Author Archives: Clay

About Clay

I'm a Data Center Operations Engineer in beautiful Charleston, SC. I'm happily married to my wonderful wife Nan and we have an teenage daughter Lela. I'm a total geek. I got into electronics when I was around 9 or 10 and got hooked on computers shortly thereafter. I also love Sci-Fi, (not fantasy) particularly Star Trek. My favorite outdoor activities include rollerblading, biking and hiking. I'm also a bit of a car guy and amateur racing driver.

Retro gaming…

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A few nights back, Nan and I were bored and looking for something fun to do. We were both tired from work so we didn’t really feel like going out, but there wasn’t anything good on TV either. A couple of years ago, I started messing with some of my vintage machines including an Apple II Plus, and an Atari 5200. My HTPC project took my attention away, and I never really got back to doing anything with them until recently. I remembered that I still had the Atari in the attic, so I asked Nan if she’d be interested in playing some Pac Man. After finding all the pieces we got it hooked up, and to our surprise it still worked great. (ok, only 1 of the 4 controllers is still in really good shape, but one other is usable for most games..) The two of us must have played for a couple of hours. It was great! We played through Pac Man, Space Invaders, Missile Command and River Raid. Simple as they are, I still find these games to be just as fun as the first time I played them. In fact, one of the things I most look forward to when we go to our favorite Japanese restaurant is the vintage Mrs. Pac Man game in the waiting area. I also found out, before heading off to bed, that I can still hold my own in Defender. (one of my favorite Atari games of all time) 208,500 on level 14 baby! More pics here.

NYT compares Roman ‘Lex Gabinia’ to current legislation

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What A Terrorist Incident in Ancient Rome Can Teach Us – Pirates of the Mediterranean – New York Times

This article makes an interesting comparison between Roman history and the post 9/11 history of the U.S. The author draws a number of parallels highlighting the effects of citizens ceding their rights to the government when panic ensues after an event such as a terrorist attack. The similarities are striking. The author makes a good point about the “Law of unintended consequences.” We would all do well to remember the lessons of Rome so that we don’t make the same mistakes.

Intel’s PCM to replace flash memory

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Intel Previews Potential Replacement for Flash Memory

Intel and ST Micro have developed a replacement for flash memory technology called Phase Change Memory or PCM. The new technology uses small resistors that heat up and change the state of a layer of chalcogenide to store information. (much like rewritable optical discs, just without the need for a laser) The primary advantages to the technology are read/write speeds much higher than are possible with flash. If PCM does replace flash and can scale into the hundreds of gigabytes, it could be just what we need to finally get rid of magnetic primary storage for good. (ie: hard drives)