Down on the farm at ILM

Check out this video tour of Industrial Light and Magic's "render farm" of computers.

There's a full article on CNet's News.com.

And with a host of projects in the pipeline, including Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Evan Almighty, the next Harry Potter film, Transformers and more, it's important that Clark and his team keep up with the company's computing needs.

...films like Pirate of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, for which ILM received a best visual effects Oscar nomination Tuesday, can require 60 terabytes of storage, Clark said. And the next release in that franchise's series, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, will likely require at least 50 percent more storage, he said.

In total, he added, the storage farm has more than 300 terabytes of capacity.

Hard drive instructions: PC & Mac

I picked up a Maxtor 320GB external drive at Best Buy this weekend. It normally goes for $199, but it was on sale for $129.

The funny part was the Quick Start Guide included in the box.

On one site, it says "Quick Start Guide for Windows." The steps are as follows:

1. Connect the vertical stand. (diagram showing plastic stand sliding into place)
   
2. Connect the power. (diagram showing power going to wall socket)
   
3. Connect the USB cable. (diagram showing cable connecting to back of a PC)
   

On the other side it says "Quick Start Guide for Mac." The steps are as follows:

1. Connect the vertical stand. (diagram showing plastic stand sliding into place)
   
2. Connect the power. (diagram showing power going to wall socket)
   
3. Connect the USB cable. (diagram showing cable connecting to back of a Mac)

Wow, it's amazing how similar PCs and Macs really are!

Do they really think people are that dumb? I haven't seen anything that silly since the mouse pad that had a sticker saying "Macintosh Compatible!"

Do you really want an iPhone?

Be careful what you ask for...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=tJpUN8cTY4w