September 01, 2013

Here She Is!

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Pond Scum, allow me to introduce you to Nori, my new computer.

Nori is a HP ENVY 700-074.  She's loaded with a 4th Generation quad-core i5 chip from Intel, running at 3.0GHz.  There's 12GB of RAM,  a 2TB hard drive, built-in wireless networking (which I'm not using), and a pretty case that attracts fingerprints like nobody's business.  It also came with a wireless keyboard that I'm honestly not fond of (it's essentially a laptop keyboard) but I don't own any USB keyboards, a wireless mouse that I'm not using because the one from Logitech that I own is a lot better, and built-in graphics that... well, they aren't great.  I've discovered that I am in love with USB 3.0, and am very glad that my external hard drive came equipped with it.  The only problem is that two of the four USB3 ports are top-mounted behind a fairing, while all the USB2 ports are front-mounted, behind a drop-down panel that doesn't leave enough space to insert a wireless mouse thingy and still be able to close the panel. As a  result, I've got the Logitech mouse thingy plugged into one of the USB3 on top, which is silly.  I think I'll be able to survive, however.

It also comes with Windows 8.  Fortunately, it also comes with HP's "Quick Start" program, which does most of what the missing START button does.

Click to see a better look at the QuickStart menu... and some of my music collection.
Setup went the way it usually does, mostly waiting for Windows Update to figure out that yes, I really DO want it to install the updates, please.  I'm a little afraid to add the graphics card... what I don't need is a repeat of what happened LAST time. 

But that's dwelling on the negative.  So far, I'm pleased as punch with Nori, and suspect she'll be with me for a good long time!

Nori's namesake, from Hidamari Sketch.
Say hi, everybody!

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August 31, 2013

The Deed Is Done

It has been a long time coming.  The decision was not particularly hard to make, but it was difficult to pull the trigger on.  Then finding the time and energy to actually do it, well, that was a feat in and of itself.  But finally, finally, it was accomplished.

I have a new computer.

Unlike many, perhaps all, of you, though, I am not frantically hooking it up and getting it running.  Believe me, I understand that urge, and as recently as a year or two ago, I would have been a whirlwind of activity, cables and widgets and dongles flying everywhichway in my haste and zeal to get the new gadget rockin'.  No, I've still too much to get off Chiyo-chan and stored onto the external drive, and too many logins to recover from too many websites to hurry into this.

So tomorrow, the whirlwind will occur.  And the world will finally meet the computer that will take over for Chiyo-chan.

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August 26, 2013

This Is The One Where Wonderduck Complains

Just giving you fair warning, is all.  As far as complaining goes, it probably won't be too terrible... more like a quiet yet persistent whining sound, exactly like the one emanating from the empty apartment downstairs.  Anyway.  If you're not interested, here's a nice picture that has nothing to do with anything, and might I suggest choosing from a category on the sidebar?

Last week, as I'm sure you all realized, I broke the 60-hour mark with plenty of time to spare.  The week before, I nearly did the same thing, though that was with six days.  This week will probably be right around 60 hours... things are kinda slowing down, but there are things other than customers that take up my time, as well.  As it is, I'm coming in early and staying late just to get stuff done... stuff that by rights I should be doing during the day.

Look, here's how wiped out I was.  This past Saturday, I woke up at 645am, as usual, and by 11am, I had fallen asleep twice as I was browsing the web or reading a book.  After waking up the second time, I gave up and went back to sleep.  I woke up five hours later, watched the Quals for Belgium, did the writeup, then went back to bed.  While I was intending to wake up around 1130pm to work on the next Eva 1.11 writeup (which I haven't touched for a couple of weeks), I blew through two different alarm clocks, only to wake up at 3am Sunday.  After piddling about, I went back to bed and slept until 10am Sunday.  And I'm still tired.

What I'm saying is, all this stuff at work may keep me away from blogginating for a bit longer.  I know this is terrible news for all of you, and some may even feel depressed about it.

However, and this is big big big... a new computer will be coming into my life this week.  Y'all will be introduced as soon as I actually, y'know, get it.  Wish me luck the rest of the week.

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August 22, 2013

And Down The Stretch They Come...

