and video
Don’t waste time waiting for the system to boot. Enjoy TV, DVD, CD, MP3 and FMradio right away without entering the operating system.

ASUS Home Theater
This user-friendly interface for multimedia functions is found uniquely in ASUSdesktop solutions. Users can easily switch between different applicationswhether it’s watching TV, listening to CDs, playing DVDs or enjoying FM radioshows.

Convenient assembling
The chassis of the S-presso takes on a simple tool-less design that permitsusers to quickly access the interior of the PC system for system upgrade andmaintenance.

The S-presso offers two models – S1-P111 and S1-P112. Multimedia featuressuch as Touch Sensor LED panel, remote control, TV tuner, ASUS Home Theater andASUS Instant-On are only available in the S1-P111 version. The S1-P112 is agaming system tailored for those who enjoy playing the latest 3D titles.

Specification summary
-CPU: Intel Pentium 4 3.4GHz (Northwood and Prescott)
-Chipsets: Intel 865G + ICH5
- 800/533MHz FSB
-Memory: Dual-channel DDR 400/333/266. Max. 2GB
-Serial ATA
-1 x AGP 8x
-S/PDIF
-7-in1 card reader (CFI/CFII, Smart Media, SD/MMC, MS/MS Pro)
-TV tuner card

Coming in blue and white, the S-presso looks good in all settings.

nick millard round-up “death nurse”

In a very real sense, if you’ve seen Mick Millard’s other SOV/DTV offering from 1987, Criminally Insane 2 a.k.a. Crazy Fat Ethel 2, then you’ve seen Death Nurse. Only you haven’t. Confused yet? Read on, all will made clear — sort of.

At its core, Death Nurse more or less amounts to Criminally Insane 2 in unconvincing hospital costumes (okay, in fairness the nurse’s getup worn by star Priscilla Alden and the lab coat worn by her pseudo-doctor brother, played by fellow Millard regular Albert Eskinazi,? are perfectly fine, but look for the little touches, like a dish rag attached with rubber bands standing in for a surgical mask, to show just how little money our guy Nick spent on this movie) — after all, it’s shot in Millard’s Pacifica, California condo, it stars Alden, Eskinazi, Millard’s mom, and his stepfather, and it’s about a homicidal fat lady, all of which should sound pretty familiar if you’ve seen CI2/CFE2. In addition,?Death Nurse also runs just under 60 minutes in length and looks to have been shot on a consumer-grade VHS camcorder and then haphazardly edited with a basic two-VCRs-hooked-up-at-home set-up.

And yet — it’s the subtle differences here that show Millard’s creativity in the face of no resources whatsoever. His spread is now a clinic (that takes care of everything from open heart surgery to TB treatment to Betty Ford-style alcohol rehab) rather than a halfway house, his mom plays a social worker who takes care of indigent medical patients rather than a social worker who takes care of newly-released indigent mental hospital patients,? and the larger-than-life Ms. Alden plays Edith Mortley, psycho RN, rather than Ethel Janowski, psycho food lover.

So yes — even though both flicks are hopelessly padded to fill out their meager runtimes with “flashback” footage from the first Criminally Insane film (which in this context makes absolutely no sense being that Alden is supposedly playing an “entirely different” character here — oh, and the opening credits are borrowed from?CI again this time as well, right down to the “directed by Nick Philips”), and even though they both linger on certain scenes waaaaaayyyy too long (check out how much time Millard spends showing us Eskinazi’s Gordon Mortley character digging a “grave,” for instance, or eating ice cream just a few minutes later), there are some key differences. And it’s one of those key differences that, in my mind, makes Death Nurse the superior “feature” (to the extent that either of them can be said to have any redeeming qualities whatsoever) of the two? — and it’s not the dish rag “surgical masks,” awesome as they? are.No, friends, what sets Death Nurse apart from its contemporary entry into the Millard canon is its (entirely unintentional, I’m sure, which makes it all the better in my book) full-throttle, no-holds-barred, do-not-pass-go-do-not-collect-$200 leap into the realm of pure, unadulterated absurdity in pursuit of its less-than-lofty mission to simply kill 60 minutes’ worth of videotape.? While Criminally Insane 2? still tepidly clings to the notion of making some kind of rational sense, rest assured that Death Nurse has no such hang-ups.

Consider — the “plot” here revolves around a nurse and doctor (who according to Millard are apparently phonies with no medical training, although the “screenplay,” ad-libbed for the most part as it is, makes no explicit mention of this fact) who take in broke patients and then kill them and keep collecting money from Medicare/Medicaid for their “treatment.” Even though county social workers still have to come by and check on these people. In addition, they don’t even put up the pretense of having real surgical equipment about, resorting instead to using hacksaws and steak knives on their (fully conscious, I shit you not!) patients.? Ethel — I mean, Edith — then feeds the dead remains of their charges to her pet rats in the garage (cue stock footage from Willard) before feeding the rats to others in her care (such is the delicate cycle of nature, I guess). Then a cop (Millard’s step dad) comes along and busts up their little racket and our quaint homemade “epic” is over.

If any of that makes a lick of sense to you, then congratulations on possessing enough suspension of disbelief to almost take Death Nurse seriously. But fear not — Millard’s heavy-handed attempts at “black comedy” still ensure that you won’t (or can’t). Consider : a dead TB sufferer (played by Millard himself with his face covered by a handkerchief at all times) is dug out from his shallow grave and hosed off to “prove” to the pesky lady from county social services that he’s still alive (wouldn’t she notice the smell?). Gordon attempts a heart transplant by inserting the ticker of his dead dog into a human patient — and their cat (who wanders about the clinic freely, apparently) makes off with it. And ol’ Gordo is trading sex for booze with his alcoholic patient (played by Millard’s wife, who also evidently “produced” this movie, whatever that even means).

So yeah, I think it’s fair to say that Death Nurse is more than willing to loose itself from the moorings of reality. But you still can’t really escape the sense that more or less nothing is happening in this movie because, well — it’s not. It just sounds like it is. Watch it and you’ll see what I mean — Millard possesses the unique ability to make even the truly absurd seem hopelessly mundane and to almost hermetically cleanse any scene of all dramatic tension. He could make a real-live snuff film and I swear to God the thing would seem tedious and drawn out. And while some readers out there may find that to be rather insulting to good Nicholas, I genuinely mean it as praise, because it’s a feat I’ve never seen any other director duplicate with the kind of consistently vigorous non-vigor (hell, anti-vigor) that he does. One thing that’s definitely worthy of admiration, though, regardless of how you feel about Death Nurse itself, is the quality of Slasher Video’s new 25th Anniversary DVD release of the movie. Both picture and sound have been remastered to the point of being genuinely passable (no small feat there I would imagine), and it’s loaded with terrific extras including an on-camera interview with Millard (who’s definitely an amiable guy and pretty darn honest about the “quality” of his product), a terrific feature-length commentary with Millard and his wife, Irmi, that’s engaging throughout, a Priscilla Alden tribute featurette showcasing scenes she’s? in from numerous Millard productions, a short-but-sweet still photo gallery, and a YouTube-style “review video” from the head honcho of VHSCollector.com. All in all, it’s a more comprehensive package than any right-thinking person would ever have dreamed a flick like this would receive. Kudos all around.

