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New York, 6:51 PM
Wed Dec 2
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    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of Odin Odin
    08:18 AM

    In reply to Razer Imperator Review
    I'd still recommend the Microsoft Sidewinder X8 over this.

    A) It's $15 cheaper.
    B) It's wireless with a use-and-charge cable.
    C) Has the best side buttons I've seen on a mouse yet, decent sized and in a vertical top/bottom placement angled to fit your thumb.

    Downsides are that some people but likely not everyone might find it too big, the official images lie: it does not have that awesome blue glow from under the rear grills.

    Other than that it does all this does (besides the adjustable side buttons) and more for less dollars.
     Reply
    Odin was starred Odin was unstarred
    Image of jinushaun jinushaun
    12/01/09

    In reply to HP Envy (15-inch) Review
    Saw this in the store last weekend. HP makes some seriously shitty laptops. It's all plastic shiny crap. I have no idea who they're marketing to. The Envy is the best laptop HP makes, that's not saying much. I know what you mean when you say cheap. I'd rather get an Adamo.
     Reply
    jinushaun was starred jinushaun was unstarred
    Image of Nick Nick
    12/01/09

    In reply to Now THIS Is a LAN Party
    i used to live in a three bedroom basement of a dorm and we would just open our doors and yell when we would play CS on the same server. those were good times. soooo, 6 man "lan" party is my biggest i guess.
     Reply
    Nick was starred Nick was unstarred
    Image of Xagest Xagest
    12/01/09

    In reply to Razer Imperator Review
    Definitely love the thicker cable. My old Razor cable broke where it meets the USB plug (a casualty of laptop gaming). Now it's held together by bad soldering and half a roll of electrical tape.
     Reply
    Xagest was starred Xagest was unstarred
    Image of Identity (Metric) Identity (Metric)
    12/01/09

    In reply to Now THIS Is a LAN Party
    Dang. The biggest Lan party I have ever been to was 14 people. I think we consumed more Mountain Dew and Pizza Rolls in those 10 hours than I have the rest of my life combined.

    This, however, is way more impressive.
     Reply
    Identity (Metric) was starred Identity (Metric) was unstarred
    Image of Xagest Xagest
    12/01/09

    In reply to Now THIS Is a LAN Party
    Ugh, the gamer-stink must be god awful o_o
     Reply
    Xagest was starred Xagest was unstarred
    Image of ninjagin ninjagin
    12/01/09

    @Xagest: My thoughts exactly. I once visited a big LAN-party event (4-500 people) and it was a little like being gassed -- the smell of stale french fries, bad breath, sweat, foot-stink and garbage all rolled into one. I had to bathe afterwards.
     Reply
    ninjagin was starred ninjagin was unstarred
    Image of Nathan Obbards Nathan Obbards
    12/01/09

    @Xagest: I can't decide what would be worse. The smell, the choice of music, the case mods, of the heavy mouth breathing that you know is going on.
     Reply
    Nathan Obbards was starred Nathan Obbards was unstarred
    Image of zåɳzißårléɠёпȡ zåɳzißårléɠёпȡ
    12/01/09

    @Xagest: i agree. these type of parties should have the emergency sprinkler system rigged with axe body spray. this many funky kids in one room sounds like an emergency to me.

    /breaks emergency glass/
     Reply
    Dr. Evil Genius promoted this comment zåɳzißårléɠёпȡ was starred zåɳzißårléɠёпȡ was unstarred
    Image of PinballFan PinballFan
    09:37 AM

    @zåɳzißårléɠёпȡ: Fill it with patchouli oil and weed stank. You'd have a Phish concert.

    Phish is kind of like God to me. I love the band/deity, but I can't stand most of the followers.
     Reply
    zåɳzißårléɠёпȡ promoted this comment PinballFan was starred PinballFan was unstarred
    Image of ripfire ripfire
    12/01/09

    In reply to Now THIS Is a LAN Party
    Orange/blue. Ha! It's everywhere!
     Reply
    ripfire was starred ripfire was unstarred
    Image of OCEntertainment OCEntertainment
    12/01/09

    @ripfire: Gah! For the love of crap. I didn't notice til you said it. Darn you!
     Reply
    OCEntertainment was starred OCEntertainment was unstarred
    Image of Hello Mister Walrus Hello Mister Walrus
    12/01/09

    @ripfire: The way I see the world has literally changed after hearing about that.
     Reply
    Hello Mister Walrus was starred Hello Mister Walrus was unstarred
    Image of ripfire ripfire
    12/01/09

    @Hello Mister Walrus: There's gotta be a way to erase this from my mind. I was driving home yesterday in the evening just as the sun has set, I looked up to the sky and I was like "What the fuuuu..."
     Reply
    ripfire was starred ripfire was unstarred
    Image of Dr. Evil Genius Dr. Evil Genius
    12/01/09

    In reply to Now THIS Is a LAN Party
    First, please tell me that someone from Guinness World Records was there.

