Link: VMware to include Unity feature to battle Parallels’ Coherence
VMware Fusion is offering Unity, a feature designed to run Windows apps transparently on the Mac desktop like Coherence in Parallels. It’s a tight race between the two.
Riding an Ion Drive to the Asteroid Belt
Link: Riding an Ion Drive to the Asteroid Belt
Iron Condor writes “JPL is now close to embarking on another of its trademark, one-of-a-kind missions, this time to the heart of the asteroid belt: The Dawn mission is being prepared for launch this summer from Kennedy Space Center. Dawn will explore Ceres and Vesta, the two largest known asteroids in our solar system, which lie in the vast expanse between Mars and Jupiter. In the process, the mission will make history on several fronts. Besides being the first spacecraft to orbit a main-belt asteroid and the first to ever orbit two targets after leaving Earth, Dawn will be the first science mission powered by electric ion propulsion, the world’s most advanced and efficient space propulsion technology.”
Forgetting May be Part of the Remembering Process
Link: Forgetting May be Part of the Remembering Process
CFTM writes “The New York Times is running an interesting article about how human memory works and the theorized adaptive nature of forgetfulness”. From the article, “Whether drawing a mental blank on a new A.T.M. password, a favorite recipe or an old boyfriend, people have ample opportunity every day to curse their own forgetfulness. But forgetting is also a blessing, and researchers reported on Sunday that the ability to block certain memories reduces the demands on the brain when it is trying to recall something important. The study, appearing in the journal Nature Neuroscience, is the first to record visual images of people’s brains as they suppress distracting memories. The more efficiently that study participants were tuning out irrelevant words during a word-memorization test, the sharper the drop in activity in areas of their brains involved in recollection. Accurate remembering became easier, in terms of the energy required.”
The 2012 Olympic Logo Ate My Hamster
Link: The 2012 Olympic Logo Ate My Hamster
Designers often bemoan the lack of coverage given to graphic design in mainstream media. Yet when design catches the attention of journalists and commentators it usually results in a vicious mugging rather than hearty praise.
New tech turns waste heat into power, using sound waves
Link: New tech turns waste heat into power, using sound waves
A group of scientists have completed a prototype device that converts some of the excess heat generated by electronic equipment into sound waves, which can then be used to generate electricity. This could bring a whole new meaning to the term “screaming fast laptop.”
Internet safety month declared by Congress, ignored by Internet
Link: Internet safety month declared by Congress, ignored by Internet
(Ars headlines aren’t always so awesome…)
Misuse of Scientific Data By the White House
Link: Misuse of Scientific Data By the White House
Science data nerds writes “The White House is consistently and persistently claiming that the US is doing better than Europe in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This is false — their claim is purely based on carefully selecting the only subset of the data that supports this conclusion. When all the data are used, it is plain that European emissions have declined substantially and US emissions have grown substantially. The article, and this linked analysis, debunk the White House claims.”
The benefits of forgetfulness: smaller search spaces mean easier recall
Link: The benefits of forgetfulness: smaller search spaces mean easier recall
When the brain tries to recall relevant information, it needs to select it out of a batch of irrelevant memories that compete for attention. In this competition, forgetfulness can be a net positive, as it cuts down on the effort required for successful recall.
Encrypt and Sign Gmail messages with FireGPG
Link: Encrypt and Sign Gmail messages with FireGPG
Linux.com (Same owners as Slashdot) has a story up about FireGPG and says “Gmail may be an excellent Web-based email application, but there is no easy way to use it with privacy tools like GnuPG. The FireGPG extension for Firefox is designed to solve this problem. It integrates nicely into Gmail’s interface and allows you… Encrypt and sign Gmail messages with FireGPG
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
New Fuel Cell Twice As Efficient As Generators
Link: New Fuel Cell Twice As Efficient As Generators
Hank Green writes “A new kind of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell has been developed that can consume any kind of fuel, from hydrogen to bio-diesel; it is over two times more efficient than traditional generators. Acumentrics is attempting to market the technology to off-grid applications (like National Parks) and also for home use as personal Combined Heat and Power plants that are extremely efficient (half as carbon-intensive as grid power.)”