At the end of the day, it’s pointless to compare Death Nurse to anything other than Millard’s other late-80s SOV productions, not so much because it doesn’t play by the same rules as “normal” cinema, but because it doesn’t even seem to know what those rules are. Although in many ways it’s hopelessly redundant when viewed alongside Criminally Insane 2 (which is already hopelessly redundant in and of itself if you’ve seen the first Criminally Insane), it’s the sheer temerity of Millard thinking he could basically do the same flick again (I picture in my mind him yelling “Cut! — And print!” when he wrapped up CI2 and then saying “Now let’s shoot it again quick in the hospital costumes!,” but I guess they were made a good six or so months apart, which for some strange reason I actually find kind of disappointing), coupled with his absolute unconcern with, if not outright disdain for, trying to be in any way “believable,” that elevates — or knocks down, depending on how you look at things — Death Nurse to its own plateau. This is a work of art — and I don’t use that term lightly, off-handedly, or in any way condescendingly — that manages to be both a complete rip-off and yet defy comparison at the same time. In its steadfast inability to be anything other than what it is, even if “what it is” amounts to being a total rehash of an earlier rehash, it stands alone as perhaps the most jaw-droppingly, amazingly, near-hypnotically pointless movie ever made — until, of course, Death Nurse 2 came along the very next year. Let’s hope Slasher Video sees fit to give it similar treatment in the not-too-distant future.

ASUS Introduced TA-89 Series Chassis

ASUS has announced the TA-89 Series chassis – which incorporates an advancedventilation design, injury-proof installation, easy access to hardwarecomponents and a large hardware capacity for customized PC building.Additionally, its stable and well-built frame and independent USB port designprovides users with convenient access to USB devices and avoids mutualinterference when multiple USB devices are connected.

Advanced Ventilation Design

The TA-89 supports dual 80mm rear and front fans, with the option of upgradingthe front fan to a 120mm large fan in order to create even better airflow atlower fan speeds and a quieter computing experience. The side venting holes pullin cool air to lower CPU and graphic card temperatures and the air-duct funnelsthe cool air towards the CPU, while unique rear venting holes enhancesventilation around the add-on cards. This comprehensive cooling design enableslong and continuous operations for the most powerful processing platforms andincreases overall system performance and stability.

Easy-Access Installation

The screw-less hard drive cage with user-friendly holders and side panels withthumbscrews enable easy system upgrade and maintenance. The Injury-proof harddrive cage and folded metal edges protect fingers from scrapes and cuts. Thespring-opened optical drive door allows quick access to optical devices, andintelligently located USB ports avoid mutual interference when multiple USBdevices are connected. All of these features make the TA-89 series aneasy-access DIY installation chassis.

Outstanding scalability

The TA-89 provides support for four 5.25-inch and six 3.5-inch drive bays, sevenPCI slots, two USB ports and two audio ports to support an array of opticaldrives, hard disks, sound cards, LAN cards and peripherals.

 

Specifications

The TA-89 series is now available.

ASUS ROG Rampage IV Extreme (X79) Review - Air Overclocking with Core i7-3960X

Introduction

We had already covered the ASUS Republic of Gamers Rampage IV Extreme in a exclusive preview last month, so we will spend the first section of the review talking about the newLGA 2011 based Sandy Bridge-E processor and the X79 Patsburg chipset.

Top of the line Core i7-3960X - 6 Core/12 Threads, 15MB Cache, Quad Channel IMC, AVX/AES/SSE4.2/SSE 4.2 support and a whopping 40 PCI-E lanes

The new SNB-E die is a lot bigger than Intels previous desktop offerings - no surprise as there are 2.27 billion transistors on die and six real processor cores (rather than pseudo integer/FP units). We also note with interest the 2 disabled cores - which will appear in the server Sandy Bridge-EP variants.

The SNB-E is the last of the 32nm desktop chips from Intel since Westmere. Next year, we will see the 22nm Ivy Bridge platform, which should bring significant power savings and higher operating frequencies.

Launching today is the six core i7-3960X (3.3GHz, 15MB cache) and the much cheaper i7-3930K (3.2GHz, 12MB cache). The TDP for the new chips are rated at 130W and they are poised to replace the aging Westmere based LGA1366 processors.

X79 Patsburg Chipset Block Diagram. The 40 lane PCI-E design allows for flexible multi-GPU slot configurations.

Separately available Intel Liquid Cooler (Asetek OEM)

ASUS PG191 LCD Monitor

Asus Technology Pte Ltd. (ASUS) is proud to introduce the PG191 LCD monitor,which incorporates Power Bass System and 2ms gray-to-gray response time todeliver the audio and video performance demanded by hardcore gamers. Gaming inthe 21st is more than just entertainment. It’s an attitude. Hardcore playersneed the best system setup, and it’s not just about computer hardwareperformance but also the coolest looking chassis, mouse, keyboard and of coursedisplay as well. The PG191 is exactly this type of gaming solution.

Appearance Matters

Rife with unique industrial designs, the black and silver PG191 comes with asleek aluminum alloy neck, diamond-cut base and black-glared front frame, makingit a stylish piece of décor for any environments. For gamers, the displaycontour is based on stealth bombers, and the subwoofer box at the back takes onthe shape of a tank cannon. Playing military theme games on the PG191 is justthat much better.

Blast Music with ASUS Power Bass System and SRS TruSurround XT™ Technology

The top-of-the-line PG191 comes with 2.1-channel speakers (10W satellitespeakers and 15W ASUS Power Bass System) to deliver an exhilarating audioexperience when battling in the virtual world. Supplemented by SRS Lab'sFlagship TruSurround XT virtual surround sound technology, the display supportsDolby™ audio and the latest game titles' 5.1- and 6.1-channel sound standards.

2ms Quick Response Time

If you are sick of image ghostings and tracers, then look no further then thePG191. It adopted Trace Free Technology, which accelerates gray-to-gray responsetime to 2ms to enable smooth video quality whether it is a football match, 3Dgames or DVD playback.

Host Gameference with High-Resolution Webcam

The built-in 1.3 mega-pixel webcam along with earphone and microphone jacksoffer a total interactive solution for online gaming. Battle online andstrategize with teammates through video conference. LifeFrame™ technologyfurther lets users take snapshots and record video with fun and ease.

