[H]ardNews 8th Edition

Poaching Tech Talent:

The spat between Google and Microsoft has thrown the practice of poaching tech talent into the spotlight. If it seems like “everyone” is doing it that is probably because they have been doing it for years, all across the industry. When you get to be the best in your particular field, it doesn’t take long for other companies will throw morals to the wind and try to woo you over to their team.

The ongoing legal spat over Google's hiring of a Microsoft executive is a reminder that "poaching" of top employees is alive and well. But it's risky business in an era of employment agreements with noncompete clauses and other restrictions, experts said.

Just my opinion but if you want your company to honor its word to you, you must honor yours (and all legally binding contracts) to them. If you have no contract…let the bidding begin! Personally, I think that if you have committed yourself to your company, weaseling out of the deal is just wrong.

[H]ardNews 7th Edition

GeForce 7800GTX Comparo:

The Tech Report has rounded up cards from BFG, MSI and XFX and put them head to head in this GeForce 7800 GTX comparison. If you are out shopping for a 7800 GTX, be sure to check out this review.

It turns out that that each of these cards has its own distinct set of plusses and minuses, despite the fact that they're all rather similar. Your own pick will probably be determined by what you value you most in a graphics card.

VisionTek XTASY Theater 550Pro:

If you are building an HTPC, multimedia PC or you just want to add TV and ViVo capabilities to your current PC, be sure to have a look at our new VisionTek XTASY Theater 550Pro review.

Needing an all-in-one multimedia solution for TV broadcast and personal video capturing and editing? We examine what the VisionTek XTASY Theater 550Pro brings to the table for multimedia enthusiasts.

Shuttle XPC SD31P:

The Shuttle XPC SD31P allows end users to get dual core processing power in a desktop friendly small form factor. Head over to SFF Tech for all the details.

This model ups the ante - Intel 945G + ICH7-R chipset which is dual core and EM64T ready. Just in case you have been living under a rock, dual core is basically two CPUs on one chip. In fact, if you view windows hardware settings, you will see two CPUs.

[H]ardNews 6th Edition

[H]ardForum [H]appenings:

Welcome to another installment of [H]ardForum [H]appenings! Poll question of the day is AGP or PCI-E video card in your main PC? Drop in and participate or simply have a look at what others are using in their rigs. We try to stress that not everything in the forums is PC related…some people are into stuff like firearms and knives. Others are into photography and video while others enjoy Anime and Manga. I posted pictures of my collection of X-Men comics and other first edition comics. If none of the stuff I mentioned turns your crank, and you are into “off topic only” kinda stuff, we have the General Mayhem forum and it is as lively as it gets. Great stuff in there, hit the link and see how you can be a part of it as well. No [H]ardForum [H]appenings would be complete without our Deals of the Day! The big deal of the day can be found right here. There are great deals on PSUs, printers. LCDs…you name it…all for [H]ardForum members only. As always, have fun and jump on in, we’ll see you in there!

[H]ardNews 5th Edition

Case Cooling With Style:

For those of you who would rather “watch” a review than read one, I give you In The Labs Take 2: Case Cooling with Style starring John Gatt. The movie is a bandwidth friendly 10MB so there is no reason not to grab it.

Case cooling is very important to the healthy operation of any PC. John has produced many articles that give blow by blow descriptions of how to provide your case with adequate cooling. One such article is how to insert blow holes (with fans) in a metal case.

Ways Geeks Stay Cool:

Don’t get to excited, I said “ways geeks stay cool”…not “ways geeks are cool”. As always, the BBSpot Top 11 list is hilarious, here is my personal favorite:

5. Overclocking the A/C

Open Source Beer:

Brian Kemmin sent along this BBC article on open source beer. Cool, I can just see someone inventing Linux Liquor or FreeBSD Beer!

The idea behind the beer comes from open source software. This is software whose code is made publicly available for anyone to change and improve, provided that those changes and improvements are then shared in turn.

[H]ardNews 4th Edition

An Interview With Leo Laporte:

Mad Penguin has an interview with the always entertaining Leo Laporte posted today that everyone should have a look at. The subject: The PC and open source will outlive Windows. Here is a quote from the interview:

[H]ardNews 3rd Edition - Mods & Ends

Cooling:

Akasa EVO 120 Cooler @ Techniz - AcoustiFan DustPROOF Ultra-Quiet PC Fans @ Legit Reviews - Spire SP495S11-U QuieTude VI HSF @ A1-Electronics

Etc.:

Sunbeam Blueflame Ergonomic Illuminated Mouse @ LAN Addict - Sunbeam Pro-Series Illuminated Keyboard @ MVKTech - SilverStone Zeus ST65ZE 650W PSU @ Technic3D - Flexiglow Cyber Snipa PC Game Pad @ Club Overclocker - Ultrasone DJ1 Pro Headphones @ Futurelooks - Samsung YP-MT6Z MP3 Player @ CoolTechZone - LG L1980Q Flatron Slim 19" 8ms Monitor @ TechSpot

Cases & Modding:

Raidmax X1 Gaming Case @ InsaneTek

[H]ardNews 2nd Edition

Cisco & ISS File Suit Against Researcher:

If don’t know if I should clap my hands for this guy or shake my head. Certainly the guy believes in what he was doing, which was clearly evident when he quit his job and got sued by his former employer all in the same day for a presentation he gave at Black Hat. You just can’t help but shake your head when the lawsuits and restraining orders start flying.

Cisco and ISS have jointly filed for a restraining order to stop a researcher publishing more details on a flaw in the networking firm's kit that 'could bring the Internet to its knees'. Cisco has taken legal action to keep a researcher from further discussing a hack into its router software.

