failed to post past BIOS this morning, so I decided to bring it to the workstation and rip her guts out, to try and isolate the issue. Best I can tell, it was the GPU being an individual after a driver update. After berating and finger waving the parts into submission, the problem was solved (in fact, I actually solved it by unplugging the GPU and then plugging it back in).
I figured I may as well do a bit of routine maintenance, so I’ve been cleaning the radiator, water cooler, some of the fans, and I even managed to give my CPU a nice polish:
Not that I have been doing a whole lot of modeling to take a break from, what I have been doing is playing World of Warships on the EU server with Darren and Addie. I have worked my way up to a tier 9 Buffalo so my Des Moines is not too far off now.
What I’ve been running on my computer is a piece of software developed by the good people at UC Berkeley for researchers in astronomy, mathematics, medicine, etc to outsource the computations they require in the course of their research to nerds like me, who have entirely too much processing power for our own good. I’ve lately been running drug-interaction simulations for a group called SiDock, which is working on developing drugs that can be used to treat the symptoms of Covid-19, especially things like lung inflammation.
Now drug-interaction simulations are huge. Even for a computer like mine, devoting about 24 gigabytes of RAM (because I’m looting memory from my graphics card) and a nominal CPU clock speed of 4.8ghz to calculating interactions between various long-chain molecules, it can take hours to finish a computing task. So now I’ve been overclocking my CPU to see just how fast I can push my computer to calculate these interactions. It’s for a good cause, after all! Thus far, I have been able to clock 5.93ghz on my CPU, which is pretty great. It did produce a lot of heat though, and I really don’t want to stress my water cooler too much.
Golf!!!
I’ve been playing alot lately and just shot my all time low on 18 holes. I shot a 79, thats 39 on the front and 40 on the back. So I am pretty happy.
Funny you mention Sully!
I was trying to see it it was possible to recreate his landing in the simulator! I made the mistake though of opening the doors, so the plane flooded then sank.
@SSGToms Matt, that’s very kind! I wish it was a fresh new engine.
It’s my 99 Trans Am’s original LS1 (heads & cam package) w/160,000 miles. Swapped out for a new custom built 416 cubic inch LSA in 2017.
My plan had been to use it in another car but the 99 T/A was stolen just after the swap. Two days later the T/A was recovered with the new (570 miles) 416 destroyed. Moronic thief couldn’t drive a stick shift car. It still ran but two dropped two valves on a mechanical overrev of about 11,000 rpm on an engine built for 7,000 rpm. Minor miracle the ERL sleeved block wasn’t damaged but two pistons & both cylinder heads were trashed. Amazingly the clutch, transmission, driveshaft & rear end were undamaged Of course T/A’s driveline was built to handle 1,000 wheel horse power while the engine made just over half of that.
The other project car had to be sold in 2018 to pay for repairs to the 416. Took eight months to get the T/A sorted out again by mid 2018. The T/A had been abused so harshly the K-member shifted in the car. Alignment guy said the car had to have been badly hit at some point. I’m like no way I’ve had the car its entire life. We fangled the K-member back into place and everything lined up like it was supposed to.
Eventually, my step-son plans to use it for a swap into his 91 Z28.
The black convertible in the background is the project car that was sold. It was fantastic condition unmodified car with every scrap of documentation since the car was purchased new. A true heartbreaker to sell.
Of course, the new owner didn’t take quiet as good care of the car as he said he would. Soon the new top had holes in it and the pristine black paint saw swirl marked and so on. Quickly on the road to being just another trashed 3rd Gen Camaro after having dodged that fate for almost thirty years.
That fiasco proved a key element in getting me to shift to the model hobby again.
The white car in the foreground was my daily driver for 25 years & 400,000 miles. Full blown Resto-Mod with a lot of stories and adventures
Damn Wade you sure know how to take care of a car. That’s one lucky Camaro.
My 2005 Mitsubishi Montero was enjoying the same kind of life - 17 years old, only 136,000 miles, and showroom mint condition, until March 9th when a guy in a pickup came around a corner on a two lane road on my side doing 50 MPH and hit me head on. Totaled my truck, gave me back and neck injuries, and the jerk didn’t even say sorry. So my “what I’ve been doing instead of modeling” has been physical therapy instead of relaxing on the range with my AR-15 and KAR-98K. Still don’t know what I’m going to replace my truck with.
Oh Matt, that sucks way more on a whole different level than my experience. That makes me angry cause he’s clearly being an a$$hat. I hope that ba$tard has good insurance and has to pay accordingly.
Likewise, I hope the physical therapy goes well paving the way to a full pain free recovery. That sounds like a fun pair of rifles to take shooting
Regarding trucks, do you have a preference brand wise?
Thanks Wade, I’m doing okay. Not great, but okay. Since I can’t get a new Montero (they don’t import them to the US anymore) and the kids are all grown I decided to radically downsize. When the lawsuit settles I’m getting a Subaru Crosstrek. Something just for me.
It’s gratifying to know many of us can do more than cement bits of styrene together.
I’ve posted photos of the first chopper I built. Built out of - not decorated with - weapon parts.
Even the wheels and frame are one offs.
The first leather work I ever did for the seat - too bad I was just experimenting and didn’t use a better piece of leather…
Of course T/A’s driveline was built to handle 1,000 wheel horse power while the engine made just over half of that.
