text:
Loading Vacation deals...
Hampton Inn & Suites Baltimore Inner Harbor
Traveler Comments
Consistant Clean Good service frequent stay program Price
You did not list the Hampton Inns we stayed at. We were at the new hotel located across from Oriole Park at Camden Yards. It is a newly constructed hotel. It is modern, the location is terrific and the service was very good, including valet parking. You need to update your list. I chose the Hampton Inn closest to the new one for my previous answer.
Nice, clean hotel with friendly and efficient staff. It was only a short walk to the expo center and to Inner Harbor. The ONLY thing I didn't like was that the neighborhood was bad...heard guns fired several times and homeless people on streets.
Great hotel. Good breakfast bar, staff was very attentive & knowledgeable. Good selection of menus for food delivery. Good options given for nearby resturants.
expected a suite to accomodate 5 people was an oversized room barely fitting four. second nite of our stay there wasn't hot water for most of day
Outside of Baltimore in a nice outdoor mall area. Friendly service with quick fix of minor problem with complementary gift for problem. Room comfortable for small family.


text:
Review Details
EZ- Pour Replacement Spout Kit 10050
Product Review (submitted on December 5, 2012):
This is a good quality replacement nozzle. I bought two and will probably buy some more for future replacements. I only wish it was available in additional sizes for some of the other older gas cans I have with broken nozzles. Recommend buying them now before the government bans replacement nozzles also.

subset: commoncrawl


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De Wit perennial planter
Delivery options
- Standard £4.99
- Next / named day £6.99
- Click & collect FREE
- This heart shaped tool is a must for border perennial planting.
- Pointed and sharpened for easier soil penetration.
- The shaped end is designed for digging a rounder hole.
- Reducing risk of air pockets when back filling.
- Head: 15cm wide ( 6")
- Total Length: 50cm long (19.5")
Every De Wit garden tool is handmade in Holland; hand-forged from solid, top quality steel, shaped, sharpened and finally fitted with an oiled, solid ash wood handle of the finest quality.
Special feature: A lock nut is fitted to the tool head for tightening the handle and head during natural wood shrinkage. This keeps a solid feel over the lifetime of the tool.
The Dutch are rightly regarded as makers of the finest gardening tools. De Wit have been around longer than anyone. They started in 1898 and the 4th generation of De Wits are now in charge of the business; one is a trained wood turner, the other trained as a blacksmith. De Wit forge their tools from carbon steel in the traditional way. Carbon Steel is naturally tougher than stainless steel and is not prone to metal fatigue. De Wit also burnish their steel. This not only helps to protect it for longer but gives it a patina that blackens it - just like traditional English tools from the Edwardian era.
All De Wit tools have turned hardwood handles of oiled Ash. Ash is not only very strong but resists shock better than woods like oak or beech, which is why it was traditionally used for Axe handles.
There are currently no articles for this item.


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THE MELTDOWN CONTINUES!!! Poor Pramac, what a waste of time and money.
Mike Villasenor - The UNDISPUTED KING of Ortega Highway!!!


text:
Fall Sports
Winter Sports
Spring Sports
Our senior Chemistry students presented the following posters at the Northeast Student Chemistry Research Conference (NSCRC).
Jaci Bergeron presented a poster on her senior research at the 235th National American Chemical Society Meeting in New Orleans, LA, April 6-10.
by Jack Yukica My goal was to determine the amount, if any, of bisphenol-A that is leaching from polycarbonate.
by Frank Horan My goal was to: determine optimum conditions for storing electricity using various organic dyes check the role of pH in charge storing capacity of the dyes compare a glucose coupled system with a sugarless system for charge storing application
Clear. Temperature: 59; Wind: Calm; Conditions as of Fri Apr 29 at 05:00 PM EDT courtesy of The PSU Weather Center
Plymouth State University. 17 High Street. Plymouth, New Hampshire, 03264-1595. Main Switchboard: (603) 535-5000.
A member of the University System of New Hampshire. © 2006-2016. All rights Reserved.


text:
minnesota circuit court access
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minnesota circuit court access
How to Retrieve Information From Court Records
By: sidana |
Minnesota happens to be 12th largest state in the United States and is located in the Midwestern region of the country.
read more
How To Access Illinois Court Reports
By: Patrick Robinson |
News and society
Are you trying to access the various Illinois court reports? If you do, then you need to know that this is very easy. And this is also very important especially if you are trying to learn more about the summary of opinions of the jury or the judge.
read more
Easily Access Court Documents Online - Accessing Court Records Thru The Internet
By: Patrick Robinson |
News and society
With the development of the internet technology, it is now very easy and convenient to access various court documents online. But even if this is the case, it is surprising that there are still some people who do not have any idea as to how they can perform this task.
read more
Divorce Court Records - How to Access Court Records of Divorce
By: Patrick Robinson |
Divorce court records contain vital set of information. Its contents include particulars such as the names of spouses, their children's names, ages and birth dates. You can also find information about the marriage like the wedding date, where it was held, and the name of person who officiated the ceremony.
read more
Suzuki Access 125 price
By: poojalapasia |
The Suzuki Access has been plotted on 125 Four stroke, Air cooled, OHC engine that produces Maximum Power of 8.58hp at 7000rpm and torque of 9.8Nm at 5000rpm.
read more
Minnesota Court Records simplifies the Background Checking Process
By: Emma Lawson |
Read this article to know about the importance of the Minnesota court records to check the legal details of any chosen person. Through this article, you will be able to know about the proper method for verifying the criminal records without taking any hazards in your hand.
read more
Federalism and the State Court Structure of Wisconsin
By: Joseph Devine |
Federalism is a system whereby state and national powers are divided. One result of this is that each state has its own court system, Wisconsin included.
read more
Press gain access to the Family Courts
By: karen Holden |
Press gain access to the Family Courts Will there be drama in the Courtroom? The Ministry of Justice has decided that due to a need for transparency in our legal system they have allowed the general public to observe justice being done in our Family courts. They have enacted this by permitting the media into these, what should be, very private and personal hearings.
read more
How To Access New York State Court Dockets
By: Patrick Robinson |
News and society
Knowing how to effectively access New York state court dockets can be very helpful. This is true whether you are a full-fledged lawyer or just an ordinary individual. This can be very helpful whenever you want to know the details of a certain case.
read more
Federal Appeals across All Circuit Courts in Texas
By: Appea Martin |
Attorneys in appellate litigation law firm are one of the most known Texas federal appellate lawyers in the country. These people are able to file appeals in all 13 courts across the country.
read more
Enjoy greater access to the information pertaining to judicial records
By: Emma Lawson |
Minnesota court records make your search for necessary information easy. You don't need to visit the court premises again and again for a single document.
read more
Minnesota DWI - Supreme Court Rules Source Codes Must Be Turned Over
By: Maury Beaulier |
Minnesota Supreme Court requires prosecutors to turn over computer source codes for the intoxilyzer 5000 when certain conditions are met? Can test results be suppressed and DWI offenses be dismissed?
read more
Protection With Access Doors
By: seoarbiterarticles |
Home security
One of the most important things that we value in life is security, especially these days when crime rates are on the rise
read more
Autoresponder Access to Secret Pages
By: JamieCG |
Autoresponder Access to Secret Pages People love to have access to things that other people can't get
read more
Find Court Records Today
By: Jeff Webster |
It is easy for the common people, to get the details about anybody, through the information given in a court records. It is not a difficult task to assess a person, through his personal details, to see that we are dealing with a decent individual. Before going to apply for the jobs, we can also analyze ourselves, as the others to give us the employment may scrutinize it.
read more
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text:
Good Afternoon,
I hereby request the help of residents, essentially collectors in Slovakia.
Like you, I also try to enrich my collection with trade with other collectors, especially the European space.
How do I search have contacts in all countries in order to obtain the most various currencies that are being issued, reached an agreement with a collector of Slovakia.
(As we all know, and increasingly there and goes up the probability of a party fails to comply with the agreement.)
Thus, on 03.02.2015, proceeded to sending two FDC Vatikan for the collector and expecting to receive in time the other party agreed.
To my surprise, when I proceed will open the padded envelope, check to my astonishment that are not the correct coins.
As standard procedure, immediately sent an e-mail stating that there had been a mistake and that would return the said coins, and wanted to quickly mine.
As nowadays it is possible to verify the services of the post office, I see that the said person in question received the wrong currencies.
The problem is that even today after many attempts to contact, never received any message from this person.
Thus, solicited who can help me, get in touch with this person or someone close.
Not willing to lose my coins (VALUE IS VERY HIGH) and is willing to proceed with a complaint with the POLICE against this person.
This is the name for the colector and your adress:
Best Regards,
Jacinto/S.Bento / Portugal
Hi Peter. At this time we don't have specific date.
Hi Peter,
Are you still looking for one roll of Lithuania 2 Euro coin - new national design?
I have this roll and can swap it. Also at this moment I have 1, 2 and 5 cents coins (Lithuania) rolls for swaping.
Arunas (Lithuania)
hello friend
I leave you my email contact me in private
I can not
Hi Peter,
if your friend is interested to buy the vatican 2005 and or 2006 cc u can always mail me @ firstname.lastname@example.com
he can choose between BU blister or the numisletter for each of the 2 coins (but they are not cheap as u can imagine)
Belgian greetings
Hi Peter I'm Massimo from Italy I look at Slovakia ( but other countries too ) euro coins, unc or circulated no problem. I send you my coins list. Can we swap some coins? Thanks, Massimo
Hi, I collect circulated euro coins, regular and commemorative of all years and all countries. So I would like some coins from your country. If you can help me or would like to swap, contact me at: email@example.com
Hello Peter for the coincard i want 3 or 4 unc coins depending on their value.If it is ok for you we can swap.Alexis.
Ok, no problem, if you need something just ask.
Best regards,


text:
German American Fest stolen items returned
Chicago's Euro Express receives most equipment back from police
THE BLADE/LORI KING Enlarge | Buy This Photo
A warrant was filed today against an East Toledo man whom police said had a band's stolen musical instruments.
Jason Cook, 43, of 447 Nevada St. is wanted on three first-degree misdemeanor charges for receiving stolen property after an anonymous tip led Oregon police to his residence, where police recovered a stash of musical instruments owned by members of a Chicago band that played at the German-American Festival.
The Euro Express Band awoke Aug. 25 to discover their trailer, parked outside the Comfort Inn, 2930 Navarre Ave. in Oregon, had been forced open and their instruments stolen.
Oregon police recovered the items, which included drums, accordion, guitar, and amplifiers valued at nearly $14,000, on Friday.
Drummer John Gunther traveled to the Oregon police station today from Chicago to bring back the band's stolen instruments.


