Dowbrigade

64-bit
Computing for the Masses

Today’s the day Apple’s
new G5 computers (nicknamed the "Cheese
Grater") hit the stores. Continuing its corporate tradition
of innovation, the G5 is the first desktop PC with a 64-bit processor.
Why should you care?

According to John Markoff in the New York Times, the move to 64
bits will again make the personal computer a significantly different
kind of information tool. From his article….

"Microprocessors are generally defined by the number of
pieces of information they can manipulate at once. A 32-bit microprocessor,
for example, can move, add, subtract or multiply numbers that are 32
zeros and ones long. A 64-bit processor is capable of handling binary
numbers consisting of a string of 64 zeros and ones.

It is the length of the information string that determines the amount of
random-access memory, or RAM, a processor can make use of during a task.
The more RAM per task, the greater the computing power.

Thirty-two bit processors are limited to a theoretical maximum of handling
4 billion bytes of RAM per task. (A byte equals eight bits.) But by the
magic of exponential math, a 64-bit processor can theoretically handle
16 quintillion (or 16 billion billion) bytes of RAM. For all current practical
purposes, that is an infinite amount."

from the New York Times

Sex surrogates for pets? This disturbing, funny, disgusting,
dumbfounding piece of video delivers absolutely safe sex.

from Lebonze

The Republic sailed from New York on Oct. 18, 1865, carrying
59 passengers and a cargo of gold. The storm hit off Georgia. For two
days, the steamship battled hurricane winds and giant waves. Then the
engine
failed
and the the Republic went down. Since 1865, the Republic has sat a third
of a mile deep in the ocean off the coast of Georgia, its paddle wheel
still visible.
It was found by a team of explorers that hopes to bring $350 million
worth of gold to the surface.

from
The New York Times

To a small group of men, Americans mostly, Costa Rica
is alluring, enchanting and brimming with possibilities for adventure.
The
men are
bookmakers taking bets and dispensing winnings over the Internet, and
Costa Rica has exactly what they need — a government that welcomes new
investment in almost whatever form it takes, a well-developed business
environment that makes it possible get phone lines hooked up and computer
equipment serviced and a sizable English-speaking population capable
of manning the phones and helping customers place their bets. Legal prostitution,
as well as a plethora of strip clubs, seedy casinos and bars festooned
with Budweiser signs, round out the atmosphere.

from
The New York Times

An extreme sports fanatic is planning to become the first
man to fly unaided across the English Channel with the help of a winged
suit.

Felix Baumgartner’s audacious attempt will see him jump from a plane at
30,000ft, and then navigating over the seas below.

The Austrian will be wearing a specially-adapted suit with a wing-like
carbon fibre fin attached to his back which should let him glide through
the air.

from
Ananova