Somewhere around 10 Thursday morning, I clocked my 40th hour in the Duck U Bookstore for the week. I didn't leave today until 8pm.  You do the math.

If things break the right way, I might be able to get out on Friday in about 11 hours.  That'd be the shortest day this week!

I'm so very, very tired.

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August 18, 2013

Wonderduck's Weekend

I worked all day Saturday, as the new fledgelings moved into the Duck U dorms that day, then had dinner with Ph.Duck immediately afterwards.  I got home around 7pm, and by 8pm I was crawling into bed for a nap.  I set the alarm clock AND my cellphone to wake me around 1030p, and I was out cold before my head finished sinking into the pillow.

Hydraulic pressure woke me up at six in the morning on Sunday.  I had slept through two hours of Sports-Talk Radio and my cellphone's alarm (twice), which normally will kick me out of bed like a train had hit the headboard.  Groggily, I purged the hydraulic lines and debated with myself what to do: go back to bed?  Do laundry?  Sleep?  Laundry?

Laundry.  I was nice to my neighbors, however, and waited until 8am to do it.  After that was done, I had lunch while watching the NASCAR race and falling asleep.  By 2pm, I gave up and went back to sleep... and woke up at 7pm.  And I'm STILL sleepy.  Next week is the start of classes at Duck U., so there's no rest for either the weary or for the Duck U Bookstore's manager.

Thanks for your patience.

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August 15, 2013

"...Without You Suffering From Burnout."

Those were the last words my boss said to me on the phone today before I burst into a manic sort of laughter, high-pitched and brittle.  The sort of laughter that inspires ultimate confidence in the listener.

I have nothing else to say, I guess.  A couple more weeks and it'll all be over...

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August 13, 2013

The Nightmares Have Begun

The stress of work is leaking into my sleeping brain, causing nightmares beyond telling.  This one, though, is at least a little humorous.  The other night, I dreamt that I was the only person in the world who remembered a particular song from 1992, and I HAD to preserve that memory, no matter what. 

Now, the way I learned about this song in real life was interesting enough.  I was home from Grad School, and had a few bucks free to spend on stuff.  I had become the unofficial master of the mixtape for just about any party held by the theatre department, owing to my ginormous cassette collection, supplemented by a small but growing assortment of CDs.  Add in the collections of the two roomies, and I had a ridiculously eclectic range of music to play with.  There was only one problem: none of it was new.  I jumped on my folks' computer (a 386, maybe) and swear to god, connected to Prodigy.

THAT was cutting edge back then, folks.  Anyway, I headed to some of the message boards to ask for help... mostly for dance music.  I got a few good song titles back, including the track involved in my nightmare. 

Oh yeah, remember that?  The nightmare?  I woke up from it, thinking I REALLY WAS the only person in the world who remembered the song.  I stumbled into my living room and started going through my CDs, trying to find the maxi-single... and I couldn't find it.  The boxes in the closet didn't have it either.  Actually desperate now, I called up yourfaceinatube, hoping beyond hope that someone else out there knew the tune!  As it turned out, I need not have worried.

In fact, it was rather stupid of me to have been half-scared out of my wits; this was actually a Billboard Hot 100 hit, back when that meant something, and I KNEW that.  Of course people weren't going to have forgotten it.  Still, nightmares aren't supposed to make sense, are they?

And now, just in case something really DOES happen and everybody else forgets "Love U More" by Sunscreem, it'll be here.

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August 12, 2013

SUNUVABEECHMARTIN!!!!!!!!!11!1!

The replacement graphics card came in today.  As soon as I got home, I put it in. 

And it didn't work.  Of course.  Of course.

I just realized that I can't return it to Amazon now, either, because I sent the original to EVGA.

I am now taking suggestions on new desktop computers.

GNARRRRRRRRRRRRRGJGGLLGKLJHKLHDFSKJDSFHKLJSDGKHSDFKJHKfdsjdSHfiushdfjk!

Grr.

