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Online info about E.R. Residencies
Online infor about E.R. Residencies - response
Rotations I liked as a 3rd Year student
New Emergency Medicine Residency Program at Harvard
Word Macro Viruses (Getting rid of it and protecting your system)
"Why did the chicken cross the road?"
If I ever become an Evil Overlord:
Potential new Soap Notes Image
Some advise on approaching residencies - for all you 3rd years out there.
You might be a college student-humorous
Some Questions on buying a computer
Some Questions on buying a computer - response
How do I install a CD-ROM drive?
Why is the image that says "SOAP Notes" at the home page so blurry? and couldn't you think of a better title?
-anonymous
The image is only blurry when viewed with certain web browsers, I may replace it soon, if more people ask me to. As for the title, if you have any suggestions please email me.
-Rajeev Narayan
How come I can't access the school web pages from home?
-anonymous
Currently the school has a "firewall" up that keeps the web pages kept on the school "server" from being accessed from outside the school. Why this is I am not sure, I have heard rumours that the firewall may come down soon. However these are only rumors. Currently the only way to access web pages at the school is to use one of the school computers that go through the school server for internet access.
Addendum: The library server is now outside the firewall and accessible to all at:
-Rajeev Narayan
RE: Online info about E.R. Residencies
Does anyone know where I can find online information about E.R. residencies, that's actually useful? I have perused the net and only discovered advertisements for various programs but no hard data on what type of scores are reflected by the average person in those programs.
-anonymous
RE: Info about ER residency on the Web:
There are two links on this page that will take to some very usefull info area on the web. Try the "Emergency Medicine at Crossroads" or the or the EMBBS Emergency Medicine Primary Care Home Page. Both of these site provide hot links to a complete listing of all the ER residency programs around the country with all the info and contact names and phone numbers and addresses you could possibly want. You can even download the file and save it on your hard disk for future use as I have. Good luck
name: Reza email: rezav@aol.com
Rotations I liked as a 3rd Year student:
Having just finished my 3rd year and talking with my friends these are the rotations I reccommend:
Surgery: Mt Sainai, I got to do a lot of procedures, Most of the residents are very cool.
Medicine: Illinois Masonic / Lutheran General, The residents here are the coolest I have met, Medline access was very accessible, free photocopying, great library, parking is a big problem though, best rotation I did all year overall
E.R.: Mt Sainai (I have heard good things about Cook as well), The attendings and occassional resident were all very laid back, lots of procedures.
name: Rajeev Narayan
>> Why are there flotation devices under plane seats instead of parachutes?
>>Why are cigarettes sold in gas stations when smoking is prohibited there?
>>Why do fat chance and slim chance mean the same thing?
> > Why isn't phonetic spelled the way it sounds?
> > If you can't drink and drive, why do you need a driver's license to buy liquor, and why do bars have parking lots?
> > Do you need a silencer if you are going to shoot a mime?
> > Have you ever imagined a world with no hypothetical situations?
> > How does the guy who drives the snowplow get to work in the mornings?
> > If 7-11 is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, why are there locks on the doors?
> > If a cow laughed real hard, would milk come out her nose?
> > If nothing ever sticks to TEFLON, how do they make TEFLON stick to the pan?
> > If you tied buttered toast to the back of a cat and dropped it from a height, what would happen?
> > If you're in a vehicle going the speed of light, what happens when you turn on the headlights?
> > You know how most packages say "Open here". What is the protocol if the package says, "Open somewhere else"?
> > Why do they put Braille dots on the keypad of the drive-up ATM?
> > Why do we drive on parkways and park on driveways?
> > Why isn't "palindrome" spelled the same way backwards?
> > Why is it that when you transport something by car, it's called a shipment, but when you transport something by ship, it's called cargo?
> > You know that little indestructible black box that is used on planes, why can't they make the whole plane out of the same substance?
> > Why is it that when you're driving and looking for an address, you turn down the volume on the radio?
> > If you have your finger touching the rearview mirror that says -- "objects in mirror are closer than they appear", how can that be possible?
> > Why is it so hard to remember how to spell MNEMONIC?
> > If someone invented instant water, what would they mix it with?
> > Why is it called a TV "set" when you only get one?
> > Why does your nose run and your feet smell?
> > Why does an alarm clock "go off" when it begins ringing?
