Tech2

I'm writing this from my sofa. In my lap is a keyboard. MS Word is part of a 50-inch tall image that also includes Netflix playing an episode of Sports Night, and Steam downloading Portal 2.

That, and much more, is the promise of a home theater PC. But in this age of ultra-cheap everything, is the complexity of an HTPC worth it? Well, I'm about to find out. Again.

It started with Guild Wars 2: Random crashes, seemingly unconnected. Then it spread to other games. After a few hours with Black Mesa, a crash to the desktop. Occasionally, the dreaded BSOD (Blue Screen of Death).

No amount of driver updates fixed the issue. On the GW 2 tech forums the problem seemed widespread. When an Arena Net employee would bother to respond to one of the many threads about the same issue, they always just said, "Check your RAM."

Yeah, right. In 20 years of fixing and building computers, not once had I ever had a problem with RAM.

So what could it be?

I've been travelling a bunch this year, with two big trips to Europe and China. Like my 10 Tips to the Travelling Techy last year, I brought along a bunch of gear, some good, some bad, some invaluable. I guess you could call this 10 Tips to the Travelling Techy 2, except it's eight.

So if you're planning any trips this summer, check out this list of some tech gear to bring.

Synopsis of every tech article in the days leading up to a new Apple release: “OMG STFU this new Apple thing is gonna be AMAZING!!!! I heard from a guy who knew a guy who saw a guy who says...”

And the days right after: “OMG stupid Apple, this new iThing didn’t cure all disease or make me immortal. Apple SUXORS!”

Yep, there’s a new iPad. Yep, it’s got more moreness. So let me say this: Yep, the new iPad is the best tablet you can buy... just like the old one. Cutting through the hype and BS, here’s why.

No spoilers without warning though.

First, a recommendation…

I predict that 2011 will be for audio what 1962 was for the art world. In 1962, Andy Warhol's first solo shows in Los Angeles and New York swept away the prevailing aesthetic ethos of the era, demonstrating to the world that a Brillo pad box could be a work of art.