Infertility Caused By the PC

As a story in Wired magazine reported back in 2004, putting a notebook computer on your lap could lead to infertility. The heat caused by the computer is the problem. Just like a desktop computer, a notebook PC generates heat. That heat has to go somewhere. The laptop, then, has blowholes on it, usually underneath and in the rear of the unit. The fan sends the hot air out of these vents. If these vents are not free and clear, the heat can build up and the notebook temperature increases.

Now, you’re a man and you are using this hot notebook computer in your lap. Heat transfers into the family jewels. It messes with the swimmers, if you know what I’m saying. Need I say more?

Here are some related reports:

• PC World: Researcher Warns Male Laptop Users of Infertility Risk
• WebMD: Laptop Computers May Affect Male Fertility

You get the drift.

Save Your Balls

Get a laptop desk if you want to use a notebook PC in your lap. You can use your laptop on a desk or table and that will work, too. But, many people like to use their notebook PC on their laps while sitting on the couch or in bed. If so, use a laptop desk.

One such desk I have is by LapWorks. Specifically, I got a Lapworks Laptop Desk Futura. The company gave one to all of the attendees of Gnomedex. I have been using it since and am quite happy with it. It is a very simple device. It is a hinged device that is folded into two halves. Unfold it and place it on your lap and then put your notebook PC on top. If you are using it on a table, then the Futura can elevate the back of your computer, giving it an incline. See the pictures below.

As I said above, notebook PCs generate heat. I used to use my laptop PC on my lap. It got quite heated because it could not adequately cool down. The vents on the unit would be up against the cloth of my pants and it would not be able to cool properly. The underside of the notebook got so hot sometimes that I had to put it on a table.

So, save your notebook PC and your family life. A laptop desk is a welcome addition to your notebook computing setup.

Rich does a quick review of the Garmin c580, the GPS which integrates with MSN Direct to pull down dynamic information on traffic, weather, even movie times.

     

What’s Included & First Impressions
What struck me immediately as I surveyed the packaging of the SteelPad 5L was the sheer size of this mousepad.  According to the specifications, the mousepad measures approximately 15″ long by 11″ high.  To put this into perspective, this is about three times bigger than the average mousepad that you are probably using right now.  The SteelPad 5L itself also a different make up and texture than ordinary mousepads out there, which is one of its main selling points.  Looking again at the packaging, the SteelPad 5L mousepad is made up of five layers, which are (from top to bottom):

1. Plastic Coating:  to ensure durability and maintain texture
2. Cloth: provides for a smooth gliding experience; texture allows minimal mouse movement, maximum precision
3. Soft Polyisoprene:  a soft rubber foam that is very easy on the wrist; allows comfortable usage of the mousepad for extended periods of time
4. Hard Plastic Compound:  maintains stability and shape of mousepad allowing for a consistent gliding experience
5. Rubber Elements:  small rubber elements keep the mousepad from slipping

It appears that quite a bit of thinking went into designing the SteelPad 5L to make it a very marketable product (notice even the cool artistic design on top of the plastic coating). Now for the all important question though, how does the mousepad fare in everyday usage and in games?  Let’s find out.

Everyday Usage
After using the SteelPad 5L for a while doing ordinary everyday tasks such as web browsing and word processing, I am quite impressed with the smoothness of the mouse movement.  The SteelPad 5L’s large size virtually avoids the user from ever running out of space and having to go off the mousepad altogether.  As the matter of fact, the SteelPad 5L would probably suit professionals that use two or more monitors quite well, as they will be able to move across all their displays without ever going off the mousepad.  The rubber elements on the bottom of the SteelPad 5L keep the mousepad nicely in place now matter how jerky or abrupt the mouse movement may be.  Movement of the mouse itself is very precise as claimed by the packaging and after extended usage I do admit that the Steelpad is a very comfortable surface to rest your wrist on for longer periods of time. 
Gaming Usage
Since the primary application of the SteelPad 5L is for usage during gaming, I was of course curious how it would perform in this category.  I went ahead and fired up the Quake 4 Demo (a fast paced first person shooter game) and “fragged” around for a while.  After several minutes of playing I was impressed with the precision and smoothness of the mouse movements in the game as I took aim and eliminated the aliens in the game.  Furthermore, as I have mentioned previously, my wrist felt very comfortable resting on the SteelPad 5L for the whole duration of play.   The SteelPad 5L does indeed make for an excellent mousepad for gamers.
Conclusion
Having looked at the Steelpad 5L in more detail, let’s summarize by listing some of the pro’s and con’s of the mousepad:
Pros:

• large surface area
• smooth and precise mouse movement
• very comfortable

Cons:

• price

Overall, I was very happy with the Steelpad 5L.  While this mousepad is marketed primarily towards gamers I found it very applicable in a desktop environment as well especially for a dual or triple monitor setup (e.g. for graphics professionals and the like).  The ~$30 pricetag is a little steep for the average user in my opinion, but if you are a gamer or professional and purchasing top gear anyway, the Steelpad 5L Professional Gaming Mousepad is definitely worth considering.

