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How Graphics Cards Work"

How Graphics Cards Work"
The images you see on your monitor are made of tiny dots called pixels. At most common resolution settings, a screen displays over a million pixels, and the computer has to decide what to do with every one in order to create an image. To do this, it needs a translator -- something to take binary data from the CPU and turn it into a picture you can see. Unless a computer has graphics capability built into the motherboard, that translation takes place on the graphics card. A graphics card's job is complex, but its principles and components are easy to understand. In this article, we will look at the basic parts of a video card and what they do. Think of a computer as a company with its own art department. A graphics card works along the same principles. Creating an image out of binary data is a demanding process. The graphics card accomplishes this task using four main components: Next, we'll look at the processor and memory in more detail.

Pack a Backpack for Camping From Wired How-To Wiki A well-packed sack will save your back. Photo by The Glasshalffull via Flickr. It's happened to everyone before. Then, six miles out, you realize: Despite stuffing your pack to the brim, you've forgotten your rain shell and soaked your food in fuel. This article is part of a wiki anyone can edit. Outside In Especially with a lightweight backpack, you should put your sleeping pad in first. Sleeping bag next Pack in the reverse order of stuff you'll need. Distribute your supplies Tent: Heaviest items go in the middle and closest to your back. Cooking Gear: If you're planning on hot meals along the side of the trail, your portable stove is up next. Food: Separate your foods— easy access:trail mix, string cheese, sandwiches -- and put them in a separate and more easily accessible part of your backpack, usually the detachable fanny pack or outside pockets. Water for cooking food: Dried food is good if you're near water, and canned is good if you're not. Balance it out

50 Kick-Ass Websites You Need to Know About It's time to update the entries in your browser's links toolbar. But with recent estimates putting the size of the internet at well more than 100 million distinct websites, it's getting harder and harder to get a handle on all the great stuff that's out there. That's why we've compiled this list. And unlike some lists you may have seen, which try to name the very "best" websites, but end up just telling you a lot of stuff you already know, we've chosen instead to highlight 50 of our favorite sites that fly under most people's radar. You might have heard of some of these sites, but we'll bet you haven't heard of all them. Demoscene.tv See What Can Be Done with 4 Kilobytes If you’re any kind of nerd at all, you probably know about the demoscene, where talented programmers create complex videos rendered in real-time, stored in incredibly small files. But what if you just want to see what all the fuss is about without actually downloading and running an executable? lite.Facebook.com

Understanding Chipsets: What is a Chipset, Anyway? - Gamers Nexus - Your hub for gaming hardware, news, PC builds, and reviews Known for having the coolest-sounding naming scheme in computing, chipsets operate at the core of every build we do here at GN -- by this point, all of you know the basics: P67 is good, Z68 is better, X79 (SB-E) is expensive; the 970 is good, the 990X is great, and AM3+'s 990FX is expensive (sort of). Great, so we have an idea of what to get relative to other chipsets, but that doesn't mean much. That's about as useful as knowing "DDR3 is better than DDR2," without truly knowing why. It's brochure knowledge. As we did with our GPU dictionary and SSD dictionary, this chipset guide will help explain what, exactly, a chipset is responsible for and what you should look for in future editions. This helps keep everyone on the cutting edge as new technology is announced and, better still, helps you actually understand what is needed, not just recommended. Click to enlarge. * = Modern CPUs include memory controllers on the CPU. Enough theory! -Steve "Lelldorianx" Burke

How To Not Get Sued for File Sharing (And Other Ideas To Avoid Being Treated Like a Criminal) As of July 2006, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has sued over 20,000 music fans for file sharingin just under three years. In 2004, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) joined this misguided, anti-consumer crusade. Filing lawsuits against anonymous "Doe" defendants, the RIAA and MPAA seek to uncover the identities of P2P users and force them to pay thousands of dollars in settlements. Many innocent individuals are being caught in the crossfire. While there is no way to know exactly what the RIAA and MPAA are going to do or who they are going to sue, users of publicly-accessible P2P networks can take the following steps to reduce their chances of being sued: Either: Make sure there are no potentially infringing files in your shared folder. Or: Note: Not all clients allow you to turn off "sharing." Additional Considerations: What if I've Already Been Sued? These links may provide helpful information:

How to Hunt Elephants MATHEMATICIANS hunt elephants by going to Africa, throwing out everything that is not an elephant, and catching one of whatever is left. EXPERIENCED MATHEMATICIANS will attempt to prove the existence of at least one unique elephant before proceeding to step 1 as a subordinate exercise. PROFESSORS OF MATHEMATICS will prove the existence of at least one unique elephant and then leave the detection and capture of an actual elephant as an exercise for their graduate students. COMPUTER SCIENTISTS hunt elephants by exercising Algorithm A: Go to Africa. EXPERIENCED COMPUTER PROGRAMMERS modify Algorithm A by placing a known elephant in Cairo to ensure that the algorithm will terminate. ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE PROGRAMMERS prefer to execute Algorithm A on their hands and knees. DATABASE ADMINISTRATORS do not need to go out and capture elephants when they can retrieve them simply with an ad hoc query: STATISTICIANS hunt the first animal they see N times and call it an elephant.