    Second, I wonder if anyone thought about the possible fire hazard this massive LAN party posed...

    EDIT: Does this scene remind anyone of the scene of Zion in The Matrix before the machines went to work on the people?
     Reply
    Edited by Dr. Evil Genius at 12/01/09 4:56 PM Dr. Evil Genius was starred Dr. Evil Genius was unstarred
    Image of sneakypoo sneakypoo
    12/01/09

    @Dr. Evil Genius: This is not something new, it happens twice a year and has been going on for quite some time.
    edit: Since 96 if I'm reading things right. Last year they had 12000+ attendants.
     Reply
    Dr. Evil Genius promoted this comment Edited by sneakypoo at 12/01/09 4:52 PM sneakypoo was starred sneakypoo was unstarred
    Image of Dr. Evil Genius Dr. Evil Genius
    12/01/09

    @sneakypoo: Please excuse my ignorance.

    Have any idea what goes down at these LAN parties?

    Spiked punch or roofies?
     Reply
    Dr. Evil Genius was starred Dr. Evil Genius was unstarred
    Image of sneakypoo sneakypoo
    12/01/09

    @Dr. Evil Genius: I've never attended myself although I've thought about just going there to "visit". That said, something tells me that a crowd of 95% geeky guys isn't exactly a hot spot for that type of party ;)
     Reply
    sneakypoo was starred sneakypoo was unstarred
    Image of NorwoodIsMyHero NorwoodIsMyHero
    12/01/09

    @Dr. Evil Genius: The real question you should have asked second was:

    If there was a massive fire and the entire place was destroyed with all inside, would the world be a better or worse place?

    As an avid PC gamer I submit to you that I am uncertain of the answer to this question.
     Reply
    Dr. Evil Genius promoted this comment NorwoodIsMyHero was starred NorwoodIsMyHero was unstarred
    Image of valkilmerisawful valkilmerisawful
    12/01/09

    @Dr. Evil Genius: Typically, the venues are designed to be protected from the hazards associated with large crowds, combustible materials, etc. And since this space is likely used for exposés and trade shows, the inherent protection is probably there. Obviously, I don't know this for sure, but these buildings aren't constructed without these protection measures in place (e.g., fire sprinklers, fire detection devices, egress facilities, etc). If the hazard presents a particular challenge, the fire department will be notified and the event is subject to approval, i.e., permitting. In the last case, the fire department may be hired on temporary "fire watch" with a truck, trucks or an engine to constantly monitor the facility during the event.
     Reply
    valkilmerisawful was starred valkilmerisawful was unstarred
    Image of Nathan Obbards Nathan Obbards
    12/01/09

    @Dr. Evil Genius: Rules 28, 29, 30, and 34. Lot's of Second Life asking "where r all teh woman". Watching porn. You know, the usual thing that happens amongst that type on the internet.
     Reply
    Nathan Obbards was starred Nathan Obbards was unstarred
    Image of Dr. Evil Genius Dr. Evil Genius
    12/01/09

    @valkilmerisawful: The reason I asked is because there are but so many surge protectors you can use before the places goes up in flames like Mercenaries 2.
     Reply
    Dr. Evil Genius was starred Dr. Evil Genius was unstarred
    Image of valkilmerisawful valkilmerisawful
    12/01/09

    @Dr. Evil Genius: It would definitely be interesting to see how much power is being forced thru that buildings' transformer. enough to burn metal, probably. I see what you're getting at: set up a firefighter with a hose next to each gamer and at the first sign of smoke just blast the cheating punk right in the face. Naturally, anybody whose machine ignites is a cheater. It's the oldest rule in the book.
     Reply
    valkilmerisawful was starred valkilmerisawful was unstarred
    Image of blash blash
    12/01/09

    @valkilmerisawful: Generally with LAN parties anywhere close to this size, generators are used to generate enough electricity, not the building's power system. That's a guaranteed way to blow fuses.
     Reply
    blash was starred blash was unstarred
    Image of karatecarrot karatecarrot
    12/01/09