> > If pro is the opposite of con, is progress the opposite of congress?
> > Why does "cleave" mean both split apart and stick together?
> > Why is it, whether you sit up or sit down, the result is the same?
> > Why is it called a "building" when it is already built?
> > Why do they call them "apartments" when they are all stuck together?
> > Why is there an expiration date on SOUR cream?
> > If you keep trying to prove Murphy's Law, will something keep going wrong?
> > Why does flammable and inflammable mean the same thing?
> > How can someone "draw a blank"?
> > > Shouldn't there be a shorter word for "monosyllabic"?
> > Why is the word "abbreviate" so long?
> > Why did kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
> > What is another word for "thesaurus"?
> > When they ship Styrofoam, what do they pack it in?
> > If 75% of all accidents happen within 5 miles of home, why not move 10 miles away?
> > Why doesn't "onomatopoeia" sound like what it is?
> > Why do 'tug' boats push their barges?
> > Why do we sing 'Take me out to the ball game', when we are already there?
> > Why are they called 'stands' when they're made for sitting?
> > Why is there only ONE Monopolies Commission?
> > Does a fish get cramps after eating?
> > Why does "slow down" and "slow up" mean the same thing?
> > Why is it when two planes almost hit each other it is called a "near miss"? Shouldn't it be called a "near hit"?
> > What does Geronimo say when he jumps out of a plane?
> > Why is brassiere singular and panties plural?
> > Why are there interstate highways in Hawaii?
> > Why do light switches say on/off? When it's on you can see it's on, when it's off you can't see to read.
> > If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?
> > How do you know it's an ENDLESS LOOP?
> > Why is FOOTball played by hand?
> > Does the administrator of a lethal injection clean off the skin with > alcohol before sticking in the needle?
name: Rajeev Narayan- someone forwarded this to me
New Emergency Medicine Program at Harvard
A new residency program in emergency medicine has beed created at Harvard. This program is based at Brigham and Women's Hospital and is affiliated with Massachusetts General hospital, Boston Children's Hospital, Beth Israel Hospital, the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, and Mount Auburn Hospital. The Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency received ACGME approval on February 15, The program is actively seeking students for the 1997 match for post graduate education.
Additional information about the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency can be found on their Web Page and in the 1996-1997 Edition of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Residency Catalog.
Name: Pat Sorcic, Student Affairs Office.
:>The following are a sampling of REAL answers received on exams given by the California Department of Transportation's driving school (read: Saturday Traffic School for moving violation offenders.)
:>Q: Do you yield when a blind pedestrian is crossing the road?
:>A: What for? He can't see my license plate.
:>
:>Q: Who has the right of way when four cars approach a four-way stop
at the same time?
:>A: The pick up truck with the gun rack and the bumper sticker saying,
"Guns don't kill people. I do."
:>
:>Q: What are the important safety tips to remember when backing your
car?
:>A: Always wear a condom.
:>
:>Q: When driving through fog, what should you use?
:>A: Your car.
:>
:>Q: How can you reduce the possibility of having an accident?
:>A: Be too drunk to find your keys.
:>
:>Q: What problems would you face if you were arrested for drunk driving?
:>A: I'd probably lose my buzz a lot faster.
:>
:>Q: What changes would occur in your lifestyle if you could no longer
drive lawfully?
:>A: I would be forced to drive unlawfully.
:>
:>Q: What are some points to remember when passing or being passed?
:>A: Make eye contact and wave "hello" if he/she is cute.
:>
:>Q: What is the difference between a flashing red traffic light and
a flashing yellow traffic light?
:>A: The color.
:>
:>Q: How do you deal with heavy traffic?
:>A: Heavy psychedelics.
:>
:>Q: What can you do to help ease a heavy traffic problem?
:>A: Carry loaded weapons.
