Originally Posted by Spaced_invader my current mouse mat is the reverse side of a WHsmith Wide ruled A4 refill pad, the half price marked one.
You still have a mouse mat? Maybe that's OK if you have a ball mouse... IMO, Optical mice remove the need for a mouse mat, in much the same way that glass coffee tables remove the need for coasters.
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Originally Posted by cpemma Other n00b things:
Always asking for an email receipt;
I used to work with a difficult client who asked for read reciepts on every little thing she sent me. She was clearly confused; I don't think she ever figured out how I knew to telephone her about her problems (we were on the same PABX, just in different buildings) when she never got any reciepts back from my machine.
Here's another n00b trait: Buying "specialised" software that comes in a box for big bucks when all you need is something already built into your operating system, or at the worst, a bit of shareware. My Mum decided she had to have this one application (which amounted to Notepad with a glorified search function), went to the one guy in the state who carried it (it didn't tell her anything that only one store in the whole state -- which was hidden above a shoe shop -- carried this software), and ended up also buying his clapped-out old laptop for twice what it would have been worth brand new.
Infuriatingly enough, by the time she finally started asking my advice BEFORE spending money on electronics, she was already competent enough to be let loose with the confidence that she would call me if she got in over her head.
Originally Posted by StreaM Why don't you bring some REAL insight, deep thought and reflections about something new, something unheard of, something INTRESTING that matters to the bit-tech community in the columns instead of posting this sort of rubbish?
Had I been in a better mood I'd give you the defacto retort: Don't like it, don't read it.. however, I'm having a bad morning already and seeing as you've asked for a bashing, I'll happily oblige.
The comments you made clearly fail to see the point of the column, it was not a verbatim list of things to follow if you're new to computing. It was a satirical piece based on my experiences of new users aimed squarely at people who are already well aware of how to use a PC. If you don't get the irony then maybe that's why you dislike these columns; you don't understand them.
I've been writing "deep insightful" columns for bit-tech for some time, you might like to check out some of my comments on computing in the enterprise. You'll have to excuse me if I suddenly break out into something light-hearted and different every now and again, I'll go back to my pigeonhole.
Statistically, this column has been one of the most popular ones in the history of the website, I received more hits on it in the first day from readers all over the globe that several of our modding projects have received in a month. The bit-tech community is not just these forums (which are a small percentage of the site's readership) and from the numbers I can take comfort that this weeks column is something our community is interested in reading.
I'm glad you told us that the site is for computer enthusiasts. I wasn't sure who our site was for, but now you've dictated our audience we'll be sure to only pitch it to people who consider themselves experts. That's how to get ahead right, by only pitching to a small minority group and not appealing to a wider audience?
Bit-tech.net is not longer just about modding, the site has evolved. We have kick ass mods, hardware reviews and news, gaming and as you can see popular columns. I'm sorry you don't like them and feel we're turning into something generic (because all I read on other tech sites is satirical columns, you can't move for them.. oh for a boring graph of 3DMark benchmarks again!), maybe you should read something more tailored to your level of expertise like Toms Hardware?
But, just so you don't think I'm being harsh; thanks for your comments and suggestions, I'll take them on board.
Originally Posted by Nezuji You still have a mouse mat? Maybe that's OK if you have a ball mouse... IMO, Optical mice remove the need for a mouse mat, in much the same way that glass coffee tables remove the need for coasters.
not even close
try using your optical mouse on your desk and then using it on a decent mousemat (ie not a 99p jobby from pcworld :p)
the difference is immense
I'm glad you told us that the site is for computer enthusiasts. I wasn't sure who our site was for, but now you've dictated our audience we'll be sure to only pitch it to people who consider themselves experts. That's how to get ahead right, by only pitching to a small minority group and not appealing to a wider audience?
Originally Posted by :: kna :: I've been writing "deep insightful" columns for bit-tech for some time, you might like to check out some of my comments on computing in the enterprise.
You're quite right, many of the colums are very good and informative, I did'nt say i disliked all of them, just this particular one.
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Originally Posted by :: kna :: That's how to get ahead right, by only pitching to a small minority group and not appealing to a wider audience?
Despite the obvious sarcasm I can't help to agree, I always prefer quality to quantity, focusing your efforts and staying true to the "about" page will bring you further and continue to earn you reputation as the best within your field, which is atleast hardware related.
If I may be so bold as to give you a tip for your next column it would be some thoughts around home integration and the possibilities within in these MCE times. I'm sure that would attract some new readers aswell, without loosing focus on modding and hardware.
Originally Posted by StreaM Excuse me for the bashing to come, but I really feel like bit-tech is on a slope regarding quality of content when I read through this. I understand that one can't expect everything to be top notch, even from the best modding site around, but:
I fail to see the relevancy of columns like this one, as i'm sure anybody that's ever even heard about bit-tech, have the computer skill, mouse mat and bg image anything like you describe here.
People who have and use computers like that, noobs/moms/etc, browse elsewhere, hence they don't read your column so what is the point of posting it? Bit-tech is for and by computer enthusiasts, and your content should reflect this. Try sending it to MSN while you're in there downloading their toolbar, atleast you would then have enlightned the audience.
Why don't you bring some REAL insight, deep thought and reflections about something new, something unheard of, something INTRESTING that matters to the bit-tech community in the columns instead of posting this sort of rubbish?
I'm not writing this to get flamed at all, merely because I've enjoyed the articles, the amazing projects and whatnot here at bit from the start and I'd hate to see it turn into somehing just like the pack.
That's a very valid point there. I recognized very much that anybody who might actually "need" that guide, as off-color as it might be, would obviously never come close enough to read it. This IS Bit-Tech, after all; a site meant for some of the most hardcore hardware enthusiasts. Just the idea of Internet newbies coming to this site, so filled with the kind of people who can drool over pictures of video cards and be held in awe by posts of high 3Dmark scores, to read that article, just comes off as something humorous.