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August 08, 2013

An Origins Tale

No, not that Origins, as we were more of a Gen-Con group growing up... naturally enough, since it was (metaphorically) just up the road in Kenosha.  THIS origins tale will be something a little more prosaic.  Those few of you who didn't sear the post out of your memory will recall a little passage in the latest Eva 1.11 post, about how longtime friend Vaucaunson's Duck ran me down with his bicycle and ground my youthful face into the brick street.  Ah, those wacky hijinks!

As with most good fiction, some bad fiction, and the occasional bit of writing you'll see here on The Pond, there is a germ of truth behind the story.  In this case, while Vauc didn't actually run me over, he did have a bicycle, like many kids our age, and by "our age," I mean 12, which would be approximately three years after we first met.  I was already infamous at Q.S. Trotter Grade School for having been the first student demoted from third grade to second in the middle of a school year.  Of course, this naturally meant that I was as dumb as a box of hair, when the truth was somewhat more... strange.

See, my education up until my family migrated to Duckford was... um... well, I was part of an alternative schooling program known as the "Free School Movement."  For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, the short version is that, instead of having a schedule of classes that I had to take, I learned what I felt like learning.  I believe I attended the Free School for three years, from the ages of 5 through 8, until the Great Migration in '76.  Now, I want you to imagine being five years old, and you're being told that you can learn whatever you feel like learning, and you don't have to learn what you don't want to.  EVER.  As it worked out, I was reading at a high school level when we moved to Duckford and I began attending QS Trotter... but I couldn't math my way out of a paper bag.  The thing is, nobody had any idea where to put me when I got to conventional school.  So I was placed into third grade... and within a month or so, everybody discovered that I didn't have a single freakin' idea of how to school, either.  I never turned in a piece of homework, ever.  Don't get me wrong, I did it all... but I just left it in my desk.  That's what I did before, after all, how was I supposed to know any different?

In a lot of ways, the whole Free School thing was both a blessing and a curse.  On the one hand, I still love to read, and writing?  Well, there's eight years of crap here at The Pond to look back on.  On the other hand, though, I still can't math worth a damn and I have no interest in learning to.  So that's how I came to be infamous at QS Trotter...

...anyway.  Met Vauc sometime afterwards, became friends, and somewhere along the way, he had a 10-speed bicycle; guess that would have been around 1980.  I, on the other hand, had a somewhat clunky three-speed bike, painted a truly lovely shade of brown, and by "lovely," I mean something completely not lovely at all.  I do mean "brown," however.  I'm not denying that brown can be an appealing color, though it makes me look like a pile of dog poo with a pile of red hair on top, I'm just saying that my bicycle was nothing special to look at.  Or ride, come to think of it.

In any case, I don't remember which of us came up with the nickname "Tenspeed and Brown Bike."  Probably Vauc.  Maybe you, earnestly bored reader, remember the short-lived Steven J Cannell show, "Tenspeed and Brown Shoe," starring Ben Vereen and Jeff Goldblum?  I will admit to not remembering it at all, save for that it gave us the nickname that I remember so clearly, despite it being 33 years old... and judging from the response to a text I sent a few hours ago, Vauc remembers not at all.

Well, that's the way these things go.  What my brain remembers as important are not the same as Vauc's, surely.  I'm sure he has vivid memories of... I dunno, playing MAATAC in the Game Room, for example, that I don't have any recollection of. 

In any case, that's the long-form explanation of the "bicycle over the face" gag.  Pointless, wasn't it?

(I still remember modifying the rules to MAATAC to allow OGREs... good times, good times...)

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August 06, 2013

Look, Here's The Story.

Over at the Duck U Bookstore, the Run To Rush has truly begun in earnest.  While classes actually begin on August 21st, next week is when, historically, we take the next step in sales traffic.  Right now, we're doing... oh, let's call it X in sales per day.  Next week, we'll be doing 2X, maybe 3X.  Rush Week itself, though, will see us doing 6X for a couple of days, 5X the rest.  That's busy enough when you've got a full staff, but I don't.

My boss was in the store on Monday, and as always, he asked "what can I do for you?"  My reply was simple: give me an experienced employee for a couple of weeks.  Doesn't even have to be a new assistant manager, just someone I can have cover the sales floor while I do admin stuff.  Unfortunately, pretty much every other store in our region starts classes within a week of me, meaning they'll be at least as busy as me, and loathe to release a trained staffer as well. 