Name: Anonymous
Word Macro Viruses (Getting rid of it and protecting your system)
A number of people out there seem to be infected by the Word Macro Virus. There are many types of macro viruses. They are written in the Microsoft Word Macro language and the most typical ones make it so your copy of Word can only save files as templates. Although more anoying than harmful, it's still a good idea to get rid of the virus if infected. If you are or are worried about becommng infected you can visit this link to find out more. In this document they mention how to use a file called scanprot.dot to protect and clean word files, basically you open the file w/ Word and follow the instructions. You can download scanprot.zip from Soap Notes, it contains the file scanprot.dot ( note: I am assuming you have pkunzip or program capable of unzipping) it should work on either MAC or PC platforms and it shoud work on the latest versions of Word, including Word For Windows 95 and Word 6.0
If you are still having trouble, or the file does not work, email me
RAJ
"Reason to not party anymore"-
>
>This guy went out last Saturday night to a party. He was having a good
time, had a couple of beers and some girl seemed to like him and invited
him to go to another party. He quickly agreed and decided to go along with
her. She took him to a party in some apartment and they continued to drink,
and even got involved with some other drugs (unknown which). The next thing
he knew, he woke up completely naked in a bathtub filled with ice. He was
still feeling the effects of the drugs, but looked around to see he was
alone. He looked down at his chest, which had "CALL 911 OR YOU WILL
DIE" written on it in lipstick. He saw a phone was on a stand next
to the tub, so he picked it up and dialed. He explained to the EMS operator
what the situation was and that he didn't know where he was, what he took,
or why he was really calling. She advised him to get out of the tub. He
did, and she asked him to look himself over in the mirror. He did, and
appeared normal, so she told him to check his back. He did, only to find
two 9 inch slits on his lower back. She told him to get back in the tub
immediately, and they sent a >rescue team over. Apparently, after being
examined, he found out more of what had happened. His kidneys were stolen.
They are worth 10,000 dollars each on the black market. (I was unaware
this even existed.) Several guesses are in order: The second party was
a sham, the people involved had to be at least medical students, and it
was not just recreational drugs he was given. Regardless, he is currently
in the hospital on life support, awaiting a spare kidney. The University
of Texas in conjunction with Baylor University Medical Center is conducting
tissue research to match the sophomore student with a donor. Any information
leading to the arrest of the individuals may be forwarded to the University
of Texas Campus police, or the Texas Rangers.
Kimm Antell, Editor of the Daily Texan University of Texas at Austin
Mechanical Engineering,
Graduate Office
Phone: (512) 471-7571
Voice: (512) 475-9794
Fax: (512) 471-8727
Brooke Bowman bbowman@runet.edu
(540) 639-3469
name: Benjamin Ourmazdi
"Why did the chicken cross the road?"
Plato:
> For the greater good.
>
> Karl Marx:
> It was a historical inevitability.
>
> Thomas de Torquemada:
> Give me ten minutes with the chicken and I'll find out.
>
> Timothy Leary:
> Because that's the only kind of trip the Establishment would let it
take.
>
> Douglas Adams:
> Forty-two.
>
> Nietzsche:
> Because if you gaze too long across the Road, the Road gazes also
across you.
>
> Oliver North:
> National Security was at stake.
>
> Carl Jung:
> The confluence of events in the cultural gestalt necessitated that
individual chickens cross roads at this historical
> juncture, and therefore synchronicitously brought such occurrences
into being.
>
> Jean-Paul Sartre:
> In order to act in good faith and be true to itself, the > chicken
found it necessary to cross the road.
>
> Ludwig Wittgenstein:
> The possibility of "crossing" was encoded into the objects
"chicken" and "road," and circumstances came into being
which caused the actualization of this potential occurrence.
>
> Albert Einstein:
> Whether the chicken crossed the road or the road crossed the chicken
depends upon your frame of reference.
>
> Aristotle:
> To actualize its potential.
>
> Buddha:
> If you ask this question, you deny your own chicken-nature.
>
> Salvador Dali:
> The Fish.
>
> Darwin:
> It was the logical next step after coming down from the trees.
>
> Emily Dickinson:
> Because it could not stop for death.
>
> Epicurus:
> For fun.
>
> Ralph Waldo Emerson:
> It didn't cross the road; it transcended it.
>
> Johann Friedrich von Goethe:
> The eternal hen-principle made it do it.
>
> Ernest Hemingway:
> To die. In the rain.
>
> Werner Heisenberg:
> We are not sure which side of the road the chicken was on, but it
was moving very fast.
>
> David Hume:
> Out of custom and habit.
>
> Saddam Hussein:
> This was an unprovoked act of rebellion and we were quite justified
in dropping 50 tons of nerve gas on it.
>
> Jack Nicholson:
> 'cause it (censored) wanted to. That's the (censored) reason.
>
> Pyrrho the Skeptic:
> What road?
