Corkboard Mac gives push-pins new purpose

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/300523256/

Filed under: Desktops

Best we can tell, the Corkboard Mac was constructed from critical parts of an older PowerBook and gets held up by a series of colorful push-pins. Legend has it that the actual casing was destroyed in an unfortunate cooking accident, but thankfully, all of the vitals -- LCD included -- were left intact. Peep one more shot in the read link, and pay your respects as you enter.

[Thanks, Steven]

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Vigor Gaming latches onto AMD's GAME! brand for new Force Recon SP desktop

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/300567917/

Filed under: Desktops, Gaming

It wouldn't be a decent pointless chip marketing program if you didn't get minor computer builders supporting the "spec" in an effort to make a name for themselves. AMD GAME! just got its first product announcement from Vigor Gaming, and it's quite the yawner. Vigor is sticking the required AMD components into its Force Recon SP desktops, with a "mainstream" version running an Athlon X2 5600+ processor, ATI Radeon HD 3650 graphics and 2GB of RAM for around $1,845, while an AMD Game! Ultra configuration bumps up to a Phenom X4 9650 chip and Radeon HD 3870 graphics for $2,733. Both systems are naturally based on AMD's 770 chipset and run Vista. Vigor offers free overclocking for the brave and custom painting for the aesthetically challenged.

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Intel and Micron produce first sub-40nm NAND device

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/300584819/

Filed under: Storage

Just a few months back, we all gave SanDisk a round of golf claps for moving towards 43-nanometer NAND production. Fast forward to today, and that "feat" doesn't look so mighty anymore. Intel and Micron have just announced the industry's first sub-40nm NAND flash memory device, the 34nm 32 gigabit multi-level cell chip. The process technology was collaboratively developed by the two firms' joint venture, IM Flash Technologies (IMFT)," and there's nary a hint of shame when they trumpet that this is the "smallest NAND process geometry on the market." Sample shipments are expected to leave the dock in June, while mass production should get going sometime in the second half of this year. Somehow, we get the impression this won't stay on top for long.

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Researchers create supercomputer with four GeForce 9800 GX2 cards

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/300792799/

Filed under: Desktops

It's far from the first supercomputer created with the help of some gaming hardware, but this rig built by a group of researchers from the University of Antwerp is certainly impressive enough in its own right, with it employing four of NVIDIA's high-end GeForce 9800 GX2 graphics cards (which combined pack eight GPUs) to help develop new computational methods for tomography. Dubbed the FASTRA, the system also packs an AMD Phenom 9850 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 750GB hard drive, all of which is powered by a 1,500W power supply (and tastefully lit up with some blue LEDs). That apparently lets 'em do calculations that previously took an hour in just a few seconds, not to mention finally get a decent frame rate in Crysis. Be sure to check out the video after the break for a thorough (and more entertaining than it should be) overview of the system.

Continue reading Researchers create supercomputer with four GeForce 9800 GX2 cards

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Bacteria computer is good at math, even those pesky story problems

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/300867571/

Filed under: Desktops

Scientists have successfully developed a computer out of E. coli bacteria (again), which has managed to solve the Burnt Pancake Problem -- at least in a limited form. The problem involves creating a golden-side-up stack of pancakes out of all different size pancakes, each of which is burned one one side, with the largest pancake on the bottom tapering up to the smallest on top. You can only use a spatula to flip a top section of pancakes, and the math problem is to sort the stack in as few flips as possible. In addition to making regular human mathematicians very hungry, the problem exponentially spirals out of control -- for six pancakes there are 46,080 permutations, for 12 pancakes there are 1.9 trillion. The E. coli computer differs from a regular computer in that it turn each piece of DNA into a simulated pancake, with sections of DNA being flipped to hide from a killer antibiotic if they get the answer right, and killed if they get the answer wrong. With millions of "computers" able to fit in a drop of water, scaling won't be an issue once they figure things out, but for now E. coli can only figure out how to sort two pancakes.