text:
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Para Publishing Home
The Self-Publishing Manual: How to Write, Print
& Sell Your Own Book, Volume 1, Revised Edition.
The Self-Publishing Manual: How to Write, Print & Sell Your Own Book, Volume 2
Writing Nonfiction: Turning Thoughts into Books. Reveals the New "Book" Model for writing and producing your book. Resources,
Is There a Book Inside You?: Writing Alone or with
a Collaborator, 5th revised edition.
Successful Nonfiction: Tips & Inspiration for Getting
Published, 1st edition.
Dan Poynter's Book Publishing Encyclopedia: Tips & Resources for Authors & Publishers.
Statistics on Books & Publishing


text:
Tuesday, June 23—2-3 PM
Van Ness Masonic Temple, Third-Floor Auditorium
Nutrition and Metabolism
Edwin H. Ellison, MD, Milwaukee Chairman, Multiple Discipline Research Forum Committee
Willard A. Krehl, MD, Iowa City, IowaLaurance W. Kinsell, MD, Oakland, CalifMichael G. Wohl, MD, Philadelphia
Willard A. Krehl, MD, Iowa City, Iowa
Laurance W. Kinsell, MD, Oakland, Calif
Michael G. Wohl, MD, Philadelphia
1. The Effect of Subtotal Pancreatectomy on the Growth of Young Mice
Grady L. Hallman, MD, and George L. Jordan, Jr., MD., Cora and Webb Mading Department of Surgery, Baylor University College of Medicine and Veterans Administration Hospital, HoustonIn the management of traumatic pancreatic transection it is frequently more expeditious to remove the distal portion of the gland rather than anastomose it to the gastrointestinal tract. Concern over the effect of subtotal pancreatectomy on the growth of young individuals led to the following experiment. The pancreas distal to the superior mesenteric artery was excised in a group of 30
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History: Forum:In sonic colors final boss how does eggman use the drill wisp
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text:
I don't know how to communicate in my online life the detours, false-starts, apparent-dead-ends, and amazing turns the journey in our real lives has taken– especially in the past 2 years.
There's no other way to put it than, we are moving back to America.
Insane, right? I can't express the emotional roller coaster that I've been going through since the idea of moving back was first presented to us.
We've been in Cambodia for about 2 years, and there's been much that has transpired behind-the-scenes of endless photographs. The people we've encountered have greatly impacted our lives, as I hope we have to theirs. While living in Cambodia we have traveled to dozens of orphanages, worked with countless humanitarian organizations, taken around 10,000 photographs, and traveled the world. If it weren't for my relationship with God and my husband I don't think I would have survived. There has been several moments of confusion of "what am I doing in Asia", followed by "how could I ever leave Asia".
Over the past few months, Ryan and I have been wracking our brains trying to figure out how we can better provide orphan care to millions of orphans around the world. We've have countless Skype meetings with the Serving Orphans Worldwide office, met with orphan care leaders and directors around the globe, and networked with sustainability organizations all to understand how we can make SOW orphanages more sustainable. And over the last several months, we've begun to realize that the best way we can serve the cause of this mission field is to leave it.
Ryan and I will be moving to Tri-Cities, Tennessee to work full-time in the SOW office to develop the biggest orphan care program probably in existence. I will be mapping out a very special campaign that I have so much passion for it hurts. While Ryan will be networking with orphan care and sustainability organizations, as well as orphanage site visits. Looks like I wont be traveling around as much, but it's not a job requirement…it's more of a physical requirement because there's little bun in the Baker's oven!
The most exciting news of the year is that in around late June we will be having our first baby! Ryan and I couldn't be more ecstatic. We've been wanting to start a family for a few years now, but with amount of traveling we had to do it wasn't possible. Now we are super ready and can hardly stand it!
And while we are convinced that this is our best-shot at using our giftings to help orphans, I'd be lying to say there isn't a deep sadness that comes with the decision. Because in many ways, it's been thrilling to be on the front-lines. It's been raw and dramatic and exotic. I find myself speaking more Khmer without hesitation and have friends that have helped me become a better person. I've learned to love moto rides and little hut food stands and a slower pace of life.
I'd be lying to say I wasn't nervous about the transition. I'm scared we won't have the money to get back and set up a life stateside and nervous about reverse culture shock.
At the same time, I'm utterly excited about returning home. To the mountains, to the language of my heart, to bread and not rice, my family and friends. America is the next chapter in my life. I know my children will be little globetrotters because it's in our blood. I also can't say any move in my life is permanent. If God ever lead us to move to somewhere else overseas I don't think there would be much hesitation. Right now God wants us to do as He has asked us to do…to help orphans and widows in their trouble. James 1:27
Please pray for a safe journey home for Ryan, myself, Rugby, Diego, and Eggie (Korean for baby).


text:
Warming temperatures and mating season make for ideal conditions that re-energize Florida's estimated 1.3 million alligators, and experts are warning locals as well as tourists to stay out of the way.
The risk of an increase in human-alligator interactions can also be attributed to the state's population and tourism growth, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Authorities explained that mating season generally begins with a courtship in April followed by breeding in May and June, a time when temperatures begin to rise. Alligators tend to be the most active when daily temperatures reach 82 to 92 degrees Fahrenheit, typically late in their mating season.
Alligators are ectothermic; they rely on external sources of heat to regulate their body temperature, causing it to fluctuate according to its surroundings. They control their body temperature by basking in the sun, or moving to areas with warmer or cooler air or water temperatures.
Mating season and warming temperatures can lead to more unwanted appearances and interactions with humans, according to Susan Smith, a spokesperson for the FWC.
Last year the commission logged 455 nuisance alligators calls in Pinellas County, which lead to the harvest or relocation of 261 reptiles.
In the state, 12 people were reported bitten by an alligator last year. The last reported death was in 2007 when a 36 year old man was seized and drowned by an alligator as he was swimming across a pond at the Miccosukee Indian Reservation in West Miami. A 9'4" alligator was believed to be responsible for the attack.
To keep alligators out of your yard, officials recommend homeowners install a fence that is at least four and a half feet tall. While alligators are good climbers, anything lower would not be adequate protection.
If you do have a close run-in with an alligator that charges at you, run away fast and straight, not zig-zag. According to FWC authorities, there is no basis to the myth that you should run in a zig-zag pattern to avoid a charging alligator.
If you do find yourself in the extremely unlikely position of avoiding a lunging alligator, you should run in a straight line away from the alligator and its habitat, which is where the alligator will most likely retreat to and never approach an alligator that is on land.
To prevent unpleasant encounters, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission offer these facts and safety tips:
• Leave alligators alone. Alligators are shy animals that usually avoid human contact.
• Pay attention. Keep an eye on your surroundings near fresh or brackish waters. Avoid vegetation-filled areas of rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water.
• Do not feed alligators. Feeding alligators is illegal. Alligators that are fed will come to associate humans with food and will lose their natural fear.
• Throw fish scraps into trash cans. Do not discard fish scraps in the water at fish camps or boat ramps—you will unintentionally feed alligators.
• Follow directions on signs. Do not swim outside of posted swimming areas.
• Swim during daylight hours only. Alligators are most active at night.
• Stay with children. Never allow small children to play unattended near water.
• Keep an eye on your pets. Dogs are in more danger from alligators than humans, because they resemble the reptiles' natural prey. Do not let your dog swim in waters where you know alligators live.
Remember the odds. You are more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked by an alligator in Florida.
State law makes it illegal to kill or harass alligators. Alligators may be harvested under special licenses and permits issued by the conservation commission.
If you have a nuisance alligator in your area, call 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286).