Online Books : "The Essential Psychedelic Guide" - Ecstasy INTENSITY: 2 to 4 MATERIAL: Ecstasy is a synthetic compound developed in 1914 as a potential dietary aid. However, its psychoactive effects were not discovered until the mid-Seventies. It was used widely in therapy from this time until 1985 when it was made illegal. Its chemical name is 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), commonly known as "X", "E", or "Adam." It usually comes as a white crystalline powder or made into tablets. DOSAGE: 125 mg. (1/8th of a gram) is generally considered a single dose of ecstasy. THE HIGH: When ecstasy is coming on it feels fantastically exhilarating. Most X users report that their first couple of experiences are like being in heaven, and leave a strong impression. Ecstasy is not really "psychedelic" in the same way as other substances in this journal. Ecstasy rarely produces a bad experience, but there are some negative aspects to ecstasy's signature. I've read numerous clinical articles on ecstasy. See the 2C-B chapter. 1.

The 25 Best High-Tech Pranks Everyone loves a good laugh, and in the age of electronics, high-tech hijinks are just waiting to be pulled off. So snuggle up to your screen and get ready to unleash all sorts of shenanigans as we present the 25 best high-tech pranks known to man. Our apologies in advance to your friends and co-workers. 1. We start with one sure to throw off even the most advanced Windows user. 2. While we’re on the topic of system startups, the Windows Startup folder is a fantastic place for fun. 3. A classic computer prank never goes out of style. 4. There are few things funnier than forcing a friend to insult himself — and Microsoft has made it easy to do just that. 5. While you’re in the Word or Outlook settings, another good place to tamper is the dictionary. 6. A small investment will have a big payoff with the ThinkGeek Annoy-a-Tron. 7. 8. 9. Since you’re already under the desk, try out another switcheroo: the speaker swap. 10. 11. 12. Another great mouse prank awaits you in the Control Panel.

Judge in Google/Oracle Lawsuit: ‘You’re Both Asking for the Moon’ Wanted: More judges like U.S. District Judge William Alsup. Alsup is presiding over the currently ongoing lawsuit between Google and Oracle over the former’s Android OS—which the latter says infringes on their Java patents—and is demonstrating a refreshing attitude towards both companies’ attempts to argue their case. Alsup told attorneys representing the corporations, “You’re both asking for the moon and you should be more reasonable” during a hearing yesterday, according to Reuters. Lawyers acting on behalf of Google argued that Oracle estimated damages of between $1.4 billion and $6.1 billion as a result of patent infringement within the Android OS and asked Alsup to disallow those estimates, saying instead that Oracle deserves no damages. (MORE: Will App Developers Be Scared Away by Lawsuit Threats?) Alsup openly disagreed with that idea, telling the court, “Zero is ridiculous… They’re totally wrong on that.” A decision in the case is expected soon.

CompuLab releases Fit-PC 2 By Usman Aziz | May 17th, 2009 CompuLab has released Fit-PC 2, and claims to be the smallest HTPC ever made, which works on ultra-low Power. This PC can be used as a nettop and small-form factor media PC. This new small-form factor PC is expected to compete with Acer Revo and other such nettops. Here’s a complete list of specifications of the product: Intel Atom Z530 1.6GHz / Z510 1.1GHz CPUIntel US15W SCH Chipset1GB DDR2-533 on-board MemoryInternal bay for 2.5″ SATA HDD (up to 250GB)miniSD socketIntel GMA500 graphics accelerationFull hardware video acceleration of H.264, MPEG2, VC1, and WMV9 DVI Digital output up to 1920 x 1080 through HDMI connectorHigh definition 2.0 Audio Line-out, line-in, mic1000 BaseT Ethernet802.11g WLAN6 USB 2.0 High Speed portsProgrammable consumer IR receiver Features: This new platform is expected to compete with the low cost small-form factor PCs which are capable of driving large monitors and playing full HD content. To watch to current price, click here.

Introduction to Social Influence, Persuasion, Compliance & Propaganda This portion of the Working Psychology website offers a brief introduction to a big topic: social influence, the modern, scientific study of persuasion, compliance, propaganda, "brainwashing," and the ethics that surround these issues. Although these topics aren't always simple (it is, after all, science), I've done my best to make this introduction interesting. Since Aristotle recorded his principles of persuasion in Rhetoric, humans have attempted to define and refine the principles of successful influence. Persuasion has been studied as an art for most of human history. The comparatively young science of social influence, however, can trace its roots to the second world war, when a social psychologist named Carl Hovland was contracted by the U.S. Social scientists attempt to support any assertion with facts. Want a few examples of how social influence works in the real world before you continue? Copyright © 2002 by Kelton Rhoads, Ph.D.

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