50 Kick-Ass Websites You Need to Know About It's time to update the entries in your browser's links toolbar. But with recent estimates putting the size of the internet at well more than 100 million distinct websites, it's getting harder and harder to get a handle on all the great stuff that's out there. That's why we've compiled this list. And unlike some lists you may have seen, which try to name the very "best" websites, but end up just telling you a lot of stuff you already know, we've chosen instead to highlight 50 of our favorite sites that fly under most people's radar. You might have heard of some of these sites, but we'll bet you haven't heard of all them. Demoscene.tv See What Can Be Done with 4 Kilobytes If you’re any kind of nerd at all, you probably know about the demoscene, where talented programmers create complex videos rendered in real-time, stored in incredibly small files. But what if you just want to see what all the fuss is about without actually downloading and running an executable? lite.Facebook.com
Understanding Chipsets: What is a Chipset, Anyway? - Gamers Nexus - Your hub for gaming hardware, news, PC builds, and reviews Known for having the coolest-sounding naming scheme in computing, chipsets operate at the core of every build we do here at GN -- by this point, all of you know the basics: P67 is good, Z68 is better, X79 (SB-E) is expensive; the 970 is good, the 990X is great, and AM3+'s 990FX is expensive (sort of). Great, so we have an idea of what to get relative to other chipsets, but that doesn't mean much. That's about as useful as knowing "DDR3 is better than DDR2," without truly knowing why. It's brochure knowledge. As we did with our GPU dictionary and SSD dictionary, this chipset guide will help explain what, exactly, a chipset is responsible for and what you should look for in future editions. This helps keep everyone on the cutting edge as new technology is announced and, better still, helps you actually understand what is needed, not just recommended. Click to enlarge. * = Modern CPUs include memory controllers on the CPU. Enough theory! -Steve "Lelldorianx" Burke
How to Hunt Elephants MATHEMATICIANS hunt elephants by going to Africa, throwing out everything that is not an elephant, and catching one of whatever is left. EXPERIENCED MATHEMATICIANS will attempt to prove the existence of at least one unique elephant before proceeding to step 1 as a subordinate exercise. PROFESSORS OF MATHEMATICS will prove the existence of at least one unique elephant and then leave the detection and capture of an actual elephant as an exercise for their graduate students. COMPUTER SCIENTISTS hunt elephants by exercising Algorithm A: Go to Africa. EXPERIENCED COMPUTER PROGRAMMERS modify Algorithm A by placing a known elephant in Cairo to ensure that the algorithm will terminate. ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE PROGRAMMERS prefer to execute Algorithm A on their hands and knees. DATABASE ADMINISTRATORS do not need to go out and capture elephants when they can retrieve them simply with an ad hoc query: STATISTICIANS hunt the first animal they see N times and call it an elephant.
The 25 Best High-Tech Pranks Everyone loves a good laugh, and in the age of electronics, high-tech hijinks are just waiting to be pulled off. So snuggle up to your screen and get ready to unleash all sorts of shenanigans as we present the 25 best high-tech pranks known to man. Our apologies in advance to your friends and co-workers. 1. We start with one sure to throw off even the most advanced Windows user. 2. While we’re on the topic of system startups, the Windows Startup folder is a fantastic place for fun. 3. A classic computer prank never goes out of style. 4. There are few things funnier than forcing a friend to insult himself — and Microsoft has made it easy to do just that. 5. While you’re in the Word or Outlook settings, another good place to tamper is the dictionary. 6. A small investment will have a big payoff with the ThinkGeek Annoy-a-Tron. 7. 8. 9. Since you’re already under the desk, try out another switcheroo: the speaker swap. 10. 11. 12. Another great mouse prank awaits you in the Control Panel.
CompuLab releases Fit-PC 2 By Usman Aziz | May 17th, 2009 CompuLab has released Fit-PC 2, and claims to be the smallest HTPC ever made, which works on ultra-low Power. This PC can be used as a nettop and small-form factor media PC. This new small-form factor PC is expected to compete with Acer Revo and other such nettops. Here’s a complete list of specifications of the product: Intel Atom Z530 1.6GHz / Z510 1.1GHz CPUIntel US15W SCH Chipset1GB DDR2-533 on-board MemoryInternal bay for 2.5″ SATA HDD (up to 250GB)miniSD socketIntel GMA500 graphics accelerationFull hardware video acceleration of H.264, MPEG2, VC1, and WMV9 DVI Digital output up to 1920 x 1080 through HDMI connectorHigh definition 2.0 Audio Line-out, line-in, mic1000 BaseT Ethernet802.11g WLAN6 USB 2.0 High Speed portsProgrammable consumer IR receiver Features: This new platform is expected to compete with the low cost small-form factor PCs which are capable of driving large monitors and playing full HD content. To watch to current price, click here.
