Hey y’all! How are you all doing? Everything is awesome here in Knoxville! Ok, class is decent, but everything else is great! So last Saturday, I thought about doing something different for a change. On notebookreview.com, there is a thread in the forums about running calculation of pi on your machine (to see how it compares to other computers). Well, I decided to take on the challenge with my server/desktop that I built last summer. A picture of the computer is below.





The specs of my build are:

Asus P5W DH Deluxe

Pentium D 940

2gb Corsair DDR-2 800mhz XMS2

74gb Western Digital Raptor

Asus ATI x1300pro

So in the beginning, my Pentium D at the stock speed of 3.2ghz scored 61.265 seconds on the 32M section of the wPrime benchmarking program. I thought that was pretty good for a Pentium D, but I knew that I could better. This is where risk comes in. (stuff that I’ve been learning in business ethics.) I decide to overclock. I’ve never overclocked before, so I didn’t know what I was getting into. Basically, I started increasing the bus speed of the processor (increase of bus speed * multiplier = faster processor clock). From 3.2ghz, I overall got to an impressive 4.389ghz at vcore of 1.4 volts. I ran the test again, and I got 43.297 seconds on the 32M section of wPrime. While running the benchmark, I flirted with the max temperature before thermal protection kicked in. During the test at 4.389ghz, the processor temperature was 53-54 degrees celsius at idle and at full load was 68 degrees celsius. The thermal protection of the processor is 68.8C (yeah, I was just that far off lol!) (Also, the thermal protection does work, I got the blue screen in Windows tons of times ). So that was my Saturday. To most of you out there, you would think, “why Chris would you risk of blowing up you computer?” I just think of it as just experimental testing on how fast my little Pentium D can run. Pictures/screenshots of my testing are at the end of the blog entry with a extra picture of how I tried to increase cooling of the processor lol.

God has been teaching me alot over the past couple of days. Stemming from my frustrations, God has giving me more stuff to think about other than the frustrations. The more stuff is about engaging the world. This past year has been crazy and awesome (getting to know Jesus so much is like a O’Charleys roll. It is so tasty, warm, delicious!), and I feel like it’s time to share what God has done in my life. If you knew what I’ve been through, I went from nothing to something+Jesus, which is really awesome. I just want to share that with anybody who wants to hear it. Also, I’m thinking of becoming a member at church. I feel like that is the next major step in my testimony. But hey, I get to work with JC Neely on the College Life website, collegelife.fefc.com. There are tons of stuff In store for me, and I think that I am ready for this ride that God is about to put me on. In other news, can you please pray for my friend Rick; he hurt his foot pretty badly while on Loudon lake last Sunday. I pray that he gets better as soon as possible! Anywho, I hope you all have a great week!

A screenshot of the benchmark running at stock speed of 3200mhz.

A screenshot of the benchmark running at a overclock of 4389mhz

A picture of my extra cooling I tried lol!

Have you ever had one of those days where something pops on the inside, and you are frustrated for a great bit of time? Well, that happened to me yesterday. A sequence of events just made me go pop. For one, environmental ethics stink. I was so confused in class yesterday. Everybody contradicted each other. What is pollution? If you contaminate this much, is that pollution? Do animals have moral rights? Etc etc… and etc. Ethics has taught me alot, including that philosophers think about everything. Also, I wish I could bring up religion in class. Some of the things taught really go against what I believe in. I just shrug that off and just believe what I believe. A second thing that made me go pop is me just being lazy this past week. I haven’t gotten really anything done. Maybe I need a summer vacation or something. I know I get one week before school starts back up. I’ll use that time to spend with family because I haven’t gotten to see them much this summer, which is sad. The third thing was a thing that I can’t talk about on here, but I understand now that the facts aren’t fully completed. It’s crazy. I asked God, “Wow Lord, what just happened?” I also asked if this is something to be brought up about, that I want to learn from my frustrations. It took some time to cool down, but I feel better now. I just haven’t been that frustrated in along time. I just pray that God’s will will be done.

