We win again! 1 fantastic goal by Alan. A very exciting game. We started 0 – 2 behind. Soon after we reached 2 – 2 tie. Then 2 – 4 behind and eventually we managed to win with an impressive 5 – 4.
| 15 feb | Inter Colonia B | 5 – 4 | Pedro Hidalgo B |
| 8 feb | Victoria C | 6 – 8 | Inter Colonia B |
| 1 feb | Inter Colonia B | 2 – 1 | Alcotán Canarias |
| 25 jan | Atlético Isleta B | 4 – 7 | Inter Colonia B |
| 18 jan | Inter Colonia B | 2 – 4 | Muelle Grande |
Sometimes you see a police officer on the street. It always makes an impression, especially on children. If there’s really something going on, extra officers are often quickly dispatched. If it gets really out of hand, sometimes the army also gets involved. Fortunately, this almost never happens.
Our blood is somewhat similar. If you are healthy, some white blood cells flow through your blood. In case of an infection, or something else nasty, there are many more white blood cells. If it gets really out of hand, special white blood cells come along, the natural killers.
My blood has a significant increase in the number of natural killer cells. It’s as if you see a lot more soldiers walking on the street. They couldn’t find a cause in my case. There is no infection or anything else nasty that the doctors have found. I am fortunately just healthy.
Recently, we discovered that Alan has the same thing. Also a significant increase in his natural killers. It seems to be something genetic. Maybe we are the next step in the slow evolution of humanity, who knows. I think someone took an interest in our slightly different blood makeup, so maybe they will do a few extra tests, and we will find out more in the future.
It’s almost 10 years later. My old Dell still works well, but it now shows some flaws. The battery only lasts a few minutes. The charger is broken and the power cords are visible. The plastic frame around the screen has partially disintegrated, leaving behind a strange greasy residue. It’s not possible to upgrade to Windows 11 because I’m missing some modern components. A few drawbacks, but as long as the computer hangs by its power cord, it still works perfectly. Nevertheless, I found it time for some refreshing new hardware.
My new Dell (arriving soon):
Name: Dell Latitude 7455
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite
Memory: 32 GB
Harddisk: 512GB SSD
Why Qualcomm?
I initially had some reservations about getting a Qualcomm processor. They are more expensive, and quite new, which means they may not perfectly compatible with some hardware or software. I worried that it might be harder to get things to work properly, and if I needed to troubleshoot issues myself, it could take a lot of time or effort. However, since I don’t use my laptop for gaming and I don’t require many external devices, I thought I should be okay.
The alternative is an Intel or AMD processor. These would always work, are cheaper, and fast. Normally, they would be the logical choice.
Intel and AMD produce X64 CPUs based on a CISC architecture (Complex Instruction Set). This means that these processors have high speed during numerical tasks, but slower speeds for data transfer. In contrast, ARM CPUs, such as those used in Snapdragons, are based on a RISC architecture (Reduced Instruction Set). This implies that these CPUs have lower bus bandwidth, but are fast for simple tasks. Apple has been using a RISC architecture with its M processors for some years now.
When I bought my first MacBook, it came with an M1 CPU, and this initially required quite a bit of extra effort to install emulators and get stuff to work correctly. I was impressed with the performance when I got my MacBook. Two years later, I’m still happy to see that the AI reacts much faster than an Intel machine. This made me reconsider my initial doubts about Qualcomm processors and think they might be worth considering for their future potential. So, I decided to give it a try.
Why Dell?
My shortlist had two laptops on it. A Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 and a Dell Latitude. The Microsoft machine looks really promising, but I was unable to configure one easily with 32GB memory, and it had a glossy screen, with I viewed as a minor negative point. The Dell was easier to configure, but was a bit more expensive. The screen was not quite as good as the Microsoft one, but it was not glossy which I see as a plus.
I found out online that the Microsoft laptop is build really well, better than the Dell, but I remember that my old Dells were all very well build, at least the Latitudes are very sturdy machines so I just went with my experience. After a few days spend sleeping on the issue it was clear to me that I would be happier investing in the Dell, so that’s what I did.
Why 32GB?
Memory is expensive. It is like a small harddisk, but as fast as lightning. If you have enough memory your computer will be fast. Previously my Dell laptops were all bought with the maximum allowed memory, and I would buy an extra memory strip together with the system, so I could double the memory myself once I received the machine. Even after years of operation this resulted in fast and responsive hardware.
My new system cannot be upgraded after buying the system, so I had to get the maximum amount of memory right away. Right now the minimum about of memory seems to be 8gb, but the normal amount is 16GB. By doubling this I should have enough for a couple of years into the future. I think AI applications like it when you have lots of memory available.
Why 512GB?
Harddisks are essential to store loads of data, but being realistic, the harddisk in my laptops are used for the operating system, and for a couple of applications. The rest is temporal storage for backups, projects, etc. Long term storage is done on external harddisks. Only looking at my photos I have way over 2TB already (starting storing my digital images since 1994). External harddisks can be used on any system and a copy can easily be stored in different physical locations.
