Windows 8 upgrade diary: gaming and performance -- Engadget

It's been a brisk and mostly enjoyable two weeks since the launch of Windows 8 and the start of this diary. Whereas my last entry was all about productivity, there's now been ample opportunity to relax with the new OS, play a few titles in Steam, and run some general performance benchmarks. These not-so-onerous tasks were completed using an AMD FX-based triple-monitor gaming rig upgraded from Windows 7 Ultimate to Windows 8 Pro, with all games running at 5,760 x 1,080 and max detail settings, and all the hardware was kept constant to allow a before-and-after comparison. You'll find the results after the break, along with a few broader impressions of what Windows 8 might mean for an early-adopting desktop gamer.

	Windows 7 Ultimate	Windows 8 Pro
PC Mark 7	4,045	3,699*
3D Mark 11	8,275	8,673
SunSpider 0.9.1 on Internet Explorer	190ms (IE 9)	138ms (IE 10)
ATTO storage read at 1,024KB (write)	98MB/s (99MB/s)	108MB/s (112MB/s)
Cold boot time (shutdown time)	60s (12s)	58s (16s)
Wake-up time (sleep time)	11 (18s)	7s (12s)
Just Cause 2 average fps	57	54
Metro 2033 average fps	24	22
XCOM: Enemy Unknown average fps**	72	76
*Futuremark warns that PCMark 7 may under-score Windows 8 performance, so take this figure with a sprinkle of caution. Other sites have found that PCMark 7 actually scores higher in Windows 8 with different hardware configurations. ** This game -- the only game I want to play right now -- runs upside-down on Eyefinity. Aaargh.

A glance at the table will corroborate what other benchmark comparisons (see More Coverage below) have already shown: Windows 8 doesn't currently do much for gaming other than preserving it. If we ignore PCMark 7 for now, which currently comes with a health warning, then gaming-relevant performance is broadly even. Personally, I just carried on running my existing Steam games as normal, and I was pleased that my hardware -- including an ASUS Xonar sound card and Xbox 360 wired controller -- was recognized without issue. But few people will spend money on an upgrade merely to experience what they already had with Windows 7.

Of course, there was that whole Gabe Newell "catastrophe" saga recently, and it had little to do with hardware issues. The Steam founder was mainly worried about the new Windows Store potentially becoming the only way for Windows users to buy and install new games. Politics aside (at least for now), I did explore the Store and a couple of game demos, but I lost interest pretty quickly. For the time being, Microsoft is putting the emphasis on tablet games and cross-compatibility with ARM-based RT tablets, with the result that the selection of games for desktop users is limited and often inappropriate (Fruit Ninja, anyone?). When I'd finally confirmed that it's possible to have a launch-day roster of 40 Xbox Live games and yet not include classics like Fez, Braid or Super Meatboy on that list, I made a polite exit.

Microsoft is putting the emphasis on tablet games

Anyway, returning to the table, the more general indicators of performance show some significant gains as a result of the upgrade -- gains which do seem to make the system snappier when it comes to racking up a game. The FastBoot feature we've seen on some recent Windows 8 laptops was never going to work with my particular motherboard and graphics card, but the wake-up and sleep times were both significantly reduced -- and since I hardly ever switch my PC off, those two measures are more useful to me. ATTO showed a 10 percent gain in storage read and write speeds, running on a 750GB Seagate Momentus XT hybrid drive. Internet Explorer 10 also deserves a mention for being blisteringly fast compared to IE9 -- and there's no final version of IE10 for Windows 7 coming any time soon. In large part, this brings me back to the main conclusion of my last post: Windows 8 does some genuinely good things for all-round productivity. But for other, more leisurely pursuits, I don't yet see any compelling reason why the desktop user should upgrade.