In other news, the Ubuntu craze has faded off. I really don’t have good sound drivers, so my mp3s don’t play as clearly. Everything else is great though. I even figured out there is a fan program for my notebook fans that runs in Linux which is awesome. I just need to experiment with it some more (some more $ sudo apt-get install stuff)!

I hope everybody has a great weekend and all! I hopefully will !

In him,
Chris

I just love technology. I don’t know why. I just do. Yesterday (and Tuesday night) have been a technology gold find. I got Ubuntu Linux installed on my laptop, and I didn’t have to repartition the hard drive! I used a program called Wubi that makes a virtual NTFS drive on the Windows partition. And the program writes to the Windows bootloader of the Master Boot Record! How cool is that!!!! (Ok, that was some major geek/computer talk, but that is my kind of stuff!!!) I’m really liking Ubuntu right now (however I’m writing this in my Windows XP). Oh Oh, Beryl, a plugin for Ubuntu is AWESOME! Can you say OSX for the pc. I can! I just need to find a good music player and a multi client messaging program and I’ll be all set! I have a couple of pictures of Ubuntu below with Beryl running!

Also, the Windows lab in Ferris got new computers yesterday. We upgraded from old Pentium 3’s to new Core2 Duo machine. Those e6600’s are awesome!!! Super snappy!!! I just want to get my hands on one and run experimental test about overclocking that Core architecture lol. But the biggest thing though is that the lab now has 24″ Dell Flat panel monitors. I melted when I saw them! They look so pretty! I really want one of them, but the Dell 2407 are like 700 bucks… I think that really stinks because I would love to have one lol! There is a picture below of the 24″ when compared to my 17″ notebook, which I though was big!

And there you have it, I just wanted to give you a spill about technology, and how it fills my life everyday!

You are in my prayers,
Chris

Why hello y’all! I’m coming to you from outside the UC Computer Store looking out among the windows to Cumberland Ave. The couches up here feel really nice and all lol . So, nothing much to write about this week. Let’s get on with it!

With only three weeks of class left, philosophy has been really really cool. I really talk in class and all. I know I’ve gotten on some people’s nerves too . I always argue from the technology perspective when we have case studies that deal with technology. I’m the only engineer in the class, which is really cool, so I can add the descriptive facts of how an engineer develops a product and whatnot. For example, yesterday we were talking about how manufacturers have a binding contract with the consumer that can be broken down into three theories. These theories are: the contract view of business’s duties to consumers, the due care theory, and the social cost view of the manufacturer’s duty. I really didn’t fully understand the concept of these theories until technology was discussed after class. Todd (my teacher) and I always talk about technology (more about Xbox 360). Even for the Xbox, Microsoft has taken a Social Cost View and accepted the fact that they have produced a faulty product. That is why they basically lost 1.9 billion dollars for the physical 2007 year. When you think about Microsoft though, they make 53 billion dollars in the first quarter of 2007; 1.9 is a drop in the bucket for them. Today, we are talking about a different type of risk. I think it’s going to be interesting.

For my philosophy paper, I finally gotten a topic for it. I just need to come up with a good thesis for the paper. The topic is about cookies. No, not the one that you bake, but Internet cookies. Are cookies moral? Is it an invasion of privacy or a nice feature to have. I’ve done some decent research on it. I just need to do some more to get things done. I’m wanting this paper to be done by the middle of next week. That will make this weekend an interesting weekend.

In these past couple of days, God has thrown alot at me. Things have turned around a great deal in certain areas (except for the mail ). A person told me last week about a prediction for me, and you are right about that one! I pray that these things will be driven by God because I would be totally lost without him! Also, God has bluntly told me if you have your trust in me, you will live life. I still have my trust greatly in him! God has also taught me how crazy psychology is. You can read what I wrote for the college life post at collegelife.fefc.com. And finally, relationships and how to tell the healthiness of them. Everything is coming together for this fall, and I am ready for it. (Except for ECE 315 lol ) (I know this paragraph is grammatically horrible… I just don’t know how to write it better lol!)

