[Danial Beard]

In a previous thread I asked a few questions about the computers we all use. I got some interesting results. One of the most interesting wasn’t mentioned in the thread, but in person at the 50th meeting/celebration. My overall general and specific reaction to that one was, “Holy Smokes!”

So, further chasing that rabbit, I wondered. Hams — by definition — are pretty geeky. We’re just the kind of folks to actually know exactly how many Giggle-Hurtz, Mego-Rams and Ptera-Blyters are involved in our computing machines. And that leads me to the basic question of this thread.

Whatchacallit?

Gamers in particular are known for assigning some pretty outrageous monikers to their gaming computer systems. It’s not at all unusal to see their eyes light up as they start describing their gaming box with a prefacing name like, “The Super Mega Death-a-Hurtz 30 Core Byte-Snyper!”

Having seen the box art on motherboards, video cards and Sound Blasters (sic), I understand, and can’t say I blame them. It seems to me the more money that was involved in purchasing the gear, the more outrageous the print graphics and device titles get. It’s marketing. The gamer’s eye is attracted to that stuff. (Although I don’t exactly see much of a difference between some of the art on those component boxes, and the racy covers on the bodice-ripper girl-porn books sold on the impulse racks at the checkout counters in the grocery stores.) I guess I’m not privy to the connection between an impossibly buxom — and mostly naked — woman standing on a pile of smoking rubble with a bloody sword held aloft in one hand, and a wireless keyboard clutched in the other.

Hams are typically more pragmatic people, but we do still have our own small ways of asserting a bit or two of creativity.

I’ll start.

My “Daily Driver” is anti-climactic at best. It’s called, “The Office Box.” Yeah, I know. Dull as dirt. The Entertainment Center, however, is just a wee bit more original. Being mostly used for ripping DVDs and VHS movies into digital format, and then re-playing them on the big screen, it has earned the title, “BitRipper.”

My once snazzy little Samsung (back when it was new), got monikered, “Cuff Link” almost immediately due to the laughable video promotions/adverts on Samsung’s website at the time.

So … whatchacall yours?

[Phillip Beall]

Dan,

Your comment “One of the most interesting wasn’t mentioned in the thread, but in person at the 50th meeting/celebration. My overall general and specific reaction to that one was, “Holy Smokes!”” left me kind of scratching my head.  What did you see at the 50th?

Thanks,

Phillip

[Danial Beard]

Not what I saw.   What I heard.   Rick gave me a quick rundown in passing on what he calls a, “daily driver.”   Suffice it to say, if he ever needs to hack into the server at the Kremlin … he’s got all the right gear for it.

[Author]

Posts