The packages arrived today!
In the image below you can see the components around the chest where I plan to stuff it all soon. In the background is a full size travel chest, so you can see the size difference. This will be my own personal little treasure chest. 
Last week I ordered a bunch of components for building a new computer. The main reason is that I want to be able to use triple screens with Eyefinity, and my current setup can’t handle that. I’ve been using dual monitors for about 7 years and never looked back, but I would like some more screen estate, especially when working in Photoshop and the likes, and playing 3D games. Games like Dragon Age (I/II) etc works fine with dual screens, but I find it annoying that all texts etc are split in the middle between two screens. For better vertical resolution, I will use my three 21″ Dell screens with IPS panels with extreme viewing angles and a lot better color depth than “normal” computer screens. And they can pivot, meaning I can place them vertically. The full resolution will be 3150×1680 with an aspect ratio of 15:8, slightly wider than standard 16:9 widescreen. And since my current computer is 5 years old, I thought it was about time to buy a new rig anyway.
The thing I enjoy most about getting a new computer is to build the case. To be able to fit the 3-slot wide, passively cooled graphics card alongside the CPU cooler, I could not go with a 17x17cm Mini-ITX motheboard this time as I have for my last two builds, but had to step up a level to a 24x24cm Micro-ATX instead. The size for the components are perfect for a case that I will build out of a small wooden chest. I will try to make the chest to look as close to the original as possible, not revealing that it actually contains a computer until you get a closer look at the sides and the rear.
Since everything but the CPU is passively cooled, even the PSU, the case will require some airflow as to not overheat. I will go for a silent 12cm fan on each side with adjustable speed that you can turn up if needed while playing heavy games or during a hot summer (Or I can just open the chest lid). The big problem will be to have air vents in the chest without it looking too strange. Right now I’m in the decision process on whether I will cut a 12x12cm hole on each side and place a fan grill above them, or if I will simply cut a lot of smaller holes in the chest around where the fan will be placed on the inside.
Two days ago I downloaded Google SketchUp, a free 3D modeling program, to do a design draft and make sure all components will fit. It was quite easy to learn, and after about a total of 8 hours learning and designing, I’ve come up with this. All done from scratch:
The lid in the model is semi transparent in order to actually see the parts inside the chest. Everything is made with millimeter precision, and I’ve used my slide caliper plenty to measure everything correctly. To be less then modest, I’m quite impressed with the progress I’ve made in this short time. I do have previous 3D modeling experience, but that was back in 1995-96 in Autodesk 3D Studio for DOS. I can tell you this: SketchUp is a lot easier to learn.
The computer components are all top notch, and it’s hard to get better components than these without a major step up in price:
Have you ever thought about how the meeting of two people affects the world around them?
Consider a man and a woman in their thirties who know nothing about each other, walking in opposite directions towards one another in the middle of the city. Let’s call them Derek and Susan. Suddenly Derek trips on a crack in the pavement, and falls over just in front of Susan. She stops to help him up, they smile, and after an awkward moment of silence she asks him out for a cup of coffee. Ten minutes later they sit in a café, she’s having a latte and he’s having espresso. When they leave, Derek asks for her phone number. She jots it down on a note, and gives him a peck on the cheek. He says he will call her, but he never does.
So how has this short meeting affected the surroundings?
First off, the stumbling in the street:
Unaware to Susan, Jake, a pickpocket were just about to snatch her wallet from her unintentionally open purse when she suddenly stops to help Derek up. When bending down, Susan’s purse slides down her shoulder and out of reach for Jake, who has to leave empty-handed. A blessing in disguise for the tired pickpocket, who otherwise would get caught using Susan’s credit card, starting a downward spiral that would ultimately lead to his demise.
Second, on the way to the café:
Short on cash, Susan stops by a cash dispenser. Derek offers to pay for her coffee, but she declines with a wry smile. Jonathan, a young film student next in line gets inspired by this scene, writes a blockbuster and dies four years later from an overdose of heroin, blinded by his own success.
Third, at the café door:
At the door they bump in to Betty, an old classmate of Susan. Betty is in a hurry, but since they haven’t seen each other in fifteen years, they chat for about two minutes before she rushes off. That is enough for her to miss her bus, having to wait for another 20 minutes. At the bus stop she meets Kevin, another classmate from the same class as Betty. They sit next to each other on the bus, laughing and remembering the old times. At his stop he asks her to come by his place. Having forgotten why she was in a hurry in the first place, she blushingly says that she’d like that. A year later, they have a baby girl named Fiona.
