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Standard Issue Computing

  • Apple iMac G5 (2004)

    When I went away to college in the mid-2000s, the iMac G5 was the computer I wanted. I imagined myself using it in the dorm, looking cool and sophisticated as I typed away while listening to The Shins or something. This was the college reinvention I needed, a massive change from the cobbled together gaming PCs and ska CDs of my past.

    Unfortunately, I couldn’t afford an iMac so it was my old beige Compaq with a GeForce 2 that came with me to college, solidifying my lameness from the get go.

    20+ years later I’m still lame, but I was able to finally pick up a boxed, working, iMac G5 for a cool hundred bucks. After spending a bit of time with it, I gotta say it’s better late than never- this is a wonderful computer.

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  • You Can(‘t) Go Home Again (Questing in Midnight Rules)

    Blood Elves are my favorite race in World of Warcraft (wait, is it problematic to prefer certain races in fiction??). Nearly all of my WoW characters are sin’dorei, some of which date back to the original release of The Burning Crusade. Needless to say, I’ve been thrilled with Blizzard’s choice to remake Eversong Woods / Silvermoon City.

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  • Some Resident Evil Requiem PC Screenshots I Took

    Spoiler warning! Screenshots from two hours or so into the game.

    I downloaded the new GeForce Driver tonight (after NVIDIA took it down the first time the other day) and gave RE9 a spin on my PC.

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  • Downgrade Upgrade

    For my birthday, I bought myself a new PC monitor (one of those fun rationalizations you can make as an adult). It’s a 27” Alienware 1440p OLED, and on paper it’s arguably a downgrade from my current monitor (a 28” 4K Samsung Odyssey G7). But the use case is more complicated and I’ve been craving a new monitor for many reasons, which I’ll share below.

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  • Highlights from the First Issue of PC Gamer

    I love PC Gamer. I remember the excitement of getting a new issue with a CD-ROM to explore, trying to understand the tech articles, and being exposed to the incredible variety of games on PC. I still have a print subscription (and it’s still well-worth the cost, even without the CD-ROM).

    Thanks to Retromags, I was able to flip through the premiere issue (May/June 1994). I captured some highlights, which I will let speak for themselves.

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  • Two Minutes (Days) to Midnight

    …and I’ve made a huge mistake.

    I’m incredibly excited for the next World of Warcraft expansion, Midnight. I have the Collector’s Edition and everything!

    I can’t wait to revisit Silvermoon, check out the new Delves, and see what Xal’atath’s next moves are.

    I have six characters at level 80 that I could use to check out the new expansion content… and yesterday, with three days to go before early access begins for the expansion… I, like a fool, created a new character.

    But hear me out.

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  • DOS For Dummies 2nd Edition (Dan Gookin / IDG Books / 1993)

    “DOS For Dummies” was the book that launched the series, which has covered everything from tech to pregnancy. I have a fondness for their computer-related releases from the 90s, with the iconic yellow covers and weird triangle head dude.

    Last year I started picking up 90s PC books whenever I’d come across them for a buck or two at thrift stores, and this 2nd edition of DOS For Dummies is a definite highlight. Let’s take a look inside.

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  • Diablo II: Resurrected – Reign of the Warlock (PC / Blizzard Entertainment / 2026) – Act V

    I wrapped up Act V: Lord of Destruction on normal difficulty, which is essentially the end of the beginning of Diablo II. I continued playing the new Warlock class and, as was the case in Acts I-IV, it was not terribly difficult.

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  • Diablo II: Resurrected – Reign of the Warlock (PC / Blizzard Entertainment / 2026) – Acts III and IV

    Act III is the longest of the original four Diablo II acts, but with my new Warlock, it honestly flew by. There was little friction as I continued my approach of allowing my summoned Goatman to tank while I ran around getting potshots in and picking up loot.

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  • Love 2 Rip CDs (own your media or streaming services will end up owning you)

    On Valentine’s Day I made a big purchase at Micro Center, in the form of a recordable CD / DVD / Blu-ray drive and a 5TB portable hard drive (and some BAWLS).

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