I’m including a screenshot of a disk benchmark I conducted in EVEREST, comparing my RAID 0 setup with my F3 and WD. Needless to say, the average performance for the RAID volume is significantly better than the single drives (I’m consistently getting 2oo+ MB/s read averages). In fact the figures are about double the single F3 benchmarks (save for the buffered read), which is to be expected. On the whole, these improved times haven’t been too noticeable. My bootup is about the same (maybe 1 or 2 seconds faster?) Programs seem to run snappier though, with Photoshop CS5 loading up in seconds (would take at least 10 on my older computers). File copying (where RAID 0 excels) has also sped up noticeably. I haven’t installed all my games yet, but I’m interested to see if there are any noticeable improvements in that area…I’ve heard the main perks of a RAID 0 setup is faster loading times. I think this is a significant advantage for people who play intensive online FPS games. The half second you gain from a “faster” (less-laggy) respawn may make a difference in performance!

(click for larger image)

The age of philosophy is dead. And yet, this was not always the case. What began with Aristotle and Plato survived through the medieval ages, and eventually give rise to more contemporary thinkers: at first largely political, a la Machiavelli, Hobbes, Descartes, Locke, Rousseau, and later, household names like Nietzsche and Freud. It seems that little progress has been made in the field since the death of these great minds. How many people today would identify themselves as philosophers?

When faced with the same issue, I think the majority of people would say “who cares?” And yet, one only needs to take a good high school course in modern thought and literature to realize how important philosophy has been to our development as a society. It is, as many philosophers of old would probably say, an essential component of our functioning subconscious. What is sad is that pure thinkers no longer have a place in our society. We have great minds at the forefront of every field, as well as those who dedicate their lives to helping find solutions to physical, tangible problems of our modern world, whether it global warming or health care. But what about the mental problems? Are we a culture of changing morals and values? In an age where the majority of people dedicate more time in their lives to technology than religion, to what do we really put our faith into? These are difficult questions that need to be explored, because at the end of the day, the way we think, whether consciously or subconsciously, will determine how we act.

The great irony of technology is it’s ability to bring people together while simultaneously pushing them apart. Modern communication devices have helped to create a truly global network at the expense of personal, face to face interaction. Email has replaced the pen and paper, and even phone calls are giving way to text messages. Convenience is the end goal for all of these developments, but at what price? The act of writing a letter or having to travel a long distance just to meet someone used to mean something. Today’s technology allows us to get all of that done without having to leave the comfort of our homes. Even in public places, spontaneity is dying. Having an interesting conversation with a total stranger you bumped into on the subway no longer happens, because everyone is engrossed in their iPods and Blackberries. If putting in earphones is a subconscious way of saying “don’t talk to me,” then it is both shocking and ironic how truly isolated we have become as individuals.

~~

4 hours after the lights had turned off in my house, I stepped outside into the cool evening breeze. As walked barefoot through the moist grass, I thought about my summer in the Jersey Pinelands 2 years ago. We got gone to an island off the Jersey shore, where there was no running water, electricity, or bathrooms. Although it was a totally unfamiliar experience for all of us, we quickly immersed ourselves into the lifestyle of island. This, I thought, was the beauty of the human mind: the ability to adapt, both physically and mentally, to our environment, and to synthesize our experiences into both our conscious and subconscious. We will change according to our circumstances, but sometimes, in order to truly revisit the way we see the world, we need to make that mental leap before anything else. Unaware that I had already wandered to the edge of my backyard, I suddenly realized that I was happy that we had lost power, and with that thought, I smiled and looked up to admire the stars.

I’ve installed Crysis (the so called “computer killer” of games), and despite it being the most racist game I’ve ever played (basically, you’re fighting against the NKoreans in the game, but they made all the AI look the exact same…I think David and I discovered only two different types of faces so far, different characters were just given different hats or accessories, LOL), everything still runs great at max settings.

On another note, I’ll finally be dragging my lazy ass to see Inception this weekend. I know, I know, it’s long overdue, but the fact of the matter is that I usually just tell myself that I can always download the movie later haha.

Well, it really could not have gone more smoothly, save for the “duh” moment where I completely forgot to plug in the 8-pin connector from the power supply to the motherboard. My new computer is running Windows 7 and every game on max settings extremely smoothly. I learned a lesson from my last build that you never want to skimp on your graphics card, and I definitely don’t regret shelling out a bit extra for a quality card this time around. I expect this build to last me through the next 5 years a least, notwithstanding a few upgrades that I may consider, e.g., getting a WD Raptor hard drive to speed up the OS.

