Getting the Geico Techno song out of my head

So, the other night I had company over and that means I finally watched some TV for the first time in a while. Anywho, I saw a Geico commercial a few times that featured a pile of money that was always shown with a techno song playing in the background. Maybe it was the beer we were drinking, but even though the rhythm only played for a few seconds, that techno song got stuck in my head.

I originally did a Google search for 'Geico techno song' and thought I hit the jackpot, but ended up getting a lot of hits for the Caveman in the Airport commercial that had a different techno song playing in the background.

After a little more digging, the commercials turned out to be part of Geico's 'Kash' campaign. From some YouTube comments I managed to gather that the song was a remake of the 80's song titled "Somebody's Watching Me" by Rockwell. Youtube commenters pointed out that Geico was actually hosting the remake by Mysto & Pizzi on their actual website. Never thought I'd be downloading Mp3's from an insurance company's website.

As a side note, hats off to Geico's marketing team. I can't say that I could remember another insurance company's 3 ad campaigns off the top of my head, a feat especially considering my limited TV watching. I can easily name the Gecko, the Cavemen, and now the Kash commercials.

We're Back!

So the computer has been built and in use for about 13 months now... Wish I would have blogged about the problems I had with NCIX (Canadian Retailer) getting my Q6600 Processor to me at the time it was happening, but it's probably best I don't rehash those memories.  I'm all up an running now!  Maybe I'll post pics of the rig later on... no promises.  Anywho, I've decided that 'The Alpha Project [Beta]' would become a place for my tech babblings.  And on that note, heeeere we goooo:

So today I was on call, and the Director of Residence got our hall a new on-call cell phone to replace our prior one (a Samsung SCH-u340 that was notorious for not ringing when called) with a Motorola W385 on the US Cellular nework.  Once it was placed into my hands I knew I had to put ringtones on it.  I quickly learned that Motorola phones are not as quick as LG phones to put ringers on.  After trying bitpim and being hit with a "Access to the file/directory has been blocked on this phone by the phone provider" error from every angle, I hit up the web to assist me.  I eventually found via howardforums that most people had the best luck with this phone with p2k commander.  I downloaded the latest version (V5.0.6) and had problems.  I eventually downloaded the latest release of the 4 series (V4.9.E) and had success accessing the W385's file system when running the Motorola Software Update at the same time in the background.  After dumping my 30 second clipped mp3 files into the  /motorola/shared/audio folder, I deleted the root files of MyTone.db and TmpTneDb.db and rebooted the phone with the battery out.  30 seconds later our on-call phone was rocking some new ringers.

It's Electric! The Power Supply

To go modular or not to go modular is the biggest question I had for the power supply. I knew I was going to need some serious juice to power the 8800GTS graphics card, 4 Harddrives, and 2 Optical Drives.

138 Buttons for Fun: The Keyboard

When I began looking for a keyboard the biggest requirement I had for playing ball was possessing a backlit keyboard. After spending a year with a roommate and trying to use the computer with the lights while the he slept, I realized the value of a backlit keyboard. I came across may worthy keyboards, but they G15 caught my eye because of its LCD screen. I'm a huge fan of having information on display in un-annoying ways, and I understand that the LCD screen can be utilized to show CPU stats (temp, usage, etc.). This is the most I've ever paid for a keyboard (notice a trend here) so that LCD screen had better put itself to good use. The 15x3 macro keys should be a real time saver too.

Other Considerations:
Saitek Eclipse II
Razer Tarantula
Optimus Maximus (maybe someday...)











Purchase Details:
Vendor Item Page
Manufacturer Item Page
Purchase Date: 5/16
Price: 71.99
Running Tab: 281.96 (Not Including 5.00 MIR)

Flamboyant Impuse Buy: Mousing Surface

I fell victim to the oldest marketing trick in the book: After being asked to supersize, I accepted. The handy checkout feature at newegg suggested that I look into pairing my habu mouse with a Razer eXactMat with wristpad for 34.99. Its basically a two sided mouse pad; One side is designed to be super slick for quick mouse movement, and the other is designed for precision control. The morning after I felt duped and had second thoughts on following impulse... Look for a report on 5/21 (when the pad is scheduled to arrive) if its worth it. Reviews on the web and newegg seemed to indicate it did improve mousing experience, and helped in both applications like Photoshop, and in games like Counterstirke.

Other Considerations:
None (Ouch!)

Purchase Details:
Vendor Item Page
Manufacturer Item Page
Purchase Date: 5/16
Price: 34.99
Running Tab: 209.97 (Not Including 5.00 MIR)

Peripheral Vision: The Mouse

Unlike my case purchase, my mouse purchase was researched and I was 90% sure of what mouse I was going with. I decided on getting the brainchild of both Microsoft and Razer: The Habu. After owning a cordless intellimouse, I was a little hesitant to go cordless again, hence my main reason for not selecting the mx Revolution; I had too many problems with disconnections and interference. I really like the ability to switch between the DPI setting on the fly, the laser tracking will also be an improvement over the optical. It also recieved a nice review from ExtremeTech. Probably a little on the pricey side for a mouse, so I'm hoping it delivers.

Other Considerations:
Logitech G5 and Logitech MX Revolution








Purchase Details:
Vendor Item Page
Manufacturer Item Page (Microsoft)
Manufacturer Item Page (Razer)
Purchase Date: 5/16
Price: 54.99 (Not Including 5.00 MIR)
Running Tab:174.98 (Not Including 5.00 MIR)

A Foundation: The Case

Taking full advantage of a newegg weekly deals email, I purchased the Antec 900.

Rumor has it that LED's are out of style for computer cases, but what self respecting geek doesn't want to get flashy with the first build and make it glow? Well, not me! I was debating between several different cases, and planning on doing some pretty heavy research into my choice around the end of May, but impulse got a hold of me first. See the end of the post for the Antec's 900 opposition.

The deciding factors for this case were the top mounted tray & power buttons, the large side window, HDD fans, and the ability to support at least four harddrives (as I play around with the idea of a RAID 1+0 setup).


Other Considerations:
Cooler Master Ammo, Antec P180, Raidmax Smilodon, and Thermaltake Tsunami










Purchase Details:
Vendor Item Page
Manufacturer Item Page
Purchase Date: 5/16
Price: 119.99
Running Tab:119.99

Round One

After a week long absence from the internet while on vacation, the Apha Project received an unexpected jumpstart after getting Wi-Fi access at a Marriott in Palm Beach. I got an email from newegg that told me the case I had my eye on was on sale and shipping was free. The sale was ending the next day, so I bit the bullet and made the purchase, and the Alpha Project went from research and dreams, to a financially backed reality. See the following posts for the new components.