Elliott C. Back: Internet & Technology

I just bought a Zalman Reserator 2. It was a horrible experience. I had set up the CPU fittings and was getting ready to lay the tubes. I filled the water reservoir, and watched it slowly leak down one of the bottom screws onto my carpet, where I mopped it up with towels. Yep, the brand new $350 water cooling kit I bought online and had Fedexed to me overnight leaked. Dripped water and coolant.

I’ve sent away for a Newegg RMA so I can recover some of my money. On the other hand, the new Q6600 processor I got and the Nvidia 8800 GTS are purring away, albeit nosily. See, the idea of the Reserator 2 is passive cooling–it has no fans, just a massive radiator. Because it didn’t work, I have to run a case fan, CPU fan, and VGA fan…

As many of you know, Om Malik recently had a heart attack. According to a post made on January 3, 2008, he’s giving up the lifestyle that may have caused his cardiac arrest:

Now living a healthier life isn’t just one of my New Year’s resolutions, it’s doctor’s orders. Friends and family have purged my apartment of smokes, scotch and all my favorite fatty foods — I am even going to be drinking decaf. I won’t be refashioning my avatar’s stogie with a celery stick, but I will be taking better care of my health.

The New York Times published a piece about Om Malik’s heart attack which blamed blogging, which they quoted Paul Kedrosky as “a recipe for stress through the roof.” However, I’d like to make it quite clear that blogging is not bad for your health. Rather, another common problem in the United States–which some have called an epidemic–is probably to blame:

Om Malik, by Jon Arnold, under the bastion of fair use

Obesity. According to Obesity In America, “approximately 127 million adults in the U.S. are overweight, 60 million are obese and 9 million are extremely obese.” Blogging can be stressful, but it’s just a red-herring. Being overweight is a more likely risk factor for your heart’s health.

Best wishes to Om with his recovery. Best of luck in the new year with your new, healthier lifestyle!

Note that I’m not a Medical Doctor, and this does not constitute medical advice, nor does it establish any kind of doctor / patient relationship with you readers.

I found this via The Triumph of Bullshit; it’s a real gem:

Just plug your SnūzNLūz in and either connect it to your network via the RJ45 jack on the back, or via WiFi (WPA supported) if available. Then simply configure via the embedded web browser configuration utility. From here it’s a snap. Simply select your online banking institution from the list of supported banks (currently over 1600 are supported). Supply your login information and then select your favorite HATED charity or non-profit from the included lists (over 6200 currently supported). Then plug in your donation amount per snooze incident ($10 or more), set the time, and alarm, and voila, instant time profit!