>
> Ronald Reagan:
> I forget.
>
> John Sununu:
> The Air Force was only too happy to provide thetransportation understandably
the chicken availed himself of the opportunity.
>
> The Sphinx:
> You tell me.
>
> Sappho:
> Due to the loveliness of the hen on the other side, more fair than
all of Hellas' fine armies.
>
> Henry David Thoreau:
> To live deliberately ... and suck all the marrow out of life.
>
> Mark Twain:
> The news of its crossing has been greatly exaggerated.
>
> Stephen Jay Gould:
> It is possible that there is a sociobiological explanation for it,
but we have been deluged in recent years with sociobiological stories despite
the fact that we have little direct evidence about the genetics of behavior,
and we do not know how to obtain it for the specific behaviors that figure
most prominently in sociobiological speculation.
> Joseph Stalin: > I don't care. Catch it. Crack its eggs to make
my omlette.
>
> Captain James T. Kirk:
> To boldly go where no chicken has gone before.
>
> Machiavelli: > So that its subjects will view it with admiration,
as a chicken which has the daring and courage to boldly cross the road,
but also with fear, for whom among them has the strength to contend with
such a paragon of avian virtue? In such a manner is the princely chicken's
dominion maintained.
> Hippocrates:
> Because of an excess of pleghm in its pancreas.
>
> Andersen Consultant:
Deregulation of the chicken's side of the road was threatening its dominant
market position. The chicken was faced with significant challenges to create
and develop the competencies required for the newly competitive market.
Andersen Consulting, in a partnering relationship with the client, helped
the chicken by rethinking its physical distribution strategy and implementation
processes. Using the Poultry Integration Model (PIM) Andersen helped the
chicken use its skills, methodologies, knowledge capital and experiences
to align the chicken's people, processes and technology in support of its
overall strategy within a Program Management framework. Andersen Consulting
convened a diverse cross-spectrum of road analysts and best chickens along
with Andersen consultants with deep skills in the transportation industry
to engage in a two-day itinerary of meetings in order to leverage their
personal knowledge capital, both tacit and explicit, and to enable them
to synergize with each other in order to achieve the implicit goals of
delivering and successfully architecting and implementing an enterprise-wide
value framework across the continuum of poultry cross-median processes.
The meeting was held in a park like setting enabling and creating an impactful
environment which was strategically based, industry-focused, and built
upon a consistent, clear, and unified market message and aligned with the
chicken's mission, vision, and core values. This was conducive towards
the creation of a total business integration solution. Andersen Consulting
helped the chicken change to become more successful.
name: Anonymous
If I ever become an Evil Overlord:
1. My legions of terror will have helmets with clear plexiglass visors, not face-concealing ones.
2. My ventilation ducts will be too small to crawl through.
3. My noble half-brother whose throne I usurped will be killed, not kept anonymously imprisoned in a forgotten cell of my dungeon.
4. Shooting is _not_ too good for my enemies.
5. The artifact which is the source of my power will not be kept on the Mountain of Despair beyond the River of Fire guarded by the Dragons of Eternity. It will be in my safe-deposit box.
6. I will not gloat over my enemies' predicament before killing them.
7. When the rebel leader challenges me to fight one-on-one and asks, "Or are you afraid without your armies to back you up?" My reply will be, "No, just sensible."
8. When I've captured my adversary and he says, "Look, before you kill me, will you at least tell me what this is all about?" I'll say, "No." and shoot him.
9. After I kidnap the beautiful princess, we will be married immediately in a quiet civil ceremony, not a lavish spectacle in three weeks time during which the final phase of my plan will be carried out.
10. I will not include a self-destruct mechanism unless absolutely necessary. If it is necessary, it will not be a large red button labelled "Danger: Do Not Push".
11. I will not order my trusted lieutenant to kill the infant who is destined to overthrow me -- I'll do it myself.
12. I will not interrogate my enemies in the inner sanctum -- a small hotel well outside my borders will work just as well.
13. I will be secure in my superiority. Therefore, I will feel no need to prove it by leaving clues in the form of riddles or leaving my weaker enemies alive to show they pose no threat.
14. I will not waste time making my enemy's death look like an accident: I'm not accountable to anyone and my other enemies wouldn't believe it.
15. I will make it clear that I _do_ know the meaning of the word "mercy"; I simply choose not show them any.
16. One of my advisors will be an average five-year-old child. Any flaws in my plan that he is able to spot will be corrected before implementation.