My rig, for the record: AMD FX-8350 CPU (tested at stock speeds to keep things simple), Gelid Tranquillo Rev. 2 CPU cooler, AMD Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition graphics card (also at stock speed), ASUS CrossHair V Formula motherboard, ASUS Xonar Phoebus sound card, 8GB Corsair XMS3 RAM, 750GB Seagate Momentus XT hybrid drive, NZXT Phantom 410 chassis, three ViewSonic VX2336S 1080p LED monitors.

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/09/windows-8-upgrade-diary-4/

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Should Home Inspections Be Used As Another Negotiation Tool?

Home inspections are performed for the purpose of detecting structural and mechanical defects and safety issues.? Every home has an actual life and an effective life.? There are many 25 year old homes that have an effective life of 10 years because the owners have continually improved and maintained the house.

Sellers need to be reminded that if a home is 25 years old, the home is not going to be priced as new construction of the same size.? On the same note, Buyers, the homeowner is not going to reduce the price to provide the buyer with the extra money to remodel the home to a new home condition. Smart buyers will ask the seller to pay for a home warranty. Home warranties cover major defects for a year and provide a buyer with peace of mind.

If a home is free of structural and mechanical defects, and there are no safety issues, there should be no negotiating for future improvements. ?If the roof has 5 years remaining, start saving for the new roof, buyer; and if the furnace is 20 years old, you may want to save an additional amount for that new future furnace too.

I can count on one hand the number of our listing home inspections that have resulted in no further negotiating.? Recently, home inspections have become a second opportunity for buyers to knock that number down another notch or two.? Yet, home inspections are not another negotiating tool. ?Yet, transactions would run much smoother if Buyers negotiated the real deal up front.? If there are valid defects, sellers should expect to negotiate those.?

Please note, the usefulness of your home inspection report does not end even though you are now living in your home and the buying process is complete. Along with maintenance and safety items, your home inspection report ?is loaded with repair needs and improvement items. Your home inspection report is a great list to work from as a "to-do" list for improving the health, safety and quality of living in your new home.

Helping buyers make sense out of a home inspection is part of the invaluable service that?I can provide. Unless the home is brand new, do not nitpick small items. Address major issues and safety issues. Do not make repair requests for items that could have been readily ascertained on your initial inspection such as cracked sidewalks, bad paint jobs or uneven floors. Otherwise, the Seller will feel you should have asked for those items in the purchase offer.??

Got Questions? Ask!
Hugh "Scooter" Willey
Sun Realty
Ph: 252-489-8491

Source: http://www.trulia.com/blog/hugh_scooter_willey/2012/11/should_home_inspections_be_used_as_another_negotiation_tool

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NZealand beaching proves rarest of whales exists

In this Dec. 31, 2010 photo provided by New Zealand Department of Conservation, a rare female spade-toothed beaked whale lays dead on Opape Beach, in New Zealand. The spade-toothed beaked whale is so rare, nobody has seen one alive. But scientists are sure it exists. Researchers from New Zealand and the United States describe the discovery in a paper published Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012, in the journal "Current Biology." They say it's the first time scientists are able to describe the world's "rarest and perhaps most enigmatic" marine mammal. (AP Photo/ New Zealand Department of Conservation) EDITORIAL USE ONLY

In this Dec. 31, 2010 photo provided by New Zealand Department of Conservation, a rare female spade-toothed beaked whale lays dead on Opape Beach, in New Zealand. The spade-toothed beaked whale is so rare, nobody has seen one alive. But scientists are sure it exists. Researchers from New Zealand and the United States describe the discovery in a paper published Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012, in the journal "Current Biology." They say it's the first time scientists are able to describe the world's "rarest and perhaps most enigmatic" marine mammal. (AP Photo/ New Zealand Department of Conservation) EDITORIAL USE ONLY

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) ? The spade-toothed beaked whale is so rare that nobody has seen one alive, but scientists have proof the species still exists.

Two skeletons were identified as belonging to the species after a 17-foot whale and her calf beached themselves in New Zealand in 2010. Scientists hope the discovery will provide insights into the species and into ocean ecosystems.