Hotkeys Quickly Activate Special Modes

The PG191 offers hotkeys to activate its special audio and video modes. Selectthe right modes to optimize your listening and visual experiences.
- Hotkey for 5 Sound Preset Mode Selections (Fighting Game, Strategic Game,Theater, Music, Standard)
- Hotkey for 5 Video Preset Mode Selections (Game, Night View, Theater, Sceneryand Standard)
- Hotkey for activating and deactivating SRS TruSurround XT

Splendid Video Intelligence Technology

Splendid detects activation and usage of video applications and automaticallyoptimizes image quality for the best visual results. Besides the five modes(Standard, Game, Theater, Scenery and Night) mentioned in the previousparagraph, the innovative technology also enables the selection of three skintone options for the best visual results in different video applications.

Specification Summary

19” TFT-LCD panel
Resolution: 1280 x 1024
800:1 contrast ratio and 320nits brightness
Trace Free Technology (2ms gray to gray response time)
Built-in 10W satellite stereo speakers and 15W ASUS Power Bass System
SRS TruSurround XTTM Technology (6.1CH stereo surround sound)
Support video and audio communication (1.3 mega-pixel webcam+ earphone/ micjack)
3 USB2.0 ports
6 convenient hotkeys
Touch sensor key controls and power on/off melodies
SplendidTM Video Intelligence Technology
Flexible tilting and swivel angle adjustment
Support both DVI-D and D-SUB inputs
3-year system and panel warranty

AMD Socket M2 CPU Processor Running!

AMD Socket M2:Here are two pictures of AMD's working Socket M2 processor. This particular unit is running at 2.4GHz. You will notice the "extra" M2 pin bringing the total pin count up to 940 (from the current 939). Just to note that we are not showing you a current 940-pin Opteron, you will notice that the areas that are void of pins are in spaces other than what you would find on a Opteron processor. This processor is also lacking the usual ceramic Opteron substrate. The second picture shows the POST screen where we have highlighted "AMD Engineering Sample" along with the noted DDR2-667 memory bus speed.

ATi First To Recieve Vista WHQL Certification

Underlining the company's leadership in developing hardware and drivers tosupport Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Vista operating system, ATI Technologies Inc.(TSX:ATY)(NASDAQ:ATYT) today announced that its driver has been granted thegraphics industry's first Windows Hardware Quality Lab (WHQL) certification forWindows Vista by Microsoft. WHQL certification sets a high bar for quality andreliability, and is considered essential by many business and home users.

Windows Vista is the first version of the Microsoft operating system thatrequires hardware for 3D acceleration. WHQL certification reassures businessesand consumers that ATI graphics processors are fully ready to unlock thestunning graphical features of the powerful Windows Vista platform, includingWindows Vista Premium(1).

"ATI is working closely with Microsoft to ensure the best performance and mostreliable Vista experience through our top-to-bottom line of graphicsprocessors," said Ben Bar-Haim, vice president of software, ATI TechnologiesInc. "With Windows Vista, 3D graphics now matter to everyone and ATI's WHQLcertification gives businesses and consumers alike the confidence that their ATIsystem is ready for Vista."

Asus warranty does not protect computers during alien invasions

Asus computers are not protected by its warranty in the event of an invasion by aliens from outer space, it has been revealed.

The unusual clause in the Asus warranty was recently spotted by a number of technology news outlets, suggesting that lawyers might have a sense of humour after all.It is not clear if this exclusion will affect sales, as no studies have been conducted regarding how many alien abductees are loyal Asus customers.It might also be possible that Asus knows more than the rest of us about the possibility of extraterrestrial life.We wonder if competitors will now start including a similar clause. Of course, trying to get a refund for a zapped computer might be the last thing on our minds when the little green men start landing.Source: Gizmodo

ATi R600 Help Ease IC Substrate Oversupply

The upcoming R600, which is made on 80nm, is helping ease the oversupply of IC substrates, according to a Chinese-language Commercial Times report, which noted that the chip is expected to be officially announced on either March 8 or 9. The paper said that orders for IC substrates started to be released in late January and the ramp up in demand was evident in the January sales record of major substrate makers, including Nanya Printed Circuit Board (NPC), Phoenix Precision Technology (PPT) and Kinsus Interconnect Technology.

the films of frank henenlotter frankenhooker

We’ll conclude our little look back at the madcap career of semi-legendary director Frank Henenlotter with his 1990 trash masterpiece, “Frankenhooker.” I won’t beat around the bush, this is my favorite of Henenlotter’s films, and is a bona fide cult classic completely deserving of its reputation.? Hysterically funny and just-as-hysterically gruesome, “Frankenhooker” packs more punch than any multimillion-dollar Hollywood blockbuster and delivers the gore-soaked goods on a budget that directors like Zack Snyder and George Lucas probably blow on lunch.

Once again filmed in the environs of New Jersey and, most notably, New York’s former scuzzy underside in and around Times Square (and yes, there are scenes set in a sleazy 42nd Street flophouse, in case you were wondering), “Frankenhooker” is the story of aspiring mad scientist and med-school reject Jeffrey (played by James Lorinz of “Street Trash”), who builds his future father-in-law an automatic lawnmower as a birthday gift, only to have the half-assed gizmo shred his fiancee, Elizabeth (former Penthouse Pet Patty Mullen) to pieces when it goes haywire at said future father-in-law’s birthday party. Jeffrey isn’t one to meekly accept tragedy when science can fix things, though, and he absconds with her decapitated head and concocts a truly warped plan to bring the love of his life back from the grave.

On a “shopping trip” to 42nd street in an attempt to find the perfect body to attach Elizabeth’s now-cryogenically-frozen head to, Jeffrey decides his best course of action is to get as many working girls as possible assembled at one time in order to select the perfect unwitting donor for his scheme.? He hires “lead hooker” Honey (former Playboy Playmate Charlotte Helmkamp) to get a bevy of her fellow hookers together so he can literally “play doctor” with all of them, but he hits upon a problem—after taking copious measurements of all the girls, he can’t find just one perfect “specimen” to stick his former fiancee’s head on. Fortunately for Jeffrey, he doesn’t need to pick just one, as the ladies of the evening stumble upon the batch of “super crack” he has cooked up as a little side experiment and soon are getting higher than heck on Jeffrey’s killer (literally) rock. The result? The picture below says it all, I think—

That’s right, the hookers literally explode all over the room, leaving Jeffrey no end of body parts from which to select as he stitches together a new “home” for Elizabeth’s head.? Soon, with the aid of a makeshift operating theater in his mother’s garage and convenient lightning storm, Jeffrey has brought his lady-love back, with her head attached to a body assembled from exploded prostitute-parts—she’s not the same, though—she has purple hair (and nipples), shambles around like a heavy-footed beast, and says things like “Lookin’ for some action?,” “Want a date?,” and “Got any money?” Yes, homemade surgery combined with the wildly unpredictable forces of electricity have brought Elizabeth back from the grave, and turned her into—Frankenhooker!

