Call Sign January 2001

COMPUTER CHINCHAT

The other day, 'er-indoors (NOT the Call Sign version!) drew my attention to Sky's Technology shop TV channel concerning an 'unbelievable' PC deal, so I sat down and yes, it was unbelievable; but not in the terms they meant.
For an unbelievable Ł749, this is what you'd get: Intel Celeron 500 MHz, 32Mb RAM, 10.2Gb hard drive, DVD drive (speed and brand unspecified), 80 watt speakers, 56K internal modem, 15 inch monitor, Windows 98 and Lotus SmartSuite.
Now I'm not going to moan about the presenters patronising attitude towards the viewer... but then again, yes I will. Their whole approach was as if the viewer was a complete plonker! OK, I know there are millions of people who have absolutely no idea concerning PCs, but I felt as if they were seriously patronising their audience and in some cases, misleading them; a machine of that specification cannot be classed as "fast" and selling any PC nowadays with just 32Mb RAM is farcical.

The Real Moan...!
Anyway, back to the real reason why I'm moaning. I've just purchased a PC for my kids and here's the specification I could have got from http://www.Mulitivision.co.uk for Ł699: AMD Duron 700 MHz, 128Mb RAM, 20.4Gb hard drive, 32Mb GeForce video card (this video card comes with as much RAM as the whole PC from Sky's Tech Shop), Pioneer DVD drive, Labtec subwoofer speaker system, 17 inch monitor, 56k modem, Windows ME and Lotus SmartSuite Millennium edition. Now which machine would you buy?
If you don't know and you want my unbiased opinion, then buy the Multivision PC, it's an absolute bargain. Personally, I upgraded a few of the components; the AMD Duron 700 to an AMD Athlone 850 MHz, the giant 128 Mb RAM to 256 Mb and finally the 17 inch monitor to a 19 inch version. All this still only came to Ł1,165.61 inclusive. What a bargain! My first impressions are that Multivision are a professional company selling excellent quality PCs, highly recommended. As for Sky's Technology Shop, well I think the figures speak for themselves....

Remember Christmas?
Like me, I suppose you're still suffering from Christmas by still having leftover turkey on your plate each day! Anyway, you'll remember last month's Computer Chinchat, I mentioned my admiration for the santa-claus.com web site. Well just two weeks before Christmas, I received automated emails from them stating that they had received a delivery of Thunderbirds 2 toys that were available on their site. So I quickly revisited the site to order one for my Daughter, Jessica, who desperately wanted one. I think she wants TB2 because I told her it was my favourite toy when I was a little boy, and I wanted to buy it to rekindle old memories. Anyway, I waffle on yet again...
I revisited the site and tried to connect to their online shop, no chance! I think every parent in the UK was trying the same thing. I waited and waited but gave up. You never know, the toy manufacturers may get their act together next year, or maybe the year after that, or maybe....

New Knowledge of London Web Site
I've now decided to start yet another web site, this time it's related to the taxi trade and especially the Knowledge; it can be found at: http://www.ontheknowledge.co.uk. I've often considered developing a Knowledge resource/school on the web, but always disregarded it as there just not being enough knowledge students online, but times change. I'm hoping to turn it into a dynamic, database-driven site supplying everything from appearances, points, tests and classes, etc.
Also of significance is historical Knowledge data. Do you or anyone in your family have artefacts, stories, appearance details or anything relating to when you or someone from your family were OnTheKnowledge? If so, and you don't mind them being published on my site, please contact me through Call Sign's Editor or visit http://www.ontheknowledge.co.uk, but be patient as it's in development and great sites take time!

Be Lucky and all the best for 2001...

Vince Chin