It was almost a missed opportunity, however, since conservation workers misidentified the carcasses as a much more common type of whale and buried them.

In a paper published Tuesday in the journal "Current Biology," researchers from New Zealand and the United States say of their discovery: "For the first time we have a description of the world's rarest and perhaps most enigmatic marine mammal."

Previously only three skull fragments of the species had been found: in New Zealand in 1872 and in the 1950s and the last one 26 years ago on an island off Chile. The males have broad blade-like tusk teeth that give the species its name. Both males and females have beaks which make them resemble dolphins.

"This is pretty fantastic," said Ewan Fordyce, a geology professor at the University of Otago who specializes in the evolution of whales and who was not involved in the research. "There would be few, if any, mammalian species in the world that would be rarer. And we know much more about panda bears and other iconic, rare animals."

The beached whales, an adult and her 11-foot male calf, were discovered on Opape Beach on the North Island on New Year's Eve in 2010. Conservation workers thought they were Gray's beaked whales and took tissue samples before burying them about nine feet under the sand.

Those samples ended up at the University of Auckland where scientists did routine tests about six months later. Rochelle Constantine, a co-author of the paper, said she and her colleague Kirsten Thompson couldn't believe it when the results showed the pair to be the rarest of whales.

"Kirsten and I went quiet. We were pretty stunned," she said.

Further tests confirmed the discovery. Constantine said they then retested about 160 samples taken from other stranded Gray's whales but didn't find any more that had been misidentified.

This year, researchers returned to the beach to exhume the skeletons.

Anton van Helden, who manages the marine mammals collection for New Zealand's national museum Te Papa, said it wasn't a straightforward task to find the remains after so long and that the mother's skull, which was buried shallower than the rest of the remains, washed out to sea. But they were able to recover the rest of the skeletons.

"It's a hugely significant find," said van Helden, a co-author of the paper.

He said it's impossible to know why the whales came ashore although whales often beach themselves when they become ill. He said almost nothing is known about the species except they live in the South Pacific Ocean and eat primarily squid.

Fordyce said it may be possible to use the skeletons of the rare whales to reconstruct their muscles and tissues and to find out more about how they live and die and why they are so reclusive.

The scientists say the discovery could also provide broader insights into the ocean's complex ecosystems.

"This is good reminder," said Constantine, "of how large the oceans are, and of how little we know about them."

___

Follow Nick Perry on Twitter at http://twitter.com/nickgbperry

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2012-11-06-AS-New-Zealand-Rare-Whale/id-81a6921f9d43408e99405772f5741135

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Man to be sentenced for mass shooting in Tucson

FILE - This photo provided on Feb. 22, 2011, by the U.S. Marshal's Service shows Jared Lee Loughner. Loughner, who pleaded guilty in the Arizona shooting rampage, will be sentenced Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012, for the attack that left six people dead and wounded former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords as well as 12 others. (AP Photo/U.S. Marshal's Office, File)

FILE - This photo provided on Feb. 22, 2011, by the U.S. Marshal's Service shows Jared Lee Loughner. Loughner, who pleaded guilty in the Arizona shooting rampage, will be sentenced Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012, for the attack that left six people dead and wounded former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords as well as 12 others. (AP Photo/U.S. Marshal's Office, File)

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) ? The man who pleaded guilty in the Arizona shooting rampage will be sentenced Thursday for the attack that left six people dead and wounded former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 12 others.

The sentencing hearing will mark the first time that victims will confront Jared Lee Loughner in court about the January 2011 shooting at a Giffords political event outside a grocery store in Tucson, Ariz.

Prosecutors say an unspecified number of victims will comment before U.S. District Judge Larry Burns sentences Loughner, though it's unknown whether Giffords or her husband plan to attend or have a statement read on their behalf. Three shooting victims have told The Associated Press that they intend to comment at the hearing.

