🕑 Added 2015-01-17 01:56:03 +0000 UTC
Howdy folks...
As you've probably noticed, there haven't been a whole lot of updates since the end of year holiday season rolled around.
I Figure I owe you folks an explanation for that.
For xmas this year, I received a shiny new copy of 64-Bit Windows 7. I've been using Windows XP for the better part of a decade now, but as operating systems go, it's getting old and the drawbacks of continuing to use it are starting to outweigh the benefits.
For a start, XP is limited in the amount of RAM it can use. I've also started finding that there are programs I can't install or run, because they're not backwards compatible.
So, I purchased a Solid State Drive (SSD) to put my new operating system onto. And a plan was hatched by myself and a tech geek friend, for a massive computer rebuild. This actually is a plan he's been quietly hatching in his head for the better part of two years. Every time I've upgraded a component in one of my machines (I currently have two) He's helped me pick out the parts I needed.
So, he's been quietly assembling the pieces of a MEGA-RIG. Those pieces are currently scattered between the two machines though. The plan, is to rebuild both computers, assembling my primary work computer (The GHODBOX) into a testosterone-sweating beast. The remainder of the parts will be assembled into a slightly less beefy, but still usable second computer (My media PC, The Jukebox, which is hooked to the TV)
It's a great plan, and it's been a long time coming. It has some drawbacks though.
Basically, I've spent over ten years using this computer, and tweaking it into my art tool of choice. And now, I'm about to throw all that away. Starting over from scratch.
It's a bit like moving into a new house in a new country. One you didn't get a chance to look at before moving in. You don't know if your furniture is going to fit. You don't know if all your important gear will plug right in and be usable, or if you'll have to find workarounds and adapters and whatnot.
And then, of course, you still have to move everything.
So, I spent the week after Xmas, getting ready for this rebuild. Getting all my installers in order. Making sure I had backups of all my important data. Preparing for the move.
And then it didn't happen.
My tech geek friend got sidetracked. He fell into an MMO, and by the time he managed to free himself from it, the entire weekend we had set aside for the rebuild had come and gone.
So, after he apologized profusely, we agreed to put it off until this weekend.
It would all begin, tomorrow.
But he's just called me. He's sick. Like, seriously sick. Like, probably should go to the hospital sick. And while I can't begrudge him wanting to put it off yet again, this does leave things kind of in limbo at the moment.
I think I am going to throw caution to the wind, and try to get the next page of Alone Time done, or as close to done as I can before next weekend rolls around. I've been hesitant to start any big art pieces, because I knew I'd probably end up having to stop right in the middle of what I was doing, for the move, the rebuild and the reinstall of everything.
But I'm getting kind of fed up with waiting, and these false starts are only adding to the annoyance.
Anyway, that's where things stand.
Sorry for the delay, and I Hope you folks will bear with me.