Which leaves me doing two jobs, though as the manager, it's all really my job.  Anyway, I've got to cover the floor, unpack boxes, put incoming stock on the shelves, customer service, all that sort of thing... which I love, don't get me wrong.  But at the same time, I've got to do paperwork, reorders, receiving, keeping the Home Office happy and the vendors paid... and only so much of it can be done after the store is closed.

As I'm hopping around like a frog with its head cut off all day, by the time I get home, a lot of what I want to do doesn't involve the computer.  It does involve having a meal, watching the TV, and sleeping... and if I ever get that stupid graphics card back from EVGA, playing video games.  ANYTHING to keep my mind off work.

So what I'm saying is that I'm going to be a little quiet here for a while.  I'll probably post a random anime picture every day, or every other day, or something, so there'll still be content (or content-like substance), it just won't be the deep, probing, intelligent, thoughtful, erudite material you've grown used to from The Pond.

Like that.

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July 27, 2013

(Throwing Hands Up In Frustration)

Right, I give up.  I've done everything I can do, everything I can think of, and this stupid graphics card is still not working.  Either the card has a problem, or it just won't work with my computer.  Either is possible, I have no idea which is more likely.

Dammit!

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July 26, 2013

Graphics Card Installed, Problems Continue!

Right, this is getting really annoying.  After dinner, I sat down in front of the open side of my computer and gently installed the eVGA GT630 I purchased last week.  At first, it looked like everything was going smoothly... the drivers installed without freezing, which just confirms that indeed, the PSU was the problem.  Great!  Reboot when prompted, and voila!  Windows boots up...

...Blue Screen of Death.  "Machine_Check_Exception."  Again.

Now I began to invent curse words.  If you ever hear me say "serathilk", you know I'm really pissed.  I rebooted in safe mode, removed drivers, and tried again.  After a couple of tries (with BSoDs) , install happened, rebooted, and the screen came back up in 1440 x 900 resolution!  Yay! 

Then it BSoD'ed again.  The only thing I can figure is that, somewhere, my motherboard hates the GT630.  Or everything hates ME, one of the two.

I've sent a support request to eVGA, maybe I'll hear from them this weekend.

I really wanted to play Kerbal Space Program this weekend, too.

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PSU Installed!

It only took nigh on three hours to do, but my computer now has a 600w Corsair CX600 installed.  Now, I'm sure many of you out there are saying to yourself "three hours?  How in the world did it take that long???"

Well, there were a few problems along the way.  Problem number one, and the most time-consuming, discovering that the CX600 doesn't actually have a four-pin 12v ATX connector.  This, I found out after I had spent an hour and a bit getting the old PSU out, getting the new one in, and running cable.  The four-pin 12v ATX is used on old motherboards, like mine, and is never seen anymore.  After nearly removing the installed CX600 in frustration, I remembered that I have another computer (which I'm typing this post on) and could google around about this conundrum.  This is where I discovered that Corsair has a more modern eight-pin connector that splits into two four-pin 12v ATXs.  While I wish that had been obvious from looking at the various cables, it's done and over with.

Problem number two, and the most aggravating, was finding out that my old PSU was actually better equipped for hard-drive and DVD drive power cables.  That one, an old ThermalTake (which only puts 18amps to the 12v rail, by the way... well below the 20 required for my new graphics card, which confirms the suspicions of all of you, and thanks!), has four individual cords with a four-pin molex connector on them.  The CX600 has ONE cord with four molexi "spliced in."  The run from the top of my case (DVD) to the bottom (hard drive) is just barely within reach of the CX600's cord... and that, I think, only because my DVD drive is installed in the bottom of the optical drive bay.  If it was in the top slot, I don't think it'd reach.  Getting that cable run was quite annoying... I'm still not even sure I can put the side panel back on.

Problem number three was that the younger me who installed the ThermalTake PSU all these many years ago was something of a diplodocus when he put it in.  Slip-tabs that would normally hold the drive in place were badly bent, a plastic friction clip wasn't there at all, so on and so forth.  As it is, I managed to re-bend the bottom tab to do a little bit of gripping, but the three case screws that are supposed to just lock the PSU in place are, instead, doing most of the work of keeping it from falling. 