    @valkilmerisawful:
    Only if they were a cheater would you want to use a fire hose. The better way to put out the fire would be a halon extinguisher that way the fire would go out and not damage the computer. Sadly not as epic as shooting some one with a fire hose at 200 gallons per minute but every one around them appreciate it.
     Reply
    Dr. Evil Genius promoted this comment karatecarrot was starred karatecarrot was unstarred
    Image of valkilmerisawful valkilmerisawful
    12/01/09

    @karatecarrot: Precisely why I discounted halon, CO2 and other reasonable methods (other than messy and increasingly disapproved dry-chem) of extinguishing an electrical fire. But halon-to-the-face doesn't discourage cheating like a hose nozzle attached to an engine held by an intensely rugged, serious man (or woman).
     Reply
    valkilmerisawful was starred valkilmerisawful was unstarred
    Image of valkilmerisawful valkilmerisawful
    12/01/09

    @blash: Very good point. I need a refresher in LAN party logistics. All the more reason why special hazards could be associated with this event, e.g., portable generators and storage tanks for flammable liquids.
     Reply
    valkilmerisawful was starred valkilmerisawful was unstarred
    Image of zaghy2zy zaghy2zy
    12/01/09

    @karatecarrot: Halon is toxic. I don't think they would actually use Halon with that much people crammed into one place.
     Reply
    valkilmerisawful promoted this comment zaghy2zy was starred zaghy2zy was unstarred
    Image of drstein drstein
    12:28 PM

    @valkilmerisawful: I have worked at a large LAN party like this as part of the facility EMS staff, and the event organizers generally do have rules about what can be plugged in where. Staff electricians were on site monitoring everything.
    But in your typical convention center facility, there is more than enough power for what is essentially a whole bunch of computers. (Also, we wouldn't be spraying water on flaming computers. That's what dry chemical extinguishers are for.)
     Reply
    valkilmerisawful promoted this comment drstein was starred drstein was unstarred
    Image of valkilmerisawful valkilmerisawful
    12:49 PM

    @zaghy2zy: Although halon (chloroflourocarbons) is technically a toxin, it's extremely mild. So, to answer the question you didn't ask, "no, they would not use this around that much people crammed into one place." But it's for a different reason. Halon fire suppression is primarily used in small to medium sized rooms that are closed or sealed --think server rooms, data centers, etc. No people around, just noxious fumes to displace oxygen and prohibit oxidation. You have a group of big cylinders of the stuff, but to be effective, HVAC shuts down, dampers close, doors close, etc., such that the gas doesn't escape.
     Reply
    valkilmerisawful was starred valkilmerisawful was unstarred
    Image of valkilmerisawful valkilmerisawful
    01:20 PM

    @drstein: Yikes, I don't like having to be serious in the AM, but fineeeee - since you missed my note on "dry chemical extinguishers" and the sarcasm :)

    First, staff electricians are on-site because it's a greater-than-normal challange to the intended design. CNET Labs just informed me that a reasonable power consumption for a gaming PC under load might be 145 watts. 10,000 PC's, 1.45 MW. That is ridiculous. I'm sure they have multiple 480V electric vaults (1,600A to 3,200A) but that would pretty much max out the 3,200A main path. Not good.

    Second, a dry-chem extinguisher, combination Class BC or ABC, uses a mixture of non-conductive agents for hazards like this and suitable for other high-hazard situations such as non-cellulose materials, grease and oil-based chemicals, etc., that have higher heat release rates or lower flash points (self-sustained burning). Problem... they don't last long and are terribly ineffective when nobody knows how to , 1. release the actuator and, 2, spray without wasting. I'd suggest a fire blanket for this scenario instead.

    Lastly, set a few of those PC's on fire and watch what the FD does. They will spray your PC to the back of the room. Just kidding, let's not be literal. They will shut down power to the facility services manually unless the fire is large enough to actuate detection devices connected to the fire control panel and shut down power automatically (sequence of operations). THEN they will spray your PC to the back of the room and out the other side. Standard operating procedure.
     Reply
    valkilmerisawful was starred valkilmerisawful was unstarred
    Image of OCEntertainment OCEntertainment
    12/01/09

    In reply to Now THIS Is a LAN Party
    Pixar is going to be pissed when they find out someone hijacked their render farm to play games.
     Reply
    OCEntertainment was starred OCEntertainment was unstarred
    Image of blash blash
    12/01/09

    In reply to HP Envy (15-inch) Review
    No optical drive? That part I don't care about anymore and I don't know too many people who do. I'd rather just get a USB drive bundled for the few times I'll need to reinstall Windows, maybe Office... everything else I just download off the Internet now. A few years ago this would've been ludicrous but nowadays not even desktops really need optical drives. If I could sacrifice the optical drive in a desktop to get a smaller case or more internal disk drives and only have to pull a drive out of the closet once in a while, that sounds great to me.
     Reply
    blash was starred blash was unstarred
    Image of graphx graphx
    02:09 AM