With a wildly outlandish premise, a truly fantastic comedic performance from Ms. Mullen in the title role, strong supporting performances (especially from Ms. Helmkamp—who knew so many former centerfold models could actually act?), wonderful “old-school” effects, authentically sleazy New York locations, and a tongue-rammed-tightly-into-cheek overall tone, “Frankenhooker” is an absolute gem of a flick, as no less authorities than Bill Murray and Joe Bob Briggs have attested to.

Finally released on DVD by Unearthed Films in 2005 in a package crammed with great extras, “Frankenhooker” is an absolutely essential addition to any B-film junkie’s video library. Besides a terrifically clean 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, the DVD includes a terrifically insightful commentary from Henenlotter and makeup/effects man Gabe Bartalos, an extensive interview with star Patty Mullen, a great set of production still photos, a featurette on the movie’s make up effects, the original theatrical trailer, and lots more goodies to keep the demented “Frankenhooker” fans out there happy.

This movie has aged especially well given the “clean-up job” Rudy Giuliani did to 42nd Street, and so unwittingly provides a slice of nostalgia for a bygone era on top of all its other sick attributes. A true one-of-a-kind movie watching experience, “Frankenhooker” marks the apex of Frank Henenlotter’s uniquely twisted filmic sensibility? and will leave you laughing out loud all the way through while reaching for the bark bag at the same time. Not to be missed under any circumstances!

Arctic Cooling unveils ARCTIC MX-3 premium thermal compound

(Pfäffikon/Switzerland, 2 July 2009) The Swiss cooling solution provider ARCTIC COOLING today unveiled the new premium thermal compound ARCTIC MX-3 (4g). Its high thermal conductivity and non-curing nature make it one of the best thermal compounds for overclockers and gamers.

Unparalleled thermal performance

As an upgraded version of the award-winning ARCTIC MX-2, the performance of the ARCTIC MX-3 outranges other well-known thermal compounds clearly. This new compound is composed of carbon microparticles which lead to an extremely high thermal conductivity – 8.2 W/mK. It guarantees that heat from the CPU or GPU can be dissipated quickly and efficiently.

Tested and proven, by using the ARCTIC MX- 3, the CPU core temperature is 7°C and 2.5°C lower than using stock compound and other branded ones respectively. It shows how significant a high performance thermal compound can be to reduce the temperature. Such excellent cooling result is surely what every overclocker and gamer is looking for.

The ARCTIC MX-3 is the easiest way to push the overclockability further!

Safer. Better.

The ARCTIC MX-3 is a metal-free, non-electrically conductive compound which does not cause any damage of the components if it is accidentally spilled out on them. It eliminates any risks of short circuit and provides more protection to the CPUs, graphic cards and other applications between power semiconductor components and heatsinks. The ARCTIC MX-3 is a truly hassle-free premium thermal compound you can rely on.

The ARCTIC MX-3 guarantees 8-year durability. It is available in July 2009. The MSRP is US$12.25 and 8.95€.

Specifications

Thermal conductivity - 8.2 W/mK
Viscosity - 875 poise
Density - 2.32g/cm3
Net weight - 4g

ASUS U46SV Launches in Europe

ASUS U46SV comes with an Intel Core i5-2410M 2.3GHz processor, up to 6GB of memory RAM, an Nvidia GeForce GT 540M graphics card, 500GB harddisk drive, DVD writer, card reader and a USB 3.0 port. Other features include a LED backlit 1366 x 768 display, 0.3-megapixel webcam and Windows 7 Home Premium operating system. The U46SV laptop is currently retailing for€799 ($1,387) in Europe.

Source: TCMagazine

ATi MOBILITY RADEON X700 For Thin-Performance Notebooks

ATI today announced a powerful new PCI Express-based graphics processor fornotebook PCs – the MOBILITY™ RADEON® X700. Driving high definition DirectX® 9performance into new territory, MOBILITY RADEON X700 delivers eye-poppingvisuals and longer battery life for the rapidly growing thin-and-light andperformance-thin notebook segments. With eight pixel pipelines, six vertexengines and high speed GDDR3 memory support, MOBILITY RADEON X700 provides thehorsepower to easily handle today’s most visually intensive games, highdefinition content and workstation applications. With the introduction ofMOBILITY RADEON X700, ATI now offers a top-to-bottom line of native PCI Expressmobile graphics processors.

MOBILITY RADEON X700 technology will be adopted by many of the industry’s topOEM and ODM designers including Acer, Arima, Asus, Alienware, BenQ, Clevo,Compal, ECS, Eurocom, Fujitsu, Fujitsu-Siemens, Gateway Inc, Inventec, Lenovo,LG, Medion, MSI, Samsung, Sony, Targa, Toshiba and Uniwill .

“Users want next generation graphics performance without sacrificing theconvenience of their thin-and-light notebooks,” said Phil Eisler, Senior VicePresident and General Manager, Mobile Business Unit, ATI technologies. “With theintroduction of MOBILITY RADEON X700, they don’t have to. It has theversatility, performance and power efficiency to address a wide range ofnotebooks from thin-and-light to mobile workstations.”

Desiged for performance thin and thin-and-light users, MOBILITY RADEON X700offers a wide range of features and benefits including:

Eight parallel pixel pipelines and six programmable vertex pipelines forlightning fast graphics performance
POWERPLAY™ 5.0 with new PCI Express based power management capabilities forlonger battery life
LRTC™ and LCD-EE™ for high-quality, crisp video playback on notebook panels
Automatic Display Configuration technology for simplified setup of externaldisplays
High performance GDDR3 memory support
A range of integrated memory options optimized for space and power efficiency

“breeders” marks a movie landmark — but so what

Reviewing Vice Squad yesterday, I got to thinking about the straight-to-VHS? boom of the mid-80s to late-90s, and the straight-to-DVD industry that of course still persists today, given that the main baddie of that film was portrayed by the one and only Wings Hauser, who absolutely made his living from that point on in direct-to-VHS B-movies, and your inquiring host simply had to find out — what was the first film to be released exclusively on VHS?

