#techreport

So far, three major hardware review sites have been denied the R9 Nano for review.

1) HardOCP 2) TechReport 3) TechPowerUp

I initially thought the refusal to allow KitGuru a review sample was justified, b/c of the rather ridiculous pre-launch rant handled by one of their non-GPU reviewers on staff. (For me, I had never heard of this UK-based review site until the story broke of how AMD refused KG a FuryX for review.)

However this time the story is different. The review sites we’re talking about are top-tier and tend to dominate viewer traffic. [H]ardOCP, TR, and TPU have been the premiere destinations for launch reviews and AMD’s refusal to give *any* of these websites a sample to review is building a dangerously negative narrative for AMD.

The timing is terrible too, considering the locomotive of positive groundswell created by the AoTS benchmark, and subsequent stream of information by Oxide representative, Kollock, who is posting on the OCN forum. Mahigan, a former OCN user, has also been active in sustaining this disruptive conversation on nVidia and its *anticipated* performance in DX12.

This is also resting purely on the numbers and “async” narrative that has been running the past two weeks.

I think AMD is playing a dangerous game, winning on one front (AoTS narrative) while losing terribly on the publicity front of the R9 Nano.

Not a good start AMD and poorly executed on all counts.

Assistive Technology

Hi everyone!

Section 5.2.2 of ASTM F1740-96 (2007) Guide for Inspection of Nylon, Polyester, or Nylon/Polyester Blend, or Both Kernmantle Rope recommends 10 years as a maximum rope life. The committee felt that after 10 years of storage, it might be worth considering replacement of a life safety rope even though the rope had not been used.

We had the opportunity to test rope stored for seven years by a Bridger Coal’s (WY) mine rescue team. The rope had been stored on the spool in a cool, dry location for seven years. The samples were 12.5-mm (1/2-in) diameter, lowstretch kernmantle rope. The manufacturer’s new rope tensile strength rating was 40.3 kN (9,059 lbf). For comparison, the independent lab tests on new rope averaged 47.0 kN (10,566 lbf). The test results from the Bridger Coal samples suggest minimal strength loss when the rope is properly stored.

  Break #1 50.2 kN (11,285 lbf) Break #2 47.5 kN (10,678 lbf) Break #3 49.3 kN (11,083 lbf) Average 49.0 kN (11,015 lbf)

  What happens when we actually take a life safety rope out into the field and use it in the dirt, sun, rain, running it through pulleys, ratchets and descenders? Rope is a textile product and abrasion on the fibers through bending the rope, tying knots, running it over rough surfaces and loading/unloading cycles cause wear that decreases the strength of the rope.

  The unknown factor is how quickly this micro-level damage adds up to a significant decrease in the working strength of the rope.

Today's #richontech Motorola Moto 360 Smartwatch Review segment featured music from the band Prawn - "Scud Running" off of their Kingfisher LP available at the Topshelf Records website.