I’m going to continue to use the new system heavily for another week or so just to ensure that there are no underlying issues, and after that, I’ll send in the necessary rebates and write my reviews on Newegg.

——

update

PNC bank is retarded. Rejecting one of my payments after I ordered the parts for my new computer. Then they tell me to call them but it’s after their service hours. Shouldn’t there be a 24 hour service for transactions issues? Outrageous.

• FIFA should introduce goal-line technology

One of the most common events in the game (and the subject of frequent controversy) is the infamous offsides call. An official FIFA match will feature one official referee, two assistant referees, and a fourth official (who primarily signals substitutions and time added from the midfield line). Of these officials, the two assistants (or linesmen) are in charge of sticking with the last defender on each side and making sure that the opposing forward is not past the last defender (“offsides”) when a pass is hit from the attacking player’s teammate. The problem with this system is that referees make mistakes from time to time, and these mistakes often lead to goals that should have been disallowed, or conversely, disallowing a perfectly legal goal (such as the U.S.’s goal against Algeria). With goal-line technology (which could be anything from putting a chip in the soccer ball to track its precise location to simply using video cameras to review a controversial play), referees would have a powerful tool at their disposal that would drastically reduce the rate of human error. Opponents of goal-line technology argue that using such technology would take away from the “human factor” of the game. However, in a low-scoring game such as soccer, one bad call or mistake from the referee can make a huge impact on the game. I was truly amazed that such an incident occured not once but twice during today’s quarterfinal matches between Germany and England and Argentina and Mexico. In the first game, England was down 1-2 when Frank Lampard hit a shot that bounced off the crossbar and landed a good 1.5 yards inside the box before bouncing out again (see Lampard’s Disallowed Goal). However, to the outrage of the English players and fans, the goal was not counted by the referee. While I do believe that Germany was the better team and deserved to get the win, let us put into perspective the importance of such a goal, had it been counted. The game would have been level at 2-2, and all the momentum would have shifted to England going into the second half. Psychologically and emotionally, England would have been better off. Instead, Frank Lampard and his teammates went into the half feeling somewhat deflated and never recovered with the same energy that they finished the first half with. Similarly, Carlos Tevez’s goal against Mexico (see Tevez’s Offsides Goal) was clearly offsides (a good 2 yards or so), but the referee called it good dispite heavy protests from the Mexican side. As with the England match, Tevez’s goal was extremely crucial, as it was the first of the match (statistically speaking, the first side to score in a game are heavily favored to win, and especially in the World Cup, as teams tend to focus more on defense). With that crucial (and illegal) goal, Argentina grabbed all the momentum going forward, and Mexico seemed to lose its nerve, committing several defensive blunders that led to a second goal. And although Mexico did go on to recover its spirit in the second half, the damage had been done.

It’s a shame really, that such huge mistakes were allowed to stand at a World Cup, but the two examples above also illustrate just how important it is for referees to the make the fair call in any controversial situation.  Of course, we are led to believe that in both cases, none of the officials had a very good look at the play, but with goal-line technology, the mistake could have been easily corrected in less than 30 seconds. Instead, fans around the world are led to wonder why two obvious calls that even a kid watching television could see was wrong was not recognized by the officials and FIFA at the World Cup Quarterfinals.

Opponents of using technology in matches go on to argue that embracing such a change would lead to a complete restructuring of the game’s officiating. That is, if we were to introduce cameras and other technology to monitor the goal-line, then we would have to go all out and replace the linesmen with technology as well. However, this doesn’t have to be the case. Like I mentioned before, technology should simply be regarded as a tool at the disposal of the officials, an extra pair of eyes, if you will. Referees and linesmen should still be confident in their work, but instead of turning a blind eye on a possibly game-changing call, they should utilize technology to help them review the play and make a decision given the full facts of the situation. Lastly, opponents point out that implementing technology in games would affect the “uniformity” of soccer matches. Because it may not be feasible to implement the technology in poorer nations or youth leagues, the argument goes that the technology should be excluded in order to preserve the uniformity of FIFA’s rules. This is absolutely ridiculous. Major international sports such as tennis, hockey, and cricket have already introduced some sort of line technology into the game and it has been accepted by their governing bodies and athletes alike. However, this doesn’t mean that the same technology is used in youth or lower level play. Obviously, high school and college tennis matches still rely on the umpire to make the calls (and in many cases, players make the calls themselves). Same with hockey and cricket. FIFA should not use “uniformity” as an excuse to not introduce goal-line technology in major matches. In fact, there is no reason that technology should be uniform in the first place. You don’t use Hawk-Eye camera technology in a high school tennis match because it’s simply not worth it. You do use it on the ATP because more precise officiating is called for on the professional circuit. Similarly, shouldn’t the World Cup, the single most important tournament in all of soccer, have access to the most advanced technology available in order to assure that all calls are made fairly?

