General Gaming Article |
- 26 Awesome, Unusual and Interactive Online Maps
- Cool Site of the Week: Gojee
- Those ChromeBooks? People Are Buying Them
- French Copyright Cops Feeling Overwhelmed
- University Researchers Whip Up Mushy, Jello-Like Memory Device
- Oops! Microsoft Lets Possible Social Media Plans Slip
- Pentagon Unveils New Cyber Strategy After Hackers Pilfer 24,000 Files
- DHK Storage PopDrive POP-500 Review
- Thermaltake Launches Three New Liquid Cooling Products
- Survey: IT Night Shift Workers Overweight and Undersexed
| 26 Awesome, Unusual and Interactive Online Maps Posted: 15 Jul 2011 04:42 PM PDT What did we do before the widespread adaptation of Google Maps and GPS? Well, if you're anything like me, you probably got lost. A lot. But maps are good for a lot more than finding your way around - especially if they're online, where they can also be a way to track trends and crimes, help find you a new apartment, search the night sky and test your knowledge of world geography. The integration with maps and photography can help to tell a story, or create art. In honor of a long standing appreciation for cartrography in its many forms, we present to you twenty-six awesome (and mostly interactive) maps. Enjoy - and be sure to share your favorite maps in the comments!
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| Posted: 15 Jul 2011 02:00 PM PDT
While there are thousands of recipe sites floating around the internet, Gojee stands apart in that it suggests recipes to you based on the ingredients you have on hand. Just enter what food you've got left in the house and Gojee will tell you what sorts of dishes you can whip up with it and what you might need to complete the recipe. If you've got a food allergy or despise a particular ingredient, you can add it to a list of disliked foods and Gojee will adjust its list of ingredients and subsequent list of recipes accordingly.
Gojee even allows you to mark your favorite recipes so that you can return to them time after time. What could be better? Be sure to check back every Friday for another addition of Maximum PC's Cool Site of the Week. |
| Those ChromeBooks? People Are Buying Them Posted: 15 Jul 2011 01:34 PM PDT
Even more expensive models like the $499 Samsung version has a place in the top 10, but just barely. All these devices run the first official release of Google's ChromeOS, and will be updated over the air. One DisplaySearch analyst called ChromeBooks, "what a Netbook should have been." These 12-inch Atom-based machines aren't without their issues, though. ChromeOS is mostly useless without an Internet connection. Additionally, some tasks like photo and video editing are difficult. Still, a few years ago would we have ever considered the possibility that people would be buying computers in sizable numbers that didn't run Windows or OSX? |
| French Copyright Cops Feeling Overwhelmed Posted: 15 Jul 2011 01:13 PM PDT
With that huge volume of work, the ISPs have only managed to get about 470,000 notices sent out to users. 20,000 or so of those are second notices, and just about 10 users have gotten their third strike. After the third strike, a user can experience serious penalties under the law, including disconnection from the Internet, and prosecution. Part of the issue is that ISPs have to sort out who was assigned an IP address during a particular time the infringement was noted. Hadopi has only passed the IPs for 1 million complaints to ISPs, though. Of the processed notices, 7% of users responded to the first notice, and 15% to the second. Reportedly, most users didn't understand the software they were using was p2p. American ISPs might want to take some notes on this mess before the US "graduated response" system kicks in. |
| University Researchers Whip Up Mushy, Jello-Like Memory Device Posted: 15 Jul 2011 11:47 AM PDT
"We've created a memory device with the physical properties of Jell-O," Dr. Michael Dickey said. How'd they do that? By using "a liquid alloy of gallium and indium metals set into water-based gels." Rather than being hard and brittle like standard electronic components, the new memory devices are soft, mushy and perfect for use in wet environments. If you want to learn the hard details of how it works, be sure to check out the press release. What does the team hope to achieve with the new technology? Something that would fit into Bioshock? Not quite. "These properties may be used for biological sensors or for medical monitoring," Dickey said. The researchers envision the mushy memory eventually being used in the human body, acting as an interface for electronics to communicate with cells or tissues. And since the Jell-O memory device doesn't mind moist environments, it could more easily be inserted into the moist lump of organics known as the human brain. Image credit: NC State University. Thanks to Engadget for pointing this out! |
| Oops! Microsoft Lets Possible Social Media Plans Slip Posted: 15 Jul 2011 10:58 AM PDT As far as social media is concerned, Microsoft's more of an awkward wallflower than the fun-loving center of the party. They've toed the waters before, sure – Bing Social, the "awesome" Skype announcement and the company's 1.6-percent stake in Facebook are all proof that Microsoft's at least eyeing the field. But a slip-up on the Microsoft-owned socl.com hints that the boys and girls from Redmond may be considering wading in the social network pool, if not quite jumping in head first.
