All Quad Core'd Up!

Given that I work for Oracle, I like to dabble and try to get to know some of the software.
After talking to a colleague, he sewed a seed that had me wanting to build a decent machine to run some of the OFM products.
I decided to use Windows 7 Ultimate and had installed Oracle Db and WLS.
On trying to install SOA Suite (actually the pre-requisites, which was RCU), I found that Oracle didn't like my choice of Character Set!
It told me that I should be using AL32UTF-8. I didn't know I wasn't using that!
Anyway, I thought I'd reinstall Oracle Db and see if there was a choice.
THEN.. .I was asked if I'd used the 64Bit version of Windows 7. I must admit, I had forgotten about that.
So after a visit to Technet, I now have the 64Bit W7 Professional. All good, apart from not having 64Bit drivers for my aging DVD Rom drive. I'm probably not alone in my 64Bit drivers conundrum, but a visit to Google gave me a headache!

So, as of a week later, I'm trying to install from a USB Stick. I found this blog on how to install Windows 7 from USB stick.
The fs conversion part has been taking ages, so will have to try the install another day.

For the record, I built using:
Gigabyte GA-P55-UD3
Intel i5 750 Quad Core CPU
8Gb Kingston DDR3

The First...

I've nothing overwhelming to say in this first post. I didn't want my first blog post to be like everyone's first tweet. You know the one "I'm here because I feel I should be, but I'm trying to discover what it's all about".
It's a bit like the tree-hugging youth that wants to go to Asia or South America to "find" him/herself. No-one really cares. I have a good friend in England who thinks these people should get lost in the Amazon!

Being an Pom (P-om => Colloquialism for an English person in Australia), I'm expected to whinge. According to my antipodean friends, it's what we do best! Twitter gives me a really good outlet for whinging, because at the end of the day it really doesn't matter who is listening, and if anyone actually responds to my (irrational) ranting.

I'll try to keep my blog here constructive.

My bio points out that I have a few technical bits and pieces in my backpack. I'm not really a techie.. or propellorhead or geek, but that is not to say I haven't been, or indeed still have those tendencies, because, I'll be first to admit, I do!

Actually, small secret here... I have blogged before.. I kinda kept it quiet, and although I have a couple of subscribers... it wasn't really worthy.

So, here it begins......properly this time....

Oohh.. and standard disclaimer... my scribblings and musing do not reflect the thoughts/opinions of my employer