RIP Steve "Starbuck" Pearl

Steve "Starbuck" Pearl, starbucking, has passed away of diabetes. Livejournal users are leaving messages of condolence on the last post in his LJ.

I wasn't a close friend of his, but we read each others' LJs and and he left a couple of brief comments in mine. Back in the '90s, his was one of those names I was used to seeing frequently on rec.arts.anime(.misc) and he was one of the people who knew everything about everything. I knew he was in and out of the hospital with major problems, but I had hoped he would somehow be all right after the latest round of them was over. If only he'd been able to hold on for a few more years, there might have been a cure available.

Computer component list, current version

All right, here's my current computer-parts wish list:

( Snip't to spare friends lists )

With $30 in mail-in rebates, it comes to just under $440, plus shipping. (I also save $15 on shipping on that case due to a promo code.)

The cheap graphics card is a stopgap only; it will be better than what I have now, and will do me for a few weeks, while letting me play games like City of Heroes that the on-motherboard graphics chip probably wouldn't. The friend who is advising me and helping me pick out what I want tells me that a major shakeup of graphics card prices is due to occur over the next few weeks thanks to ATI's new new thing hitting the market on the 19th, possibly resulting in substantial price drops on the cards in which I am most interested (8600 and 8800 alike). I considered looking for a cheap one on eBay instead (and indeed, if I find one cheap enough, that's just what I'll do), but I figured it would be just as well to get a brand new one from a reputable dealer. If and when I upgrade to a better card, I can turn around and pop this one on eBay or Craigslist and make back at least part of what I spent on it.

As always, comments are welcome.