What’s New In Google+: A New “Feature Update” Center Launches

Google+ just added a "Feature Update", the new section in added is called "What's new in Google+" and acts as a release notes for any new features or tweaks that Google makes to the service. An interesting feature of the "What's new in Google+" page is that most of the posts include a video post [...]

What’s New In Google+: A New “Feature Update” Center Launches

Backlink: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DTWB/~3/qRs3UftvChs/

Reykjavík Center Map

One of the more unique interactive city maps I have seen to date is the Reykjavík Center Map, an online map of Iceland’s capital. Yes, it’s a pushpin map, but it uses an isometric projection (which I’ve seen in some Chinese maps) and the base map is a veritable work of art — it’s not at all computer generated, and it looks like a watercolour. Snorri Þór Tryggvason, who worked on the map with some friends and sent me the link, wrote, “The mapmaking took two years and over 3,000 hours to complete,” and I believe him.

Reykjavík Center Map

Backlink: http://www.maproomblog.com/2011/06/reykjavik_center_map.php

What Kind Of Gear Is Apple Using In Its Huge New Data Center? (AAPL)

At the end of his WWDC keynote on Monday, Steve Jobs showed some pictures of the inside of Apple's huge new $500 million data center in North Carolina. The facility is going to be used to store data for the new iCloud backup service.

Storage analysts Stephen Foskett ook a look to try and figure out who supplied the gear to Apple. Here were the lucky vendors.

Terradata. This picture shows at least 30 Terradata Extreme Data Appliances, which are used to crunch massive amounts of data:

HP. Foskett counted at least 100 HP rack servers in this shot:

NetApp. Foskett thought he saw a FAS620 in lower-right hand corner above. Each one of these bad boys can store up to 3 terabytes of data -- that's equal to about 3,100,000 GB. The following picture has some disk shelves for the NetApp gear:

This shot of the exterior gives some idea how huge the place is. See those tiny dots in the circle? Those are two people standing on the roof.

 

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See Also:

• iCloud And iOS 5: No Big Deal Short-Term, Great For The Long-Term
• Jack Dorsey, Apple CEO? Probably Not
• Apple Finally Showed The Record Labels How To Make Money From Stolen Music

What Kind Of Gear Is Apple Using In Its Huge New Data Center? (AAPL)

Backlink: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/typepad/alleyinsider/silicon_alley_insider/~3/aZrDXEqU0oI/what-kind-of-gear-is-apple-using-in-its-huge-new-datacenter-2011-6

Check Out Facebook’s New Energy-Efficient Data Center

Cloud technologies power some of Internet’s most well-known sites—Picasa, Gmail, Facebook, and Zynga, just to name a few—and cloud companies are striving to make the computer processing behind these sites as energy efficient as possible.

With that in mind, Facebook, Dell, HP, Rackspace, Skype, Zynga, and others have teamed together to form the Open Compute Project to share best practices for making more energy efficient and economical data centers.

To kick-start the project, Facebook unveiled its innovative new data center and contributed the specifications and designs to Open Compute. “Cloud companies are working hard to become more and more energy efficient…[and] this is a big step forward today in having computing be more and more green,” explains Graham Weston, Chairman of Rackspace.

A small team of Facebook engineers has been working on the project for two years. They custom designed the software, servers, and data center from the ground up.

One of the most significant features of the facility was that Facebook eliminated the centralized UPS system found in most data centers. “In a typical data center, you’re taking utility voltage, you’re transforming it, you’re bringing it into the data center and you’re distributing it to your servers,” explains Tom Furlong, Director of Site Operations at Facebook.

“There are some intermediary steps there with a UPS system and with energy transformations that occur that cost you money and energy—between about 11% and 17%. In our case, you do the same thing from the utility, but you distribute it straight to the rack, and you do not have that energy transformation at a UPS or at a PDU level. You get very efficient energy to the actual server. The server itself is then taking that energy and making useful work out of it,” he said.