Introduction
Before we begin looking at this product, let me ask everyone one question:  When buying/building a brand new system how much thought do you give to what kind of mousepad you will use?  While answers surely would be varied, the majority of users would probably agree that the mousepad is not as essential as, say, your motherboard or CPU.  As the matter of fact, users of optical mice might even argue and say that the mousepad is not necessary at all since the optical sensor of the mouse will work on most surfaces anyway.  However, if you are a gamer or PC modder you will probably say that a good mousepad is necessary for accuracy in games or just sheer “good looks”.  To cater to this growing market of PC enthusiasts, several companies have developed specialty mousepads with different surfaces ranging from rubber all the way to glass.  One such mousepad is the Icemat 2nd Edition, which was sent to us all the way from Denmark from the wonderful folks at Icemat.  Let’s take a closer look at what this specialty mouse pad has to offer:

What’s Included & First Impressions
One of the first things that I noticed when I received the Icemat mousepad in the mail was the shear size of the box.  Could a mousepad really be this big?  It turns out that the Icemat measures approximately 12 inches wide by 10 inches high, which makes it a pretty good size mousepad.  Below are some pictures of the packaging and mousepad itself:

As you can see the Icemat includes feet on the bottom of the mousepad surface.  These are rubber and keep the mousepad from sliding.  This was a wise idea on Icemat’s part since the main surface of the Icemat is glass (even though it’s hard to see from the pictures) and would slide quite readily due to lack a of friction.  Besides the mousepad itself, adhesive strips are also included to adhere to the bottom of your mouse.  What good are these? 

Well, it turns out that these are actually Teflon strips.  Anyone who has cooked before will surely recognize the word Teflon as the substance that frying pans are coated with to prevent sticking of food.  The idea with the strips that Icemat included is similar:  Attach them to the bottom of the mouse and the mouse will glide smoother across the Icemat mousepad due to decreased friction between the teflon and glass.  This, for instance, is major plus for gamers who require an extreme range of accuracy in today’s fast paced first person shooter action games.

Other features of the mousepad as claimed by Icemat are listed on the box and are as follows:

• Long Lasting


• Solid and Steady


• Looks damn cool


• Amazing Accuracy


• Very Comfortable to use


• Doesn’t bend or loose shape


• Dimension 250 x 300mm – 10 x 12 inch

Sounds like a heck of mouspad – let’s see how these claims hold up in everyday usage and FPS gaming:

Everyday Usage
After removing all the accessories from the package I was curious at first whether the adhesive teflon strips were absolutely necessary.  My main concern was that my Logitech MX700 would not longer be able to charge in its cradle with these strips adhered.  With this in mind I initially left the teflon strips off and proceeded to just use the mouse on the Icemat.  While the mouse moved across the surface a lot smoother compared to a regular felt mousepad, it emitted an unwanted scraping noise.  Wanting to get rid of this noise, but hoping the mouse would still charge I attached the teflon strips on the bottom of the mouse.  Wow, what a difference!  The mouse glided across the glass Icemat even smoother than before.  The teflon really does make a difference worth noting.  Plus, my mouse still charges in its cradle just fine.

Using the mouse in everyday common applications such web browsing and word processing has never been such a great experience.  Movements are super smooth and also very precise with the Icemat.  While I do not do extensive graphics editing work, I could definitely imagine that the Icemat setup would benefit anyone working on projects requiring a degree of high precision for detailed work.

Gaming
The Icemat is impressive enough for everyday usage but how does it fare in a fast FPS videogame?  To find out, I went and lauched one my favorite FPS games, Battlefield 1942: Desert Combat.  After taking on the role as sniper, I was immediately impressed with the accuracy and smoothness of the mouse movements when aiming at opponents.  Even after gaming for an extended period of time the Icemat still feels comfortable.  If you play intensity/fast paced action games I can only highly recommend the Icemat 2nd Edition for you.  It will make an excellent addition to any gaming rig setup.