17. All slain enemies will be cremated, not left for dead at the bottom of the cliff. The announcement of their deaths, as well as any accompanying celebration, will be deferred until after the aforementioned disposal.
18. My undercover agents will not have tattoos identifying them as members of my organization, nor will they be required to wear military boots or adhere to any other dress codes.
19. The hero is not entitled to a last kiss, a last cigarette, or any other form of last request.
20. I will never employ any device with a digital countdown. If I find that such a device is absolutely unavoidable, I will set it to activate when the counter reaches 117 and the hero is just putting his plan into operation.
21. I will design all doomsday machines myself. If I must hire a mad scientist to assist me, I will make sure that he is sufficiently twisted to never regret his evil ways and seek to undo the damage he's caused.
22. I will never utter the sentence "But before I kill you, there's just one thing I want to know."
23. When I employ people as advisors, I will occasionally listen to their advice.
back to index
Submitted by: Angela Nishio
Potential new Soap Notes Image:
Many people have told me that the Soap Notes image is lame, so I have made a new image, which I am thinking of using instead. Since I don't know if this new image is also lame, I would like to post it here first and see what people think about it. Please email me w/ your opinion, or suggestions on improving either image.
back to index
Submitted by: Rajeev Narayan
Some advise on approaching residencies - for all you 3rd years out there
I just matched in Internal Med at Trippler Army Medical Center in Internal Medicine, and after surviving the match and after speaking to many of my friends both from my class and above there are a few things I have learnt. Most of the following is common sense.
1. Doing an externship at the program of your choice helps. This may seem obvious but beleive it or not I have heard from some that it makes little difference, the general consensus from the residents I spoke to in and out of the Army is that it truely helps. Program directors are much more likely to remember you and you can get letters of reccomendation from faculty at the residency program you are interested in, the program director is more likely to know his or her own faculty better than those at other programs. This is especially true of highly competitive programs. Also you can often get your interview while you are there. Also by doing an externship you can often ask many more intelligent questions during your interview and you do not have to worry as much about showing that you are genuinely interested in the program. Also you get to know if the program is right for you. I am not sure however if it makes a difference when you do the externship, early or late (closer to the match) I have heard conflicting reports on this. Personally I don't think it matters as long as you make sure that you follow up after your interview there. I have heard from many that follow up is very important. Send thank you notes to people after they interviewed you and call the program regularly to make sure everything is ok and see if there is anything you can do to improve your standing.
2. If you do get called for an interview, make an appointment for an interview that same day! I have met many people, particulary applying for OB/Gyne who got a letter offering them an interview and asking them to call to schedule an interview only to find that the program was completely booked up. Often these students called w/ in 1 or 2 days of receiving the letter. In one case a student called the same day the letter came and was told that it was too late. If you are regularly following up then you may find you have been invited for an interview before you get the letter. Don't be worried about scheduling the interview you can always try to change it or cancel it later if you have to.
3. Get last years match results from the Office of Student Affairs and find out what programs did not fill last year. If you are applying for competitive programs and are worried about safety programs this is one way of improving your chances.
4. Don't rank programs you don't want to go to. Generally I think people do better in the match than they expect to.
These are just a few things to keep in mind, If you have any other suggestions/ ideas/ questions please email me, I can't promise to know the answer but I will try to find out for you.
submitted by: Rajeev Narayan
Raj,
I took a CMS ICM study guide for the physical exam, scanned it in and text recognized it. And then I typed in a better description of what was going on, modified slightly. If you want you can modify it and add it to SOAP notes. I think that it is quite good. Click Here to download.
Kevin
submitted by: Kevin Khater
You might be a College Student
YOU MIGHT BE A COLLEGE STUDENT......
1. If you have ever price shopped for Top Ramen, you might be a college
student.
2. If you live in a house with three couches, none of which match,
3. If you consider Mac and Cheese a balanced meal
4. If you have ever written a check for 45 cents
5. If you have a fine collection of domestic beer bottles
6. If you have ever seen two consectutive sunrises without sleeping
7. If your glass set is composed of McDonald's Extra Value Meal Plastic
Cups (ie. Olympic Dream Team I or II)
8. If your underwear supply dictates the time between laundry loads
9. If you cannot remember when you last washed your car, ymbacs
10. If you can pack your worldly possesions into the back of a pick-up
(one trip)
submitted by: Arshia Noori
SOME PEOPLE ARE ALIVE ONLY BECAUSE IT IS ILLEGAL TO KILLTHEM. >>>>
THE GENE POOL COULD USE A LITTLE CHLORINE.