What else?
I got a Dell with a 14″ screen. A small screen makes for a smaller laptop, which is easier to take with you. A small screen usually means that you do not get a numerical keypad, but I never use the keypad anyway, so there is no loss there.
When?
My new Dell is produced in China. It is on its way right now, but the estimated arrival is in March. Almost one month waiting impatiently. That is probably the price I am paying for living in paradise on an island.
Disclaimer: A few days after deciding on the Dell I took another look at the Microsoft store, and found that getting a system with 32GB memory was possible, but at a price much higher than the Dell. I guess it confirmed I had made the right choice.
The supporters/families got organized and we were all dressed in team colors. Win!
| 8 feb | Victoria C | 6 – 8 | Inter Colonia B |
| 1 feb | Inter Colonia B | 2 – 1 | Alcotán Canarias |
| 25 jan | Atlético Isleta B | 4 – 7 | Inter Colonia B |
| 18 jan | Inter Colonia B | 2 – 4 | Muelle Grande |
We win again! The first match was lost, but ever since we are winning. Alan scores almost all matches, and he dominates the game. He is fast, he looks around and sees opportunities, he scores, but also helps others to score. Overall I’m starting to warm up to the game.
| 1 feb | Inter Colonia B | 2 – 1 | Alcotán Canarias |
| 25 jan | Atlético Isleta B | 4 – 7 | Inter Colonia B |
| 18 jan | Inter Colonia B | 2 – 4 | Muelle Grande |
The first month of 2025 has already passed by. This month we are back to our usual routine after all the chaos of December. Of course, I am curious about what 2025 will bring. A major event is my personal milestone. This year marks my 50th birthday. That’s something. I still feel reasonably young, but that feeling doesn’t seem to match up with my biological age. A strange sensation. Fortunately, I have a few more months to enjoy myself before I reach this milestone.
We start the year with renewal. Both children received a beautiful display cabinet, to place their trinkets in. Ana has purchased a new Dyson. With the new Dyson v12 vacuum cleaner, even the children are now enthusiastic about cleaning the floors. While the novelty might wear off soon, I must admit that using a green laser to find dust gives an entirely new dimension to vacuuming.
I also started something new this month: a trip with ‘the guys’ to Don Chuleton. Here, together we devoured an enormous portion of meat, accompanied by a delicious bottle of wine. As far as I’m concerned, we have a new tradition.
Win! Our first win.
| 25 jan | Atlético Isleta B | 4 – 7 | Inter Colonia B |
| 18 jan | Inter Colonia B | 2 – 4 | Muelle Grande |
It feels like we have started over. The first few years where home PC’s got popular were weird. Things were clunky, and very fluid. Some games and programs required a bit more memory, of a bit of a better graphics card, and I would take out and update my graphics card, or get some extra memory, and open the PC and put the memory in the slots available on the motherboard. It was just how it was. CD’s got popular? Simply get a CD reader and plug it in. Zip-disks got popular? Get a SCSI extension for your PC, plug it in on your motherboard, connect your new zip-disk to the new SCSI port and hope for the best. A hard-disk? Get the really expensive 20MB HD and plug it in. Format and partition the HD and after a couple of hours everything was ready to go. USB connections? Get an extension, plug it in, and you are ready to use whatever you got.
After some years things got less fluid. PC’s came all equipped, and updating was not so usual anymore. Games could basically always run, although sometimes a bit slower, depending the hardware you had. All systems had a hard-disk, and USB connections. Things got easier with every new generation of hardware.
I know the AI (more accurate, the LLM) we now have is not hardware, but even being software it feels like old times. Trying models, and different setups. Making choices, because some models are just to big, and don’t fit on your drive. Waiting and trying to improve the setup, adding speech or image or music generation, try what works and what doesn’t. If kind of fun again. Reading and investigating, and slowly getting results.
When my laptop gave an answer to my first question, without having to connect to the Internet to do a search it felt exactly the same as when I added a strip of 4 MB of memory, and it worked, and I could run some new program. Exciting, another leap into the future!
Over 2000 little pieces, two instruction manuals with over 400 pages, without any helping hand! Alan has been working days to build his newest lego set. The Milano. The spaceship used by the Guardians of the Galaxy to move around. The result was really nice, and because his room was already filled to the brim with lego sets we even got him a nice display cabinet!
Lost! I was never a big fan of football. Even though both my parents were trainers, and my brother played pretty well, the only reason I visited the few games I did was to collect grass for my rabbit.
With Alan this changed. In the beginning the lost a couple of matches, some resulted in scores like 35 – 0, but now the team found their place in the competition, and the matches are more equal. Too bad, we did not win, but Alan did score a goal!
| 18 jan | Inter Colonia B | 2 – 4 | Muelle Grande |