Conclusion
To sum things up, let’s weigh the pro’s and cons of the Icemat against each other:

Pros:

• large mousepad surface


• glass surface stays nice and cool during usage


• combination of glass and teflon results in ultra smooth and precision mouse movment


• as the box already says, “looks damn cool”

Cons:

• price

I must say that I’m very impressed by the Icemat 2nd Edition.  I didn’t think a specialty mousepad would be that more exciting from a regular mousepad, but the Icemat proved me wrong.  Even though the approximately $50 pricetag is a bit steep, I fell in love with the smooth and accurate mouse movements the Icemat provides.  If you’re a gamer or if you precisions work, I can only highly recommend the Icemat 2nd Edition to you.

When talking about MP3 players, the first thing to spring to mind is Apple’s legendary iPod. As a result, Apple currently dominates the market when it comes to MP3 players. The problem with that is a lot of people will instantly go and buy iPods when there could be a better option. Here is a review of one of the iPods’ competitors: the Creative Zen Touch.

Specification
Here are the specifications direct from the Creative website:

• Size WxHxD : 4.12″ x 2.7″ x 0.866″


• Weight : 7.05 oz with battery


• Capacity : 20GB(1), 40GB(1)


• Battery Life : Up to 24 hour(2) battery life at 128kbps MP3 or 32 hour(2) at 48kbps MP3 of continuous playtime


• Interface : USB 2.0 (backward compatible with USB 1.1)


• Playback Format : MPEG Audio Layer 3 (MP3), Windows Media™ Audio (WMA) and WAV


• Signal-to-Noise Ratio : up to 97dB


• Channel Separation : up to 74dB


• Frequency Response : 20Hz - 20kHz


• Harmonic Distortion Output : less than 0.1%


• Operating System/Firmware: Reprogrammable(3)


• Headphone out : 1 x 1/8″ stereo minijack


• Display : 160 x 104 pixel resolution, blue EL backlit LCD

Creative offers a one-year limited hardware warranty.

Note:
(1) 1GB is seen as 1,000,00,000 bytes. Available capacity will be less. Reported capacity will vary
(2) 24 hours battery life at 128kbps MP3 or 32 hours at 48kbps MP3
(3) OS/Firmware support & updates will be available via www.creative.com

As you can see, this player packs quite a punch. With a massive battery life, and supporting 3 different formats (it doesn’t mention that it also supports DRM-protected WMA files), it exceeds the iPod in functionality. But, the sacrifice is in weight and size. It is bigger and heavier than the iPod, but in my experience, the player is just fine. Also, you can update the firmware on this player, opening the door to enhanced functionality down the road.

Package
In the package you get:

• Creative Zen Touch


• Power adapter


• USB cable


• Leather carry case


• Driver disk with Creative Mediasource and NOMAD Explorer


• Pair of white Creative earphones


• Quick start guide

Everything is of high quality, but with one letdown: the earphones. In my opinion, they lack any form of bass at all, and don’t do the player justice. I replaced them with a pair of Sony MDR-ED21 earphones, which sound a lot better.

Next was the carry case. It was very thick, and padded well to ensure my player didn’t get scratched/damaged. It also had a plastic clip to allow you to attach it to your belt etc. Notice I am speaking in the past tense, there is a reason for that. The case was great, but it could be improved. Here is the Creative Zen Touch, and the leather case:

As you can see, there is a major flaw. If I have my player in this, how can I access any controls or see the screen? You can’t. And being the idiot I am, decided to try and change this. I decided that I never use the case anyway because of its flaw, so I tried cutting into it. Big mistake. As I said, it is padded very well. When I tried hacking into it with a knife, I just left a jagged hole in the case. Also, the padding was so thick even if it worked I would be struggling to press anything anyway. So, take my advice, don’t do it!

The quick start guide has everything you need to know to get you up and running with the Zen Touch. Make sure you read this, since it has some useful info you may need later! I spent hours trying to figure out how to get DRM-protected music working with my player, until the guide told me how it should be done.