Fusible.com noticed that Microsoft owned the socl.com domain while researching the transaction history of social.com and decided to swing by the site. What they found surprised them – a landing page for what they call a "social search"-type site named Tulalip. "With Tulalip you can Find what you need and Share what you know easier than ever," the page boasted. Fusible reports there were sign-on buttons for both Facebook and Twitter, as well as some other links, but none of them worked. Want to check it out for yourself? It's too late. Microsoft pulled the page almost immediately, and now traveling to the socl.com website only nets you an apologetic message: "Thanks for stopping by. Socl.com is an internal design project from a team in Microsoft Research which was mistakenly published to the web. We didn't mean to, honest." So whaddaya think? Is Tulalip a design project markup, a ploy to make Google nervous, or could it actually be a glimpse at Microsoft's plans for the future? PS: While we're being Social, happy fifth birthday, Twitter! |
| Pentagon Unveils New Cyber Strategy After Hackers Pilfer 24,000 Files Posted: 15 Jul 2011 10:31 AM PDT
Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn didn't go into details about the breach other than to say that foreign hackers got the information from a defense contractor that works with the Pentagon. Maybe it had something to do with duplicate SecurID electronic keys? The Guardian reports Lynn as saying that critical files "including plans for missile-tracking systems, satellite navigation, surveillance drones and even jet fighters have been stolen from systems" in the past year. The announcement wasn't a random burst of openness by the normally closed-lip organization, but rather part of a speech leading up to the unveiling of the Pentagon's new cyber strategy. The Pentagon wants to transition from its current reactionary plans and instead focus on "denying the benefit of an attack" by using a mixture of sensors, software and code to create a more active defense. The idea is to identify and halt attacks before they result in a critical breach. "Rather than rely on the threat of retaliation alone to deter attacks in cyberspace, we aim to change our adversaries' incentives in a more fundamental way," Deputy Secretary Lynn told the Washington Post. "If an attack will not have its intended effect, those who wish us harm will have less reason to target us through cyberspace in the first place." |
| DHK Storage PopDrive POP-500 Review Posted: 15 Jul 2011 10:21 AM PDT A good idea hamstrung by complex softawareThe basic idea behind the PopDrive is a good one: a sleek, portable external enclosure that holds two 2.5-inch drives in RAID 1, to protect against the risk of data loss due to drive failure. Add in support for user notification emails, hotswap drive bays, and a relatively speedy 3Gb/s eSATA port, and it sounds like you've got yourself a winner. And you might, eventually. The PopDrive includes a slim, aluminum dual-bay chassis, 5V AC adapter, and USB 2.0 and eSATA ports at the rear of the chassis. If the PopDrive's 1.2x3.9x6.4-inch aluminum chassis looks familiar, that's because it's the same casing as Silverstone's DS221 dual-bay RAID drive. Silverstone's device, though, uses a mechanical switch to change between RAID 0, RAID 1, and JBOD, while the PopDrive's configuration is all done via software. And what a joy that software is. Just kidding. Configuring the PopDrive is a pain in the booty. First you install the included SiliconImage 57xx SteelVine volume management tool. Then you restart your computer, slot the two included 2.5-inch drives (two 500GB WD Scorpio Blue drives, in our review model) into the PopDrive, and connect it to your computer via USB 2.0 or eSATA.