text:
Embrace Perfume
By Mark Cross for Women
Embrace Perfume by Mark Cross, This fragrance was released in 1997 . A warm floral fragrance that will delight you. An aromatic romantic scent for the sophisticated woman. It is a composition of floral notes mixed anchored with sandalwood and musk for a warm embrace. All products are original, authentic name brands. We do not sell knockoffs or imitations. ... Read More
- U By Adolfo Dominguez
- U2 Brands
- Udv Chic Issime
- Udv Divine Issime
- Udv Gold Issime
- Udv Pour Elle
- Udv Sensuelle
- Udv Sublime
- Ulric De Varens
- Ulrich Lang New York
- Ultima II
- Ultimate Seduction
- Ultrared
- Ultraviolet
- Ultraviolet Aquatic
- Ultraviolet Aurora Borealis
- Ultraviolet Fluoressence
- Ultraviolet Intense
- Un Air D'amour Pour Madame
- Un Air De Arabie
- Un Air De Damas
- Un Air De Damas Tubereuse
- Un Air De Molinard
- Un Air De Paris
- Un Air De Samsara
- Un Bois Sepia
- Un Bois Vanille
- Un Jardin Apres La Mousson
- Un Jardin En Mediterranee
- Un Jardin Sur Le Nil
- Un Jardin Sur Le Toit
- Un Matin D'orage
- Un Parfum Des Sens Et Bois
- Un Zest De Rose
- Unbelievable
- Unbound
- Unbreakable Bond
- Unbreakable Joy
- Unbreakable Love
- Unconditional Love
- Unforgettable
- Unforgivable
- Unforgivable Black
- Ungaro
- Ungaro For Her
- Ungaro Party
- Uninhibited
- United Colors Of Benetton
- United Colors Of Benetton Gold
- Universal Studios
- unknown
- Unmistakably Mackie
- Unpredictable Desire
- Unpredictable Girl
- Unpredictable Lady
- Unruly
- Untold
- Untold Absolu
- Untold Eau Legere
- Urban Motion
- Usher
- Usher For Women
- Usher Ur
1.7 oz Eau De Toilette Spray (unboxed)
Item #462976
Unboxed items are a great way to save! They are the same as the boxed version, always original, fresh and authentic... Read more Why are they unboxed? Sometimes boxes can be damaged in transit, torn, or in less than perfect condition. We can buy these items cheaper than the boxed versions and we pass the savings on to you. Be sure to take advantage of great unboxed deals!
In Stock, Ships within 14 hours
Hurry! Only 7 in stock
$ 29.99Add To Cart
This product has 1 Out of Stock items |
Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought
Customer Comments
I was very pleased with my ordering experience and will order again! Thank you for offering lower prices!!! I love the way you explain the fragrances, It's very helpful.
M. Conover (Winlock, WA)
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®by PowerReviews
Best Uses
- Special occasions (3)
Reviewed by 3 customers
Sort by
- Clean & Fresh
- Draws Compliments
- Great Smell
- Great Value
- Long-Lasting
- Sensual
Best Uses
- Evening Use
- Special Occasions
Comments about Mark Cross Embrace Perfume:
- Fragrance Type:
- Fresh/Aquatic, Oriental/Spicy
- Sensual
- Too Expensive
Best Uses
- Special Occasions
Comments about Mark Cross Embrace Perfume:
It's not the smell that was 15 years ago, it will spoil the time smell.
Sorry for the money.
- Fragrance Type:
- Herbal
- Draws Compliments
- Great Smell
- Great Value
- None
Best Uses
- Anytime
- Daily Use
- Evening Use
- Special Occasions
Comments about Mark Cross Embrace Perfume:
Longlasting though not owerpowering different scent. It is warm 'embracing', I smell some florals and a decent but present spice potpourri, especially mild cinamon. I love parfums, this one is very different, far away from mainstream scents. I like it for winter, autumn.
- Fragrance Type:
- Floral, Oriental/Spicy


text:
Original Link: http://www.anandtech.com/show/1653
System Review – PC-Club Silencerby Jarred Walton on March 28, 2005 12:05 AM EST
- Posted in
- Systems
IntroductionDepending on your technical prowess, configuring and building a PC can take as little as a few hours or as much as weeks of angst and hair-pulling as you try to decide what's best. Our Buyer's Guides are meant to help with choosing the components, but there are still quite a few people who prefer to get a built-to-order system that runs out of box. All of the large OEMs provide such systems, but their quality, features, customization, etc. are often more limited. PC-Club has sent us a complete system for review that offers many unique features, and so we've put it through the paces.
In terms of direct competitors, the best market for the Silencer is probably the Small Form Factor arena. The case is taller and deeper than most SFF designs, but it's also flatter and offers more in the way of expansion. More importantly, however, is that noise levels are a primary consideration. The case is actually a micro-ATX form factor, so at the very least, it will take up less space than your typical mid-tower chassis. One of the advantages for end users is that the components are all off-the-shelf parts, so upgrading or replacing components shouldn't pose a problem. Then again, you don't usually buy a pre-built system if you're really concerned about upgrading and tweaking the internals.
Given the similar target audience, we're going to run the Silencer system through the same review process that we use in evaluating SFF cases. We'll even provide some benchmarks with the included hardware as well as with the SFF platform hardware, just to see how it compares. Suffice it to say, if you're looking for something out of the norm, the Silencer is an interesting product that addresses a growing desire of computer owners. What audience does it target? The name should give you a clue.
AestheticsNote: PC-Club has started offering an alternative case for the Silencer since we received our initial unit for testing. The new case is a CoolerMaster ATC-620, and it is black in color. The internals remain the same, and given our comments on the LCD, we think that the CoolerMaster case is an acceptable alternative. This review, however, is using the Athenatech case and so we cannot comment on the actual build, aesthetics, etc. of the CoolerMaster. Also, the images in this article are rather grainy, and for this, I apologize. Unfortunately, it is a limitation of my current camera (which I will hopefully replace in the near future). The case and other components should not have the speckled look seen in the images, if that's any help. Here's a quick digital camera mini-review: do not purchase a Fuji S5000 - the ISO speeds are limited to 200 and 400, which results in grainy or grainier images. 10X optical zoom is nice, but it doesn't make up for the low quality sensor.
|Click images to enlarge.
The exterior of the Silencer is relatively interesting. It's a thinner design and it could blend in quite well as a HTPC (Home Theater PC) system. As configured, that is not the intended market; but with the addition of a TV-tuner card, that is definitely one potential use. The case is made of silver plastic and steel with blue highlights. Opinions will differ, but we find it to be just different enough from the standard case to be attractive, without going into the realm of the gaudy. The top of the case (or side, depending on how you set it up) has a ventilation area that is above the CPU region at the rear of the case. It should help a bit in getting cool air into the case, allowing for the use of fewer fans.
The front panel has silver doors covering the optical drive and front ports, with a sliding blue door hiding the floppy drive. Power and reset buttons are located in the center blue area of the case, and in the lower right are three buttons for adjusting the front LCD. The remaining sections in the top-left, top-right, and middle right are simple covers that are fixed in place. What was that about an LCD? That's right, there's a small LCD located at the bottom of the blue stripe. Information on the temperatures of the CPU, HDD, and system is displayed, as well as the time and hard drive activity. The LCD is back-lit by a moderately bright blue light. If you want a dark case, you probably won't care for the LCD, but enterprising users can probably figure out how to disable the light. Also shown in the LCD is the current time and date, and you can set an alarm as well. (Who puts an alarm on a computer case? Am I alone in thinking this is just a little odd? It's something that I would expect from a $5 digital watch, not a moderately expensive computer case.)
One item to be aware of is that while the case appears to be designed with the ability to function in either a tower setup or lying flat, it really doesn't do either perfectly. In a vertical orientation, you'll need to worry about the DVD drive and take care when inserting and removing CD/DVD discs. Using it in the desktop orientation seems to be a good idea, but the temptation to block the vents on the top of the case with papers or - heaven forbid! - a monitor might be too much for some people. An LCD would probably be fine sitting up there, but we definitely wouldn't recommend placing a CRT on top of the case. The other problem with laying the case flat on its side is that the LCD on the front is made for the vertical orientation, so the text would be sideways. This doesn't prevent the use of the case in such a configuration, but again, it is a small concern that will affect certain users.
FeaturesMoving on to the internals and features, we find many areas of interest. Here's the brief overview.
PC-Club Silencer EN-SI1
|(w)146 mm x (h)368 mm x (d)381 mm
|CPU Support
|Celeron/Pentium M socket 479 up to 2.13 GHz model 760
|Memory Support
|PC1600/PC2100/PC2700/PC3200 up to 2GB; 2 DIMM slots
|Aopen i855GMEm-LFS
Intel 855GME/ICH4-M Chipsets
400/533 FSB with 1:1/3:4/3:5 memory ratio
|Expansion Slots
|1 x AGP 4X; 3 x PCI
|Power Supply
|450W A+ GPB/Athena Power PSU
3 x 4-pin Molex; 1 x 4-pin FDD; 2 x SATA
1 x 20-pin ATX; 1 x 4-pin ATX12V
|Internal Connections
|2 x SATA; 2 x IDE; 1 x FDD; 1 x S/PDIF
|Realtek 655 AC'97 5.1 channel
|2 x 10/100/1000 Mbps
|Drive Bays
|1 x 3.5 External (Floppy)
2 x 3.5 Internal (HDD)
1 x 5.25 External (CD/DVD)
|Front I/O
|2 x USB 2.0
MIC, Head-phone
Power & Reset buttons
LCD with 3 temperature indicators, time and date, HDD activity, and an alarm clock
|Rear I/O
|4 x USB 2.0, 1 x IEEE1394 (6-pin)
PS/2 KB, PS/2 Mouse, VGA
1 x Serial port, 1 x Parallel port
2 x RJ-45 GbE LAN Port
Center/Sub, L/R Front, L/R Surround
|CPU bus 100-400; CPU Ratio 6X-Max; AGP 66/75.43/88;
PCI 33/37.72/44; Vcc 0.700V-1.340V; DDR 1:1/3:4/3:5 ratios
|Integrated Intel Extreme 2;
eVGA 6800GT plus AC Silencer OC to 400/1100
|Hard Drives
|WD 74GB Raptor 10,000 RPM SATA;
|Aopen 16X DVD+RW with Dual-Layer
|3.5" Mistsumi Floppy Drive
|Logitech X-530 5.1
|Logitech Cordless MX with Optical Mouse, Bluetooth Edition
|LCD front panel;
Far Cry (6800GT)
|Full Image Set
|PC-Club Silencer (4.9MB)
|Manufacturer Link
|PC-Club Silencer EN-SI1
As you can see, the system as equipped could quite easily be duplicated without the need to go through PC-Club. (We'll actually take a look at pricing at the end of the review.) The most interesting aspect, right off the bat, is the use of a Pentium M processor and motherboard. While our own analysis of the performance of Pentium M CPUs shows that they aren't as fast as the latest Pentium 4 and Athlon 64 chips in many tasks, the maximum heat output of 22W is certainly something to take into consideration. We didn't have a power meter on hand, so we can't actually say what the system's power draw ended up being, but we can do a bit of quick math for the theoretical usage.
Assuming a 20W average power draw for the Pentium M compared to 75W for a speedier Athlon 64, what sort of power savings are we looking at over the course of the year? It will vary by location, of course, but for our SFF labs, the power bill comes to roughly 7 cents per Kilowatt-Hour. If we assume 24/7 usage of the system, then we can calculate the power savings over the course of a year.
|Always On Power Usage
|Pentium M
|Athlon 64
|Watt Use
Even with unrealistic figures - i.e. constant power usage running 24/7 - the power savings simply from the CPU alone do not amount to much. $34 over the course of the year is nothing, particularly when compared with the power used by refrigerators, washers and dryers, lights, TVs, etc. Even the remainder of the computer system will use a lot more power than the CPU. So, as far as power savings are concerned, the Pentium M isn't that big of a deal. It's great for laptops, of course, where the batteries are typically rated at 50 to 90 WHr at best - cutting power draw by 30W would extend battery life substantially. This isn't a laptop review, unfortunately. Then again, getting a heat sink to cool a 22W chip is a lot easier than cooling a 100W chip like the 3.8GHz Prescotts. Less heat means that even passive cooling of the CPU is an option, and even with a low speed fan, the noise levels should be next to nothing. That's where the Pentium M really attracts our attention. Also included are some overclocking controls in the BIOS, which we'll take a look at later.
Our SFF testing has shown that designing a reasonably quiet system isn't too difficult, but the graphics card often ruins the end result. This is particularly true of the high-end graphics cards like the X800 and 6800 series. PC-Club has decked out their Silencer with a relatively high-end graphics card, but in order to make it mesh with the rest of the system and the "Silencer" name, they picked an eVGA 6800GT with an Arctic Cooling Silencer attached. If you've never had the chance to see and hear such a cooler in person, they're a great way to reduce noise levels. It is certainly possible to perform the installation of the Arctic Cooling Silencer on your own, but with the PC-Club setup, you don't have to worry about voiding any warranties, and you save yourself a bit of work.
The Arctic Cooling Silencer isn't completely silent, but when compared with our standard X800 Pro cards it does reduce noise levels noticeably. An added benefit is that the Silencer cools both the GPU core as well as the RAM, and PC-Club shipped the system to us with the 6800GT overclocked to 425/1100. We encountered some stability issues, unfortunately, and so we dropped the speed down to 400/1000. We could have probably pushed the card to at least 1100 on the RAM, but we were more interested in getting the benchmarking done. (PC-Club confirmed that they are shipping the units at 400/1100 clock speeds now, so performance in GPU bandwidth limited situations should be slightly higher than our results.)
PC-Club sent us a system with two SATA hard drives, a Western Digital 74GB Raptor and a Western Digital 200GB. To be honest, we really have to question the use of the Raptor in such a system. Sure, it's faster on HDD tasks than the 7200 RPM drives, but the seek noise is also much louder. At one point, while running a disk defrag, the whole case was resonating at 50+ dB due to the drive heads seeking back and forth. Add to this the cramped quarters and the presence of a second hard drive less than a centimeter away, we can't help but worry about the long-term prospects of the system. Even if the heat output of the Raptor isn't a problem, we'd still prefer a drive with less seek noise. Samsung drives in particular have very little seek noise, although Seagate, Maxtor and Western Digital aren't much louder.
The remainder of the system is pretty typical of most computer setups, albeit with a high-end slant. The Athenatech case used will normally come with a 200W power supply when purchased on its own, but PC-Club has installed a 450W A+ GPB (Athena Power) in its place. The PSU is a standard sized ATX model with SATA power connections, as well as the standard molex, floppy, and motherboard connections. It's not a brand that we've seen much, but in our use it was very quiet and seemed to have no problems. The rear of the PSU was slightly warped by one of the screws, but this appears to be due to the tight fit rather than metal fatigue. A quick search online indicates that pricing on the PSU is relatively high ($70+), so it should be of good quality. Besides, worst case scenario, the PSU has to power two hard drives, a DVD, the graphics card, and a low power CPU.
|Click images to enlarge.
On the rear panel, we have the USB, audio, Firewire, and networking ports. Integrated graphics are also present, courtesy of the i855G chipset, but since PC-Club only sells the system with a 6800GT, it's something of a moot point. The Aopen motherboard used was designed more for blade servers, and as such, it includes two GbE ports. That's overkill for typical home use, and unfortunately, audio also takes a back seat. The front panel does include headphone and microphone plugs, but they cannot be used simultaneously with the rear ports. Plugging in headphones on the front of the case will disable the matching rear port. We did find that the sound was clear on both the rear and front panel ports, which is definitely a plus. Unfortunately, there were no S/PDIF connections and there are only three standard 1/8" jacks, which can be configured for up to 5.1 audio support. An internal header for S/PDIF support is present, but that would cost extra and would use up yet another expansion card slot. If you wanted to use the PC as part of a home theater, the lack of optical connections may be cause for concern. On the bright side, there are a couple of extra PCI slots that could be used to house an audio card or TV tuner. (You'd have to give up the Firewire connection to fit two PCI cards, unless you go with a graphics card that doesn't include the large Silencer HSF.)
Wrapping things up, PC-Club included a floppy drive and an Aopen 16X DVD+RW drive, both with black bezels. Since PC-Club sent us an entire system - including everything but the monitor - we should also mention those items. They sent us some Logitech X-530 5.1 speakers. We've recommended them (and their predecessor Z-640) in many of our budget to mid-range Guides. They're certainly capable of producing acceptable sound, although they aren't going to put any reasonable home theater to shame. The keyboard and mouse are a different story, as PC-Club includes the Logitech Cordless Desktop MX for Bluetooth package. At times, the responsiveness of the mouse was a little slow, particularly after letting it sit for a while. It seemed to take a second or two to "wake up". However, the range of the Bluetooth devices was very good, working easily from the couch as well as from up to 30 feet away (at which time we lost sight of the screen). Serious gamers might prefer a corded mouse still, but we think that the keyboard and mouse combination works very well for HTPC use - provided that you have some convenient place to set them when you're not controlling the PC; a keyboard makes for a very large "remote control".
As usual, nothing is perfect, and there are a few areas where we feel that the features are a bit lacking. We've mentioned the onboard audio solution. A Realtek 655 AC'97 audio solution is not uncommon, but it's nothing special either. The lack of support for S/PDIF and line-in/microphone is a bit more problematic; we wish that the Firewire mounting bracket had included some S/PDIF connections at the very least. Finally, the use of cheap Logitech X-530 speakers is also at odds with the rest of the system. The Z-5300e would have been a better match, or even the Z-5500 (assuming S/PDIF was included or you purchase an add-in sound card). As a whole, the current audio subsystem in the Silencer could use a slight upgrade.
The Firewire support is also somewhat problematic; it is included, but it comes via a mounting bracket as opposed to being located on the rear I/O panel or on the front of the case. (This is Aopen's decision, of course, not PC-Club's.) Having a micro-ATX board is an advantage relative to most SFF configurations, as up to three PCI slots are available. Using two of those slots with the Firewire bracket and the GPU Silencer negates the advantage.
Some people might also find the lack of a flash card reader to be a drawback, although it's not a huge problem - 9-in-1 readers can be found for $25 these days. Still, it might have been nice to have one integrated into the case somewhere. Just don't replace the floppy drive, as it is definitely a necessity. The onboard SATA controller is not provided via the chipset, but comes from a Promise FastTrack controller. While the system comes pre-loaded with the OS, you will need a floppy with the SATA drivers if you ever want to reinstall Windows XP.
Finally - and we've mentioned this in recent articles - the entire package is relatively high-end, with something of a gamer slant. Our own testing of the Pentium M shows it to be a decent but not outstanding gaming CPU. Even with the new socket 478 adapter from ASUS and some overclocking, Pentium M on the desktop is niche product. The 2.0 GHz model 755J provided in the review system costs almost as much as an Athlon 64 4000+. Needless to say, the 4000+ is substantially faster in the majority of benchmarks. The use of Mushkin 2.5-3-3-7 RAM seems a bit odd at first, and you are limited to two DIMMs. Mushkin is a respected brand, but pairing a $450 CPU with $100 memory is unusual. As you'll see in our testing, however, even RAM with 2-2-2 timings didn't make a very big difference in performance, so the Mushkin is a good fit.
Construction and SetupThe overall external build quality is generally good. Long-term durability should present no problem, although the case did have/develop a few scratches. It arrived at our location with some areas on the sides where the silver paint had worn off as well as a small ding. We're not sure if these happened during construction, with a previous reviewer, or perhaps due to our own negligence in handling the case, but we mention them nonetheless. As with most computer equipment, we would advise some care in handling the system. Hopefully, such blemishes are not coming from PC-Club, and we'll give them the benefit of the doubt. As we move to the internals, remember that our comments here will only affect you should you choose to try and upgrade the system, so we're not terribly concerned with the flaws in the internal design.
|Click images to enlarge.
Once we open up the case, we encounter some good design aspects as well as some potential problems. On the good side of things, we have thumbscrews used for several items. Two secure the cover, and there are two more each for the optical/floppy bay, and each hard drive cage. The use of drive cages is also convenient, as it becomes easier to mount the HDDs without worrying about cables or other items getting in the way. The only complaint we had was that getting the cables connected to the rear of the drives was a little tricky in the cramped confines of the case. A little more slack on the SATA power and data cables would have helped, but that might also get in the way of airflow once the drives are secured in place.
|Click images to enlarge.
All is not well with the HDD setup, however. It's no secret that heat helps to kill hard drives. Last summer, in 100 F weather and a house without AC, I had a six-month-old Samsung HDD fail on me. It was placed in an Antec case with two other drives, and even the presence of a fan in front of the drives wasn't enough to keep them cool. We generally like to have at least a centimeter of open space above and beneath our hard drives, and a low RPM fan in front of the drives helps. The case does not have a fan at this location, although the power supply should provide for some circulation. As for proximity, with both hard drive bays filled, there is very little room for air circulation. We didn't have any issues during testing, but we were only using the system for a few weeks as opposed to months, so problems aren't likely to occur. Long-term - particularly in areas that get hot during the summer months - we are very concerned with the use of a 10,000 RPM Raptor in such a cramped space. Should you choose to purchase such a system from PC-Club, our advice would be to stick with two 7200 RPM drives at most, preferably models with fluid dynamic bearings. They're quieter and run cooler, which seems to be the better fit for such a system.
In a similar vein to the HDD heat concerns, the location of the RAM is right underneath the optical drive - completely obscured by the drive, in fact. Air flow to this area will not be very good; although with the maximum of two DIMMs, things should be okay. The inclusion of CL2.5 Mushkin RAM may be intended to lower heat output, and even with a 3:5 memory ratio, the RAM will be run at PC2700 speeds and overclocking won't get the RAM up to more than PC3200 speeds. We would be more concerned if there were four DIMMs and faster memory could be used, but in this design, the relatively confined quarters for the RAM shouldn't matter too much.
There are some other issues near the RAM, however. The floppy and IDE cables in the area create more "clutter", and while rounded cables help somewhat, they're on the long side. We would prefer the use of some shorter IDE cables instead. There is no room for a second IDE device near the DVD+RW, so a short, flat IDE cable would tuck away quite nicely, and the same goes for the floppy cable. Shuttle and several other SFF manufacturers have such cables, and even though PC-Club may not manufacture most of their components, procuring different cables should be simple to do. (The unit arrived with the floppy cable detached, incidentally - it appears to have come loose during shipping, likely due to the length and weight. Perhaps shorter cables would have avoided this problem.) One of the advantages of a pre-built system is that the system integrator should be able to tailor the build to the specific needs, and we don't think that PC-Club did as well as they could have in this instance.
The final point that we would like to make on the construction has to do with the fans. We are not advocates of smaller fan sizes; quite the opposite, in fact. Obviously, you can't always fit a 120mm or even 80mm fan in every chassis, but the Athenatech case included one 40mm fan in the rear with space for a second fan to be added. The 40mm fan was spliced into the same power source as the CPU fan, allowing both fans to run off of one source. While the CPU fan was a 60mm model that spun at a low RPM and was nearly silent, the same cannot be said of the 40mm fan. It was by far the largest noise source in the system. After consulting with PC-Club, we unplugged the fan and were much happier with the result. Perhaps a different fan would generate less noise, and PC-Club says that the fan is not necessary, especially if you go with a single hard drive configuration. That would be our advice as well. For those who want to go to the other extreme, you could add a second 40mm fan in the rear as well as an 80mm fan on the front panel behind the LCD. We're not sure why you would want to do that, but the case does allow for it.
Overall, then, the construction of the case has a few minor problems. If PC-Club were designing their own cases, power supplies, and motherboards, we would suggest some alterations to the design. However, as they are simply a system builder, there's not much that they can do other than select different components. If you were to remove the optical drive and hard drives frequently, it would be very annoying. For the intended customers, it's not really a problem. Most users aren't going to open a system such as this and play with all the internals the way that we at AnandTech tend to do, and with PC-Club doing the system setup, you should be fine. We just wouldn't want to be the ones on the PC-Club assembly line, although we'd probably say that about any assembly line job.
BIOS and Software SetupFor most people, the software and BIOS setup are going to be a non-issue. Yes, you can access the BIOS and tweak things as you see fit, but it really isn't necessary. PC-Club set up and installed the OS and software and everything was ready for use. Just plug it in and you can get to the important stuff (like running benchmarks) in a matter of minutes. Of course, we're not typical users, so we dug a little deeper. We've included pictures of all of the BIOS screens in our full set of images, although we'll only be touching on the major areas here.
|Click images to enlarge.
With the latest R1.07 BIOS revision, we are greeted with the standard Award/Phoenix BIOS screen. The Standard CMOS Features menu offers little in the way of interest as the auto IDE device detection is typically sufficient. Unless you're using IDE hard drives, all you'll find there are the floppy and optical drives as well as a few other miscellaneous items like the time, date, and error notification. Moving on to the Advanced BIOS Features menu, we have a few areas that might need tweaking, were you building such a system yourself (or upgrading the PC-Club components). Specifically, changing the boot order, boot devices, and perhaps the HDD S.M.A.R.T. and BIOS logo settings are available. Some people say S.M.A.R.T. can cause issues – specifically with overclocking – but if it can potentially save you from losing data, we think that it's best left enabled.
initial look at the Pentium M desktop offerings explored the overclocking performance offered by the platform, and while we won't run many overclocking benchmarks with the PC-Club system, we will make a token effort. The Frequencies/Voltages submenu is where we can make certain adjustments. The CPU voltage on the Pentium 755J that we were using was already at the maximum of 1.340V, so we really couldn't try to increase the voltage in our overclocking attempts. The voltage does not appear to present a problem, but without the ability to bump it up to, say, 1.360V, we can't tell for sure. Like the Athlon 64 processors, the multiplier on Pentium M chips is downward unlocked, allowing us to use other multipliers besides the default 20X. This provides for more flexibility in tuning performance, and we'll examine this more later on when we tackle overclocking.
Most of the other menus don't offer much of interest, so we'll skip the Integrated Peripherals, Power Management, PnP/PCI, and Silent BIOS screens. You can store and retrieve your own custom settings using the last two menu items (Save/Load EEPROM Defaults), which can come in handy. Power settings are limited to enabling or disabling the smart fan mode, but we couldn't really tell any difference between the "Smart" setting and the "Full Speed" setting. Either way, the CPU fan was near silent. That's not too surprising, given the size of the heat sink and the low heat output of the processor – quite a change from the Pentium 4 and Athlon CPUs that we're used to dealing with.
That takes care of the main BIOS, but there's still another area that we need to talk about. Should you want to install your own OS (or reinstall the OS) , you will need the SATA driver disk for the Promise FastTrack controller (press F6 at the first screen of the XP installation). The SATA drive detection also adds several seconds to the boot time of the system, and when we swapped in our own Seagate SATA drive for "SFF compatible testing" , we were a little surprised at how the FastTrack controller works. Usually, SATA RAID controllers will run in either RAID or non-RAID modes. Since we were using a single drive, we expected the controller to simply run with a single drive and no RAID. However, it failed to do so.
We found that it was necessary to press Ctrl+F to enter the FastTrack setup menu and then define a RAID array that included the single hard drive. After that, we told the controller to simply store the definition, but not create the actual array on the drive, and the final configuration showed us as running a RAID 1+0 setup. We would prefer a solution that lists it as "Non-RAID" or something similar, as calling a single drive RAID 1+0 is odd. Still, once we exited the FastTrack menu, the system started to work as we expected, with a single non-RAID hard drive.
Besides the oddities in the SATA controller, installation was pretty typical, and the Aopen driver disk with its "EZ Install" option went smoothly. Again, PC-Club customers probably won't need to worry about any of this as the system comes pre-configured, but it's good to know how to proceed should you ever need to reinitialize your Windows installation.
Testing ConfigurationFor our testing, we will be comparing the PC-Club to our previous SFF systems. Right now, we'll only include the recent Shuttle SN25P, although we'll be adding other setups in the near future. You'll be able to see how the Silencer compares to other SFF systems (even though it's not technically a SFF) in upcoming articles. We have a few more socket 939 systems coming, as well as a Pentium M SFF and the socket 775 SFF roundup.
For this review, we will actually have several sets of benchmarks, depending on the test. First, we have the system as configured by PC-Club. We will then have a separate test using the 6800GT with our own OCZ Rev.2 Platinum (Samsung TCCD blanks) RAM running 2-2-2-5 timings and our 80GB Seagate SATA HDD that we use in our SFF tests. In this setup, we will unplug the extra case fan, as it should not be necessary with a single 7200 RPM HDD environment. Finally, we will include results for the system using our complete set of SFF equipment, which means that we'll swap the 6800GT Silencer out for a Sapphire X800 Pro. We'll also provide a few tests using the onboard graphics, primarily as a means to reduce noise levels and heat output.
Of course, you can't purchase the Silencer in most of these configurations from PC-Club without doing a custom order, and we wouldn't actually recommend several of them. The SFF configuration is included in order to get an apples-to-apples comparison with our SFF setups – at least insofar as the graphics card, RAM, and hard drive are concerned. The IGP represents the minimum noise configuration, but unless you have no interest in any 3D or TV application, we wouldn't bother with that setup. Our recommended setup is to keep the 6800GT, as it is both faster and quieter than the X800 Pro. Then, go with a single hard drive, or if you want to take a risk, simply unplug the case fan.
We will label the Silencer configurations as follows: "Stock" is the default configuration and will be shown in blue; "CL2" will use our OCZ RAM with the Seagate drive and will be in green; "X800Pro" will also use the OCZ and Seagate parts only with an X800Pro graphics card, and it will be in red; and lastly, "IGP" will use the Intel Integrated Graphics with the OCZ RAM and Seagate and will be in yellow. (The SN25P will be in black.)
|Performance Test Configuration
|AMD Athlon 64 3800+ (2.4GHz 512KB cache) Socket 939
Intel Pentium M 755J (2.0GHz 2MB cache)
|2 x 512MB Mushkin 2.5-3-3
2 x 512MB OCZ PC3200 Platinum Rev. 2
|Hard Drive(s):
|Western Digital Raptor 74GB 10000RPM SATA
Western Digital 200GB 7200RPM SATA
Seagate 80GB 7200 RPM SATA (8MB Buffer)
|Video AGP & IDE Bus Master Drivers:
|nVidia nForce 6.39
Intel 855 Chipset Drivers 220.127.116.117
|Video Card(s):
|eVGA 6800GT Silencer 400/1000
Sapphire X800 Pro PCIe VIVO
|Video Drivers:
|NVIDIA ForceWare 71.84
ATI Catalyst 5.2 without CCC
|Operating System(s):
|Windows XP Professional SP2
|PC-Club Silencer EN-SI1
Shuttle XPC SN25P
If it seems unfair to match up the Pentium M 2.0GHz against a 2.4GHz Athlon 64, remember that the current retail pricing puts the Pentium 755 at $450 while the Athlon 64 3800+ can be had for $375 and the Athlon 64 4000+ can be had for $540. Price-wise, the Athlon 64 system is actually cheaper than the Pentium M, and it is certainly the better buy (assuming that it outperforms the Pentium M as we expect).
General Performance and EncodingWe'll start with the WinStones 2004 results. The real world application of these scores is dubious, as most business/office applications tend to spend most of their time waiting on the user. However, we include them as a general indication of system performance. For more detailed benchmarks, we recommend that you look at our full coverage of Pentium M on the Desktop.
In business performance, the Pentium M 755 does well, helped in large part by the fast 2MB L2 cache. Differences between the tested configurations of the Silencer are, as expected, negligible. Using 2-2-2 RAM improves performance by a few percent, but the change in graphics cards and hard drives has little to no effect on performance. One interesting footnote for the Business WinStones scores is that the Pentium M showed a large amount of variance between runs when we used the onboard graphics. 3% or less is acceptable and with a graphics card, the variance was usually 2% or less. The Silencer with IGP enabled had variance of 11%, in addition to running slightly slower than the discrete graphics configurations. Even with such a large (relative) difference between benchmark runs, we doubt that anyone would notice which system was faster in everyday use.
The Content Creation side of things is even closer in terms of the Silencer performance. Not even the IGP configuration really differs that much in performance. Here, however, we see the handicap of the Pentium M architecture. The Athlon 64 is noticeably faster, topping the highest configuration of the Silencer by just over 20%.
For our encoding test, we use AutoGK to encode a chapter from the "Sum of All Fears" DVD to 75% quality without audio, using both the DivX and Xvid codecs. These are one-pass encoding runs, which don't get the best conversion quality, but they do provide a look at the video encoding performance of a system. As a more realistic re-encoding benchmark, we'll also include the time required to encode the sample video that we used in our Socket 478 and 745 SFF roundup to a target size of 5 MB, this time including stereo audio and with a fixed video width of 640 pixels. There are 900 frames in the video clip, so you could try to calculate an overall FPS rate for the conversion. We prefer to look at the total time rather than just a single pass, however, as AutoGK 1.60 ends up doing three complete passes plus some miscellaneous work to arrive at the final result.
DivX and Xvid are both very demanding of the memory subsystem as well as floating point/SSE performance. The Pentium M architecture with single channel DDR333 memory is simply not able to compete well with the more powerful desktop chips (although it is still probably faster than the Athlon XP). The SN25P with Athlon 64 3800+ beats the Silencer by 25% to 30% in our AutoGK tests – not even a healthy overclock is going to close the gap.
Gaming PerformanceGaming performance will be interesting on the Pentium M. The large L2 cache helps out quite a bit. Although, we expect the 3800+ to still win by a decent margin.
With the 6800GT, the Silencer tends to outperform the SN25P by a small amount in Doom 3, and the gap becomes a gulf when we enable 4xAA. This is typical of Doom 3, of course. While Doom 3 is more GPU limited, Half-Life 2 is clearly running into a CPU limitation. The City 17 map in particular hammers the CPU, and the SN25P comes out ahead by as much as 35%. In all of the tests, the use of CL2 RAM had a very minor impact on performance – around 3%, and sometimes even less. At present, then, there's not much reason to fault PC-Club's decision to use cheaper CL2.5 RAM.
We threw in 3DMark03 scores just for fun. We use 3DMark03 in a looping mode for our stress test, so we figured that we might as well give you the numbers. It's not a surprise that the 6800GT comes out faster than the X800Pro, particularly since it's running with the 6800Ultra clock speed on the GPU. What is interesting is that the CPU scores also show a large advantage with the 6800GT configuration. CPU benchmarks don't generally depend on the graphics card in our experience, which is why we don't put too much stock in the 3DMark results.
Noise LevelsWe usually run two sets of noise tests, in order to provide a more comprehensive picture of how loud each SFF is. Our standard test uses the same setup as our performance benchmarks. For our low-noise test, we install a fanless GPU into the system; or for systems with integrated graphics, we will use those. Mid-range to high-end graphics cards can contribute substantially to the amount of noise that a system emits, and using a lower performing graphics card will frequently reduce noise levels to the point where our SPL meter can no longer produce accurate readings. In such a case, we will simply put 30 dB as the value, and for most people, this will be close enough to silence that the system will not be noticed. Here are the results for the Silencer, with four tested configurations: standard as shipped, then without the case fan and with a single Seagate HDD, then running the X800 Pro with the Seagate, and finally, using the onboard graphics with the Seagate.
As we've alluded in the earlier parts of the review, the system case fan is tremendously noisy for such a small component. It may be necessary if you're running multiple hard drives – and even then, it may not be sufficient for two drives in such close quarters – but it really ruins the "Silencer" name. The X800Pro also manages to make quite a racket in the case, which brings us to the clear winner in terms of configurations: the eVGA with Arctic Cooling's Silencer.
With the case fan unplugged, the Silencer is able to beat all other options in terms of noise to performance ratios. 35 dB for a fast system is almost unheard of! It's nearly as quiet as running with the integrated graphics, and of course, it is many times faster than the IGP in gaming situations. Even after prolonged gaming, the Silencer kept the GPU at acceptable levels and didn't increase fan speed enough to be noticed. There were periodic noise level increases of around 3 dB, but they would usually only last 15 seconds before the fan speed would drop back down to normal.
One thing that we've mentioned before is the noise level of the Raptor drive, particularly when doing a lot of head repositioning. We didn't include the results in our noise charts, but at a distance of 12", the Raptor registered as high as 55 dB on our SPL meter – and that's with the case fan unplugged. Ouch! Loading Doom 3, HL2, other games, and booting XP all produced this amount of noise, and we think that most people who are interested in a "Silencer" PC would prefer a quieter hard drive as well, rather than increased HDD performance.
Heat OutputFor the heat test, we use a laser thermometer to record the temperatures of various key components. It is important to note that these are surface temperatures only and not a reliable means of determining core temperatures. Most system BIOSes report temperatures for the CPU, but in the past, we have found that differences in BIOS programming can cause a difference of 10 C or more. What is really important with any pre-configured system (SFF or otherwise) is that the system functions as advertised. Slightly higher system temperatures are often accompanied by lower noise levels, which we feel is a fair compromise. For the Silencer, we actually don't expect much in the way of high temperatures due to the lower heat output of the Pentium M processor. The CPU heat sink remained, at most, lukewarm to the touch during testing.
We did not experience any issues during testing, even with the Raptor and 200GB HDDs installed. The PSU intake fan located just behind the hard drives appears to provide sufficient cooling. We would even go so far as to question whether the rear case fan is necessary at all. Using two ultra-low RPM case fans on the rear of the case would be another option that might be interesting to pursue, as two <1000 RPM fans should still provide enough airflow to be safe while adding little in the way of noise.
In terms of heat, we can immediately see the benefits of the Pentium M platform. Even with lower noise levels and fewer fans, the Silencer system is substantially cooler than the SN25P in most areas. The only area where the SN25P wins out is in the HDD temperature, which isn't too surprising, given the arrangement of the HDDs in the Shuttle P chassis. The higher HDD temperature does give us pause, however. If you have an air conditioned home, you should be fine. If you lack such amenities and live in an area where indoor temperatures can break 90 F, we would recommend that you shut your system off during the day if at all possible. (This is good advice in general - losing a hard drive is never fun.)
OverclockingGiven that the Silencer uses the same Aopen board used in our first desktop Pentium M article, we would expect similar overclocking results. While we achieved similar results to Anand's initial testing, there was some variance. This is not too surprising, as your mileage will vary depending on the specific CPU, HSF, motherboard, and RAM. Here are our overclocking results with some CPU-Z screenshots.
CPU Overclocking
|Click images to enlarge.
We were able to hit 2.4GHz with a 133MHz bus and an 18X multiplier without much trouble, other than an adjustment to the RAM ratio. At the initial 3:5 ratio, a 133 MHz bus would have put the RAM at around DDR443, but it simply refused to boot. (Worth noting is that holding down the "Home" key on the keyboard while powering on the system will reset the CMOS settings - much faster than attempting to remove the battery or locate the CMOS reset jumper on the motherboard! This is not mentioned anywhere in the documentation, but we managed to stumble upon the combination through trial and error based on previous motherboard experiences.) We eventually gave up on the 3:5 ratio and moved to the 3:4 ratio. With the CPU bus at 133MHz, this puts the RAM at DDR356 - below the RAM's spec, but at least the system would boot! 2.4 GHz is a 20% CPU clock speed increase, and the added bandwidth helps as well. As we proceeded into testing, unfortunately, we discovered that the overclock wasn't entirely stable. AutoGK in particular would crash the system within a minute of starting to encode a video.
|Click images to enlarge.
Dropping to a 120 MHz bus with a 20X multiplier gave us the same 2.4 GHz (slightly higher, since the bus showed up as 120.8 MHz), only with a lower memory speed (still using the 3:4 ratio). AutoGK seemed slightly more stable - we were actually able to complete a few of our encoding tests - but it still continued to crash. Whether the problem was with our particular CPU, the heat sink, or some other factor, the end result was that 2.4 GHz was not fully stable. Oddly enough, we could actually POST and start to boot Windows at 2.53 GHz. Completing POST generally means that you're getting close to a successful overclock. Our guess is that even with the fine tuning that went into the design of the Pentium M, there are still pathways that are more susceptible to problems as clock speed is increased. AutoGK happens to stress one of these pathways more than other applications, most likely in the SSE and floating point units.
While a 2.4 GHz overclock was nearly reached, we eventually backed off to 2.26 GHz for further testing. Trying to overclock while using the integrated graphics met with even less success - not that most people would try this, but we mention it nonetheless. This isn't too surprising, as the IGP should cause increased stress on the chipset and memory subsystems. We would assume that the attainable clockspeeds will be similar to our earlier results - i.e. 2.3GHz to 2.5GHz maximum without exotic cooling - and that luck of the draw in terms of the CPU will play a part. Since we're more interested in the Pentium M as a quiet computing alternative than for raw performance, we'll leave our maximum overclocking results at that. Besides, this isn't our hardware that we're testing.
Memory OverclockingHaving settled on a 2.26 GHz clock speed, we decided to take a look at another area of overclocking: the memory bandwidth. Initial thoughts were that the Pentium M was bandwidth starved, and while that does appear to be the case in some applications, our second look at desktop Pentium M performance using the ASUS socket 478 adapter showed some interesting results. The chipset certainly impacts performance, and so does the memory bandwidth. Workstation benchmarks in particular (SPECviewperf) showed some large gains by moving to a dual-channel memory controller. With the thought of using the Silencer as a HTPC, we decided to focus on AutoGK encoding performance.
We ran a total of four similarly clocked setups through our AutoGK benchmarks to see how various bandwidth settings affected performance. First, we have three tests with the CPU bus set to 113 MHz and a 20X multiplier. We ran with the memory at 1:1, 3:4, and 3:5 ratios, giving us memory speeds of DDR227, DDR303 and DDR389 respectively. We also ran with the CPU bus set to 133 MHz and a 17X multiplier, giving us DDR356 using a 3:4 ratio.
While we never reached DDR400, the chipset and motherboard only officially support up to DDR333, so this was expected. There were slight variations in CPU speed between the 17X and 20X multipliers, but otherwise, we're only changing the FSB and RAM speeds. Now we want to see how this impacts the encoding performance. We'll label each configuration by the final memory speed and multiplier, along with the baseline performance from our earlier charts.
It shouldn't be too surprising to see that the higher memory bandwidths provide the fastest performance. However, note that dropping to a 3:4 ratio with higher CPU bus speed and a lower memory bus speed yield relatively similar performance. The drop to DDR303 doesn't hurt performance too much, while further reducing the memory speed to DDR227 begins to have a more noticeable impact.
Looking at the configurations above, the total difference in performance between DDR389 and DDR356 is virtually non-existent - 1% or less is well within the margin of error for AutoGK. Dropping to DDR303 does show up as a slight difference, but we're still only looking at a 3% advantage for the higher memory speeds. Finally, the difference between DDR227 and DDR389 is about 6% in DivX and 9% in Xvid. Other benchmarks could show more of an impact with increasing bus speeds, but architecturally, it seems safe to say that the large L2 cache is able to overcome the relatively low memory bandwidth in AutoGK encoding. This isn't too surprising, as Intel has been applying this exact principle with their Xeon processors for years: If you can't easily increase the memory bandwidth, add more cache !
As a whole, our "easily attainable" overclock improved AutoGK performance by about 14%. That's certainly a respectable performance gain, and it represents slightly better than linear performance scaling. If you have a bit of luck, you could actually get some very acceptable performance out of the Pentium M platform without spending an arm and a leg. We haven't done any testing of the Pentium M 725J for overclocking, but it has a 16X multiplier. If you are able to hit a 145 MHz bus speed (we'll assume that DDR390 is the maximum that you're likely to reach), you would have a 2.32 GHz processor. More likely than not, the 725J won't be able to run stably at that speed, but we wouldn't be too surprised to see a 2.13 GHz to 2.25 GHz overclocking result out of the chip. More importantly, with a cost of $215 rather than $450, if it can reach 2.4 GHz, it would be an interesting alternative. (The 735J is also worth consideration, given the small price premium, as the 17X multiplier may be more useful.)
The problem, unfortunately, isn't just the cost of the processors. The high priced motherboards also come into play, so it's still more expensive than the current darling of overclockers, the Athlon 64 3200+ Winchester core. As we've said in other articles, the Yonah core is really what many are waiting for from Intel. Overclocking using the PC-Club Silencer yields reasonable results, but it certainly isn't the best option that we've seen for such an endeavor.
ConclusionAs a high-end but near-silent system, we really like the Silencer. Performance in some tasks is going to be hindered by the Pentium M processor, but overall, it manages to hold its own. The power savings are not particularly meaningful - think of running a single 60W light bulb for a year and you'll have a decent picture of the difference in power draw between the Pentium M and a Prescott or Newcastle - but the lower heat output is good. We had some issues with the Athenatech case, and perhaps similar complaints from customers are what prompted PC-Club to offer the Silencer with a CoolerMaster case as an option. Unless the LCD/alarm issues are fixed, we would have to recommend against using the Athenatech case. That's unfortunate, as we think it's an attractive case otherwise.
Here's the real question: would we purchase such a system? There are two parts to our answer. First, let's take a look at all the components and see what they would cost if you were to buy them and build the system yourself. (Prices are obtained from our Real Time Pricing Engine as well as our various partners and represent what we would list in a typical Buyer's Guide article.)
|Home Built Silencer Alternative
|Pentium M 755J 2.0GHz
|Copper socket 478/479 compatible
|Aopen i855GMEm-LFS
|2x512MB Mushkin CL2.5
|Video Card:
|eVGA 6800GT
|Video Card HSF:
|Arctic Cooling Silencer
|Hard Drive:
|Western Digital Raptor 74GB
|Hard Drive 2:
|Maxtor 200GB SATA
|Optical Drive:
|Floppy Drive:
|NEC; Sony; TEAC; Samsung; etc.
|Athenatech A106
|Power Supply:
|Logitech X-530 5.1
|Keyboard and Mouse:
|Logitech Optical Desktop Combo
|Operating System:
|Windows XP Professional SP2
|Bottom Line:
|PC-Club Price (as of 3/24/05) - not including tax!
Looking at that chart, you can see that PC-Club is essentially charging you $100 (give or take) to assemble and test the equipment for you. That's actually a very reasonable price, as many shops will charge a $100 fee (or more!) to assemble a PC for you, often not including the software installation. Unfortunately - according to how you view the situation - PC-Club will also charge you sales tax if you live in a state where they have retail locations. Taxes could add as much as $175, although you'd pay the same fee if you purchased locally (and technically you're supposed to pay sales tax regardless, although most people probably don't bother reporting online purchases). Still, if you don't like fiddling with computer hardware or feel your time is too valuable, we feel PC-Club offers an acceptable price.
There's more to it than just the price, of course. Pentium M desktops have an air of exclusivity that some may be willing to pay extra for. More importantly, the components in the Silencer are all industry standard designs, including the motherboard and power supply, and can you name any major OEMs that offer overclocking in their BIOS? If you're seriously thinking about getting a Dell (dude!) or other OEM system, PC-Club is definitely worth a look. For peace of mind, PC-Club also offers a 3-year extended warranty for an additional $210. Frequent upgraders probably wouldn't bother with such a long warranty, but those who only purchase a new PC when their current system is woefully outdated will appreciate such an option.
We did have some issues with the PC-Club system configurator. First, we'd just as soon ditch that and go with two 250GB drives instead, especially given the loud seek noise of the Raptors. (Update: this is now possible, so we've edited the text slightly.) Additional options for the GPU and speakers would also be good, as the X-530 are really budget speakers. The "Help Text" is also seriously outdated, mentioning such things as the difference between the GeForce 4Ti vs. 4MX, the Duron vs. Athlon XP, and SDRAM vs. RDRAM. It could certainly use an update to their 2005 product line.
The problem is the platform, really. Our Pentium M desktop articles covered this before, and the simple fact of the matter is that as attractive as Dothan is for notebooks, it really doesn't compete that well in the desktop market. The motherboards are currently far more expensive than boards with desktop chipsets, and the processors aren't cheap either. We like the overall package, but the price is simply too much.
Our suggestion to PC-Club is to offer a version of the Silencer with a few changes. Swap out the Aopen 855 motherboard for the new MSI RS480M2-IL with the ATI Xpress 200 chipset. That's a micro-ATX board even, so it will still fit nicely in the Athenatech case. (Overclocking does not appear to be an option on that motherboard, unfortunately - at least not with the current BIOS.) Add an Athlon 64 3500+ 90nm processor - or wait for a faster 90nm Athlon 64 to appear - and a PCIe graphics card, and you should have similar heat and power characteristics with better performance, all while shaving about $250 from the price.
The other area where we see some potential for the Silencer is in the HTPC market. It's a reasonably quiet case, and with the ATI Xpress 200 chipset, we can get TV-Out from the integrated graphics. Take out the Raptor hard drive and put in two larger drives and a TV tuner, and you would have a formidable HTPC setup for a very reasonable cost. We'd certainly be interested in seeing such configurations from PC-Club in the near future! (PC-Club does offer a HTPC system with different components already, but we'd like to see more options.)
Our overall verdict is that while we would be more than happy to recommend PC-Club as a system builder - somewhat similar to Alienware or Falcon NW, although with less pizzazz and a lower price - we would have a hard time recommending the current version of the Silencer. It will certainly appeal to some people, but we would really like the ability to customize the system configuration a bit more. Check out their web site if you're looking for a pre-built system, however, as this is only one of numerous system configurations that they have to offer. If you give them a call, you can probably even get a customized PC built for a moderate fee.


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Digital Media Producer
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Position Overview
Our Edmonton client in the Broadcasting Sector requires a Digital Media Producer for this permanent position.
Start Date: ASAP
The Digital Media Producer defines our client's digital and social media strategy, oversees expansion into new media content platforms, and fosters a digital culture and sensibility throughout the organization. The Digital Media Producer, along with the Marketing Manager & Program Directors is part of a team that will oversee content for all the client's stations.
Reporting to our client's Marketing Manager he/she will ensure that the client is on the cutting edge of new technologies and devices and oversee delivery of our content to all emerging platforms, devices and applications. This position requires a digital expert with a sound vision of where the media industry is going and a keen understanding of the potential impact of applicable technologies and social media, as well as a good understanding of and commitment to the core values of Christian radio.
responsibilities included but not limited to:
Help develop vision and strategy for our digital operations
Provide the knowledge and technical skill to add cutting-edge applications and functionality to the web and digital/mobile infrastructure, utilizing the most effective and engaging technologies to empower this two-way communication with our audience
Work with promotions & programming teams to ensure that we have exciting, appealing, current digital content that will encourage audience engagement and grow audience through social media; ensure proper elements are online and in digital platforms for contesting and promotions and monitor station blog, event postings and interactive elements.
Oversee implementation of digital technologies as they are used in marketing and outreach campaigns the client and leverage new and existing technologies
Daily monitoring and maintenance of all station websites using a centralized, template-based web interface.
Work with the Marketing Manager to tailor web site content to increase website traffic and maximize interactive sales
Enter and maintain web-based advertising orders and ensure they are presented according to client agreements
Ensure that all web elements of sales-driven promotions are executed in the manner expected and agreed upon with sponsor businesses (with direction from Marketing Manager and Sales Manager)
Generate ideas and processes for supplemental web content
Monitor and utilize analytics throughout the range of digital platforms, including the web, to determine what works best in serving our audience
Work with technical developers to produce the digital applications and content feeds for iPhone, iPad, Android, cell phones, smart phones, eReaders, tablets and other devices
Evaluate and recommend open source technologies as appropriate solutions that can help power the digital mission of the client, reducing cost when possible
Work with Sales and Marketing Department to advance strategies to monetize digital platforms
Ensure staff is up to date on best practices, tools and client standards for digital content
Maintain email database and all web-based directories (including advertisers)
Create graphic design content as needed and directed for station promotions and sales components
Create video content for website and social media sites as directed
Embrace, demonstrate and promote the mission, values and attributes of our client.
Other duties as needed and assigned
Mandatory Requirements
Demonstrated experience in use of new content technologies in a news and information environment
Experience editing and working with audio & video and an understanding of the interface between audio and online applications (e.g. encoding sound for the web, podcast streams and apps).
Ability to successfully manage complex technical projects
Familiar with a wide variety of web and digital technologies and their applications, including an understanding of cutting-edge and emerging technologies
Demonstrated understanding of and ability with content formats, including XML, HTML and a wide variety of open source technologies
Ability to learn new technical skills quickly and understand their application in a media organization
Demonstrated understanding of adobe creative cloud software, MAC and PC platforms
Graphic design experience an asset
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Strong interpersonal skills with a team orientation and ability to work both independently and collaboratively to achieve desired goals; comfortable delegating as well as rolling up their sleeves to help get the job done
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Comic Books, Film
All-Day Event!
Ben Templesmith – Artist on 30 Days of Night, Choker, and Wormwood. Ben will be on hand to sign and sketch (time permitting) for fans.
Mark Rahner – Writer on Rotten, Galveston, and Cthulhu Tales. Mark will be on hand to sign for fans.
Steve Frank – Writer and editor on Zombies vs. Cheerleaders. Steve will be on hand to sign for fans.
Comic Evolution
206 S. Meridian
Puyallup, WA 98371
More Info: http://www.comic-evolution.com
This event was submitted by CBR.
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Tuesday Mar 16 2010
Schools join in the head-shaving act
By: Megan Wood The Press Tribune
Heritage Oak, Excelsior raise money for St. Baldrick's
Keep your eyes peeled for chrome domes. The Galleria wasn't the only spot in Roseville where buzz-cuts and baldies celebrated St. Baldrick's and raised funds for cancer research. On Thursday, Gabe Simon, principal of Heritage Oak Elementary School in Roseville allowed third grader Sadie Leber to wield the clippers and take the first swipe against his coif. Eight-year-old Sadie has been battling neuroblastoma, cancer that attacks the nervous system, since 2007 and is currently undergoing treatment. Simon challenged the school to raise $750 for the St. Baldrick's Foundation and said in return, he'd be the one to go bald during a school wide assembly. Sadie's dad, Todd Leber also volunteered to have his head shaved in front of the school. Across town at Excelsior Elementary School, more than 40 students, parents and teachers gathered in the gym Tuesday night to shave their heads in support of cancer research. The 48-student team pledged to raise more than $18,000 that will go toward childhood cancer research at the UC Davis Children's hospital and the St. Baldrick's Foundation. For more information about the St. Baldrick's Foundation or for information on childhood cancer research visit stbaldricks.org .


