Awesome computer cases that are also desks !

Lian-Li announces awesome computer cases that are also desks !

Do you really need a desktop computer and a desk? Why not make them into a single thing with Lian Li’s DK-01X, DK-02X, and DK-Q1X desk chassis. Lian-Li previously announced a prototype version of these cases late last year, but now they are real products. These hybrid aluminum computer cases have a slide-out drawer for easy access to your computer components, but the top is tempered glass, so you can look down at any time to take a peek.

The DK-01X will be a smaller desk, with a width of 0.9 meters. If that’s not enough, the DK-02X is 1.25 meters wide. That extra width gives it an interesting feature. While both desks are able to accommodate large ATX and HPTX motherboards, the 02X has space for a second mini-ITX board so you can have a secondary system just for gaming or media storage. Both the announced cases have space for more than a dozen hard drives as well.

High-end components should also fit in the chassis with no issue — there is 180mm of CPU cooler clearance and 410mm of space for long graphics cards. There is also a keyboard/mouse tray built into the desks that runs the length of the chassis with front-facing USB 3.0 ports right there for easy access.

You may be wondering what’s up with that third model, the DK-Q1X. This is supposed to be the smallest of the bunch, but there are fewer details on this one. It’s going to be an entry level offering with a width of just 0.7 meters and a height of 0.5 meters. It’s kind of small and square-ish, like a full tower case turned on its side. It looks like the Q1X will be similar to the prototype from last year.

If you’re salivating at the idea of building a PC in one of these bad boys, brace for sticker shock. The DK-01X will retail for $989 when it comes to North America in July. The DK-02X will be a little more pricey at $1,189. The DK-Q1X is still a mystery, so it might come along a little later. All three units will come to Europe a month after their US debut.

Google's data centers grow too fast for normal networks, so it builds its own !

Google has been building its own software-defined data-center networks for 10 years because traditional gear can’t handle the scale of what are essentially warehouse-sized computers.

The company hasn’t said much before about that homegrown infrastructure, but one of its networking chiefs provided some details on Wednesday at Open Network Summit and in a blog post.

The current network design, which powers all of Google’s data centers, has a maximum capacity of 1.13 petabits per second. That’s more than 100 times as much as the first data-center network Google developed 10 years ago. The network is a hierarchical design with three tiers of switches, but they all use the same commodity chips. And it’s not controlled by standard protocols but by software that treats all the switches as one.

Networking is critical in Google’s data centers, where tasks are distributed across pools of computing and storage, said Amin Vahdat, Google Fellow and networking technical lead. The network is what lets Google make the best use of all those components. But the need for network capacity in the company’s data centers has grown so fast that conventional routers and switches can’t keep up.

Read more @ http://www.cio.com/article/2937913/googles-data-centers-grow-too-fast-for-normal-networks-so-it-builds-its-own.html

WOW ! PC-on-a-Stick With Windows 8.1 Launched at Rs. 8,999

iBall Splendo PC-on-a-Stick With Windows 8.1 Launched at Rs. 8,999

by NDTV Correspondent, 19 June 2015

iBall in partnership with Microsoft India has launched its first PC-on-a-stick device, dubbed Splendo. The Windows-based mini computer, which is meant to turn a TV into a PC or Smart TV, has been priced at Rs. 8,999.

The iBall Splendo will go on sale in early July across the country and will also be available via online and TV retail channels.

Much like other PC-on-a-stick devices, the iBall Splendo can also fit in a pocket. It is powered by an Intel Atom quad-core processor and runs Windows 8.1. It comes with 2GB of RAM while packing 32GB of inbuilt storage.

The device is just required to be plugged into the HDMI input of the TV for a complete Windows PC experience. Some of the features offered by the Splendo include HD graphics, multi-channel digital audio, a microSD card slot, regular USB port, Micro-USB port, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0. The device has a fan-less design and comes with a one-year warranty from the company.

Commenting on the launch, Sandeep Parasrampuria, Director, iBall said, "iBall Splendo PC-On-Stick is one such device which will be useful for every home and office conference room providing different dimensions to use the PC as well as get great multimedia and internet experience by attaching it to the TV. A true convergence of technology for every age group and for every need."

Vineet Durani, Director Windows Business Group, Microsoft India said, "The iBall Splendo is for people who love devices and want to be connected all the time using multiple form factors. These users are tech enthusiasts who love gadgets, have access to multiple TVs at home, love the Smart TV experience and use Windows for browsing, social networking and multimedia consumption."

Back in April, Google launched the Asus Chromebit offering a computer-on-a-stick with Chrome OS. The Chromebit could be plugged into a display to turn it into a PC.

Inderz Powerpoint Tools - LiveWeb - insert and view web pages real-time !

LiveWeb - insert and view web pages real-time !