It wasn’t an easy thing to find out (and I should make it clear that I’m talking exclusively about movies shot on film here, so the early-years shot-on-video horror “classics”?don’t count in this case), and in fact when it comes to haggling over actual release dates and what have you, the jury’s still out on what came first. One thing’s for sure, though — the first movie made specifically for the direct-to-video market, as opposed to films that were made with the intention of being released theatrically only to have those hopes dashed when the DTV boom started was writer-director Tim Kincaid (Bad Girls Dormitory, Riot on 42nd Street)‘s 1986?low-rent sorta-Alien-knockoff sci-fi shlockfest Breeders. In fact, one of the advertising taglines that appeared on the original Breeders VHS box, and in related in-store promos, was “A World Premiere Right In Your Living Room!” Hope you remembered to roll out the red carpet and rent a spotlight.

All in all, Breeders isn’t too bad for what it is — it’s got that cheesy-fun sorta feel to it that so many of the movies we cover here do. And maybe it’s just the New York locations combined with the goofy-ass subject matter, but the whole thing kind of feels like a seriously under-budgeted Larry Cohen production (not that Cohen’s films ever had much of a budget themselves, but they were positively lavish spending sprees compared to this thing). There’s lots of wooden-as-a 2×4 acting, a plethora of less-than-attractive women getting totally naked, some pretty effective, all things considered, creature effects, tons of perfectly serviceable gore, and the story itself is simple yet solid. Nothing much to bitch about, then, right? Aside from the fact that it would be better if the chicks taking off their clothes were actually, you know, hot. But seasoned exploitation veterans know that can be a asking for a bit much sometimes.

We start with a couple of scenes of damsels in distress who are attacked by what appear to be perfectly normal human beings, until slimy tendrils wrap around them, and the screaming starts. Pretty standard Mars Needs Women-type stuff. Later on they start turning up at the hospital in pretty bad shape and suffering from selective amnesia when it comes to — ummm — the “events” in question themselves.

Not to worry, though, Dr. Gamble Price (Teresa Farley, the best-looking woman in the picture by far — but don’t get your hopes up, she remains fully clothed throughout — and check out her ’80s bigger-than-big hair) and police detective Dale Andriotti (Lance Lewman) are on the case. Their ace medical examinations soon discover a few interesting pieces of information —

1) The women who have been raped were all virgins prior to — you know;

2) They’ve all? had a strange black substance — ummm — deposited inside them;

and 3) They’ve all been covered in a fine reddish-brown dust that turns out to be — get this — brick dust, and not just any old brick dust at that — we’re talking about some very specific brick dust, the kind found in the bricks that were used in the construction of the city’s sewer systems over a century earlier, only they ran out of the those bricks and switched to another kind.

Now, when the movie you’re making is only an hour and 17 minutes long and at least half that run time is dedicated to various scenes of helpless young virgins being stalked and attacked in the middle of the night, your investigators are going to come to some very quick conclusions, and in this case that means that their first working hypothesis turns out to be correct — namely that alien creatures are living in the sewers and coming up to the surface to take over “host” human bodies and then attack and impregnate human females in order to propagate their species. Little questions like, you know, why they don;t just fuck the opposite-sexed members of their own kind are best not dwelled on for too long.

The trouble really starts, though, when the women who are hospitalized after being alien-raped start to wake up, and head for the old sewer tunnels themselves! Gotta keep things moving, right, and the best way to do that is to have our doctor-and-detective crack investigation team simply follow them and take on the aliens face -to-gross-face.

Since you can pretty well guess how things are going to play out here, or at least you? damn well should be able to, I’ll get back to the overall “vibe” of the film itself here for a minute : all dialogue in Breeders is essentially delivered in a flat, unemotive monotone,? it’s nearly all disarmingly matter-of-fact, and the acting ability of each and every cast member is — ummm — limited, to put it kindly. We’re pretty much firmly in “so-bad-it’s-good” territory here. The only thing Kincaid and his cohorts seem to have actively given a shit about is coming up with decently-executed creatures, and decently executed gore, given the ultra-tight budget they had to work with, and they certainly did a competent enough job with that.

What’s more than just a bit jarring, though, is to see this type of competent (I won’t go so far as to actually call it good, we’ll just leave it at good enough) effects work sandwiched into such a thoroughly incompetent-in-all-other-respects film. But hey, give them credit for laser-like focus on what really mattered, I guess.

The ultra-’80s hairstyles, clothes, computers and all that cement the “ambiance,” for lack of a better term, and as a super-cheap period piece, Breeders certainly works. It’s not terribly memorable in any respect, and some of the more direct Alien knock-offs (I’m thinking specifically here of Creature and Contamination)? were better, but it’s a solidly entertaining enough waste of barely over an hour of your life.

Still, you’d think that, given how ubiquitous the whole DTV industry became, that it would have started off with some a little bit more — I dunno — monumental, I guess, than this — wouldn’t you?

Hell, maybe not.

For whatever reason, MGM ended up with the distribution rights to Breeders here in the DVD age, and have released it in a very apropos bare-bones package. The picture is presented full-frame and I doubt it’s even been remastered, although it looks more or less just fine. The same fgoes for the sound — probably in no way touched up for DVD, but it’s perfectly serviceable enough. The only extra is the inclusion of the (non-theatrical) trailer.

While none of the actors in this flick went on to do much of anything, writer-director Tim Kincaid, who? started off his career as an actor, appearing in the blaxploitation quasi-historical flick Quadroon before quickly moving behind the camera and helming the aforementioned Bad Girls Dormitory and Riot on 42nd Street (which is awesome, by the way), also directed a couple of other straight-to-VHS sci-fi cheapies (Mutant Hunt and Robot Holocaust, if you absolutely must know).

Then his resume went strangely blank for just over a decade until he turned up again under the pseudonym of “Joe Gage,” directing a slew of gay porno flicks (and even occsionally starring in them). Rather ironic, I suppose, for a guy who made a movie called Breeders, but hey, whatever pays the rent. I guess Hollywood wasn’t exactly banging down his door in the wake of Breeders - – - even if it is a slice of movie history.

Dell To Intro AMD Powered Server, PC amp; Notebooks

Dell kills off Mini 10 netbooks

Just a few years ago, netbooks dominated the portable computer market with their small form factor and affordable price tags. But that has changed with the increasing popularity of tablet devices, andthe slim and stylish Ultrabooks which were launched recently. The netbooks have gone quiet and slowly becoming non-existent. According to a Dells spokesperson,the product line isfinished and the focus would be shifted to "thin and powerful" notebooks, which may mean that the company is also releasing their own line ofUltrabooks. With the entry-level netbook product line being killed off, it leavesthe question on what would occupyinthat place. Well, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is just weeks away, and perhaps the company would have some announcements on that.

Source: Techcrunch

Europe to get universal smartphone charger

We all love our smartphones for what they are capable of, but that fondness can, and usually quickly turns into one of loathing when the aforementioned device decides to run out of battery juice at the most inconvenient moment possible, and the charger your friend uses is incompatible with your device. Yep, that sounds like one of the most common ways to ruin your entire day.