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October 27, 2013
Owners of the Capital Mall are trying to get a TIF and CID established to help pay for $36 million in renovations and repairs. As part of the work, several air conditioning units will need to be replaced.
Stories this photo appears in:
Council to discuss proposed Capital Mall TIF
On Monday night, Jefferson City's council members get their first official look at the Capital Mall's request for a TIF — tax increment financing — district to make improvements at the nearly 36-year-old shopping center.
Report details decay of Capital Mall under previous owners
The Capital Mall is hoping to get a $36 million makeover, but first property owners have to show Jefferson City officials the area is blighted. Its owners are trying to establish a tax increment financing, or TIF, district to help pay for repairs and renovations, and they're detailing the issues at Capital Mall.
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text: "Grand Reserve wines are crafted from 100% Jackson Estates Grown grapes which are hand-selected from our vineyard estates. These wines capture the regional expression of the vineyard blocks that we look to year after year. In the winery, artisan winemaking techniques prevail, and aging takes place in small French oak barrels. From California's breathtaking coastal winegrowing regions, our winemakers draw a rich palette of aromas and flavors to handcraft wines of exceptional depth and complexity. Grand Reserve wines offer rich regional expression and depth of varietal character. Kendall-Jackson literally turns the winemakers loose in the cellar, drawing off the top three percent of our Estate Grown barrel lots to make Grand Reserve wines. The Grand Reserve wines are the superlative expression of our Vintner's Reserve blending process, more elegantly focused and featuring fruit from just one or two of the top appellations." -Winery


