Facebook Saves Datacenter Costs with Frigid Arctic Wind

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The constant, biting wind may have stunted the growth of Lulea’s tourism industry, but it has proven a big factor in luring big IT facilities into the area. Datacenters in Lulea are just as difficult to power and cool as any other concentrated mass of IT equipment, but their owners can slash the cost of cooling all those servers and storage units simply by opening a window: the temperature in Lulea hasn’t stayed at or above 86 degrees Fahrenheit for 24 hours since 1961 (PDF), and the average temperature is a bracing 29.6 Fahrenheit.

via Facebook Saves Datacenter Costs with Frigid Arctic Wind.

TreeSheets

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It’s like a spreadsheet, immediately familiar, but much more suitable for complex data because it’s hierarchical.

It’s like a mind mapper, but more organized and compact.

It’s like an outliner, but in more than one dimension.

It’s like a text editor, but with structure.

Have a quick look at what the application looks like on the screenshots page, see how easy it is to use in the tutorial (out of date, the live in-app tutorial works much better!), then give it a download (above).

via TreeSheets.

Computer memory can be read with a flash of light

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In 2009, researchers at Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey, demonstrated2 that the material has a photovoltaic response to visible light — meaning that when it is hit by light, a voltage is created. The size of the voltage depends on which polarization state the material is in, and can be read out using electrodes or transistors. Crucially, shining light on the material doesn’t change its polarization, and so does not erase the data stored in it.

via Computer memory can be read with a flash of light : Nature News & Comment.

It takes less than 10 nanoseconds to write to and read the cells, and recording the data requires about 3 volts. The leading nonvolatile RAM technology, flash, takes about 10,000 times longer to read and write, and needs 15 volts to record.

VCs Get Their Pick Of Hungry Start-ups

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But there is a dark side because VC’s often only make safe bets, backing companies which can show they have enough valuable intellectual property (IP) to reassure the funders that they can salvage a large part of their money through IP asset-stripping, if the business doesn’t thrive.

Perhaps the slogan for the session should have been: “No IP, no VC”.

via Demo Europe: VCs Get Their Pick Of Hungry Start-ups.

University of Michigan study links social media and narcissism

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The gist of the study: Narcissists “like” Facebook and Twitter. A lot. And social media in general both “reflect and amplify” our culture’s deepening narcissism.

The study, by University of Michigan researchers Elliot Panek, Yioryos Nardis and Sara Konrath, was published online in Computers in Human Behavior.

via University of Michigan study links social media and narcissism – chicagotribune.com.

Linux Group Tests

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The original objective in starting the compilation was to dispel the FUD that Linux does not have the necessary software to compete with Windows. Over time, the aim of the compilation was to enable Linux users, whatever their level of computing experience, to identify software of all types that is worth exploring. With the huge range of open source software available, there is simply not enough time for users to evaluate every application even within a single category of software.

The compilation is being frequently updated and new articles added on a regular basis.

via Linux Group Tests – Part 1 – Linux Links – The Linux Portal Site.