However, it seems that the EU is all too keen on ensuring that such situations never happen again, at least in its own territories. To that end, the EU Commission has rolled out an initiative that will see the adoption of a universal charger for popular data-enabled smartphones sold in the region and is expected to be available for consumer use by the end of 2011.

Of course, this might be much ado over nothing, since the aforementioned universal charger consists of little more than the standard micro-USB port which most smartphone OEMs currently make use of for their devices today. However, not all OEMs have adopted micro-USB as the charging port of choice, and as such the EU has reportedly deemed it fit to continue its campaign to make sure that every single manufacturer eventually plays nice with the universal charging port.

Curiously, Apples name shows up in the list of original signatories who have agreed to support the universal charging standard in spite of having been using its own proprietary cable for a long time already. Then again, the specifications for the universal charger explicitly allow for the use of adaptors. Interesting.

Source: One Charger For All via The Awesomer

Dell Quietly Updates Online Store With IPS Panel-Totting ST2220T Touchscreen Monitor

Ever since OS X first debuted multitouch support in its first Macbook Air, operating system developers have been scrambling in an effort to add in such features into the next iteration of their operating system. The result is that Windows 7 now boasts built-in support for multitouch, while Linux distros are starting to see some rudimentary support via various kernel modules and the X.org display layer.

But even then, having such support means nothing if one does not have a device which is capable of taking advantage of these features. Fortunately, OEMs have been moving to respond to the new demand by introducing touchscreen monitors said to be capable of such features. And today, it appears that the choices for multitouch monitors just got a little better with Dell's latest entry, the 21.5-inch ST2220T monitor.

At first glance, the ST2220T monitor appears to be nothing more than the typical touchscreen monitor sold by most OEMs in the market today. However, a quick look at its product page reveals that the ST2220T is more than what it seems, According to Dell, the ST2220T makes use of an A-frame which offers extremely wide tilting angles to suit a user's specific needs and environment. In addition, Dell boasts a high dynamic contrast ratio of 50,000:1 for exceptional clarity and detail reproduction.

The real draw though, stems from the fact that Dell's ST2220T touchscreen monitor does not make use of the standard twisted nematic panels found in most typical LCD monitors. Instead, the ST2220T sports premium IPS panels which are said to be vastly superior to twisted nematic panels in terms of accurate colour reproduction and viewing angles. Dell claims that the IPS panels used for the ST2220T are capable of viewing angles up to 178 degrees (vertical and horizontal) with response times as low as 8miliseconds with overdrive, so users are not likely to experience ghosting in most normal circumstances.

Of course, with such specifications, one would expect the Dell ST2220T to cost a small fortune. And the good news is that users will not have to sacrifice an arm or a leg to pay for the monitor: Dell's website states that the ST2220T is currently available for sale at S$529, but online buyers get to enjoy a huge discounted price of only S$399. Which, when one thinks about it, is actually rather reasonable for a monitor making use of IPS panels. So if you are having a hard time thinking of what to do with that Christmas money of yours, here is a very good suggestion on what it could be spent on without having to suffer the wife's wrath.

Source: Dell Singapore

EVGA Introduces 9800GX2 Superclocked, KO amp; SSC Cards

EVGA is now introducing an update to the fastest graphics solution, the EVGA9800GX2 Superclocked, KO and SSC. Up to 86.4 Billion/sec Texture Fill Rate onthe SSC Model gives you the ultimate in extreme performance. 100% testingensures the highest level of performance and stability possible. This same levelof testing and quality allowed Vince “k|ngp|n” Lucido to hit nearly 30,000points with a single EVGA 9800GX2. EVGA makes the GX2 even more extreme givingyou the ultimate in high-definition gaming performance. Specs at a glance : 2x65nm GPU’s @ 675MHz, 256 Stream Processors at 1674MHz, 2.1GHz memory clock.

Dassault Syst Atilde; uml;mes endorses first 3DVIA Virtools

Dassault Systèmes (DS) (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, today announced its
endorsement of the first 3DVIA Virtools course in Singapore. New York University Tisch School of the Arts Asia will be offering the “3D Interactive Studio Using Virtools” workshop from March 24 to 28. The five-day course is aimed at training the growing community of Dassault Systèmes’ 3DVIA Virtools users in Singapore.

The intensive workshop will cover 3D design, introduction to the Virtools roadmap, creating a game, designing applications for scientific virtualization, and introduction to virtual worlds and communities.

3DVIA Virtools is a complete development and deployment platform with an innovative approach to interactive 3D content creation. The 3DVIA Virtools production process facilitates prototyping and robust development up to large-scale, immersive or online, life-like experience delivery.

New York University Tisch School of the Arts, one of the world’s leading arts schools, set up the Asia campus in 2007. 3DVIA Virtools is used in Tisch School of the Arts Asia’s Animation and Digital Arts program. Jean-Marc Gauthier, Director of Animation and Digital Arts MFA program and Assistant Arts Professor will be the workshop instructor.

“3DVIA Virtools users in Singapore are looking for more knowledge and skills training to use the software. As experienced 3DVIA Virtool users ourselves, our school will share our expertise so that more people can use this tool more effectively and creatively for 3D design, animation and gaming,” said Gauthier, an interactive artist, author and entrepreneur whose work ranges from computer games to animation and virtual spaces.

The school has capacity for 12 participants for the “3D Interactive Studio Using Virtools” workshop, which will be held at its premises at 3 Kay Siang Road.
“This workshop is just the start. As the number of 3DVIA Virtools users is increasing around the region, we may work with Tisch School of the Arts Asia to offer more workshops to regional users,” said Joseph De Bonnafos, Business Development Manager, 3DVIA of Dassault Systemes Singapore Pte Ltd.

Those interested in attending 3D Interactive Studio Using Virtools can email pd59@nyu.edu or visit http://www.tischasia.nyu.edu.sg/object/virtoolstraining.

Exclusive hands on pictures of ASRock's new Gen3 motherboards

Last week details of ASRocks new PCI Express 3.0 motherboards appeared on the web and today we bring you exclusive hands on pictures of the Z68 Extreme3 and Z68 Extreme7. ASRock will be using the new styling for all of its upcoming motherboards, so expect a lot more black and gold in the future, the only exception being the Fatal1ty boards of course.

Neither board holds any real secrets beyond the specs that were posted last week, but this is the first high-resolution, detailed picture of the Z68 Extreme3. A couple of things with missed with regards to the rear I/O of the Z68 Extrem3 includes a PS/2 port and optical S/PDIF out. The board also sports a POST80 debug LED which is an unusual feature for a board this far down in the pecking order. The Z68 Extreme3 is in our opinion looking like the Z68 board to get from ASRock if youre looking for something that wont be horrendously expensive, yet offering a well-balanced feature set.