[Thanks, Hraefn]

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Linux cluster stuffed in an Ikea filing cabinet

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/301163704/

Filed under: Desktops

People have been stuffing PCs in all kinds of things they don't belong in for a while now, but this Linux cluster creatively packed into an Ikea Helmer filing cabinet might be the first time we've seen furniture actually modded into a useful case. Sure, it looks like an ordinary filing cabinet, but it's packing six machines with Intel Core 2 Quad processors on Gigabyte S-series mobos with 8GB of RAM each, allowing it pump out 186 Gflops -- enough to complete a render job that takes a 2.66Ghz quad-core Mac Pro nine hours in just 64 minutes. Yeah, that's quite a filing cabinet. Hit the read links for tech specs, instructions, and updates on Helmer II.

[Via Make]

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my new favorite coupon code site

http://www.retailmenot.com

the key innovation here is the ability to give instant feedback whether the coupon code worked (or not). the actions of the community makes the site more valuable to subsequent users -- i.e. I dont need to waste time trying out coupon code after code only to find out they dont work. Others have done that and reported it so there is a "success rate" listed with each code.

Download Multiple Web Videos Into a Single Movie or MP3

Source: http://www.labnol.org/internet/tools/download-multiple-youtube-videos-single-movie-mp3/3406/

While there are tons of tools that let you download web videos with ease, MovAVI offers one unique feature - it can join multiple videos from YouTube, Metacafe, Break.com, etc. into one single file all by itself that you can later download in any format.

Related Reading: How to do Everything with YouTube

Using Movavi is simple - just add the different video URLs (5 is the limit) and select an output format. You can either request the combined video clip as an MP3 audio file (great for music videos) or in regular formats like iPod MP4, AVI, Flash Video & Quicktime.

Movavi will not join your videos instantly - it sends out an email when the video to ready for download. If you are looking for instant conversion, check this Flash Video Guide. MovAVI can also be used to join video files that reside on your local hard drive.

MovAVI.com [Online Video Converter]

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Download Multiple Web Videos Into a Single Movie or MP3 - Digital Inspiration | FAQ | RSS

How to Read Popular Magazines on your Desktop for Free

Source: http://www.labnol.org/software/tutorials/read-download-zinio-online-magazines-free-on-desktop/3410/

This is a very simple & non-geeky trick to help you read the latest issue of popular magazines like PC Magazine, MIT Technology Review, Popular Mechanics, MacWorld, Lonely Planet, Reader’s Digest, etc without paying any subscription charges.

You will also get to read adult magazines like Playboy and Penthouse. Best of all, these digital magazines are exact replicas of print and served as high-resolution images that you can also download on to the computer for offline reading.

How to Read Online Magazines for Free

Step 1: If you are on a Windows PC, go to apple.com and download the Safari browser. Mac users already have Safari on their system.

Step 2: Once you install Safari, go to Edit -> Preferences -> Advanced and check the option that says "Show Develop menu in menu bar."

Step 3: Open the "Develop" option in the browser menu bar and choose Mobile Safari 1.1.3 - iPhone as the User Agent.

 

Step 4: You’re all set. Open zinio.com/iphone inside Safari browser and start reading your favorite magazines for free. Use the navigation arrows at the top to turn pages.

For people in countries like India who are already subscribed to Zinio Digital Magazines, this hack is still useful because you get access to certain magazines which are otherwise not available for subscription via Zinio (e.g., Penthouse and Playboy).

Geeks may write a AutoHotKey script or create a "scrolling capture" profile in SnagIt that will auto-flip magazine pages and save all the images locally. Thanks Scott. And here’s a related trick on how to read Wall Street for free.

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How to Read Popular Magazines on your Desktop for Free - Digital Inspiration | FAQ | RSS

BrowserPlus Offers Drag and Drop Uploads and More [Web As Desktop]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/300263115/browserplus-offers-drag-and-drop-uploads-and-more

Yahoo unveils a "sneak peek" of a new product that aims to bridge the gap between your web browser and desktop—BrowserPlus, a desktop utility that enables richer browser interaction, like drag and drop file uploads. The BrowserPlus utility is available for Windows and Mac at the moment and works with Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer 7. There are only three demo applications that use BrowserPlus: a Flickr drap-and-drop image uploader, an IRC chat client, and for the web monkeys, a JSON inspector. In short, BrowserPlus is more proof-of-concept than anything else. But, with Google ramping up Gears, Firefox 3 building in offline webapp support, and Yahoo busting out BrowserPlus, looks like your web browser and your desktop are going to be more than just friends in the coming months. The BrowserPlus sneak preview is a free download for Mac and Windows.

