Stories by: Tom Mainelli

I spend an inordinate amount of time working in huge Excel spreadsheets that represent data about the worldwide PC monitor market. Excel's pivot tables and charts are useful, but sometimes I still struggle to find the trends buried in all those numbers.

Based on the FreeBSD operating system (a Unix derivative), FreeNAS is a server operating system that offers lots of features, a very small footprint, and a can't-beat-it price (it's free).

High-quality PC audio is important to me, as I spend a lot of time listening to music on my desktop. In previous articles I've discussed the aural advantages of lossless audio codecs (like FLAC), discrete sound cards, and specialty music player software.

I'm constantly seeking out new hardware that can help me spend less time at my desk. Here are my top five recommendations.

If you're serious about music but you currently listen to tunes through a pair of tinny, cheapo PC speakers, check out Audioengine's A2 speakers

Let's look at some software packages that help me get more work done.

I like trying out lots of new software. But when I uninstall a stinker, I know it is probably leaving behind chunks of code that will bog down my system over time. So lately I've been trying out new programs on a virtual machine.

Life is too short to listen to crappy digital music. So I recently decided to begin ripping all of my newly purchased CDs into FLAC, the Free Lossless Audio Codec. Music files in FLAC format sound better than those using lossy compression formats such as MP3--plus, FLAC is an open standard. The only downside is that my 80GB Apple iPod doesn't play FLAC files.

Intel's new BTX (Balanced Technology Extended) specification gives motherboards a makeover. The company says that the new motherboard and chassis spec uses fewer fans, resulting in PCs that run more quietly, and possibly at a lower temperature, than those based on the aging ATX (Advanced Technology Extended) standard found in most of today\'s PCs. To that end, BTX boards sport significant changes in component layout and thermal engineering.

If you've ever spent hours tweaking your vacation photos on the PC, only to have the kids sport Shrek-tone tans when you print, your monitor settings are probably out of whack.

The dawn of 64-bit Windows desktop computing is upon us. So say the likes of Advanced Micro Devices, Intel, and Microsoft. And this time, they really, really mean it.