To regulate temperature in the facility, Facebook utilizes an evaporative cooling system. Outside air comes into the facility through a set of dampers and proceeds into a succession of stages where the air is mixed, filtered and cooled before being sent down into the data center itself.

“The system is always looking at [the conditions] coming in”, says Furlong, “and then it’s trying to decide, ‘what is it that I want to present to the servers? Do I need to add moisture to [the air]? How much of the warm air do I add back into it?’” The upper temperature threshold for the center is set for 80.6 degrees Fahrenheit, but it will likely be raised to 85 degrees, as the servers have proven capable of tolerating higher temperatures than had originally been thought.

The servers used in the data center are unique as well. They are “vanity free”—no extra plastic and significantly fewer parts than traditional servers. And, by thoughtful placing of the memory, CPU and other parts, they are engineered to be easier to cool.

Now that these plans and specifications have been released as part of the Open Compute Project, the goal is for other companies to benefit from and contribute to them. “The idea of Open source, crowd sourcing, Wikipedia—these are all part of a new era of thinking enabled by the same force,” explains Weston, “which is that when things are open, there’s more innovation around them.”

More info:

Facebook announcement: http://tinyurl.com/4x67au9
Open Compute Project web site: http://opencompute.org/

This post originally appeared on Building43.

For the latest tech news, visit SAI: Silicon Alley Insider. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

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See Also:

• Google, Apple, Facebook, And More: Judge In Paul Allen Suit Deals With Crowd Of Tech Giants
• Facebook Deals Won’t Kill Groupon Or LivingSocial
• The Facebook Feed Is Ready For Reorganization

Check Out Facebook’s New Energy-Efficient Data Center

Backlink: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/typepad/alleyinsider/silicon_alley_insider/~3/CYDM07jXj8Y/facebooks-new-energy-efficient-data-center-2011-4

Work center work flow

Introduction to the Learning Systems WorkCenter]]>

Work center work flow

Backlink: http://www.slideshare.net/joseangelflores/work-center-work-flow

Comment on Facebook Turns to A Little Solar For Its Data Center by Al Brown

Its just good PR, not good economic sense.

Comment on Facebook Turns to A Little Solar For Its Data Center by Al Brown

Backlink: http://gigaom.com/cleantech/facebook-turns-to-a-little-solar-for-its-data-center/#comment-617397

Key West, Beyond the Beach: The Eco-Discovery Center

Patty Hodapp delves into the diverse ecology of the Florida Keys.

The largest living coral reef in the United States exists as backbone to the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, a 2,800-square-nautical-mile ecosystem that surrounds the 126-mile island chain of the Florida Keys. This reef is home to a diverse group of plants and animals all protected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. And as scientists continue to shed light on the Keys' underwater life, visitors can learn more about this delicate ecosystem at the new Eco-Discovery Center in Key West that opened a year ago this month.

On a visit to Key West, I put aside my snorkeling mask to tour the new 6,400-square-foot educational center, wandering among its interactive maps and exhibits highlighting the ecology of the Keys' main habitats: pinelands, beaches, mangroves, seagrass flats and the coral reef. A 2,500-gallon reef tank displays living coral, tropical fish, and a live reef camera feed from the actual reef six miles off shore. The center also includes a mock-up of Aquarius, the world's only underwater ocean laboratory. And its solar paneled roof and green amenities make the center environmentally friendly.

Key West, Beyond the Beach: The Eco-Discovery Center

Backlink: http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/intelligenttravel/2011/01/key-west-beyond-the-beach-new.html

PayPal Will Open A Huge Center In China (EBAY)

PayPal, which belongs to eBay, is going to set up "a global e-commerce hub" in Chongqing, China, Bloomberg reports. The center, which is set up in partnership with the local government, will offer services like foreign exchange settlement, telesales, training and verification for PayPal's global customer -- and perhaps give it a shot at the huge Chinese market.

Of course, China hasn't always been kind to eBay. The company entered China in 2002, bombastically vowing to dominate the market, and was instead thoroughly beaten by local juggernaut Taobao, and shut down its Chinese site in 2006. US tech companies are often confounded by local markets in Asia, especially China, and often end up disappointed.