BrowserPlus Sneak Preview [Yahoo via CNET]

I-O Data rolls out mobile Bluetooth keyboard

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/299925983/

Filed under: Peripherals

Think that keyboard on your subnote is cramped? Try blasting out 115 words-per-minute on this thing. I-O Data has just revealed an absurdly diminutive new keyboard with built-in Bluetooth that has a real thing for hooking up with handsets. Nah, it's not nearly as cool as having a 'board on your crotch, but it's a respectable (and way more modest) alternative.

[Via Pocket-lint]

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Sony unveils 0.3mm thick OLED display

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/299975860/

Filed under: Displays

At D6 today Howard Stringer showed off a brand new "thinner than a credit card" 0.3mm thick OLED panel that Sony is working on. They're planning on a 27-inch version of the screen in the short term for the ultra-rich, but the obvious hope is to fight LCD for dominance in the home in the coming years. This could very well be that 11-inch 960 x 540 display we saw last month, but specs are slim at the moment. More shots after the break.

[Image courtesy of All Things Digital]

Continue reading Sony unveils 0.3mm thick OLED display

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3K Computers gets extra official with RazorBook 400: now $299

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/300085168/

Filed under: Laptops

Our feelings are largely unchanged about the lackluster RazorBook 400, but hacking a full Benjamin from the asking price is sure to get people looking. Yep, the subnote we previously heard would run around $400 has just been officially announced by 3K Computers at $299. Specs wise, everything is remaining the same -- less than 2-pounds, 7-inch display, 4GB of internal flash and a promised boot-up time of under 8-seconds -- but it just got a lot harder to brush this one off and look elsewhere.

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Crystals hold promise of affordable solar energy, may have been purchased on eBay

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/300163172/

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

We have no real way of verifying whether or not these so-calls crystals were purchased alongside some bizarre time machine on eBay, but we'll take this guy's word for it and assume not for the time being. Reportedly, University of Queensland professor Max Lu has teamed up with researchers in order to grow "the world's first titanium oxide single crystals with large amounts of reactive surfaces." Put simply, these very crystals can "absorb sunlight and convert it into electricity." It's said that Lu has been working on the project for some 15 years, and even now, he doesn't expect the creation to be commercially viable for another decade. Aside from morphing into fairies and making dreams come true, the things could also be used to "purify air and water." Pair this up with an invisibility cloak and we'll really be in business.

[Thanks, Brendan]

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Study Kicks Nanotech Right in the Buckyballs [Science]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/299916838/study-kicks-nanotech-right-in-the-buckyballs

Just last week, we heard that carbon nanotubes could be as dangerous as asbestos. Now a new study takes another damning shot at nanotechnology, this time at the sector's golden child, buckyballs. Hollow balls of carbon that are promising for everything from fighting cancer to coating paint, a recent study found that buckyball clusters can easily penetrate cell membranes and hang out inside, their molecular structures fully intact.

The study used a computer simulation only, not actual physical science. And we don't know whether or not these carbon spheres would necessarily damage the cells they inhabit.

But that's exactly the point, right? While the complete biochemical theories behind these processes is admittedly a bit beyond us, it really seems like while one group is high-fiving that we can deliver drugs directly into cells, another group says, "Shit, this stuff penetrates our cells!"

With such materials already available commercially, it really feels like we haven't done our homework on whether or not our fancy new toys will actually be poisoning our bodies in an irreversible way. Maybe we should take a few steps back before readily adopting even promising materials that we apparently know so little about. [DailyTech]

First Photos of Sony's 0.3mm Thin OLED Screen: Coming in 27-Inch Screen Soon at Ridiculous Prices [All Things D]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/299968953/first-photos-of-sonys-03mm-thin-oled-screen-coming-in-27+inch-screen-soon-at-ridiculous-prices

Sir Howard Stringer of Sony just unveiled a 0.3mm OLED that is thin as a playing card and can be used in a 27 inch TV that will ship soon. But not at reasonable prices. [All Things D]