Category Archives: Gadgets and Tech

Ultimate triple monitor setup (for work, not particularly for gaming)

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While preparing to redo my office, I am planning the “ultimate” LCD monitor setup. Let me clarify that I mean ultimate for my purposes: server management (RDP/SSH/etc.), email, spreadsheets, some image editing, minimal gaming. This is not ultimate in the gaming sense nor is it going to be as wild as some of the setups I have blogged about! UPDATE: 2011.11.01 [end update] Currently I am  using a Dell M6500 docked with a dual monitor setup: 30″ Dell 3007WFP – I

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[HOWTO] upgrading M4400 (RAM, CPU, SSD, BIOS)

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NOTE: you can also view all the entries in this Q & A series… I received the following question on my previous post about upgrading a Dell M4400 laptop: Q. Great J.D. Thank you. I also have an M4400. I purchased it a year or so ago so that I could have a portable solution as I explore 3D graphics programs such as 3DSMax etc…Based on your above post (and a few others) I have purchased a qx9300 quad core processor,

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Calculating aspect ratio for LCDs/monitors/projectors etc.

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I’m working on a new project to compare computer monitors and especially for setting up ideal multi-monitor displays. The idea is to give you as much information as possible on all the monitors out there (using a database), or if your monitor is not in the DB then accept some basic info (diagonal width and resolution) to calculate all the information you need. So, a basic question for any monitor is: what is the aspect ratio? Here’s how to calculate the

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Nikon flash size comparisons? SB400, SB600, SB700, SB800, SB900

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Looking to purchase a Nikon speedlight (flash)? It may be helpful to checkout the size differences beforehand as there really is a big size difference between the smallest and the largest! Here are some videos and photos showing the different sizes for comparison. I will eventually try to post a high-res photo of ALL the flashes together but that may take me a bit… until then, checkout the first link below for a lower-res version and the subsquent links for

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Virgin Mobile LG Optimus V wifi hotspot tethering [2.2.2]

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When the LG Optimus V was released by Virgin Mobile it was very easy to enable the wifi hotspot feature. However, recent version of the phone featuring  2.2.2 have disabled this feature! 🙁 Thankfully, there are still some options out there (PDAnet probably being the best one). Klink and “wifi tether” are a couple more I am researching. Rooting your phone is always an option too. I want to write a more detailed entry on the topic, but here are

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1080p HD movies onto your Android SD card [fat32] [solutions]

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UPDATE 2013.04.16 Commenter Brain Fox recommends formatting your SD card or USB device as exFat to allow for greater than 4GB files on your Android device. 🙂 Q. Hi. I read your 1080p phone/tablet MKV playback list and tested my SGS2 and you are right it works with 1080p MKVs amazing!  Really enjoy it. However, I only have a few 1080p things that fit under the 4GB limit of FAT32 🙁 How can I get full 1080p HD movies onto

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History of Intel’s QuickSync, soon even faster! (Ivy Bridge)

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Intel’s Quick Sync is a great new feature of their latest CPUs. One reader experienced 3x faster encoding and that is definitely not out of the norm! You are probably already familiar with how Quick Sync speeds up video encoding and that it is generally regarded as better than the competing AMD and NVIDIA solutions. However, here are a couple tidbits you may not have heard yet! #1 Intel’s Ivy Bridge brings even faster acceleration to Quick Sync If this progression keeps

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Nice low-end 2.1 speakers [roundup] [Christmas]

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Do you have a guy or gal that has been particular nice this year. If so, speakers are always a nice present if they don’t already have a nice set. 🙂 Or maybe you’ve been good and need to treat your ears better? My top speaker picks for $99-$149 this Xmas These 2.1 speaker sets can be found for around $99 on special (check NewEgg shellshockers/weekend deals & Amazon). If you don’t catch them on a deal then they can

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