I DIDN'T FIGHT MY WAY TO THE TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN TO BE A VEGETARIAN.
>>>>
YOUR KID MAY BE AN HONOR STUDENT BUT YOU'RE STILL AN IDIOT! >>>>
IF WE AREN'T SUPPOSED TO EAT ANIMALS, WHY ARE THEY MADE WITH MEAT? >>>>
I DON'T SUFFER FROM INSANITY, I ENJOY EVERY MINUTE OF IT. >>>>
IT'S LONELY AT THE TOP, BUT YOU EAT BETTER. >>>>
ACCORDING TO MY CALCULATIONS THE PROBLEM DOESN'T EXIST.
FORGET ABOUT WORLD PEACE...VISUALIZE USING YOUR TURN SIGNAL!. >>>>
WE HAVE ENOUGH YOUTH, HOW ABOUT A FOUNTAIN OF "SMART."
MAKE IT IDIOT PROOF AND SOMEONE WILL MAKE A BETTER IDIOT.
HE WHO LAUGHS LAST THINKS SLOWEST. >>>>
ALWAYS REMEMBER YOU'RE UNIQUE, JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. >>>>
LOTTERY: A TAX ON PEOPLE WHO ARE BAD AT MATH. >>>>
VERY FUNNY SCOTTY. NOW BEAM DOWN MY CLOTHES. >>>>
PURITANISM: THE HAUNTING FEAR THAT SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE MAY BE HAPPY.
>>>>
CONSCIOUSNESS: THAT ANNOYING TIME BETWEEN NAPS. >>>>
WE ARE MICROSOFT. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE. YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED. >>>>
3 KINDS OF PEOPLE: THOSE WHO CAN COUNT AND THOSE WHO CAN'T. >>>>
EVER STOP TO THINK, AND FORGET TO START AGAIN? >>>>
DIPLOMACY IS THE ART OF SAYING "NICE DOGGIE!"...TILL YOU CAN
FIND A ROCK. >>>>
I LIKE YOU BUT I WOULDN'T WANT TO SEE YOU WORKING WITH SUBATOMIC PARTICLES.
>>>>
"AUNTIE EM: HATE YOU, HATE KANSAS, TAKING THE DOG." -DOROTHY
submitted by: Arshia Noori
So this OB/GYNE has been doing circumcissions for about thirty years and everytime he would get the piece of foreskin he would toss it in a box and it would turn into a piece of small leather. Well, over the years this accumulated to be a large quantity of leather. So after he retired he took a big box of it over to a leather works shop and asked the guy to make him something. The doctor didn't care what was made, just as long as it was something nice. He came back three weeks later and the leather worker said, "Oh hey doc, look what I made you...this nice wallet out of the leather you brought in" The doctor takes a look at it and says, "Oh hey that is really nice, I like it but is this it. I mean I brought in a huge box of leather." The leather worker said, "No doc, you don't understand when you rub the wallet, it turns into a suitcase."
submitted by:KevinKhater
Some Questions on buying a computer
I would like to buy a PC but I don't know what type of system to get, I am torn between a pentium 120 and 133. The questions I have are as follows:
1. how much RAM do I need
2. how much Hard disk space do I need
3. What the heck is "cache" and how much to I need
4. What the heck is "MMX" and do I need this
5. What is the difference between an Intell chip and a Cyrix chip
6. How much video ram do I need
7. where some good places to get a system
submitted by: Confused
Some Questions on buying a computer - response
The system you decide to buy will depend largely on what you want to do with it both now and in the next few years. Both a Pentium 120 and 133 are more than good enough for today but I reccomend something a little more powerful than you need right now, so you dont have to upgrade for a while, a Pentium 166 or Cyrix 6x86 166Mhz system would be ideal but a P133 or Cyrix 150 Mhz system is ok, such a system will probably get you where you want to go for at least the next 4 years, w/ some minimal upgrading. To answer some of the questions you asked:
1. how much RAM do I need
The amount of RAM you will need vary between now and the next few years.