So there it is... three hours of effort, dust and swearing... a LOT of swearing... but little Chiyo-chan now has a new heart PSU.  Next step is the graphics card, but that won't come until AFTER dinner.  I'm starving.

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July 25, 2013

Oh, HELL No.



Here are a few things I am NOT going to do that involve this film:

1) Watch this clip again
2) Watch this clip in HQ full-screen (again)
3) Watch it when it comes out
4) Watch it when it comes out in IMAX
5) Watch it when it comes out on Blu-Ray

Really, it might be the greatest movie of all time, but that makes no difference to me.  The thought of being adrift in space with no hope of rescue and a sudden reentry imminent is enough to turn my bowels to water and my knees to pudding.  SEEING one of my worst fears on the screen like that?  Nope, nope and a thousand times nope.

I'd rather chew my leg out of a bear trap than do that.

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July 24, 2013

I've Got So Much Nuthin', It Hurts!

...and that's a lot of nuthin'.  I've not had time nor energy enough to even think about installing the new PSU, which I remember as being a nasty job in this particular BTX case.  Well, ces't la vie.  More something will come soon, I hope.  Here, have something fun, on me:

I... uh... even I don't know what to say to that, and I'm the one that put it here.

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July 21, 2013

Graphics Card Weirdness

Okay, so here's the gig.  I had time today to finally install the new graphics card... and it wouldn't.  Let me explain.

The first time I tried, I got a black screen.  Okay, didn't get the card seated correctly... not hard to do when the PCI-E slot's locking lever is broken.  Pulled it out, stuck it back in, voila! 

Windows froze during boot.  Never even made it to the desktop.  Hold down the power button and try again.  Yay, desktop!  I wait for the computer to finish trying to find the mouse and keep hitting cancel on the driver search function, then plop the install disc into it and voila!

Windows froze during install.  It was at this point that I began to think that this wasn't going to go as smoothly as the other two times I've installed graphic cards.  Power button, reboot, bluescreen before POST.  As I was too flustered at what was going on, I didn't write it down (of course) but the relevant part that I remember was this: Machine Check Exception.

 Power button, desktop, cancel cancel cancel cancel install disc it makes it a little bit farther before lockup.  At this point, I give up, pull the brand new GeForce GT630 out, put the SPARKLE GT240 back in... it functions as long as I don't have it do anything more strenuous than Minesweeper... and everything works right as rain.  Sighing, I send eVGA an eMail, asking for advice.

Response: install the drivers under safe mode, and how much power does your PSU put out at the 12v rail?  B-b-b-b-but if I install the drivers under safe mode, that'll kill off the SPARKLE, and for me to read the label on the PSU, I have to remove the PSU... and I remember having the devil's own time physically installing it in the first place.  Oh, and it's seven years old, it may not be putting out that much power anymore, right?

Suggestions, anybody?  This sound similar to anyone?  I really don't want to sink more money into this if I don't absolutely have to, but I'm willing to invest in a new PSU if need be... I'll just put it into the new computer that'll be coming down the pike soon enough.

UPDATE: And all this after I splurged on Steam's summer sale, too.  Saints Row 3, the DLC for Skyrim, and Kerbal Space Program... and I can't play any of 'em!

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July 20, 2013

Saturday Night Tunage XVII

Oh no!  Look out!  It's another installment of Saturday Night Tunage with your host, DJ Wonderduck!

It amazes me that I've managed to go seven months since the last one of these, or at least that's what the search feature says, but it does appear to be true!  I do believe that I've deprived you, my faithful readers/listeners, for much too long.  What you believe, on the other hand,  is up to you!  I make no promises that these songs haven't been featured before, but I don't much care... I like 'em all the same!  With all that out of the way, let's get on with the tunage!

more...

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July 18, 2013

Wanderduck's Missing Pictures

A few of you may remember the pictures from my trip to Orlando last month.  I was just going through the (metaphorical) pile of snapshots unused from the journey, and I realized that I didn't use my two favorites... because they didn't fit the narrative as well as some others.  In lieu of actual content, I aim to rectify that oversight right here, right now.