If only the PopDrive's configuration software was as sleek as its aluminum chassis. At this point it's necessary to consult the 64-page user manual, as the SteelVine software isn't optimized or configured at all for the PopDrive. It gives many more options than the PopDrive actually supports, which you wouldn't know unless you've read the manual. Of the six configuration options—listed as JBOD, SAFE (RAID 1), BIG, SAFE33, SAFE50, and FAST (RAID 0)—the latter three are listed as "not recommended for the PopDrive" in the manual. From there, it's a simple matter of choosing RAID 1, saving the array configuration, applying the configuration, and then waiting a minute or so while the instructions percolate down to the device level and the software lets you know the array has begun to build. Then, for 10 or 12 hours, you play the waiting game. Once the array is configured, you can create and format a partition in Disk Management and assign a drive letter; thereafter the drive appears as a single volume, which can be used normally. When connected over eSATA, the PopDrive showed sequential read and write speeds of 76MB/s and 65MB/s, respectively—a little slower than the raw disk speeds of the 2.5-inch 500WD Scorpio Blue 5400rpm drives included with our PopDrive review unit, but certainly respectable. The one advantage provided by the PopDrive's use of the SteelVine software is that software's ability to send email notifications upon critical events. This is useful for the hypothetical IT consultant that DHK told us in an email is their ideal client—someone who sets up the PopDrive in a small business environment so they can rotate out drives for offsite backup. However, IT managers have many other speedier, easier-to-configure, and more robust backup systems at their disposal—NAS devices come to mind. For home users, the drive management software is much too complex. To its credit, DHK claims that a simpler software interface for the PopDrive is forthcoming this summer. That can't come soon enough. If DHK had waited to put its device on the market until a good software backend was in place, it would have scored higher. It also would have scored higher with a USB 3.0 interface instead of USB 2.0. Sure, eSATA is nice, but not everyone has an eSATA port, and using a USB 2.0 connection with this device removes the hotswap capability, drops the speed down to 30MB/s or so, and makes the disconnecting process much harder. As it is, the PopDrive's software is too complicated for home users and its hardware is too limited for most business users. Other eSATA RAID 1 bays aren't quite as slim and sleek, but are easier to configure, offer more storage space, and are more robust. $250, www.popdrive.com |
| Thermaltake Launches Three New Liquid Cooling Products Posted: 15 Jul 2011 09:13 AM PDT
First up is the Level 10 GT LCS case. It's the Level 10 GT just as you know it, only with a built-in specialized liquid cooling system that consists of a new generation drive bay unit and interconnecting waterblock with a pure copper base. The Bigwater A80 is an all-in-device for those who already own a case. It's pre-filled with coolant and outfitted with a low evaporation tube so you needn't worry about refilling it, making it maintenance free. According to Thermaltake, it's also dead simple to install and works with all modern Intel and AMD sockets. Finally there's the Bigwater 760 Plus, which is a new 2U drive bay liquid cooling system. Thermaltake says it's intended for "advanced LCS lovers." It consists of a quiet pump that pushes 500L/H, 12cm blue LED fan (1600-2400RPM), and water reservoir. All three will be available in August. No word yet on price. Image Credit: Thermaltake |
| Survey: IT Night Shift Workers Overweight and Undersexed Posted: 15 Jul 2011 08:43 AM PDT
Nearly half (47 respondents) complained of low energy levels, while 43 percent say their non-traditional shift has a negative impact on weight, and almost a third (30 percent) said work was screwing up their sex lives. Considering all this, it comes as no surprise that 51 percent reported feeling frustrated and drained in the last week. In addition, 42 percent reported being irritable in the last week, 36 percent anxious, and 32 percent downright angry. "While the physical and emotional toll that shift workers are reporting is certainly of great concern, to me the most alarming finding of the survey is that a great majority of shift worker respondents (72 percent) seem to think that being tired is 'just a part of the job' and do not consider speaking with their physician about their symptoms," said Jean J.E. Bonhomme, M.D., MPH, spokesperson for Men's Health Network and Cephalon. "What we know is that people who work non-traditional hours may be suffering from a real medical condition called shift work disorder. This can be diagnosed and the symptoms can be treated by a doctor, if only they mention issues caused by their work schedule during visits to their healthcare professional." The online survey was taken by 1,565 shift workers between May 25th and June 1st of this year. |
Deciding on what to make for dinner can be as daunting a task as actually cooking it. Every day, we stand in front of our refrigerators, freezers and cupboards, waiting for inspiration, and in the end, typically end up making the same meals over and over again--provided the right ingredients for our favorite dishes are all in the house at the same time. When they're not, many of us would just as soon head out to a restaurant for an expensive meal than sit down to noodle out a new home cooked recipe with the ingredients we have on hand. Fortunately, our Cool site of Site of the week has your gastronomical back. It's called 
Despite predictions of doom and gloom, consumers seem to be optimistic about the prospects for Google's ChromeOS in its current form. The ChromeBooks from Acer and Samsung are selling briskly on Amazon, 
France instituted a controversial "three-strikes" law earlier this year and according to some numbers release by Hadopi, the agency that implements the system, they're 
What do you think about when the term "memory device" gets tossed around? 
The US's cyber strategy sucks – just ask the Pentagon. They're not shy about the problem, and in fact, just yesterday they were all too ready to provide an example; earlier this spring, "foreign intruders" managed to get hold of over 24,000 Pentagon files in one of the worst security breaches in US military history.
Feeling wet behind the ears when it comes to liquid cooling? If so, Thermaltake's hoping to ease your trepidation with a new line of liquid cooling products that includes a special version of its Level 10 GT case and two additions to its Bigwater line. All three products are self-contained, all-in-one units that are purportedly easy to install.
A survey released this week by Men's Health Network reveals that male IT workers who burn the midnight oil through overnight shifts, as well as others who work non-traditional hours, feel their shift is having a direct impact on their poor health.| You are subscribed to email updates from Maximum PC - All Articles To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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