I remember the days when we actually used cassette tapes. Most of us have music collections still on tape, but the music industry has moved entirely over to CD and now cassettes are considered archaic. Of course, the music on those cassettes is still good, and you probably don’t want to spend your hard-earned money to go buy the CD version of an album you already have on tape. Well, there are solutions to this, and BTO Co. Ltd. has provided a PC-based solution. It’s called Plusdeck

Installation

Plusdeck is a cassette deck for your PC. It comes in the form of an internal 5.25″ drive which you would mount into your PC just as you would a CD or DVD drive. The installation of the drive is fairly easy, but it can be a bit confusing. The package contains the following:

• Plusdeck


• Connection card


• 3 Stereo cables


• Manual


• 20-pin cable (connects the drive to the connection card)


• Serial cable


• Driver/Software CD


• Screws

To install the drive, you install it into a normal 5.25″ drive bay. You then install the connection card. The connection card must be installed into a blank slot on your case, but it does not require a slot on your motherboard. You then attach the 20-pin cable from the drive to this card. At the back of the PC, you connect the stereo cables from the connection card to your sound card. The cables are color coded. Basically, though, the Plusdeck is interfacing with your sound card via the Line-In connector, so the cables are serving as a pass-through. Lastly, you connect the serial cable from the connection card to your PC’s serial port. This is so that the software can control the Plusdeck drive. So, as it turns out, the drive does not require any IDE connector. It is mounted inside the case, but is interfacing with your computer via outside connectors only. Your PC has to have a serial port, and if your sound card has the wrong type of jacks, you would need adapters.

The manual has to be consulted, at first, to install Plusdeck. I found myself using it to make sense of all the connectors. But, the manual is of limited use because the English is very poor. It is obvious that this manual was written by somebody very spotty in the English language. You can make sense of it, but it is downright laughable at times. The manual is very professionally printed and appears very nice and clear, but the grammar is pretty bad.

Almost everybody who has worked with PCs has had occasion to need to do some jockeying of hard drive data. Whether it be recovering data from a drive, doing drive-to-drive data copying, or perhaps wiping a drive clean, such tasks can take up a lot of your time or even cost you a bundle to buy specialized software for it. Many times, people have to make use of a spare PC to perform some data tasks, and not everybody has a pile of computers around. This is where a device like the Disk Jockey comes into play…

From the Diskology website: “Diskology debuts Disk Jockey, the world’s most versatile hard disk diagnostic and copy tool. Disk Jockey can be used with your Windows or Macintosh computer connected via the high-speed Firewire or USB 2.0 ports or it can be used as a stand alone unit. Disk Jockey lets you mount drives to your desktop, mirror (RAID 1) or span hard disk, copy data between hard disks at lightning speeds, verify, test and erase hard disks.”

The Disk Jockey has 8 different modes which are:

1. Drive mounting


2. Mirroring - make on-the-fly duplicate of one drive onto another.


3. Spanning - use two drives as if they are one huge volume.


4. Block-level copying


5. Disk-to-disk Comparison - verify that a copy just made is exactly like the original


6. Read Test


7. Single-Pass Disk Erase


8. Triple-Pass Disk Erase

What’s in the Box?

The Disk Jockey comes in a compact little white box with a lot of data and marketing on the outside. But, open it up and what you have inside is:

1. The Disk Jockey.


2. Power cable and power supply


3. 2 black electrostatic masks to place your drives on when working on them


4. USB cable


5. Firewire cable


6. Manual

The unit also came with an adapter to connect 2.5″ drives to Disk Jockey, but I do not know if this is standard equipment or an add-on accessory. In order to use the Disk Jockey, you will need a Windows or Mac machine with USB or Firewire, and an operating system that supports those devices. You will also need to use UDMA hard drives. SCSI drives and non-UDMA drives will not operate with Disk Jockey.

The Steel Pad 4S was designed as a “professional gaming mousepad” with an implied “developed by gamers for gamers” mentality.  Although one would think the Steel Pad is constructed out of steel, aluminum is used instead and has been hard-anodized.  The quality of the anodize process seems extremely high and has been “fiber polished” according to product literature, seen in the matte color and smoothness of the surface finish.  Surface-wise, Steel Pad differs from many of today’s performance pads.  Rather than using a textured surface, here it is completely smooth.  The Steel Pad logo has been laser engraved into the corner.  Over time, longevity of the mousing surface should be quite high, much higher than other cloth or plastic based premium surfaces.  Eight silicon feet are found below.  Shape-wise, the Steel Pad 4S loosely resembles a large (the pad’s dimensions are a hefty 290 x 267mm) rounded rectangle.