I reccomend around 16mb at least for now, you will upgrade to 32 and higher
in the next few years. A good analogy to the role of RAM in a computer
is short term memory. When a human say decides to make chocolate chip cookies
he or she opens a recipe book (analogous to a hard disk) and finds the
recipe, which may have several steps. Since the human can't remember all
the steps, he or she puts the first few steps into short term memory and
then goes and does those steps before comming back the the recipe book
for more instructions. The better your short term memory is, the fewer
trips back to the recipe book you have to make and the faster you will
be done, since it takes you very little time to retrieve instructions from
your short term memory as compared to retrieving instructions from the
hard disk, the average access time for RAM is currently about 60 to 70
nanoseconds while the average access time for a good hard disk is about
12 milliseconds. Basically the more RAM you have the faster your machine
will work. On my system I noticed a big improvement when I went from 8
to 16mb of RAM and an even bigger jump when I went from 16 to 32.
Note, there are multiple types of RAM available, I havn't noticed much difference between Nonparity RAM and EDO RAM, the two big sellers today. Supposedly an even better faster type of RAM is comming out, SDRAM. I suggest that if you are buying a system now just make sure it can support SDRAM in case you decide to swich over in the future. Untill then go ahead and use EDO, it is supposed to be a little better and it costs about the same.
2. how much Hard disk space do I need
I think anything above 1.2 GIG is probably more than enough, but if
you get say a 2 GIG disk you will probably be set for however long
you own your machine. Also the bigger the drive the cheaper the cost per
meg.
3. What the heck is "cache" and how much to I need
Remember my answer to your first question, about RAM being similar to
short term memory. In the old days this analogy probably held up better.
What has happened since is that The CPUs, i.e. the actual Pentium chip
in your computer, have been getting faster and faster such that even though
the access time for a typical RAM chip is around 60ns, this is still too
slow for the CPU, we used to approach this problem by what was known as
"Wait States" which basically means the CPU would sit there and
"Wait" for the RAM. This would waste valuable clock cycles during
which the CPU could have done useful work. Nowadays we have "cache"
which is a small amount of "super fast" RAM usually either 256K
or 512K that buffers the RAM such that the CPU does not have to wait around.
The more cache the better, currently 256K is fine.
4. What the heck is "MMX" and do I need this
MMX, is an "instruction set" that allows a CPU to do multimedia
things faster. This means that when your application tells your CPU to
"go draw a spaceship" on the screen the new instruction set allows
the CPU to do it w/ fewer steps and thus faster, it's just more efficient.
In order to take advantage of MMX the software you are running must be
written to take advantage of it. I don't think MMX is available for
the CPUs you are considering, I think only the 200 Mhz Pentium comes w/
MMX. If you get a 200 Mhz system I suggest you go w/ MMX. Supposedly however
a new even better version of MMX is comming out, so some say dont buy a
200 Mhz system untill this happens. I personally think these people are
nit picking a little bit and if you must buy a 200 Mhz system now go ahead
and get the MMX, the thing will go blazing fast anyway. Note- Cyrix is
comming out w/ its own equivalent of MMX, the M2
5. What is the difference between an Intell chip and a Cyrix chip
I know a few people w/ Cyrix chips and they love them, also the Cyrix
chips are cheaper than the equivalent Intell chip. They used to have some
problems w/ too much heat but suppossedly these problems have been solved.
The only people I know who have problems w/ Cyrix chips are those who try
to play a lot of DOS based video games, they have compatability probs w/
Cyrix. My experience is that these games can be pretty finicky w/ Intell
based systems as well. If you pretty much are a windows and windows applications
type of person, the Cyrix system is probably ok, and cheaper!
6. How much video ram do I need
Don't get an accelerator w/o at least 2mb of Video RAM. This value will
most probably change w/ time.
7. where some good places to get a system
Personally I find Mail order is best, I suggest MICRON, or DELL right
now but shop around, get a computer shopper magazine from a book store
and look through it. Pay attention to what software it comes with as well.
Submitted by Rajeev Narayan
Raj did a good job of answering your que overalll questions but I have a couple of things to add. The Intel chips are substantially more expensive than the Cyrix chips and are slighlty slower. So, why does Intel dominate the market? For one Cyrix is a new company only having been formed eight years ago. They do have problems running very demanding vido games and so if you are a game freak i don't suggest you get it. The overheating problems that Raj mentioned are no longer. this is because when a chip is first manufactured, they have the chip itself isn't as efficient and produces more heat. Now that they have been making the chip for over a year now, they have the process down well and overheating is no longer a problem.
