Universe Sandbox

Universe Sandbox is an interactive space simulator for Windows based PCs.

Unlike most astronomy software that just shows you what the sky looks like or where the planets are, Universe Sandbox is a powerful gravity simulator. You can add another star to our solar system and watch it rip the planets from their orbits.

The free forever version allows you to explore and discover any simulation. Optionally you can upgrade to to the premium version for unlimited control.

Be God over the Universe!

via Universe Sandbox | about.

mycheckpoint

 

 

Lightweight, SQL oriented monitoring for MySQL

mycheckpoint is an open source monitoring utility for MySQL, with strong emphasis on user accessibility to monitored data.

It is SQL oriented: charts, reports and advances metrics are generated on the fly with views.

mycheckpoint highlights:

mycheckpoint | openark forge.

From Dust PC is a disaster

 

For staters, gamers discovered that the PC version of title (avaiable on Steam and Gamersgate) actually requires players to stay connected to the internet at all times to play, despite being informed by Ubisoft in writing that From Dust’s DRM would only require players to be online at time of activation.  That didn’t prove to be case at all, because players on Steam found that as soon as they took their clients into “Offline” mode, From Dust cannot be launched.  Ubisoft originally amended its original statement with word that an official update regarding From Dust’s online DRM would be forthcoming.

And that’s before players even started playing the game.  Once players got over the hurdle of being mislead over the DRM scheme, they found a game that was not optimized in any way for PCs.  From Dust on PC currently suffers from choppy framerates, glitches, and no way for players to improve the graphical quality either in-game or through their preferred graphics driver control panels.  There isn’t even any anti-aliasing, and that’s just one of the more glaring examples.  Players were also disappointed that the system requirements listed on Steam were inaccurate compared to the official ones provided by Ubisoft.

Players were stung so bad by their From Dust experiences on PC that many have taken to requesting refunds on Steam and from Ubisoft.  The publisher is even suggests players to get in contact with its customer support in case they do decide to pursue refunds.


From Dust PC erupts with disastrous port – Neoseeker News Article
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This is a real dissappointment, as I have been looking forward to a good new God game for some time now. Guess I’ll have to keep waiting.

Using trees to collect solar more efficiently than flat panels

The Fibonacci tree design performed better than the flat-panel model. The tree design made 20% more electricity and collected 2 1/2 more hours of sunlight during the day. But the most interesting results were in December, when the Sun was at its lowest point in the sky. The tree design made 50% more electricity, and the collection time of sunlight was up to 50% longer!

via The Secret of the Fibonacci Sequence in Trees.

Remarkably, a 13 year old designed this.

HP kills WebOS devices :’-(

In addition, HP reported that it plans to announce that it will discontinue operations for webOS devices, specifically the TouchPad and webOS phones. HP will continue to explore options to optimize the value of webOS software going forward.

via HP Confirms Discussions with Autonomy Corporation plc Regarding Possible Business Combination; Makes Other Announcements | Business Wire.

WebOS IMHO was the best smartphone OS there was, which never got the marketing push or hardware it deserved.

DARPA Falcon HTV-2 succesfully flies Mach-20

Falcon HTV-2 is an unmanned, rocket-launched, maneuverable aircraft that glides through the Earth’s atmosphere at incredibly fast speeds—Mach 20 (approximately 13,000 miles per hour). At HTV-2 speeds, flight time between New York City and Los Angeles would be less than 12 minutes. The HTV-2 vehicle is a “data truck” with numerous sensors that collect data in an uncertain operating envelope.

via Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Telex: Anticensorship in the Network Infrastructure

Telex is a new approach to circumventing Internet censorship that is intended to help citizens of repressive governments freely access online services and information. The main idea behind Telex is to place anticensorship technology into the Internet’s core network infrastructure, through cooperation from large ISPs. Telex is markedly different from past anticensorship systems, making it easy to distribute and very difficult to detect and block.

via Telex: Anticensorship in the Network Infrastructure.