Steel Pad also includes a short section of their Teflon-tape product: PadSurfers.  These PadSurfers perform two functions: first, reducing the amount of friction between the mouse feet and the mouse pad, resulting in smoother movements.  Second, as a result of less friction, reduces the amount of noise the mouse makes as it glides across the surface.  Steel Pad is quite noisy, despite the little effort it takes to move the mouse.  It seems to “scrap” its way across the surface, inherent in the porous nature of the anodized surface.  Using the PadSurfers reduces this noise considerably.

Mouse friction is a matter of personal preference and play style, making testing considerably harder, and very subjective in nature.  Although the only game I currently play at this time is America’s Army, where the action is more slowly paced then UT2K3, it serves as a good test.  During testing (playing) using a Logitech MX500 I found that sniping at long ranges was more difficult due to the greater sensitivity and responsiveness that the Steel Pad gave, forcing me to adjust the mouse sensitivity in order to compensate.  Fast “twitch shots” were also slightly more difficult for the same reason.  I tended to overshoot the target, again, due to the greater sensitivity of the mouse pad.  However, when I had to track a moving target, whether trying to snipe someone on the run, or trying to SAW (M249) someone down, the greater sensitivity allowed me to track my targets with greater ease.  Generally, my game play did improve, but that could be due to more practice or the new cross hair I switched to while testing this mouse pad.  While testing with and without the PadSurfers, I found that the greater friction without the PadSurfers was more inline with my preference and style of play despite the higher noise level.  As a reminder, purchasing a new mouse pad will not make you a better player; it is merely there to enhance what skill is present at that time.  For those still using balled mice, the Steel Pad’s surface provides good traction for the ball, though it cannot match the precision of an optical.

The feet of the Steel Pad 4S did well enduring the many testing sessions I conducted.  On top of stone, glass, or wood, they hold more firmly than the superglue you used to bond your arm to your face.  Unfortunately, on certain laminate surfaces, the pad often slides beneath rough movements.

Maintenance is key to the Steel Pad 4S.  The website recommends a cloth and some kind of cleaner that is used to clean glass which basically meant to me a paper towel and some Windex.  Quick circular motions are needed to ensure that the Windex doesn’t leave behind any “water stains”.  PadSurfers are recommended to be changed every three or four weeks and are sold in four inch strips for about $4.71 USD which should be good for at least two and a half applications on my Logitech MX500.  Of course, there are cheaper alternatives.  This brings up another point: at $46.94 USD, the Steel Pad 4S has to be the most expensive performance pad on the market, more than double the price of a RatPadz GS.  Nothing cheap about that.  Make note that the only Logitech mice that will work well on this surface is the MX series.  Another note, if your hands are excessively moist, say you’ve just come from the shower, the moisture tends to condense on the pad.

Thanks out to PCMods for providing this sample.

The constant bane of many computer users out there has been cable clutter. Not only does it not look nice at all, the jungle of wires could impede airflow and thus create higher temperatures, something that is more disconcerting than cable clutter. There are many products out on the market designed to trim the cable clutter ranging from split loom and spiral cable wrap each with their own advantages and disadvantages. PCMods has a new product, potentially better than both these fine products: cable mesh.

PCMods cable mesh is very similar to the mesh found on several power supplies. It is made from braided nylon and is split down the entire length and lined with Velcro. Because it is split down the middle, it is much easier to put cables through; you just have to wrap the wires up. You can also cut it down to any size needed, but since it is braided, it tends to unravel pretty quickly. This can be counteracted by melting the ends together, kind of like tinning the end of a bunch of wires.

These qualities make it a far superior product to split loom and spiral cable wrap. Although split loom is split down the middle, there is no way to secure the cables inside. Not only that, but it is not as flexible or as versatile when branching cables off the length of the loom. In fact, you cannot branch cables off using split loom. With spiral wrap, it is difficult to run cabling through; you have to spiral the wrap around the cable. Because of this, branching off cabling is much easier, but spiral wrap is much stiffer when filled.

Final Score and Last Comments

Highs

• 
  
  Easy to Use


• 
  
  Flexible


• 
  
  Branch-ability


• 
  
  Able to be Cut to Any Length

Lows

• 
  
  Unravels Easily


• 
  
  Not as Readily Available


• 
  
  More Expensive

Well, there really is not a lot to say about this product. It does what it was designed to do, and does it very well, beating in my eyes all of its competitors. Its only real downfall is that it is not readily available at any retail stores I have been to; unlike split loom and spiral wrap which can be found easily at stores such as Radio Shack and the like; and it is more expensive. But, as clichéd as the saying, you get what you pay for…at least in my eyes.