Well, I need to get to work on this philosophy paper and read my assignment for today. I hope you all are doing great out there. As I read facebook, it seems that people are coming back from projects. For the people who haven’t, I still pray for your safe trip home. Also, I pray that my fruit grows and produces more fruit for everyone to see. Take care y’all!

I’ve been thinking this question for some time now. This question is: does money grow on trees? I wish it did because I want to buy so many new cds at the good ol’ wally world. I know my birthday was three weeks ago, and I did get two cds then, but there are more out there. I’ll just wait then. I always think of Advanced English 2 when it comes to these terms. “Patience is a Virtue” and “Organization is the key to grappling with life.” Ok, the first one is the one to use, but when taught to me, they were a combo (no not tasty pizza filled crackers).

Life has been good. I think I understand why I am here in Knoxville this summer instead of at home. Circuits was just there to get me here (I made a B in the class which stunk alot. I had that B+, but the last test did me in. It was a 79… ah well, I’m back on schedule with the EE plan.), but philosophy is why I am here, I think. My business ethics has pulled me so much on other people view the world. What has got me the most in the class so far is the first day. Just the culture and ethical relativism put me in a spin. Also, with the utilitarianism and kantism also thrown with the relativism, it was a crazy day. That relativism just speaks in loud words about numerous things in today’s culture. Anywho, class has been really good so far. Yesterday, I got to argue about the NASA Challenger Explosion (on how the o-ring was faulty). I understand both sides of the story, but in the text, it wasn’t clear enough for me. The contractor develops an O-ring for the shuttle project that holds the solid rocket booster to the external tank. That O-ring is developed for running temps between 40-60C (104-140F). The contractor develops a product for that specification; however, NASA launches at 18 degrees C, causing the shuttle to fail completely. I think it was NASA fault to begin with because they wanted the O-ring developed the wrong way. Yeah, NASA was wrong.

Speaking of NASA, my job interview, I think, is still on for this fall to work during the spring and summer of next year. I would love to work at Kennedy (KSC) in Florida or Marshal Space Flight (MSFC) in Huntsville, AL. I need to check with my coop person to see if the interview is still on. It would be so awesome to work there. My dream job when I’m 20 years old. It would be an experience. If I did get the job, I would love to work for either the electronics for rocket motors (working on some solid rocket boosters would be sweet) or some communications team troubleshooting problems in that field (because I think troubleshooting wired or wireless communication (like the backend hardware stuff) is what I want to as a potential job!). We will see what happens there in the upcoming months!

God has been teaching me to trust him more over this summer. I’ve let go on some things, and things haven’t changed! I just need to live in his hands because those hands are life. I’m glad God has put me in Knoxville over the summer. I’ve learned alot about myself and whatnot (more about preparing myself for the future). Also, I was Baptized at Fellowship church on July 8. It was an awesome experience. All my family cried; it was a happy moment for me because that was one of my first real decisions of my life, and I’m so happy that I made that decision. I don’t know what God has in store for me in the upcoming months. I pray that my plan/future has awesomeness in it.

Well, there you have it. A somewhat lengthy post for you all to read. Speaking of blogs/websites, www.ccbrangus.com is nearly complete. I just need to play with the Google Maps API code. Also, I am an admin for my college community group website at church. It’s at collegelife.fefc.com. I go by the name collegelife. I’m teaming up with J.C. Neely on this project. It’s going to be an awesome experience. Anywho, have a great week everyone!

Wow, after a five week course, I’m finally done with my five hour circuits class. Hopefully I’ll get a B+ in the class. Business Ethics starts Monday. That class should be easier.

Baptism is Sunday. I’ve been waiting five months for this, and it is finally here. Please pray for me, for this time.

A test post!