Graphics Card Maintenance
See that over there on the left? That’s my old graphics card from 2013.
I had two of them running in SLI. They were Nvidia GTS 240s, they constantly overheated, and I had them replaced under warranty on one occasion. For several years (2009-2013) my computer would randomly freeze, even when my temperatures were at a fairly normal operating temperature, and the most ear piercing sound would emanate from my speakers if I happened to be listening to something when my desktop locked up.
Why bring this up 4 years later? Well, I happened upon the photo today, but also I thought it was a good idea to remind everyone to check your PC for dust bunnies, or in this case dust demons. That is a solid inch of dust covering those vents. I finally found out the fix from some obscure Youtube video that detailed how to remove a protective panel from the graphics card and reveal the ventilation, which was prone to clogging. A bunch of sneezing, and one can of compressed air later, they were spotless and never overheated again like they originally did.
Happy gaming everyone!s
The Young Entrepreneur
We’ve all seen it; the young well-to-do checking out their over-sized smartphone with their over-sized shiny expensive watch flashing on their wrist. I used to envy this kind of person, until recently. I’m now in my early thirties and I’ve worked in many different odd jobs in my twenties in order to pay the bills. And with various kinds of work I’ve meet all sorts of people, most of whom have helped give me more insight into humans and our nature.
The wealthy young entrepreneur is prone to over-compensating, i.e. always dressed up even for a casual beer, always looking to pull out their brand new phone, and blabber on about how they are making 80k+ doing whatever they do, and how they have to fly out the next day. Now that I’m older I see it’s a facade, it’s a mask, and I pity them now. True, I do find it admirable they are working hard and earning really good money, but that’s about it.
I used to feel I had to compete with them in terms of style. How much of my paycheck did I have to wear on the exterior to feel some semblance of equality with them? Now I’m content to earn enough to get by, pay off debts, and save some up. I don’t care about a rat race, I care about the human race, and how I can benefit them.
I’m not trying to lump all wealthy people, or young people into the same boat here. I’m also not trying to make sweeping assumptions about people, but a lot of humans are prone to the same temptations and pratfalls, and thus, I write this!
If your a young entrepreneur reading this please realize that you are not alone, and stop trying so hard to compete with other entrepreneurs. Enjoy your youth, not in frivolity, but understanding that you have the rest of your life to “get serious” with business. Just don’t forget to keep humble, respect your elders, and learn from them (and teach them when applicable ;P). And know that even if your classmates from high school or college most likely aren’t making what you’re making or have a mid to high-level position in a corporation doesn’t mean they’ve done something wrong. You need to realize all people have value, and to find that value in them, grow it, and utilized it. You’re an entrepreneur after all.
Design is Everywhere
Look around you. Look at your shoes, your toothbrush, the cover of a book, tires, shingles, and even the food you eat. Design is intrinsic to intellect, and out of an intelligence, design is evidenced in all things. Let me just focus on human design for the sake of brevity of this post. Design is evidence of an intelligence that intentionally crafts a thing for a specific purpose by maximizing and minimizing certain attributes of said thing. It was this thought that lead me to graphic design.
I loved drawing from an early age, and I constantly had ideas of how things could be made more efficient. I’ve always been “good with computers” since I started messing around with troubleshooting our old Pentium that ran Windows 95 in 1998. So, when I found out people made a living creating images, animations, videos, and websites on their computer, I was naturally drawn towards it. I found that everything we consume had gone through a design process. Everything. I was overwhelmed at the possibilities at first, but I narrowed it down to creativity, design, computers, internet, and ultimately graphic design seemed to be a logical choice.
So, next time you’re outside and enjoying the fresh air and a new day stop and look to see how the sidewalk is intentionally designed, the roads, the stoplights, even the way your clothes fit on your body. Design is what makes our lives enjoyable.