Sciency stuff Best Gaming CPUs For The Money: February 2012 : Best Gaming CPUs For The Money, February Updates In this month's update, we discuss the new A4-4020 and A4-6420K APUs, AMD's low-power, entry-level Socket FS1b-based platform, and how it will stack up against Intel's counterpart, Bay Trail-D. We also report on a handful of price changes in the market. If you don’t have the time to research benchmarks, or if you don’t feel confident enough in your ability to pick the right processor for your next gaming machine, fear not. We at Tom’s Hardware have come to your aid with a simple list of the best gaming CPUs offered for the money. March Updates: The past month was quiet in the processor market, with a few minor exceptions. Also coming from AMD, the company is re-branding its low-power Socket FS1b interface for Kabini-based APUs as the AM1 platform. This should be interesting competition for Intel's Bay Trail-D platform, which features soldered-down SoCs rather than AMD's socketed APUs. As for pricing moves, there's not much to report. Some Notes About Our Recommendations
AMD Or Intel: Which Offers Better Gaming Performance? : Picking A Sub-$200 Gaming CPU: FX, An APU, Or A Pentium? That’s a lot of data to digest, so let’s distill it down by averaging out performance in all benchmarks relative to AMD's A4-3400. Again, we sort by minimum frame rate because we're calling that statistic more important than the average. It's the best way to quantify the benefit of a powerful-enough processor, representing its ability to stand up to a worse-case scenario. If the above chart presents any surprises, they'd be the dual-core Pentium G630 and G860, which perform incredibly well, matching up to AMD's former Phenom II X4 955 flagship. To that end, we were hoping to see the Llano-based APUs succeed the inexpensive Athlons under $100, impressing gamers with discrete graphics cards on strict budgets. With the sub-$100 Pentiums performing so well, Intel's $125 Core i3-2100 easily beats more expensive Phenom II and FX models. The biggest flaw with Intel's low-end offerings is that the Pentium family limits you to dual-core configurations.
Intel Reveals More Details of Ivy Bridge Variants at ISSCC Ubuntu for Android is making an appearance next week at Mobile World Congress. On Tuesday Canonical revealed Ubuntu for Android, a release the company says will bring a full desktop computing experience to a docked Android smartphone. But don't expect to install this software on your current device (legally): it will only be available on new devices provided by participating manufacturers. Canonical has reportedly combined the Ubuntu architecture with Google's 2.3 "Gingerbread" AOSP build at the kernel level. As the name indicates, it won't be out to compete with Apple's iOS, Microsoft's Windows Phone or even Android itself as a standalone OS, but serve as a "value-add" service that Canonical hopes will reduce the number of devices carried by Android consumers. "Why carry two devices, when you could carry only one?" "Manage and view photos stored on your smartphone using the Ubuntu Gallery application.
Video Connectors Tutorial VGA is the traditional plug used to connect your PC to video monitors. It is also one option to connect your PC to video projectors and digital TV sets (HDTVs). This connection offers a better video quality than component video, S-Video, and composite video because it uses an independent wire for each video signal: red, green, blue, horizontal sync, and vertical sync. click to enlargeFigure 23: VGA connector on a video card click to enlargeFigure 24: VGA cable of a video monitor click to enlargeFigure 25: VGA connector on an HDTV set 64 Raspberry Pis + Legos = Supercomputer Computer engineers combine 64 Raspberry Pis and a Lego-built framework to create a DIY supercomputer. Earlier this year, Raspberry Pi lured the world in with the scent of a $35, linux-powered mini-PC. Since its release, the device has been used for a number of creative purposes. Taking good notice of Moore's Law, the team realized the cost of creating a supercomputer has dropped exponentially over the years, allowing them to create one for as little as £2,500. Led by professor Simon Cox, the team has kindly created a detailed guide for anybody looking to create their own Raspberry Pi supercomputer. Contact Us for News Tips, Corrections and Feedback