Illustration and science have always gone hand in hand. If you want to understand something, drawing it is a good place to start. Macoto Murayama , a 29-year-old botanist and designer, goes even further: he carefully dissects and models flowers using 3D drafting software. Read more…
See more here:
Intricate, Ultra-Accurate Blueprints of Botanical Life
One of the worst kept secrets rattling around Microsoft’s campus is Windows Blue , the forthcoming update to Windows 8 that addresses users’ bugbears about the OS. Now, Microsoft is officially rechristening the platform, and with a more staid name: Windows 8.1. Tami Reller, the CMO and CFO of Microsoft’s Windows Division made the big reveal during JP Morgan’s Technology, Media & Telecom Conference. The upgrade will be free and available from the home screen when it launches, while a preview version will be opened up to the public on June 26th at the beginning of Build 2013 . Unfortunately, Reller wouldn’t get any more specific about a formal release date, saying simply that it will be delivered “later in the calendar year.” The only clarification she would offer is, “we know when the holidays are.” As anticipated, the Windows 8.1 update will come to both the full version of the OS as well as the ARM-friendly RT. While we haven’t officially seen any sub-10-inch slates announced yet, it’s been rumored that 8.1 would enable smaller devices. Reller’s comments only backed up those expectations, when she suggested that Windows 8 is great for everything from “the smallest tablets ” to desktops. Filed under: Software , Microsoft Comments
vikingpower writes “The winner of this year’s World Press Photo award, Paul l Hanssen, is under fire for allegedly having photoshopped the winning picture. The Hacker Factor is detailing the reasons and technicalities for the accusations. ExtremeTech also runs an item about the possible faking. Upon questions by Australian news site news.com.au, Hanssen answers his photo is not a fake. The whole story, however, is based upon somewhat thin proof: three different times in the file’s Adobe XMP block; this does not necessarily mean that more than one file was used in order to obtain a composite image.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.
See the article here:
World Press Photo Winner Accused of Photoshopping
Windows: If you want access to streaming media restricted by your location, web sites that display differently depending on where you are, or just a little privacy, SafeIP can help. The utility lets you select where your IP address will appear to be located, and can even rotate them regularly if privacy is your goal. Read more…
More:
SafeIP Is Perfect for Location-Restricted Media or Private Browsing
Windows: If you want access to streaming media restricted by your location, web sites that display differently depending on where you are, or just a little privacy, SafeIP can help. The utility lets you select where your IP address will appear to be located, and can even rotate them regularly if privacy is your goal. Read more…
Continue reading here:
SafeIP Hides Your IP Address for Private Browsing, Blocked Media
The Smithsonian’s been a fan of 3D scanning and printing for some time , but now it’s decided to use lasers to preserve its entire collection for future generations. Read more…
See the original post:
How the Smithsonian is 3D-Scanning Its Entire Collection
MojoKid writes “For the past decade, AMD and Intel have been racing each other to incorporate more components into the CPU die. Memory controllers, integrated GPUs, northbridges, and southbridges have all moved closer to a single package, known as SoCs (system-on-a-chip). Now, with Haswell, Intel is set to integrate another important piece of circuitry. When it launches next month, Haswell will be the first x86 CPU to include an on-die voltage regulator module, or VRM. Haswell incorporates a refined VRM on-die that allows for multiple voltage rails and controls voltage for the CPU, on-die GPU, system I/O, integrated memory controller, as well as several other functions. Intel refers to this as a FIVR (Fully Integrated Voltage Regulator), and it apparently eliminates voltage ripple and is significantly more efficient than your traditional motherboard VRM. Added bonus? It’s 1/50th the size.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.
See the article here:
Intel’s Haswell Moves Voltage Regulator On-Die
At this point, you probably have a working understanding of what bitcoins are (at the very least your handle of bitcoins is like how you can kinda, sorta explain why the sky is blue to a kid). But how does an actual transaction with bitcoins work? That’s a bit more complicated. It’s not exactly pulling crumpled cash out your pocket and dropping it off at the bodega counter for a soda now is it? Read more…
Read more here:
How a Bitcoin Transaction Actually Works
Picass0 writes with distressing news from the AP wire, about the AP: “The Justice Department secretly obtained two months of telephone records of reporters and editors for The Associated Press in what the news cooperative’s top executive called a ‘massive and unprecedented intrusion’ into how news organizations gather the news.” They obtained call records from a number of desk phones, and the personal phones of many news editors. The DOJ has not commented, but it may be related to the possibility that the CIA director leaked information on a foiled terror plot in Yemen last year. Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Original post:
US Government Monitoring Associated Press Phone Records
sciencehabit writes “The carnivorous humped bladderwort, found on all continents except Antarctica, is a model of ruthless genetic efficiency. Only 3% of this aquatic plant’s DNA is not part of a known gene, new research shows. In contrast, only 2% of human DNA is part of a gene. The bladderwort, named for its water-filled bladders that suck in unsuspecting prey, is a relative of the tomato. The finding overturns the notion that this repetitive, non-coding DNA, popularly called ‘junk’ DNA, is necessary for life.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.
View post:
Carnivorous Plant Ejects Junk DNA