What are the first two processes in this picture: kernel_task and syslogd?
My computer has been running slower then usual and getting the beachball of death a lot more often recently. Any tips to get it moving a little faster?
kernel_task is basically the core of the OS--it's normal, vital, and those CPU and RAM numbers look fine.
syslogd has something to do with system logging, and should NOT be using 80+ percent of your CPU--that's probably the cause of the misbehavior you're seeing. Only question is what it is that's causing syslogd to go nuts.
If you're on Leopard, it sounds rather like the "Time Machine causes runaway syslogd" problem:
