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JULY NEWS
 

July 31st, 2001

 

Sandra Mutates

Popular program to undergo changes to improve P4 bandwidth performance in light of our recent analysis.  Meanwhile, Athlon bandwidth performance appears to improve in new beta.

 

nForce In Trouble?

I have tried to obtain official word on wildfire rumors of nForce delays and denuded functionality, but the best I could get was, "NVIDIA has denied Webbie type rumors over the weekend that its Nforce chipset/platform will need re-engineering and are suffering delays."  The reason this leaves me a little unsatisfied is that I asked specific questions that were not answered.  Chris Tom also reports the nForce will not be delayed.  Bert McComas of InQuest (my former employer) told me, "This thing looks a little bit overblown to say the least."

 

Mad Mike Thinks Intel May Abandon Rambus

So do I.

 

Space Toilets!

Turning poop into food...  Sounds like some PR people I know.

 

AMD's Dresden Fab Ships 10,000,000th Athlon Processor Die

Megafab milestone in only 13 months.

 

July 30th, 2001

 

C3 Is Not Capable of Dual Processing

Despite the somewhat confusing wording of of the press release below, VIA has reassured us that the C3 does not possess the necessary APIC to facilitate DP.  However, VIA-Centaur's much more powerful Nehemiah (C4), set to sample later this year, will sport the APIC and might be capable of dual processing though its target market remains the single processing desktop.

 

Press Release: VIA Gains C3 / Apollo Pro266 "Blade" Server Win

These low power DDR SDRAM driven server products are interesting.

 

Author of AMD JPEG Site Talks to VHJ

Agrees problem is "one in a million."

 

July 29th, 2001

 

New Site Look: Frames Removed From VHJ

Due to several requests we have removed frames from the site.  Please let us know if you like this new look better or prefer the old layout.  If you prefer frames we still have a frames version up, although returning home will take you back to the no frames page.

 

Did Viking Discover Martian Life in 1975 and No One Noticed?

Gas released from Viking soil experiment may have been the result of microbial activity.

 

New SUV's Debut

My weak attempt at humor.

 

FBI Taps Computers

And then, of course, there's Echelon.

 

Largest Dinosaur Skull Airlifted

Belonging to Torosaurus, close kin to Triceratops.

 

July 28th, 2001

 

Vast Amounts of Water Possibly Found On Mars

Could be enough to cover entire Red Planet with a nearly foot deep blanket.

 

Propaganda Against File Sharing Intensifies

"Makes porn available to kids" is latest ruse to curtail Internet file sharing.

 

Money That Can Track You

Acquiescence of Internet rights can open doors to invasive measures like the "Mew Chip."

 

Wearable Computer

$2,000 Hitachi WinCE device is expensive, underpowered, and even I think it's geeky, but the Wearable Internet Appliance may presage a new genre of consumer devices.

 

July 27th, 2001

 

Test Post 4

Thanks to those who have sent in emails to help us debug the problem!

 

Test Post 3

 

Test Post 2

We apologize for the continuing site problems.

 

IBM Develops Cheap 2cm Thick CRTs

World's biggest brain trust produces tech as cheap as conventional CRTs, just as LCDs are getting reasonable.

 

Borland Kylix Open Edition Available for Free Download

Kylix is crucial to COSBI, our Open Source benchmark project.  Details of COSBI are forthcoming.  I have been away from home all of this week, so it has been hard keeping the site updated.

 

Continued Site Problems

We apologize for the continued site problems.  We have not been able to view our own pages for the last day.  If you have been having trouble today, please let us know.

 

July 26th, 2001

 

ISPs Cutting Off Users for File Sharing

arstechnica has insightful take.

 

David McOwen now faces two felony convictions for up to 30 years imprisonment, $415,000 in damages and $100,000 fine for the RC5 case.  Read Tom McFadden's article we published yesterday.

 

Privacy Group To File FTC Complaint Against Microsoft for XP and Passport

Report is from MSNBC, so take it carefully.  Also, don't forget about the anti-WPA petition.

 

Yikes!  America West Loses Another Child

Airline lost child traveling alone across country.

 

Shirt Rolls Up Own Sleeves

Never needs ironing!  The wonders of technology never crease -- I mean, cease.

 

Alien Hunting With Light

I asked my two-year-old daughter what lives in the desert and she said, "space aliens," so maybe the SETI researchers should talk to her first.

 

Bionic Ear

Device can restore hearing to profoundly deaf.

 

Iceman Killed by Arrow

5,300 year old frozen man found in Alps has flint arrowhead in chest.

 

Dinosaurs Grew Fast

Up to 100 pounds per day.

 

July 25th, 2001

 

VHJ Reader Mark points out that Rambus's market cap of $784 million has fallen to less than half that of Krispy Kreme Donuts.  Only about a year ago, Rambus towered above AMD's current market capitalization value.  Intel's pullback of subsidies spur latest Rambus decline.

 

Server Problems Fixed?

