I’ve been researching CouchDB’s file format for the last week along side a few other efforts to understand resilient storage that is optimized for SSD or flash-based performance metrics. As it turns out, log-based file formats (and file systems) are optimal when working with flash memory like SSDs. CouchDB uses an append-only, copy-on-write approach to [...]
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How to Unlock an AMD Radeon HD 6950 to an 6970 Easily
I purchased an XFX Radeon HD 6950 (2GB) video card a few months ago in preparation for all the triple-a titles that have come out in the last year; while I miss the PhysX support for the occasional game that supports it, I’ve been mostly happy. Shortly after the dual-launch of both the 6950 and [...]
Steam Cannot Connect to Internet for Qwest DSL User: Steam.exe exception and Hung Updating
If you are a Qwest DSL subscriber using one of the Actiontec Q1000 models and in the last few days (around 11/11/11) you noticed that when you run Steam, it just hangs during Updating… and after a minute or so of waiting it pops up with a cryptic “Steam.exe (main exception): .. connect to the Internet“, even [...]
The Growing Divide in Ubuntu – Apple’s Methods meets Linux Community
This article is my opinion. Mark Shuttleworth is dragging Ubuntu (and by extension) Linux, kicking and screaming into the “design-first” world of computing lead by Apple. This progress requires that he, to some extent, ignore an entire community that has never prided itself on or been particularly good at design aesthetics. Ignoring such a community has… it’s [...]
AWS Elastic Load Balancer sends 2 Million Netflix API Requests to Wrong Customer
What is it? If you are unfamiliar with Amazon Web Services (AWS) or their Elastic Load Balancer (ELB) service, ELB is a load-balancing service that you can use to spread incoming traffic across many different EC2 server instances. ELB, like all things in the AWS cloud, is a dynamic service that scales up and down [...]
Origin PC Launches AMD FX 8-Core 5Ghz Unlocked Desktop Monster
It looks like Origin PC may have beaten everyone to the punch with this Ghz-unlocked, 8-core AMD FX monster of a machine. I didn’t see any solid ship dates, but AMD’s release date for the Bulldozer architecture has been Q4 for a while now, so I imagine at some point between now and December we’ll [...]
Why Does the Steam “Hardware Survey” Include a List of All Installed Software?
You are going to be prompted soon to agree to fill out the yearly Steam “Hardware Survey” and I would urge you to ask Valve first, why the hardware survey (a great idea in its own right) needs to include a list of all the installed software on your PC? The purpose of the hardware [...]
Unavoidable Security Risk Caused by Elastic Load Balancer on AWS
Last night I was reading through the Amazon Web Services Forums and ran across this post that has vexed me since then. I imagine this post doesn’t come as a surprise to folks very familiar with AWS, but not previously knowing how elastic load balancers were implemented in AWS, it came as a surprise to [...]
Fenix PD30 R5 LED Flashlight Video Review
Introduction [8.5 out of 10] The Fenix PD30 (we reviewed the R5 revision) is a tactical, personal-sized super-flashlight. With a maximum output of 257 lumens on the highest setting (2hr runtime), durable shock and water-resistent design and varying modes of operation, the PD30 gets a strong recommendation from us for anyone wanting to get a [...]
How to Easily Resize Images in Mac OS X
Just to be clear, I feel super lame typing this tip up because it has had me stumped for a while and I never spent much time trying to figure it out. Ultimately I found myself typing “How to easily resize images on Mac” into Google more times than I am proud of. Well, I [...]
W3 Total Cache: Import Media Library to CDN is Incomplete or Fails
We are current in the midst of moving 5 years worth of media to a CDN to help increase page-load speed and I have hit some bumps along the way that I want to write about incase anyone else is running into the same problems. I have used the WordPress cache plugin WP-SuperCache for something [...]
Microsoft Gets it, Sony Just F-ing Hates You
I can’t believe I’m typing this… maybe Hell is a snowy paradise, but: Microsoft gets it. Hackers, as insignificant and unimportant as most corporations make them out to be, do drive interest in things. That interest starts down low, with the individual hackers and it bubbles up in the form of words and actions. “Console [...]