Fourth, at the café:
Jenny, an exchange student from who works part-time at the café, takes their order. When preparing Derek’s espresso, she accidentally puts her hand on a hot part of the espresso maker, scalding two of her fingers. Studying music and playing the violin, she won’t be able to perform on the next school concert. If she would have played at the concert, a talent scout would have discovered her, and she would release two mediocre albums in her music career. Instead, she works full-time at the café after graduating.
Fifth, when leaving the café:
Outside the café sits Elton, a homeless man. He asks the couple for change. Thinking he will only use it for drugs or booze, both Derek and Susan ignore him. Elton freezes to death the very same night, not being able to afford shelter.
Sixth, when Derek gets home:
When Derek gets home, his wife Kate is already there. She usually gets home about two hours later than Derek, and is used to having Derek meet her at the doorstep every day. She is just about to ask him where he has been when she sees the slight lipstick mark on his cheek. Instead of asking him about it, she doesn’t say a word the rest of the evening. Later that night when Derek has fallen asleep, she cuts off his penis with a kitchen knife, Lorena Bobbitt-style. In the aftermath, she doesn’t believe Derek when saying him and Susan only had a coffee, so she tells him she wants a divorce, moves to another town and lives a miserable life. The doctor’s not being able to re-attach his penis, so does Derek.
Seventh, at Susan’s place:
A week after they’ve met, Derek still hasn’t called Susan. This is of course because Derek is in the hospital with a chopped off penis. But Susan doesn’t know that, and simply thinks that he has ditched her. This frustrates her, and she unconsciously takes it out on her work as a business negotiator for a software company. This proves however to be a successful method, and she takes the company to new heights using her anger at men in general as a mental negotiation method. She writes a book about it, gets rich from it, and lives out the rest of her days with a mute Japanese named Takeshi. “If they can’t speak, they can’t lie”, she humorously says to her friends.
So what can we learn from this short story about two people having coffee together? That everything we do affect other people. It sets in effect events too small for us to notice, but events start other events which in the end might change the world as we see it.
That’s something to think about the next time you have a cup of coffee with someone.
———-
The above was written as part of a school project I did some years ago. Discussing chaos theory with M yesterday, I came to think of it and thought I should post it.
Greetings, humans!
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and all that. Hope the holidays have treated you well.
Personally, I’ve been spending to much time in front of the computer and the screen and have decided to take a break.
Starting to day, I will not sit in front of the computer, watch any movies or playing any video games (including RISK on my cell phone) while at home. Right now I’m at work where I have to use the computer, so I justify some minor blogging and facebooking from there with that.
I will try to catch up on my reading and possibly some project that has been laying around (Got a brand new wireless Dremel for Christmas!), but the main reason is to simply disconnect for a while.
Let’s see how long it takes before I forget myself – I hope I can last a week anyway.
Update:
I lasted the whole week and finished reading two books. Although on Sunday evening I watched a movie because I was utterly bored.
Tomorrow I will possibly have the worst trip of my life so far. Or the most boring, back-aching, cold and lonely. Or the best.
Anyway, I will attempt to drive my Gilera Runner (50cc) från Stockholm to Ulricehamn, a trip that totals about 440 kilometers. I will make a stop (and possibly spend the night) in Tibro, but have otherwise no plans besides hourly stops to stretch, eat, and so on.
Why? The practical reason is that I’m going to store the moped at my parents place during the winter, but the other reason is probably just for the heck of it. “Because it’s there”, as a mountain climber would say. When I was 15 I wanted to go on a moped vacation with my friends, but that never happened so perhaps I’m subconsciously compensating for it now.
To quote the great Waylon Jennings: I’ve always been crazy but it’s kept me from going insane.
To see the route I’ll likely take: Google Maps
Now: Time to pack.
Update:
A few miles from Katrineholm
The trip went great! I took the whole trip in one day, only staying for a pizza with my friend Dossen in Tibro instead of spending the night there.
Total travel time: 12½ hours, including a total of about 3½ hours of breaks for stretching, food and gas.
I’m very glad I took this trip. 