Moving on we have the Z68 Extreme7 and were still quite flabbergasted that ASRock has made a board like this. All of the heatsinks are screwed on and the attention to detail is very high. Some interesting things that we thought we should point out is that ASRock is using two SATA 6Gbps controllers from ASMedia for this board, but more interestingly it also has a pair of Broadcom Ethernet controllers. A peculiar addition we also noticed is a pin-header for a PS/2 port, although no actual port is supplied as far as were aware.

As it happens, a UK online retailer has listed a price for the Z68 Extreme7 and as we mentioned last week, its going to be expensive. The board is listed at £250 (S$490) which makes it one of the most expensive Z68 boards out there pretty much only beaten by Asus Maximus IV Extreme-Z so far.

Wed like to pick up on something here, namely PCI Express 3.0. According to ASRock, any current 6-series motherboard should at least in theory work with PCI Express 3.0, but as soon as you involve lane switches you run into problems unless the switches are PCI Express 3.0 compliant. Sandy Bridge does not have hidden support for PCI Express 3.0 and you wont be seeing any performance advantage until Ivy Bridge comes out, or at least this is not something that ASRock has seen in their testing.

Weve put a few more pictures of the boards on the next page, alongside with a few pictures of the Fatal1ty Z68 Professional Gen3. Do note that the boards we looked at were pre-production boards and the heatsink finish isnt that of final products. ASRock is also running a competition at the moment where you can win one of its new Gen3 boards, so if youre keen on getting one, head over to the competition website.

Dell teases unnamed 15-inch ultrathin notebook PC

Are you the kind of user to believes that notebooks should come with large displays in order to make it easy for the mobile professional to read through walls of text without having to squint like how it is done on smaller-sized notebooks? Well, if you are, you are in luck: Dell has officially announced the existence of a brand-new 15-inch notebook up its sleeves which it touts as one of the thinnest such notebooks to exist, and has even released a few teaser images to show off just how thin and well-designed the notebook is.

Of course, Dell had taken measures to ensure that it did not reveal any more information than it needed to in order to capture the audiences attention, and the press release we were issued with seems to confirm that fact. However, Dell did mention that the ultrathin 15-inch tablet will be powered by either an Intel Core i5 or an i7 processor, and that the casing used to house the notebooks hardware is less than an inch thin. More importantly, the images released by Dell seems to suggest that the unnamed notebooks casing will be built out of metal instead of the tough plastic favoured by most OEMs today.

As expected, the press release contains no information about the notebooks release date and pricing, though Dell did mention that it will be keeping us in the loop for any further updates about the unnamed notebook, so do check back for updates.

DFI INFINITY NF570 SLI-M2 G

Only two months before the end of the year, Channel’s sales promotion is allaround. Players who want to assemble a new system will not let this chance slipby. Besides, several CPU socket transactions are being formed this year. Gameplayers and overclocking players should have all focused on the fiery market ofmotherboards. At this time, pro-gamers who desires advanced game performance orplayers who have just begun playing games are all searching for a suitablemotherboard to suit their satisfaction. If this kind of motherboard exists, itwill not only meet advanced users’ upgrade requirement for assembling computers(for example, it can support the latest advanced AM2 CPU, run with the fastestDDR2 800 RAM, and support the most fancy gaming graphic solution--- NVIDIA SLIplatform), but will also allow rookie gamers to own ordinary devices and meettheir assembling requirements with reasonable prices under the uttermostlimitation. Would this motherboard be the "dream board" that you are searchingfor? Today, DFI announces the launching of INFINITY NF 570 SLI-M2/G motherboard,and it is the "dream board" that gamers looking for.

INFINITY NF 570 SLI-M2/G Motherboard supports AMD's latest AM2 processor andis integrated with NVIDIA's powerful nForce 570 SLI chipset. It also supportsthe best graphic solution NVIDIA SLI, DDR2-800 RAM, RAID0, RAID1, RAID0+1, andRAID5, which not only meet high end players' assembling requirement, but is alsoqualified to be used in a Game Servers. On the other hand, this motherboard ownsexcellent overclocking potential, and has a reasonable price, so it is verysuitable for various levels of players and users.

In addition, to satisfy different requirements for different players, withthe launching of INFINITY NF 570 SLI-M2/G motherboard, DFI also launchesINFINITY NF570 M2/g motherboard and INFINITY NF550 M2/g motherboard.

Born for advanced games---NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI (INFINITY NF 570 SLI-M2/Gmain board only)
When talking about DFI INFINITY NF 570 SLI-M2/G , we have to talk about themotherboard's integrated NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI chipset. The market location ofNVIDIA nForce 570 SLI chipset is locked on game community. It is customizedespecially for game players. This chipset uses FirstPacket™ technology. It setspriority for network data transferring, thereby lowering the transferringlatency of importent file data. It also uses DualNet® technology (When sendingdata to other PCs, via the method of coordination, Dual Ethernet ports offerdouble Ethernet transferring bandwidth). Besides, MediaShield™ Storingtechnology owned by NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI chipset can optimize the managementand performance of HDD and RAID, thereby raising the usage efficiency of HDD,and ensuring the safety of data storage. In addition to the game, it is helpfulfor the processing and backup for a great amount of multimedia data.

An advance 3D graphic rendering INFINITY NF 570 SLI-M2/G motherboard only
SLI has been famous for a long time. This NVIDIA unique technology entered themainstream market at the end of 2004, and became the symbol of advanced displaycard. SLI technology supports dual display cards, thereby bringing doublegraphic operation effects and powerful 3D performances for the system. As forgaming, games such as Doom3, Half Life 2, and latest Older scroll: Oblivion,etc., all consume hardware resources extravagantly on 3D rendering and lighteffects recently to create shocking visual effects to attract players. Throughthe 3D operation of totally x 8 SLI technology enhancement, it will demonstratemost realistic, shocking, and fastest game visual to all players. DFI INFINITYNF 570 SLI-M2/G motherboard is designed with 2 PCI Express x16 slots, andtotally supports truely high-speed SLI technology(single VGA runs in x16).

Supporting DDR2-800 RAM
Comparing to DDR RAM, DDR2 has high frequency, higher transfering bandwidth, andbetter overclocking performance. DFI INFINITY NF 570 SLI-M2/G motherboardsupports DDR2 RAM up to DDR2-800 specs.