This seems like a smarter play for the market. The company is partnering with the local government, offering jobs and investment, and perhaps get more merchants. Its foreign exchange offering solves a real problem because of foreign exchange controls in China.

Smart stuff. A story to watch.

Now Read: 10 Asian Tech Companies That Are Putting American Ones To Shame

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PayPal Will Open A Huge Center In China (EBAY)

Backlink: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/typepad/alleyinsider/silicon_alley_insider/~3/zMl7Y2rlzWY/paypal-will-open-a-huge-center-in-china-2010-12

Comment on Cord Cutters: Turn Your PC Into a Media Center by John

Another PC option is to buy a relatively inexpensive nettop optimized for use in a media center. I recently bought an Acer AspireRevo, which has an HDMI out jack, an Atom CPU, and an Nvidia video chip optimized to run video offloaded from the main CPU, such as Flash has done since version 10.1. It's about the size of a large router, and either stands on its end, or can be mounted on the back of your TV/monitor if mounting holes are present. I installed Boxee from the beginning, which has worked great for streaming various web videos, although it has been partially blocked from Hulu. I bought the 3200 model of the Revo for $300 right before it was phased out, but even the current 3700 is selling for only around $350. Admittedly, the much cheaper Boxee or Roku boxes would allow me access to much the same video content, but when there is a block for whatever reason, I've been able to revert to a regular browser and view to my heart's content. And with both Hulu and Netflix, the browser has been my main avenue of viewing. With Flash 10.1 and the Nvidia chip, I've had no problem viewing even high def videos. For a remote, I've installed both HippoRemote and the Boxee remote apps on my iPod Touch. Hippo has specialized setups for various apps and web sites, including Boxee, and I use it almost exclusively. The SAF (spouse acceptance factor) may limit our just yet cutting the cord, plus the fact shows like _Walking Dead_ have no free immediate streaming option, but it's definitely possible. Thanks for _Cord Cutters_!

Comment on Cord Cutters: Turn Your PC Into a Media Center by John

Backlink: http://gigaom.com/video/connect-laptop-to-tv-cord-cutters/#comment-554421

Comment on Apple Takes the Anonymity Out of Game Center by Ramtops

First Ping now GameCenter. I think Apple is trying to hedge their networking costs by making these two services less desirable to use while still being able to say that they offer social networking services. Sad.

Comment on Apple Takes the Anonymity Out of Game Center by Ramtops

Backlink: http://gigaom.com/apple/apple-takes-the-anonymity-out-of-game-center/#comment-529913

Cumulative Update (CU) for Windows Media Center for Windows 7 (KB2284742)

Customers running the select editions of Windows 7 with extended media capabilities are now able to either manually download and install Media Center refresh, or to have it delivered and deployed automatically through Windows Update.

The Radar: Dublin's Green Convention Center, More Hot-Air Balloons, and South America or Bust, 2011

• The Convention Centre Dublin, which claims to be the first carbon-neutral convention center in the world, opened earlier this fall. Its 22 performance and exhibition halls and meeting rooms are stacked vertically to minimize the structure's horizontal footprint. The center can accommodate 8,000 people and its atrium offers spectacular views of the Liffey River. [inhabitat]

• While you may have missed this year's Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, New Mexico, held earlier this month, enjoy this spirited time-lapse video of some of the action or check out photographer Bob Krist's pointers on how to shoot video at such a big and dynamic event. To find a balloon festival near you, in the U.S. or overseas, visit this directory. 

• Tour operator Myths and Mountains is revamping some of its South America offerings for 2011. Delve into rural life this coming June at the Inka Straw Bridge Festival, see traditional Peruvian artisans at work, or go birding in an Ecuadorian Cloud Forest.