What is MMX? It is technology that allows programs made for MMX to run faster. As of yet there are no programs that run MMX but by midyear there should be a bunch of them. MMX is not a big deal. It will not help you word process faster nor browse the web faster. In the end you will be abe to play video games faster and that's about it. If you want I can point you to some resources that will tell you more explicitly what I am telling you right now.
How much RAM do you need. At bare minimum 16MB. If you buy a completed system then ask them how much it would be to upgrade to 32MB. If they say anything more than $70 I wouldn't do it. And if $70.00 is within your budget, I can tell you where to buy it separately and how to install it. Its just a step up above hooking up your VCR with respect to difficulty. With 32MB RAM you will notice a pretty good increase in performance but it is absolutely not necessary.
My biggest recommendation is that you do not buy Packard Bell. They have a notorious customer service and use inferior products. You will find best prices in mail order catalogs. Before you purchase it, post another message describing what you intend to buy.
Good Luck
Kevin
Submitted by (C-RIX run)KevinKhater
I just wanted to agree w/ Kevin about PB systems. They are cheaper but definitely inferior. I used to own a PB 120 megahertz Pentium system and first the CD rom drive crapped out, followed soon by continuous system crashes w/ windows 95. Turned out that the master disk I got w/ the system was for the wrong computer. I now own a much nicer system from Micron.
Submitted by Packard Bell Hater
How do I install a CD-ROM drive?
I have a pentium 75mhz w/ 8 mb of RAM, an 850mb hard drive that I have had for a while. I just bought a used CD-ROM drive from a friend and I can't seem to install it right, I tried connecting it in various ways all last night but it just doesn't work. I was wondering if anyone knew how to install one of these things the right way, I also have a disk that it came w/ that is suppossed to install it automatically but it keeps saying that the drive can't be found. I also keep getting weird error messages that say IDE failure but if I hit F1 the machine starts up ok the rest of the way.
submitted by sleepless in Chicago
How do I install a CD-ROM drive - response
The first rule of any hardware project is to pay attention to how something was installed before you take it apart, that way you can put it back the same way. I am not sure what exactly you tried but I can tell you the proper way a CD-ROM drive is suppossed to be installed. Your computer, being a pentium, should have "pins" that "ribbon cable" on the motherboard, usually located near the RAM, those chips stuck in sideways that are about 3 inches by 1 inch, are attatched to and go to the hard drive, and your floppy drive. There should be two sets of pins for your drives, a narrower one that has a cable w/ a twist in it going to your floppy drive, and another that is a bit wider, and goes to your hard drive. There should be an identical emply set of pins next to the ones that go to your hard drive, where you should plug the ribbon cable for the CD-Rom drive. make sure that the pin alignment is correct, that is pin one on the board matches pin one on the cable which matches pin one on the CD-ROM drive. To do this look at the motherboard around the pins in question there should be numbers usually a 1 or a 2 nindicating which end of the pins pin one is on. Plug the cable in w/ the striped side of the cable pointing to the pin one side. Similarly there should be writing on the CD-ROM drive that tells you where pin one is there. Again match pin one w/the striped side of the cable.Once this is done run the disk that came w/ the drive. The reason you are getting IDE failure errors is because the drive was probably not hooked up right. There are other things that could be wrong. I assume you plugged in the power connector to the CD-rom drive, the multicolored cables w/ the white thing at the ends that comes from the power supply. Also does the CD rom make noises when the system boots, indicating that it is indeed accepting power? You mentioned that you bought the computer a while ago, P75s have been around for a while, how long ago are we talking about? The pins I mentioned above may be on a separate card called the "IDE controller." If you still have problems feel free to email me directly,
GOOD LUCK!
submitted by: Rajeev Narayan
Hello everyone:
Laura and I are proud parents of our third child, baby girl, Elisa Nicole, born on 3/24/97, at 12:29pm, 7lbs 4oz, 21in. tall. Elisa is doing well and Laura is recovering from her C-section slowly by surely. She will be at Lutheran General Hospital until Weds 3/26/97.
submitted by: Reza Vaezazizi