    @blash: coming from someone selling computers most people i show this to are almost instantly turned off by the fact that it has no internal optical drive. while i do believe that when you actually take a step back and realize that the average person only uses one a few times every other month, the average user still has an underlying need for one (go figure).

    my 2 cents.
     Reply
    blash promoted this comment graphx was starred graphx was unstarred
    Image of blash blash
    02:53 AM

    @graphx: But that's why we don't have some Soviet computer company that tries to make one computer suitable for everyone. Different people have different needs. Some people will recognize that forgoing the optical drive allows HP to make better design decisions from the standpoint of thickness and weight or whatnot, others will take their laptops and never take them off their desks where they wouldn't give two craps if it was a half-inch thick or 3 inches thick, 2 pounds or 20.
     Reply
    blash was starred blash was unstarred
    Image of Kaiser-Machead Kaiser-Machead
    12/01/09

    In reply to HP Envy (15-inch) Review
    I still think it's the best looking computer HP's produced in a while, which is not a big feat since most HP's, especially the higher end line, is not exactly a sight for sore eyes. It would be nice if they could skip their gratuitous laser etching. I finally got to use the Envy's trackpad at J&R yesterday, and Mark and Matt are right. It's terrible. It's like....netbook terrible, and for a laptop asking for this much money, totally unacceptable.

    That battery life is even more appalling along with the fact that there's no optical, so they could've easily made room for a beefier battery.

    Even though the mid-range Macbook Pro is $2k, for $200 more you can get literally 3 or more times the battery life and an internal optical without any significant difference in weight. Seriously, nuts to i7 if its portability is that gimpy.

    I have more faith in Dell to come up with premium laptops that actually deliver over HP. As of now the Envy looks like a bucket of fail to me.
     Reply
    Kaiser-Machead was starred Kaiser-Machead was unstarred
    Image of Hank Scorpio Hank Scorpio
    12/01/09

    In reply to HP Envy (15-inch) Review
    "probably the same among you who can drink instant coffee, listen in 92kbps MP3s and think that SD broadcasts look identical to Blu-ray movies"

    Good one.

    At any rate, with regards to the "HP is the new Dell", I totally agree. HP is definitely not the same company it used to be when it comes to computers (particularly laptops).
     Reply
    Hank Scorpio was starred Hank Scorpio was unstarred
    Image of BubbleF**kingBuddy BubbleF**kingBuddy
    11/26/09

    In reply to The Best Gadgets
    I can't believe the COWON S9 got no love in the PMP section. It straight-up blows the iPod Touch and Zune HD out of the water.
     Reply
    BubbleF**kingBuddy was starred BubbleF**kingBuddy was unstarred
    Image of Odin Odin
    11/26/09

    In reply to The Best Gadgets
    The best gaming PC will always be one you build yourself.
     Reply
    Odin was starred Odin was unstarred
    Image of MitchellChris MitchellChris
    11/25/09

    In reply to The Best Gadgets
    Razer Mamba beats the Sidewinder X8 hands down.
     Reply
    Odin promoted this comment MitchellChris was starred MitchellChris was unstarred
    Image of Odin Odin
    11/26/09

    @MitchellChris:
    I disagree.
    In terms of performance they match up pretty evenly, both use bluetrack, have similar wireless speeds, both have macro options, and both have an insane amount of DPI (most of which is superfluous). The play and charge cable for the Sidewinder has received more praises than the Mambas equivalent in comparative reviews though combined with the Sidewinders awesome vertical side button positioning.

    The biggest reason why the Mamba doesn't beat the Sidewinder in my opinion though?

    The Mamba is twice the price of the X8.

    The Mamba is good I'll grant you that but it's not worth the cost of two Sidewinders by a long way.
     Reply
    Odin was starred Odin was unstarred
    Image of UnderLoK UnderLoK
    11/26/09

    @Odin: I used to be a Razor guy, but I switch over to Logi about a year ago. Their mice are just getting too damn small.
     Reply
    UnderLoK was starred UnderLoK was unstarred
    Image of Odin Odin
    11/26/09

    @UnderLoK:
    Yeah that's the only complaint people have had about the Sidewinder is that it's too large. I personally find it more comfortable that way, it's not really excessively large anyway. But I still don't think the Mamba is worth paying twice as much over it.
     Reply
    Odin was starred Odin was unstarred
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