Powerful overclocking performance
Excellent overclocking performance has been the common view from motherboardcompanies to DFI products. Any product launched by DFI, be it LANParty family orINFINITY family, all focuses on product's overclocking performance. Just as theopinion from many high end players, "Performance and endurance of motherboardthat can overclock is better." DFI INFINITY NF 570 SLI-M2/G motherboard hasreally given much thought to the BIOS configuration. It offers the adjustmentfunction for CPU Clock doubling, and it can adjust FSB based on 1MHz increment.As for voltage adjustment, under normal situation, DIMM voltage can be as highas 3.2V, north-bridge voltage can be up to 1.8V, and the core voltage can be upto 1.85V.
Extraordinary Cost/Performance ratio

DFI INFINITY NF 570 SLI-M2/G motherboard has excellent performance, but itsmarket location is on the middle range. To buy a motherboard with SLI with amiddle price, the C/P ratio is very attractive. Living under a harsh pressure,the worthy product will bring you happiness.

Plenty of Hardware Ports and Connectors
Beside the extraordinary performance, a good motherboard should not lack forother required useful configurations. DFI INFINITY NF 570 SLI-M2/G motherboardhas a Marvell 88E1115 GbE PHY network port, two IEEE 1394 ports, 4 USBconnectors, and 6 USB ports (totally 10). This can absolutely satisfy theconnection requirement for multiple USB devices. On the other hand, the numberSATAII ports support is 6, and this directly affects the capacity of HDD. It isdirective to multimedia and advanced gaming. There is a coxial S/PDIF-Out portand a fiber S/PDIF-Out port on the back panel of the mainbaord. The serial andparallel ports are all provided.

DFI INFINITY NF 570 SLI-M2/G is launched now. Either looking at theperformance of the product or the price, this motherboard reflects DFI's focusand care for player market. It deserves to be mentioned that because of thestability, superiority, and the quality of DFI's motherboard, many servermotherboard customers like to use it. There are lots of server motherboardcustomers ordering great amounts of DFI's LANParty and INFINITY Seriesmotherboards, and using them on Game servers which harshly requiring theperformance of the motherboard.

Of course, if players' favorite game style doesn't need SLI for now, INFINITYNF570 SLI-M2/g and INFINITY nForce 550 M2/G motherboards launched by DFI thistime also has excellent gaming performance, and can satisfy these players'assembling requirement.

So far, DFI actually launches 3 game motherboards integrated with nForce500series chipsets. They are INFINITY NF570 SLI-M2/g motherboard integrated withnForce 570SLI chipset, INFINITY NF570 SLI-M2/g motherboard integrated withnForce 570 chipset, and INFINITY NF550 M2/g motherboard integrated with nForce550 chipset. This time, in order to offer more choices for different tastes,levels, and requirements of players, we launch 3 motherboards together. Playerswill be able to select their suitable motherboards according to their needs,favorite game styles, and the requirement level for multimedia, without worryingabout "pay more and buy no performances" or "buy a motherboard with some uselessfunctions". This also reflects the focus and care for game player market fromDFI.

First Core i3-2310 and i5-2410 notebooks go on sale

The first notebooks with Intels dual core mobile Sandy Bridge processors have just started to arrive at retailers, at least if youre lucky enough to live in Taiwan, although other countries should have them soon too and the first two models weve spotted are both from Acer. Intels little chipset snafu has delayed the shipment a bit, although the dual core models werent really expected until about now anyhow.

So what were looking at is the Acer Aspire 4750G and the Aspire 5750G. The first model is a 14-incher while the second one is a 15.6-incher and both models are available with either a Core i3-2310 or a Core i5-2410. We should point out that both of these CPUs differ somewhat from Intels other announced 35W dual core mobile processors, but more on that a little bit later. The Core i3-2310M clocks in at 2.1GHz and it sports Intel HD Graphics 3000 with a base clock speed of 650MHz and it will turbo all the way up to 1100MHz when needed.

The Core i5-2410M is slightly faster at 2.3GHz, but as this is an i5, it will also turbo to either 2.6GHz for both cores or 2.9GHz on one core. It has the same base graphics core clock of 650MHz as the Core i3-2310M, but it will turbo a little bit faster to 1200MHz. So whats different between these two OEM models and the other models that Intel includes on its price list? Well compared to the Core i5-2520M the turbo speed boost is much lower, as this 2.5GHz processor will go all the way to 3GHz with both cores working, thats a 500MHz boost compared to 300MHz for the Core i5-2410M. The graphics will also turbo to 1300MHz, although this is unlikely to be as useful. Finally the Core i5-2410M lacks support for Intels AES, TXT and vPro technology and this to us suggests that Intel has designed it as a consumer CPU, but as a model with turbo boost, something the Core i3s lack.

As for the notebooks, well, Acer has equipped both models with Nvidia GeForce GT 540M graphics with 1GB of memory, a 640GB hard drive, an optical drive, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0 and handily a USB 3.0 port as well. Other features include Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI out, a pair of USB 2.0 ports, a webcam and various other standard features youd expect to find on a modern notebook. The Aspire 4750G weighs in at 2.25kg and comes with a 6-cell 4400mAh 48Wh battery which Acer claims is good for up to 4.5h of battery life, while the Aspire 5750G weighs in at 2.6kg and features the same battery.

Price wise youre looking at S$1,115 for the Aspire 4750G with the Core i3-2310 processor and S$1,249 for the same model with the Core i5-2410M. The Aspire 5750G starts at S$1,163 with the Core i3-2310, but costs the same as the Aspire 4750G with the Core i5-2410M processor. Acer is currently the only notebook manufacturer to offers Sandy Bridge based notebooks in Taiwan with the B3 stepping chipset from Intel, but it shouldnt take long for other manufacturers to get their products ready as well.

Source: PChome Taiwan

Duke Nukem Forever To Support NVIDIA 3D Vision

Hail to the King baby. Duke Nukem Forever is here to support NVIDIAs 3D Vision. Bash those alien nutballs withNVIDIA Surround technology where gamers can experienceDuke’s alien battles, beer drinking in 3D across three full HD 1080p displays, or in2D across three 2560x1600 displays.

A special Duke Nukem Forever will also be launched after a collaboration between EVGA and NVIDIA. This special edition Duke Nukem Forever bundle includes a fullPC copy of Duke Nukem Forever, an NVIDIA GeForce® GTX 560 graphics card by EVGA, a limitededition Duke Nukem Forever strategy guide art book and mouse pad, and a custom“Radioactive” belt buckle.EVGA folks has a special offer if you are buying this bundle between May and June, more information at their official website here

Dell To Offer Samsung Encrypted SSDs Soon

(Engadget) Available in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB options, Dell will be offering Samsung encrypted SSDs as part of the arsenal in the coming months

It is not know what encryption algorithm they are using but it might be a some 128 bit encryption standard. Prices are unspecified yet but they wont be coming cheap.