A very easy way to embed webpages right into yourPowerpoint presentation - either link directly to the page (if you are connected to the Web) or download the webpages and link them.

Use LiveWeb to insert web pages into a PowerPoint slide and refresh the pages real-time during slide show. Display web pages without ever leaving the confines of your PowerPoint slide show. No coding required.  LiveWeb works with documents off your local drive too. You can specify relative paths. LiveWeb will also look for files in the presentation folder if the files have local drive information and cannot be located at the location specified by the user during slideshow. LiveWeb encapsulates the need to insert a web browser control manually and write code to update the web pages within the control during the slide show. http://skp.mvps.org/liveweb.htm Download here - Office 2010 and above -

NATGEO - A Quick Guide to Spotting Graphics That Lie

A Quick Guide to Spotting Graphics That Lie

We tend to believe what numbers say, but just because they're on a chart, that doesn’t make them true.

By Chiqui Esteban, National Geographic 

PUBLISHED JUNE 19, 2015

Numbers themselves don’t lie, but how we represent them can be really misleading. While charts and graphics can help us visualize large amounts of data, they can also be dangerous in the wrong hands.

The good news first: If the chart is not plain lying, just playing with the way we perceive visual information, there are some tips you can use to reveal the truth. The bad news is that you might have to do this analysis quickly if a chart flashes by quickly on a TV screen. Also, let’s be honest: Not everybody is willing to look further into a chart if the result confirms what they want to believe.

If you want to detect a cheating chart, here’s a quick guide to the most common tricks:

1. Broken scales show drama where it doesn't exist.

This is probably the most common way graphics lie, whether intentional or not. Something that changes by 0.1 percent over 10 years and something that changes by 1,000 percent in one year can look exactly the same depending on the scale, or range of values used on the chart.

SOURCE: BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Both charts show how unemployment rate has changed in the United States from January 2014 to May 2015 (6.6% to 5.5%). The chart on the left breaks the scale (left) to begin at 5.25%, which depicts a more dramatic scenario than reality (right).

It gets worse when we compare two different elements. In this case we’re not just adding drama to the change, we're making unfair comparisons.

SOURCE: MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

When we don’t show the full extent of the bars, the difference between bars looks much bigger than it really is, missing the point of the visual comparison.

That doesn’t mean that charts should never break a scale. Maybe we want to show deviation from 50%, and that should be our starting point. But there has to be a good reason to do it. Showing a more dramatic view of the change is not one.

2. Showing data on two different scales can make for an apples-to-oranges comparison.  

Is 170 pounds more or less than 5 feet 8 inches? The question has no answer because we’re talking about two unrelated units, although they speak about related fields. Still, many charts draw these kind of correlations.

SOURCE: BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Looking at the chart on the left could make you think U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) surpassed the unemployment rate around March 2015. But that comparison is meaningless.

This lie is usually unintentional. Many people just want to include all their information in less space, but the results still draw conclusions that aren’t anywhere but in these charts.

3. Showing a correlation can imply causation.

Two people doing the same dance moves may not be dancing to the same song. The same way, just because two sets of numbers follow a similar path doesn’t mean there’s a correlation.

There’s even a website devoted to make fun of this non-existing game of cause and effect. Don’t let the form of change look like the reason of change.

SOURCES: BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS; THE HUFFINGTON POST

The lines show a similar trend, but the relationship between Clinton’s approval rate and unemployment seems improbable. In this example, there’s no right way to do it. They are just unrelated.

4. Ignoring population size makes rates impossible to compare.

There are also many ways to lie with maps, which we won’t dive into in this post. Still, when we’re talking about where people live it's important to have in mind how many people live there.

SOURCE: FBI'S UNIFORM CRIME REPORT

Chicago and New York suffered more murders in 2014 than Detroit, but that doesn’t mean they’re more dangerous. If you look at how many people live in each city, the comparison changes greatly.

Which cities have the highest number of murders? Not the most dangerous, but the most populated. More people = more everything.

5. Decoration can be deceiving.

Who doesn't love 3D pie-charts? (Disclosure: many people, including me.) Yet they have a big audience in scientific papers, economic reports, and PowerPoint charts. They look fun and modern, but including volume and perspective in a chart where they don't mean something is a big no-no.

If you’re making a chart to visualize amounts and you distort the way amounts are visualized… what’s the point of making a chart?

SOURCE: PEWRESEARCHCENTER

In the chart on the left, the percentage of Christians is the biggest value, but a larger amount of green shows for Muslims because of the 3-D effect.

Of course, there are many more ways to lie with charts—some subtle, some not—just as there are ways to mislead with words and pictures. The biggest enemies of chart cheats are context, analysis, and common sense. Try to apply those next time you see some "shocking truth" in the form of a chart.