And there, it is, you will see the point of the article; it's humor. It serves no "useful" purpose, but it does get to US here, and it does hit us someplace effective. It's well-targeted, to perform a purpose that, on the surface, it doesn't seem to be made to do. And hopefuly, in some cases, people might realize this, and think about it for a bit. If that happens, then it's golden.
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Originally Posted by Cabe It's a cake, buiscuits are baked hard.
That is, unless they're the American version of buiscuits. I prefer those much better. :p
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Originally Posted by Hamish not even close
try using your optical mouse on your desk and then using it on a decent mousemat (ie not a 99p jobby from pcworld :p)
the difference is immense
That all can depend on the quality of the mouse in question. If it's a perfectly flat surface, most "gaming-quality mice" get quite acceptable performance on most flat surfaces. Of course, on some, it can get a degree of innacuracy, and mouse pads can remove the risk for that. I have a decent optical mouse myself, and I thought I wouldn't need a pad for it, until I discovered that, oddly enough, while it worked flawlessly on any non-transparent surface, the singe exception to the rule was the faux wood (laminated particle board) that made up the surface of my computer desk, upon which the mouse fritzed. Absolutely bizzare that that was the ONLY, and I repeat, the ONLY surface it had problems with.
Originally Posted by Hamish not even close
try using your optical mouse on your desk and then using it on a decent mousemat (ie not a 99p jobby from pcworld :p)
the difference is immense
Well, I don't play games (not REAL games) on my PC. I've only got an original MS Optical with scroll wheel, which I suppose is pretty close to the bottom of the mouse ladder :) But for what I do with my PC, using the mouse straight on the desk (coffee table, actually, or sometimes the couch's armrest if I've been hunched over the keyboard for too long) does me fine. It's still much better than a ball mouse.
Deep insightful columns are boring. I'd much rather read something like this that I can relate to yet is funny. And this is somebody with a 15 inch screen, a FX5600 video card, a P4 2.8, stock Microsoft Mouse, and prebuilt system (although NOT from a major company). Oh, and an avid player of Command and Conquer Renegade. I can't afford to buy new gear, and right now, this stuff works for me ok. This article would rate me as a noob... but it was still the best article I've read in a while, because I am very (probably too) familiar with the elite gaming "culture".
2x 21 inch CRTs @ 1280x1024 85 hz (1600x1200 reminds me of the article "magnifying glass"), anyhow its too small. roomate has 2 x 20 inch LCDs @ 1600x1200, i guess that makes us both 31337 ? . . .
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Here's another n00b trait: Buying "specialised" software that comes in a box for big bucks when all you need is something already built into your operating system, or at the worst, a bit of shareware. My Mum decided she had to have this one application (which amounted to Notepad with a glorified search function), went to the one guy in the state who carried it (it didn't tell her anything that only one store in the whole state -- which was hidden above a shoe shop -- carried this software), and ended up also buying his clapped-out old laptop for twice what it would have been worth brand new.
Infuriatingly enough, by the time she finally started asking my advice BEFORE spending money on electronics, she was already competent enough to be let loose with the confidence that she would call me if she got in over her head.
Nezuji :)
The comments you made clearly fail to see the point of the column, it was not a verbatim list of things to follow if you're new to computing. It was a satirical piece based on my experiences of new users aimed squarely at people who are already well aware of how to use a PC. If you don't get the irony then maybe that's why you dislike these columns; you don't understand them.
I've been writing "deep insightful" columns for bit-tech for some time, you might like to check out some of my comments on computing in the enterprise. You'll have to excuse me if I suddenly break out into something light-hearted and different every now and again, I'll go back to my pigeonhole.
Statistically, this column has been one of the most popular ones in the history of the website, I received more hits on it in the first day from readers all over the globe that several of our modding projects have received in a month. The bit-tech community is not just these forums (which are a small percentage of the site's readership) and from the numbers I can take comfort that this weeks column is something our community is interested in reading.
I'm glad you told us that the site is for computer enthusiasts. I wasn't sure who our site was for, but now you've dictated our audience we'll be sure to only pitch it to people who consider themselves experts. That's how to get ahead right, by only pitching to a small minority group and not appealing to a wider audience?
Bit-tech.net is not longer just about modding, the site has evolved. We have kick ass mods, hardware reviews and news, gaming and as you can see popular columns. I'm sorry you don't like them and feel we're turning into something generic (because all I read on other tech sites is satirical columns, you can't move for them.. oh for a boring graph of 3DMark benchmarks again!), maybe you should read something more tailored to your level of expertise like Toms Hardware?
But, just so you don't think I'm being harsh; thanks for your comments and suggestions, I'll take them on board.
try using your optical mouse on your desk and then using it on a decent mousemat (ie not a 99p jobby from pcworld :p)
the difference is immense
i have one of these and its great :D
BURN!!
If I may be so bold as to give you a tip for your next column it would be some thoughts around home integration and the possibilities within in these MCE times. I'm sure that would attract some new readers aswell, without loosing focus on modding and hardware.
And there, it is, you will see the point of the article; it's humor. It serves no "useful" purpose, but it does get to US here, and it does hit us someplace effective. It's well-targeted, to perform a purpose that, on the surface, it doesn't seem to be made to do. And hopefuly, in some cases, people might realize this, and think about it for a bit. If that happens, then it's golden.
1024x768 pwns!
Nezuji :)
mike
Great article.
Any way you can get it at at LEAST 75?
my 17" does 1280 at 85hz and my 19" does 1600x1200 at 85
My 21" does 1600x1200@85..w00!