New MacBook Pro Rumored to Use Hybrid SSD/HD Combo
BGR is reporting that Apple’s soon-to-be-announced MacBook Pro lineup refresh will include a larger glass trackpad and a hybrid SSD/spindle-based HD combo in the base models for the operating system. In the base models a small (8 or 16GB SSD) will be embedded in the computer to store and run the Mac OS X operating [...]
US Navy Creates Super-Laser
I didn’t realize the Navy was in the business of creating lasers, but apparently they are. Slashdot reports that: The US Navy has broken the existing record for the power of a laser. Their new free-electron laser can burn through 20 feet of steel per second. ‘Next up for the tech: additional weaponization. The Navy just [...]
Dell Rumored to Buy AMD
If you are into rumors (omg Snooki is pregnant!) then you might be interested to know that rumors are about that Dell might be interested in buying AMD. Considering that AMD produces: Server processors (Opteron) Desktop processors (Phenom) GPUs (ATI branch) Integrated CPU/GPU processors (Fusion series) and will soon be producing mobile-based, integrated solutions to [...]
Windows 7 Delete from NAS Lagged by Network
I am not sure how “delete” is implemented in Windows 7 exactly, but my experience thus far with it on local resources has been something like: First, count the total number of files to be deleted before deletion begins, even if this takes 10 mins. Instead of erasing the files, take 10 mins to count [...]
Bvckup – Simple, Sexy and Fast Backup for Windows
What happens when you take a software developer with an inherent love of good design, sit him down in front of his computer with a code editor open and tell him to code… code like a gentle angel! Well, you end up with Bvckup… pronounced “Backup“, but I will continue to call it “Buh-vackup!” in [...]
Official Google Search Results Domain Blocklist Chrome Plugin
Ben Vanik sends in some great news; Google has officially released a Chrome extension that allows you to ban certain domain names from your search results. If you don’t know why this is good news, consider when you search for something like “best diet pills” or anything starting with the phrase “how do i…” leading [...]
myTouch 4G (Android 2.2.1) Resends Old SMS
The picture above is of a confusing conversation I had with a buddy tonight after canceling Super Bowl plans earlier in the day. My myTouch 4G randomly decided to resend an SMS at 6:14pm from approximately 1 week prior where I was making plans with this same friend. My issue was easy enough to rectify, [...]
foursquare Check-in Hack 1.5 Released
If you are a fan of our foursquare Check-in Hack utility, then you will be happy to know version 1.5 was just released. We added support for Private check-ins, so your friends aren’t notified every single time you check-in somewhere. Thanks to user Alex Yates for the suggestion. As usual, you can grab the download [...]
UPenn GRASP Lab Robots Assemble a Building
A “quadrotor” (or “quadricopter”) is a 4-rotor miniature helicopter robot that has become quite popular recently, entering the mainstream with the launching of the AR.Drone iPhone-controlled quadrotor last year that we saw everywhere from personal blogs to CollegeHumor sketches. The University of Pennsylvania’s GRASP Laboratory have created a group of hive-mind-esque quadrotors outfitted with grabbing devices [...]
Why Clicky Real-Time Web Analytics is Awesome for Bloggers
We have been Clicky Web Analytics customers for years now. We gave Clicky a try when the non-realtime nature of Google Analytics made it hard for us to figure out in real-time where traffic was coming from and going to so we could improve our content on the fly if need-be. For example, improving an [...]
QN: T-Mobile Massively Cuts Download Caps for UK Mobile Users
Across the pond in the UK, T-Mobile is desperate to remind people that their garbage cell network doesn’t like people who use the full features on their smart phones that the company is championing so hard. Right after T-Mobile’s US announcement that they are upgrading the US network to speeds up to 45 Mbps, T-Mobile [...]
QN: Google’s reCAPTCHA has been Cracked
You know those reCAPTCHA anti-SPAM boxes you see on every other site’s signup page or story-submission page for social sites? Well it looks like it has been cracked for a while and even though Google continues to deny it, a researcher has proven that it has in fact been compromised.
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