Intel Merom Progress:

Justin Tevelde sent along this story at X86 Secret that says Intel has produced actual working silicon of Merom, the eventual replacement for the Pentium M. The article requires a translator…I translated the first paragraph to get you started.

This week, from very many engineers of INTEL go car congratuler in front of large champagne magna and caviar earthenware jars. Indeed, after the slap-out of the last weekend, the die of Merom A0 could now be tested and functions!

[H]ardNews 1st Edition - Press Releases

Catalyst Driver Support For Vista:

ATI Technologies Inc. today announced broad Catalyst™ graphics driver support for the beta 1 release of the Microsoft Windows Vista™ operating system. With its latest Catalyst driver releases, ATI is one of the first graphics providers to make a 64-bit driver that supports the Longhorn Driver Display Model (LDDM)-the Microsoft Vista revolutionary graphics driver standard-as well as the first to provide LDDM drivers for integrated graphics processors. Microsoft Windows Vista will make extensive use of 3D graphics for the desktop. ATI's support of beta 1 enables the developer community to write a new class of visually stunning applications for the new operating system.

Microsoft Webcasting 05 Financial Analyst Meeting:

Apple Donating iBooks To Schools:

Apple® today announced that it will supply 30,000 new iBook® G4s to Broward County Public Schools for use by all of its students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. The iBooks will greatly increase students’ access to the latest technology for learning, authoring and communication. “We’re excited to work with Broward County to provide students with the best learning tools available,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s executive vice president of Worldwide Sales and Operations. “Thousands of schools across the country have improved academic achievement with the help of Apple’s education solutions, and the addition of 30,000 iBooks will do much to help provide students with necessary 21st century skills.”

[H]ardNews 11th Edition

Club3D Radeon X800XL 512 PCI-E:

The fellas at 3DVelocity say that the Club3D Radeon X800XL 512 PCI-E is a decent card but a 256MB version is just as good. For more info on the 512MB Radeon X800Xl you can see our review here.

You might be wondering why I haven't also run the benchmarks on a 256MB card to see what the performance difference is, and the truth is I did to begin with, but with the exception of DoomIII at 1600x1200, the results from both cards were identical.

More PSP 2.0 Surfing:

I have had the afternoon to mess around with the new PSP 2.0 update and I can honestly say the updates, plus the new web browser make the PSP a great deal for the price. I liked it before but the price was always a bit of a sticking point. The way it is now, it is worth every penny. Take your PSP to your local wireless hot spot / Starbucks and enjoy.

Here is a direct link to the official download from Sony. BEWARE, if you play around with homebrews / loaders this update will end all that. READ THIS. Everyone else…enjoy!

[H]ardNews 10th Edition - NO MORE FUN!

HardOCP/BFGTech QuakeCon Party:

Ah, the memories. Sadly however, the Gaylord Texan hotel refuses to host a party for us this year after last year's bash. They don't seem to be too fond of folks just having some good clean fun even when renting out their restaurants and hiring their security guards. Oh well. Maybe next time. (I hope you know you guys that were not using drink coasters last year ruined it for everyone!!!)

This year BFGTech and Logitech were both up for sponsoring the festivties. A big thanks to those guys for the support!

[H]ardNews 9th Edition - Blair's Tech Ed.

Woman Sues Over GTA:SA:

An 85 year old woman is suing Rockstar and TakeTwo for false advertising. She bought the PS2 version in late 2004 for her grandson and says she never would have if she’d have known about the AO rating. Just lovely, the lady buys a M rated (17+) game for her 14 year old grandson and now she is suing. Nice. Even grandma is trying to cash in now.

The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan that the game's manufacturer, Rockstar Games, and its parent company, New York-based Take Two Interactive Software Inc., engaged in false, misleading and deceptive practices. She sought unspecified damages on behalf of herself and all consumers nationwide, saying the company should give up its profits from the game for what amounted to false advertising, consumer deception and unfair business practices.

Sims 2 Targeted:

It would seem that Anti-video game lawyer Jack Thompson is stirring the pot yet agin, this time over a mod for the Sims 2. No one has explained "user added mods" to him yet.

``Reasonable people understand there is nothing improper in the game.'' He added, ``Reasonable people recognize what mods are. A consumer who chooses to use a mod does so without any kind of agreement with the company. There is no nudity. There is nothing improper or vulgar in `The Sims 2.' ''

Cartoons Covering The Controversy:

The VG Cats have a unique take on the controversy and our friends at Penny Arcade cover Rockstar’s handling of the controversy. Good for a laugh.

God of War: The Movie:

Speaking of gratuitous violence and mini sex games, Sony’s God of War has been optioned for a feature length film. No word on whether all the naked chicks and mini-sex game will make it into the movie, but if it does…it will no doubt be nominated for an Oscar. For the record, God of War is an awesome game.

Universal Pictures has secured the movie rights to video game God of War, created by Sony Computer Entertainment. Mosaic Media Group's Charles Roven and Alex Gartner will produce the feature adaptation, says Variety. In the game, players can unleash the power of the Gods and embark on a merciless quest as Kratos, an ex-Spartan warrior driven to destroy Ares, the God of War.

[H]ardNews 8th Edition

Brice Mellen: Blind Gaming Wizard:

Here is a cool gaming related story that everyone should read. A 17 year old blind kid, yes…blind, who enjoys playing video games. It seems that the young Mr. Mellen is quite good at Soul Calibur and other fighting games and even turns his back to the TV to unnerve his opponents while playing. Cool story, go read it. Thanks to Marshal Rogers for the feel good link of the day.

That was until he found out we had and XBOX and Soul Calibur 2. He said that he didn't have much experience with Soul Calibur but he would like to play anyway. He completely amazed me with his ability to quickly learn the different characters and thier combo moves. He was running his way through the single play game in less than an hour. I was amazed!