Home » Archives for July 2011
So Apple’s new OSX Lion is available on the Mac App Store, bringing lots of iOS feature to the desktop operating system and lots of little tweaks and changes. ArsTechnica has a great review full of screenshots.
On first boot, Lion shows you a brand new login screen, draped in the linen texture seen as a background in iOS. Each user is represented by a small circular icon, with small monochromatic icons for “sleep,” “restart,” or “shut down” along the bottom. Along the top are some of the icons and info you’d expect to see on your menu bar once you log in, including battery level, WiFi connection, and date and time. This look is the first clue that Apple is bringing ideas over from iOS to Mac OS X.
In addition, they’ve revved up their Mac Mini hardware to a new version (still at $599) that boasts Sandy Bridge processors, AMD graphics, and Thunderbolt connectors, and does similar for the new MacBook Air. But they didn’t stop there, they also released a new 27-inch display called the “Thunderbolt Display” that supports a Thunderbolt connection (Rather than DVI, Displayport, or HDMI) along with integrated HD “FaceTime” camera.
OSX Lion is 
. Here’s a collection of reviews:
Personally, I plan on waiting a while before I upgrade to Lion. I don’t particularly agree with the iOS-ification of desktop operating systems and I think it’ll be a hindrance more than anything. Time will tell, so I’m waiting for other folks to take the plunge.
via Mac OS X Lion: a screenshot gallery.
Hardware apple, software
Like many other industries, the automative sector was deeply affected by the recent economic crisis, but, as we can see in The White House and TK Car Sites‘ infographics, things are getting better. From Used Cars Chicago 101 comes an overview of the used car economy and the recession, and Automoblog takes a quick look at the historical economics of automobiles, while xxxx beaks down the current status of car industry in America.
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Graphics, Science design, infographic, infoviz, Visual Loop, visualizations
Harry Potter Movies By The Numbers, An Infographic
A Bloody Mess
Graphics, Science digest, infographics, list
CGSociety has a great article on the art & direction of Valve’s Portal 2, and gets into some of the programmatic issues they had to deal with in the engine. Making it run on everything from PC’s to XBox360′s presented some technical challenges, but nothing compared to the difficulties inherent in light-bending physics.
If that portal can see its paired portal, the engine is suddenly drawing the world three times over. If you add to that the two-player co-op, which can have four portals simultaneously, plus reflective water surfaces and split-screen rendering, the engine can very quickly be drawing the world up to sixteen times per frame.
This required the Valve Software team to do more graphical optimization that any game they’ve created previously, including finding methods for creating ‘world imposters’ which baked portions of the scene into rough model geometry that can could selectively turn on in graphically intense scenes.
CGSociety – Portal 2.
Science valve, video game
At the recent Visualizing Europe event, Enrico Bertini of “Fell in Love with Data” met data visualization freelancer Moritz Stefaner, and now is collecting questions for an upcoming interview!
I will be interviewing Moritz next week about data visualization freelancing. I started collecting a number of questions for him but I need your help! What would you like to ask to Moritz? What are you curious about? Is there a nasty question no one has the courage to ask? I think it would be much much better if you guys tell me what *you* want to know. So, don’t miss this opportunity. You could realize that being a data visualization freelancer is not a dream. It’s definitely possible! And Moritz can tell you how or at least provide some indications.
via Ever Dreamed of Becoming a Data Visualization Freelancer? Ask to Moritz How. — Fell in Love with Data.
Science interview
Do you sometimes feel that your laptop is too small & lightweight? Do you want something bigger and heavier? Perhaps heavy enough to warp your spine and large enough to leave your friends cringing from the sheer gargantuan screenspace you can show? Check out the new SpaceBook that packs two 17-inch displays into one 10-pound behemoth.
The price is reasonable, $2400 or $2800, but the specs are surprisingly low. 500GB drive, 4G ram, and a GTS250M.
Laptops by gScreen: dual screens, one laptop with Windows 7.
Hardware laptop
Owning a car is as common as anything, but, besides the cost of buying one, there’s also the finantial weight of maintaining it. Auto MD breaks down thoses costs, and Drive Steady gives some tips on how to spot a bad mechanic. Amog teaches how to change your car oil, Smarter Charger explains why car batteries fail, and, finally, Mint helps us understanding what a car’s VIN number is.
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Graphics, Science design, infographic, infoviz, Visual Loop, visualizations
How to Detect Counterfeit Money
Every Generation Needs A New Revolution
Graphics, Science digest, infographics, list
VizWorld.com 
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