• Implement severe punishments for diving

It’s called the beautiful game, but most fans know that it’s anything but when it comes to fouls. While diving has always been an issue in soccer, with improved video technology, it has become more and more obvious to even to the most casual TV watcher. Players dive in order to try and win their team a crucial free kick, give the opposing player a yellow/red card, or simply delay the game as much as possible. These tactics have become very familiar to almost anyone who either plays or watches soccer, but simply put, such underhanded tactics take away from the spirit of the game as whole. However, because the incentives for diving are high, and since players can usually get away with it with relatively little punishment, the only way to reduce it is to enact more severe punishments. I can guarantee that if FIFA made diving an automatic yellow or red card offense, then the number of dives per game would reduce dramatically.

• Players and officials should take responsibility for their actions

If you dive as a player, you should be prepared to accept the consequences. It is not only a personal disgrace, but for all the fans around the world watching the game, it is a disgrace for your country. It baffles me that players seem to feel no shame in their actions on the pitch, when it is clear the consequences of these actions can extend far beyond themselves. Similarly, referees must show a sense of responsibility on the pitch. When was the last time you saw a referee revoke a controversial decision after he found out about his mistake. Chances are, never. While I’m positive that both referees today realized the terrible mistakes that they had made, they most likely decided to stick with their decision because they wanted to preserve their dignity. I, for one, would love to see an honest ref come out and say, “Hey, I made a bad mistake, but I’m going to correct it.” Surely, if the referee in the England game had come back onto the pitch after reviewing the replays at the half and announced that the score was now 2-2, it would have caused a huge controversy (not to mention anger from the German fans). But in retrospect, that would have been the right call, and I think that everyone would agree with it after seeing the replay with their own eyes. The ref, rather than being disgraced (and most likely now suspended from any major match in the future), would be respected for his honesty. Along that note, I think that German goalkeeper Neuer should really be ashamed of himself. Not only did he see the ball bounce in behind the line, he picked it up and continued to play on as if nothing had happened. Yeah, he got away with it all right, but Germany lost a fan in the process.

Quote not by me, but it was so funny at the time that I had to share it.

I got my first paycheck this Tuesday, and although I had to pay taxes (well, technically the money is witheld for now), it was still pretty exciting. It’s good to be finally making money again, since commuting and eating in the city are not cheap.  I also just witnessed one of the most exciting matches of the World Cup this year: a 2-2 tie between USA and Slovenia. Although USA were down 0-2 at the half, they came back strong and tied it up. They actually scored a third goal, but the ref overruled it, on the basis of a foul (on Bradley?). Personally I thought it was a terrible call, since it’s clear in the replay that the US players are not comitting any fouls; on the contrary, several of them are being tangled up by Slovenian defenders…if anything the call should have been the other way around. But despite the fact that many fans felt that the US were robbed of a game-winning goal, it was still a great effort by the Americans, and definitely the most exciting match I’ve seen so far. Let’s hope that the US can beat Algeria and move on to the knockout stages (assuming England doesn’t get upset by Algeria, which I’m not ruling out completely…)

Aside from the World Cup, I’ve been rewatching an old Chinese wuxia series: Return of the Condor Heroes. Though the special effects are not of the best quality, it’s still one of my favorite wuxia series (I love Jinyong’s works in general).

Here’s to a wonderful weekend of exciting soccer and of course, Happy Father’s Day!

I really wish I had someone traveling with me on the way back, because I’m really not looking forward to the trip. I have to make two transfers, one in Tokyo and one in Minneapolis (with two-hour layovers in between), before I’m back in New Jersey. I miss the no-hassle service of direct flights, especially my experience from last year, where I managed to purchase a relatively cheap business class return ticket with my “frequent flyer” miles—needless to say, it was hands down the best flying experience of my life. But then Delta merged with Northwest and the latter’s partnership with Continental ended, along with any chance of my using my miles to purchase a direct ticket to and from Beijing. All in all, it’s going to take me around 24 hours to get home, though with the time difference, it’ll still be Thursday, when I get back, which is weird when I think about it. Anyway, I still have to finish packing and take a shower before going to bed early; I have to be up at 5:30AM tomorrow, and I prefer to do so with a full night’s rest.