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STARmeterSEE RANK
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Melissa Francis (II)
Melissa Francis was born on December 12, 1972 in Los Angeles, California, USA as Vini Melissa Ann Francis. She is an actress, known for Money with Melissa Francis (2012), After the Bell (2015) and Cavuto on Business (2000). She has been married to Wray Thorn since 1997. They have two children. See full bio »
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Student Parking Policies
The acceptance by any student of the privilege of parking a motor vehicle on campus also constitutes acceptance of the responsibility to see that no vehicle owned or registered in his or her name is parked or driven in violation of these regulations. Vehicle registration shall be made at the same time a student registers for classes. If the student is unable to complete the vehicle registration procedures at the beginning of any semester, he or she must register his or her vehicle in the security office, located in the lower level of Hayfield House, before the vehicle is operated on Penn State Wilkes-Barre. (Download the registration form here.) Student cars in a carpool must display the "pool permit" in the window so that it is plainly visible. This permit must be marked "pool" and must also show the license numbers of the cars that are authorized for the pool.
Parking and traffic regulations for students are in effect at all times. A detailed statement of student parking regulations is given to each student at registration. Copies of these regulations may be secured at anytime in the security office, located in the lower level of Hayfield House.
Failure to register a vehicle entails a fine of $20 per offense. Repeated violations of parking rules and regulations may lead to disciplinary action.
If it becomes necessary for a student to leave his or her car on campus between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., he or she should obtain permission from the coordinator of Safety and Security by submitting a written request. This request should include his or her reason for leaving the vehicle, and the year, model, color and license number of the vehicle.
Parking regulations are in effect on the first day of class each semester. Permits must be hung on the rear view mirror as described in the regulations.
Parking Locations
Students must park in the designated parking areas located in the general parking lot to the left of University Drive at the main entrance to the campus and the lower level adjacent to the Bell Center for Technology. Please refer to the campus map for parking, including visitors and handicapped areas.
Important Phone Numbers
Emergencies: 911
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Mobile: 570-406-4126
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Threads / Beethoven, Wuorinen, Chopin, etc. / Molly Morkoski, piano
1 CD / Albany Records / 2012-03-13Works: Ludwig van Beethoven: Bagatelles (6) for piano, Op. 126; Charles Wuorinen: The Blue Bamboula, for piano; Frédéric Chopin: Ballade for Piano no 4 in F minor, B 146/Op. 52; Louis Andriessen: ...
Performers: Morkoski, Molly
Molly Morkoski introduces her disc noting that "The selections on this disc encompass my musical journey as a college and graduate student through my time...continue...
Recording information: Academy of Arts and Letters in Manhattan (05/26/2007-05/28/2007)....continue...
Wuorinen: Piano Works / Alan Feinberg
1 CD / Col Legno / 2008-05-01Works: Charles Wuorinen: The Blue Bamboula, for piano; Ave Christe of Josquin; Sonata for piano, no 3; Bagatelle for piano; Self-Similar Waltz, for piano; Album Leaf for Howard Klein; Capriccio
Performers: Feinberg, Alan [Piano]
Wuorinen: Works for Violin and Piano / Hudson, Ohlsson
1 CD / Bridge / 1993-09-11Works: Charles Wuorinen: The Blue Bamboula, for piano; Pieces (6) for violin & piano; Spinoff for violin, double bass & conga drums; The Long and the Short, for violin solo; Fantasia for violin & piano
Performers: Hudson, Benjamin; Ohlsson, Garrick [Piano]; Palma, Donald [Double Bass]; Passaro, Joseph


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XCOM Enemy Within
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Re: XCOM Enemy Within
Early on, enemy health displays don't matter very much. All of the aliens die in two (or fewer) hits, regardless of what you hit them with. The only time it causes problems is if you lose track of which aliens you wounded and which are still at full health, which only really happens if you lose sight of the enemy.
Later on it can get really stressful though. It's hard to gauge how close a Muton is to dying, so it's never clear whether you should focus one down or run for cover. It's also impossible to tell when a guaranteed grenade hit would be just enough to finish something off. And every new enemy type you encounter feels all the more mysterious and scary when you have no sense of how hard it will be to kill.
I like the "learning through experimentation" gameplay that this encourages though, and I like the added drama that the imprecision adds to the game.
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