The 24-year-old had pleaded guilty three months ago to 19 federal charges under an agreement that guarantees he will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole. The deal calls for the dismissal of 30 other charges and a sentence of seven consecutive life terms, followed by 140 years in prison.

Both sides reached the deal after a judge declared that Loughner was able to understand the charges against him. After the shooting, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and underwent forcible psychotropic drug treatments.

Some victims, including Giffords, welcomed the deal as a way to move on. It spared victims and their families from having to go through a potentially lengthy and traumatic trial and locks up the defendant for life.

Ron Barber, a former Giffords staffer who was shot in the cheek and thigh during the attack and later won election to her seat when Giffords stepped down, plans to make a statement, said his spokesman, Mark Kimble.

Suzi Hileman, who was shot three times while trying to save her 9-year-old neighbor, and Mavy Stoddard, whose husband died shielding her from bullets, plan to address the court.

"He has to pay the consequences for what he did, and justice will be served," Hileman said.

Judy Clarke, Loughner's lead attorney, didn't return messages seeking comment.

Christina Pietz, the court-appointed psychologist who treated Loughner, had warned that although Loughner was competent to plead guilty, he remained severely mentally ill and his condition could deteriorate under the stress of a trial.

When Loughner first arrived at a Missouri prison facility for treatment, he was convinced Giffords was dead, even though he was shown a video of the shooting, but eventually realized she was alive after he was forcibly medicated.

It's unknown whether Pima County prosecutors, who have discretion on whether to seek the death penalty against Loughner, will file state charges against him. Stephanie Coronado, a spokeswoman for Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall, said Wednesday that no decision had been made.

It's unclear where Loughner will be sent to serve his federal sentence. He could return to a prison medical facility like the one in Springfield, Mo., where he's been treated for more than a year. Or he could end up in a prison such as the federal lockup in Florence, Colo., that houses some of the country's most notorious criminals, including Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols and "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski.

The exact placement will depend on the nature of his mental illness and its treatment.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-11-08-Congresswoman%20Shot-Suspect/id-dc748eb561f94f4cabfe2aab6d55b876

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A Big Thanks To All Of Our Home 'Cooking' For The Holidays ...

Capresso: http://www.capresso.com/
Provided Espresso?& Cappuccino Machine, Coffee Grinder Machine, Coffee Maker Machine and Electric Tea Kettle Machine

Blendtec: http://www.blendtec.com/
Provided their Total Blender Classic with WildSide Jar and Twister Jar

Core Bamboo: http://www.corebamboo.com/
Provided their 14 piece utensil set and a classic cutting board combo set

Reduce: http://www.reduceeveryday.com/index.php
?Provided their Melaboo Batter Bowl, Measuring Cup and Spoon Sets

USA Pans: http://www.usapans.com/
?Provided their 9? Round Cake Pan, 8? square cake pan and regular 12 cup muffin/cupcake pan

Zyliss: http://usa.zyliss.com/
Provided their Smart Clean Chopper, Easyspin Salad Spinner, Lettuce Knife, Quick Blend Shaker, 2 piece knife sets, measuring cups and spoon sets, Squeezy basters and Desert Knife

Ginsu: http://www.genuineginsu.com/
Provided their 10 piece cutlery block set and their ?open stock? knife

Hen House Linens: http://www.henhouselinens.com/
Provided a large tablecloth, 12 and 8 sets of dinner napkins, cook?s aprons, oven mitts and pot holder?s

Preserve: http://www.preserveproducts.com/
? ? ?Provided their mixing bowls and small colander?s

Tervis: http://www.tervis.com/
Provided one 24oz cool blue paisley and the 16 oz cool blue flowers tumbler

Nambe: http://www.nambe.com/
Provided one of their Grande Wood Tray

Fiesta:?http://www.fiestafactorydirect.com/
Provided one flamingo colored?small and large disc pitchers

Source: http://militaryfamily.com/2012/11/08/a-big-thanks-to-all-of-our-home-cooking-for-the-holidays-giveaway-sponsors/

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