We apologize for the problems we have been experiencing with server responsiveness.  We have been working with our hosting service, Tera-Byte, and think we have this fixed.  If you are interested in their hosting services, please click on their link in our footer -- we might be able to get enough credit to offset our expenses.

 

Distributed.net RC5-64 Project Makes a Felon

The Devil in sweet, sweet Georgia.

 

FUD Snuffing: AMD JPEG Issue

Beware the Corporate Trolls.

 

VHJ Reader Solves Missing Chips Mystery

A likely story.

 

July 24th, 2001

 

Tech-Report: Review of Shuttle AK31 VIA KT266 Motherboard

Another excellent TR write-up, although I'm not sure I'd give the AK31 a "10."

 

Computer Scientists Boycott US Over Digital Copyright Law

Bully for them!  Protecting the masses from tyranny: programmers / freedom fighters.

 

Piranha Found in Lake Near San Francisco?

Editor better watch his toes.

 

Young Shark Attack Victim Continues to Slowly Recover

Rescuer an inspiring story of heroism.

 

Fusion Power One Step Closer

San Diego team doubles plasma pressure.

 

The Extra Chip Mystery Due to Xbox?

A reader suggests.

 

July 23rd, 2001

 

Intel's Q2 Conference Call Transcript

At JC's.

 

AMD Confirms JPEG Issue

Gap in manufacturing test process let through small number of chips exhibiting a minor performance anomaly.

 

Mad Mike's Take on Intel-AMD

A deadly embrace?

 

Press Release:  AMD Wins Microprocessor Award

CRN Channel Champion competition.

 

Press Release:  VIA Technology Forum

Coming soon to a place near you.

 

Pentium 4 Thermal Throttling

An unedited take.

 

July 22nd, 2001

 

SocketA.com: Epox 8KHA Review

Chris likes this VIA KT266 motherboard.

 

July 21st, 2001

 

LostCircuits: IWill KD266 Review

Looks to be a decent overclocker.

 

July 20th, 2001

 

Wow!

I have been able to look at site statistics for the first time this week and it appears that the counter at the bottom of the page is off far more than I had expected.  In fact, just the number of unique visitors to VHJ is over 25% greater than the total hits that the counter is registering.  The success is humbling and unexpected.  Thank you, and we'll do our best to continually improve the site. 

 

Anti-Windows Product Activation Petition

Jerry just sent in the link to this worthwhile cause.  I hope to write more about WPA's invasiveness next week.

 

More Myth-Busting-Busting

Mike Magee smacks around Intel/Rambus document.

 

Blue Men Dead?

A tearless funeral.

 

nForce Prices Pop Up

Xbit says 420 parts to cost $90-$95.

 

Benchmark Shows DDR SDRAM More Bandwidth Efficient Than RDRAM

New Sandra version has streaming enhancements showing that Athlon-DDR might be getting more out of available bandwidth than P4-Rambus.

 

July 19th, 2001

 

Relationship between SOI process and ISON

Phil Trent wants to know.

 

Press Release: VIA's 8+2G Ethernet Switch Controller Chipset

World's first, they claim.

 

Press Release: VIA's KT266 Gains Momentum

Evidence at Platform Conference 2001.

 

VIA's Matthew Near

So says the inquirer.

 

High Perfomance DDR DIMMS

LostCircuits posts meaty article on DDR technology.

 

1.8 GHz P4 Parts Appear in Channel

Just as promised, and Tualatin to be launched in July.

 

July 18th, 2001

 

Cool Cases

And now quiet too.

 

Nico Speaks

...about SOI.

 

AMDZone Has Isonics News

Isotopically pure silicon-28 AMD chips a go.  Will allow cooler computing. 

 

More AMD SOI Intrigue

Sooner than later?

 

Intel Positions Tualatin

Targets mobile market.

 

July 17th, 2001

 

P4 Integrated Chipset Expected Next Year

Places chipmaker at a disadvantage?

 

nForce to Have Broad OS Support at Launch

More than just XP and ME.

 

AMD's SOI Set for H2, 2002

AMD addresses confusion.

 

BIOS Guide Update

LostCircuits has updated their famous BIOS guide to include ALi MAGiK 1 and VIA KT266 info.

 

Tualatin Uncertain?

Intel may suppress 0.13 micron desktop PIII.

 

Welcome

... and thank you

 

July 16th, 2001

 

Inside nForce
What you should know about the upcoming nVidia DDR SDRAM chipsets.

 

AI's not bad

Two movies in one.

 

Fayetteville, Arkansas Home to AMD Fab?

Local paper suggests the possibility.

 

Boy's Arm, Retrieved from Shark's Gullet, Reattached

8-year old child improves slightly.

 

P4, Where Art Thou?

Intel clarifies short supply of 1.8 GHz part.

 

Dragon Eats Editor's Toe
It's happening all over.

 

The Archos Jukebox 6000

A portable combo USB hard drive / MP3 player at a bargain price.

 

Gutting C. S. Lewis
Harper Collins plays Caesar.

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