Photo: Convention Centre Dublin, inhabitat.com

 

 

Post originale: http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/intelligenttravel/2010/10/the-radar-dublins-green-conven.html

Apple’s New North Carolina Data Center Ready to Roll

Apple's $1 billion data center in North Carolina made headlines when the project was revealed in May 2009. New reports indicate that the facility is set to open "any day now," according to local officials, and could possibly double its current 500,000 square foot size.

Post originale: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OmMalik/~3/noc1EZcNX20/

THE APPLE INVESTOR: Apple's Mysterious NC Data Center Nearly Operational And Already Looking To Expand (AAPL)

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AAPL Rises With Market
Stocks are rising after world finance leaders pledged to better balance global trade. Shares of AAPL are up about 1% in early trading. Upcoming catalysts include monthly NPD data (Mac / iPod business); holiday iPhone and iPad sales updates and carrier expansion; new content revenue streams such as video, books and social (Ping); and the uptake of refreshed Apple TV. AAPL trades at 14x Enterprise Value / Trailing Twelve Months Free Cash Flow (incl. long-term marketable securities).

Five Catalysts To Drive The Stock In This Next Leg Of Growth (Seeking Alpha)

As Apple's stock price hovers above 300, what products and trends will drive the next leg of company and share price growth? Let's peer into Apple's future to find future catalysts for stock price appreciation: 1) iPad sales; 2) The white iPhone; 3) An Apple Branded TV (not Apple TV); 4) The Verizon iPhone; and 5) The halo effect.

Apple's Not About To Buy A Social Network Still Figuring Out Monetization (Fortune)

Speculation last week swirled as Steve Jobs told investors he was keeping his $51 billion in cash for "strategic opportunities." Firstly, Jobs does not necessarily mean mergers and acquisitions. He might be talking about building something, like expansion of the North Carolina data center. Second, if he were to buy a company, it would not be Facebook (a name that came up again over the weekend). Social network companies that know nothing about building products and are figuring out how to monetize what they do have are not the kind of enterprise that Apple buys.

Apple Data Center Nearly Operational And Looking To Double (GigaOM)
Apple’s mysterious North Carolina data center facility is ready to go online potentially within days, and the company is apparently already considering doubling the facility’s size. The current building covers some 500,000 square feet, as will the reported second building. Most obviously, Apple just announced that it sold 250,000 Apple TVs in that device’s first three months on market. Since the new Apple TV is a streaming only product, that should translate into a much greater strain on Apple’s servers.

Apple Gearing For The Cloud With Data Center And MacBook Air (All Things Digital)

Steve Jobs says the MacBook Air is the future. If that’s to be the case, the machine and ecosystem needs to evolve a bit more. That evolution is likely already well under way and perhaps being engineered at the company’s massive North Carolina data center. And what better use to put it to than the cloud services that might completely eliminate the need for high-capacity hard drives and give the Air storage to match its performance characteristics. Were Apple to create the cloud-based version of iTunes and were it to bolster MobileMe’s iDisk and Gallery services with more-robust storage, even the 64GB Air might seem an attractive option. The data center may well make both those things possible.

Daily Trader: Implied Volatility For AAPL Options Got Wind Sucked Out Of Them (Seeking Alpha)

A look at the prices as of the October 19 close shows how the weekly options (that expire October 22) behaved compared to some of the longer term expirations. The stock was down $8.51 to 309.49, yet the October 310 puts lost a lot of value anyway. The November 310 puts were down slightly and the January 310 puts were up slightly. That’s not unusual. It’s often what happens when unknowns (how traders will react to news) become known. Apple’s overall implied volatility across most strikes and expirations soared as the earnings date loomed, then fell significantly on Tuesday, but the near term options had more volatility baked into them.

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See Also:

• THE APPLE INVESTOR: Apple Losing Investors Because It Won't Pay Dividends, Says Analyst
• THE APPLE INVESTOR: Mac Enterprise Market Share To Increase 57%
• THE APPLE INVESTOR: How To Trade The Stock Going Into Tonight's Earnings

Post originale: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/typepad/alleyinsider/silicon_alley_insider/~3/5fXD9QoEtQA/the-apple-investor-oct-25-2010-10