|
Written by Administrator
|
|
Thursday, 03 July 2008 |
|
If you're at work and your co-workers won't stop chatting, there are two options: either tell them to go talk elsewhere or get a good pair of earplugs and/or headphones. If you've gone for the latter and can't seem to get over the concentration hump of focusing with music blaring, there's SimplyNoise, a white noise generator that runs right in your browser.
I've had a white noise loop kicking around on my iPod for years, and it doubles as a great way to get in the zone for napping. In SimplyNoise's case, you can dial in how much noise you want with a simple volume slider that's independent of your system volume. This works great in theory, but managed to crash my browser nearly every time I messed around with the slider, so your mileage may vary.
If you're looking to get a similar white noise experience on your computer, there's also a standalone player over on Download.com.
[via Delicious]
 You can adjust the white noise slider from 1-100 percent. The higher you go, the louder it gets, so be careful. (Credit: CNET Networks) |
|
Read more...
|
|
|
|
Written by Administrator
|
|
Thursday, 03 July 2008 |
|
Filed under: Laptops 
HP has already busted out a bundle of Puma-based laptops and tablets, but it looks like it's not done with AMD's latest platform just yet, with it now rolling out a pair of new Compaq laptops aimed at business users. Those include the 15.4-inch Compaq 6735b and the 14.1-inch 6535b, each of which will come loaded with your choice of AMD Turion X2, X2 Ultra, or Athlon X2 processors, along with ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics, support for up to 8GB of RAM (though only 2GB and 3GB options are configurable from HP), a max 160GB hard drive, and an optional second hard drive in place of the DVD burner if you so choose. You can also expect a WXGA resolution on each, with WSXGA+ also availabe on the 15.4-inch model and WXGA+ an option on the 14.1-inch (both have both BrightView and anti-glare options, as well). From the looks of it, you can get your hands on either one right now, with the base configuration for each setting you back $779. [Via Laptoping] 
 |
|
Read more...
|
|
| |
|
|
Written by Administrator
|
|
Thursday, 03 July 2008 |
Archaeologists report that the remains of an old farmhouse they've spent three years digging up is the childhood home of George Washington. What a deeeelightful pre-July 4 announcement. The excavation, on the Rappahannock River, was the last of three likely sites where the home could have been. The researchers spent the last few years carefully digging out foundation stones, chimneys, wine bottles, forks, wig curlers, a tea set, and even bone toothbrush handles. (No, Georeg's teeth apparently weren't wood even as an adult.) The image seen here shows the home's footprint. From the New York Times:
"What we see at this site is the best available window into the setting that nurtured the father of our country," Philip Levy, an archaeologist and associate professor of history at the University of South Florida, said in an announcement of the discovery.
Dr. Levy and other members of the excavation team said the foundations, stone-lined cellars and other remains suggested that this was far from being the rustic cottage of common perception, but instead one befitting a family of the local gentry. It was a much larger one-and-a-half-story residence, with perhaps eight rooms and an adjacent structure for the kitchen.
David Muraca, director of archaeology for the George Washington Foundation, said the size, characteristics and location of the structure, as well as many artifacts from the time of Washington's youth, had led experts to conclude that this was indeed the house they were looking for.
George Washington's house (New York Times, thanks Jennifer Lum!)
 |
|
Read more...
|
|
|
BB community member 
