Tag: facebook

Facebook’s Open Compute Project splits up monolithic servers with help from Intel, more

As much as it’s important to have every component of a PC stuck together in a laptop, that same monolithic strategy is a major liability for server clusters: if one part breaks or grows obsolete, it can drag down everything else. Facebook and its Open Compute Project partners have just unveiled plans to loosen things up at the datacenter. A prototype, Atom -based rackmount server from Quanta Computer uses 100Gbps silicon photonics from Intel to connect parts at full speed, anywhere on the rack. Facebook has also garnered support for a new system-on-chip connection standard, rather affectionately named Group Hug, that would let owners swap in new mini systems from any vendor through PCI Express cards. The combined effect doesn’t just simplify repairs and upgrades — it lets companies build the exact servers they need without having to scrap other crucial elements in the process. There’s no definite timeframe for when we’ll see modular servers put to work, but the hope is that a cluster’s foundations will stay relevant for years instead of months. Continue reading Facebook’s Open Compute Project splits up monolithic servers with help from Intel, more Filed under: Intel , Facebook Comments Source: Open Compute Project

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Facebook’s Open Compute Project splits up monolithic servers with help from Intel, more

“Once-in-a-century” ISON comet could be visible from Earth during the daytime

Last year, astronomers using the Russian International Scientific Optical Network (ISON) spied something intriguing just beyond the orbit of Jupiter: a cometary body so large, and with a trajectory that will bring it so close to the Sun, that it could potentially be visible from Earth in the middle of the day (not unlike Comet McNaught, pictured above, was in 2007), and outshine the Moon at night. More »

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“Once-in-a-century” ISON comet could be visible from Earth during the daytime

Finally, proof that all movie trailers use the same color palette

The contrasting colors orange and blue appear together so often in movie posters and videogame box art as to inspire countless blog posts , tumblrs , and even their own entry on TV Tropes . Intrigued by the entertainment industry’s orange/blue affinity, Edmund Helmer — a masters student studying statistics at Stanford — decided to visualize the use of different hues in film trailers. The end result is as telling as it is beautiful. More »

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Finally, proof that all movie trailers use the same color palette

Researchers Develop Solid But Flexible Electrolyte For Bendable Batteries

hypnosec writes “Korean scientists have developed a ‘fluid-like’ polymer electrolyte used in lithium-ion batteries that would pave way for flexible batteries and flexible smartphones. The discovery was made by a joint team of researchers that was led by Professor Lee Sang-young of Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology. The new electrolyte, though flexible, is made of solid materials hence making the batteries more stable than the lithium-ion batteries used today.” Paper, but full text is paywalled. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Researchers Develop Solid But Flexible Electrolyte For Bendable Batteries

Why You’re Totally Justified in Hating Data Caps

Going over your mobile data cap limit costs more than a long distance phone call from a hotel room and for what? Crossing some invisible line in the sand drawn by your carrier? That’s some bullsh*t. Brian Boyko explains exactly why data caps don’t so much protect network infrastructure as generate revenue. [ Blogphilo ] More »

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Why You’re Totally Justified in Hating Data Caps

3D Printable Ammo Clip Skirts New Proposed Gun Laws

Sparrowvsrevolution writes “Over the past weekend, Defense Distributed successfully 3D-printed and tested a magazine for an AR semi-automatic rifle, loading and firing 86 rounds from the 30-round clip. That homemade chunk of curved plastic holds special significance: Between 1994 and 2004, so-called ‘high capacity magazines’ capable of holding more than 10 bullets were banned from sale. And a new gun control bill proposed by California Senator Dianne Feinstein in the wake of recent shootings would ban those larger ammo clips again. President Obama has also voiced support for the magazine restrictions. Defense Distributed says it hopes to preempt any high capacity magazine ban by showing how impossible it has become to prevent the creation of a simple spring-loaded box in the age of cheap 3D printing. It’s posted the 3D-printable magazine blueprints on its website, Defcad.org, and gun enthusiasts have already downloaded files related to the ammo holders more than 2,200 times.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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3D Printable Ammo Clip Skirts New Proposed Gun Laws