www.nutsvolts.com/index.php?/magazine/article/december2010_TechKnow
TECHKNOWLEDGEY 2010
conclusion that we can draw from this is that your head is genuinely
older than your feet, so at least when you can't think anymore, maybe
you can still dance. The difference won't be especially pronounced,
though, as your head will be only about 90 billionths of a second older
even as you approach age 80. This may seem of little practical interest
but, in fact, "Such comparisons of super-precise clocks eventually may be
useful in geodesy, the science of measuring the Earth and its gravitational
field, with applications in geophysics and hydrology, and possibly in
space-based tests of fundamental physics theories," noted physicist Till
Rosenband, leader of the clock team. ▲
Photo courtesy of
J.Burrus/NIST.
■ NIST
Researcher
James
Chin-wen Chou
with the world’s
most precise
clock, based on
the vibrations
of a single
aluminum ion.
COMPUTERS AND NETWORKING
SERVER FOR BOTTOM FEEDERS
If you think your company is too small to need a server, Hewlett Packard wants to change your mind. The company recently introduced its first ProLiant MicroServer
specifically designed for companies with fewer than 10 employees. A part of HP's
"Just Right IT" portfolio, the new MicroServer is said to provide considerable benefits
over a standard bunch of networked PCs, including faster access to shared files and
applications; increased performance via expandable, pluggable drives; enhanced
security and control over access to confidential files; and lower power consumption.
The guts include a 1.3 GHz AMD Athlon II dual-core processor, up to eight gigs of
DDR3 memory, and up to four LFF SATA drive bays. None of that is
all that amazing until you consider that the machine starts at only
$329, including a one year warranty. For details, visit
www.hp.com/go/proliant. ▲
■ HP’s ProLiant
Microserver,
geared for
small business.
FREE DUPE REMOVER
If you have a tendency to download the same file more than once (and who doesn't) or for any other reason have filled your hard drive with duplicate files, the solution may be CloneSpy — a freebie available at www.clonespy.com.
It's been around for a while, but the latest version ( 2. 52) was released just a couple months ago. This isn't just a routine
that looks for duplicate names; it actually detects duplicates regardless of their name, date, time stamp, and location,
and it finds zero-length files, as well. Redundant files can be handled in various ways, including deleting them, moving
them to a specific folder, generating a list of dupes without doing anything about them, etc. The program received a
five-star review from a CNET reviewer who put it through its paces and verified that it is fast (the search took only 40 s)
and easy to operate. CloneSpy works with Windows 98/Me/2000/XP/Vista/NT (sorry, no Mac OS version). ▲
MEMORY FEATURES WATER COOLING
Okay, first visit www.gotoquiz.com/how_germaphobic_are_you and find out if you are a true germaphobe. If not, and if no one else uses your computer,
you can skip to the next section. Otherwise, you'll be thrilled by Germ Genie,
a product developed by the UK's Falcon Innovations and tested at the University
of Hertfordshire's Biodet laboratory. The device senses movement on the keyboard
and, after a user has finished, irradiates it with UV light so as to prevent the
spread of infections among multiple users. This may seem a bit extreme, but a
2008 study showed that keyboards can sport bacteria levels that are five times
higher than those of a toilet seat. The university's tests on E.Coli, Staphylococcus
Aureus, and Bacillus Subtillis reveal that GG kills 99 percent of germs across
most of the keyboard in just two minutes, and across the entire keyboard in
10 minutes, so it appears to be effective. They don't seem to be stocked in retail
outlets yet, but you can get one at www.falconinnovations.co.uk. The unit is
priced at £140.00 ($222.50 as of this writing). Now all you need is a device
to do something about the cookie crumbs, Cheeto dust, and earwax. ▲
■ Germ Genie kills 99% of
keyboard germs in two minutes.
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