The first:

Just a duck somewhere above the middle of the country... far, far above the middle of the country.  Probably Indiana or Kentucky, as it was fairly early in the flight.  Love the clouds, and the somewhat wistful view of Wanderduck looking out the window.  Just a fun little picture.

The second:

Wanderduck with the biggest, cheesiest sh*t-eating-est grin you've ever seen on a rubber duckie.  He's such a ham.  Which, to be sure, is what makes him an ideal companion for journeys. 

For either picture, click to get a big version.  I'm sure Wanderduck'd love to be your desktop wallpaper for a while!

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July 16, 2013

The Gleam Is Off... um... EVERYTHING

Look, I know I occasionally whine and complain about stuff here at The Pond.  Stuff happens, and sometimes you just have to react.  But today... today, I have a legitimate cause to complain, and there's no way anybody would disagree with me.

My assistant manager gave her two weeks' notice today.

Classes start in four weeks.

No way I'm getting a replacement in time.  I'm going to be working open-to-close all the way through Rush, which'll take us into September.  I'm actually scheduled for 57 hours the week before classes start.

I'm doomed. 

And if that wasn't enough, my DVR appears to have coughed up a hard-drive and died.  Thankfully, I just rent it... I think.  But I lost all the movies and stuff I'd recorded.  Like the entirety of Firefly in HD.  Don't let nobody tell you different, "Our Mrs Reynolds" is worth watching in HD.  Oh yes, yes it surely is. 

I'm already there, I think.

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July 15, 2013

The Sparkle Is Off The Rose

Some of you may remember back nearly two years ago when I went through that joyous time I liked to call "graphics card hell".  That was the time when my old Nvidia 7600GT went all pear-shaped and I had to replace it.  The first attempt was with a 9800GT... which failed because it was a two-slot card and my case would only support a single.  The second attempt was a PNY GT240... which failed because it was out of stock with no return-to-stock date, which is a nice way of saying "never."  The third and final attempt was the acquisition of a GT240 from a company calling itself Sparkle.  By this time it was very much a case of burning down, falling over, then sinking into a swamp, but it did work.  And it worked very well indeed!  I was quite pleased by my purchase, and to be sure it was a lovely card and all was bacon and chocolate and chocolate-covered bacon.

I had no idea that was a thing... though I shouldn't be surprised, should I?
However, three months ago I had my first inkling of a problem: a high-pitched squealing noise issuing from the innards of my computer.  When it occurred, the first couple of times, a sharp rap on the case with my knuckles ("Bap!") usually made it stop.  Then it stopped for good on its own.  Since everything seemed to still work, I let it go with a shrug and a muttered oath: "Computers."  Which was fine, until I decided to play me some Skyrim.  Booted up the game, began to walk around, saw a bear come at me, drew my sword... and the screen went blank with a "no signal" message on it.  Meanwhile, the sounds of a bear eating my character began to emanate from the speakers.  Since I couldn't actually see anything, the only way I could reboot was to do the old "hold down the power switch" gig.  Then I tried it again, thinking that I must have accidentally done something to glitch the game.  Nope.  Same thing occurred, but faster this time.  Over the next few days, I experimented with other games.  Trine went for about 5 minutes before it did the same thing.  Hell, Motocross Madness 2 blacked out after about 15 minutes.  Some research pretty much confirmed my problem: overheating.  The squealing sound?  Death of the cooling fan on my Sparkle.  So I hied myself off to Amazon and got myself a new graphics card.

The GT630 is hardly a powerhouse... it may not even be as good as the Sparkle, to be honest.  But I don't much care at the moment as this whole experience has just pointed out to me that Chiyo-chan, my smart and lovely computer, is seven years old and essentially un-upgradeable anymore.  So the GT630 is only a stopgap card (and at $65, not an expensive one, either).  In about a month, the new school year begins at Duck U.  I think that as a "huzzah, you've survived!" gift to myself, I'll be getting a new computer... and that's if I don't get one before that.  I already have a name for it picked out... and that's the important bit, y'know.  I will, of course, keep you updated as the process goes on.  God help us all.

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