PS3 super computing

Link above goes to: The Washington Post

Quote from the source:

Nothing Escapes the Pull of a PlayStation 3, Not Even a Black Hole
Scientists scrimp on supercomputer costs but still manage to solve a cosmic quandary with a little help from Sony's PS3.
Matt Peckham
PC World
Monday, December 22, 2008; 8:19 PM

How did Sony's PlayStation 3 solve an astrophysics puzzler? Easy: With a pallet full of sleek sable doppelgangers crunching the interstellar math in tandem....

The stories about people doing super computing work with PS3 clusters to me are remarkable.

It is an amazing machine, built originally for games?

iPhone apps making developers lots of money

Link above goes to: Newsweek

Quote from the source:

TECHTONIC SHIFTS
There’s Gold In Them iPhones
Some kid in his bedroom can make a million bucks just by writing a little application for the Apple phone.
By Daniel Lyons | NEWSWEEK
Published Dec 13, 2008
From the magazine issue dated Dec 22, 2008

Looks to me like Apple figured out some things that no one else did (and maybe even surprised themselves) as one reason I liked open source was the easy entry, so I could put out software without hiring a law firm and worrying about returns or getting sued. Or the other reasons for high start-up costs.

Apple figured out how to give developers low start-up, low hassle, with money.

How are they so smart?

Flat panels more affordable

Link above goes to: The New York Times

Quote from the source:

Technology / Technology
Flat-Panel TV Prices Plummet
By ERIC A. TAUB
Published: December 2, 2008
Thanks to increasing worldwide sales and economies of scale, a wide range of large-screen HDTVs are now available for three-figure prices.

The article starts out about price but then goes into more detail about picking the best value.

Mini HD Camcorder

Link above goes to: The New York Times

Quote from source:

State of the Art
HD Video Made Sleek and Simple
By DAVID POGUE
Published: November 20, 2008
Pure Digital has added high definition to its Flip Mino, which is already called the least-expensive, smallest and fastest camcorder on the market.

Sounds like super tech: super usability at the cutting edge of technology.

Big bonus, bad thinking?

Link above goes to: The New York Times

Quote from the page:

Op-Ed Contributor
What’s the Value of a Big Bonus?
By DAN ARIELY
Published: November 20, 2008
If our tests mimic the real world, then higher bonuses may not only cost employers more but also discourage executives from working to the best of their ability.

Interesting research indicating that big bonuses actually impair cognitive function despite the motivation they provide. People want to do well for the big bonus but just having it out there, if I'm interpreting this article correctly, can impair mental function which is a counter-intuitive result which if true could explain a lot.

So remarkably, companies handing out big bonuses may be paying their people to do worse.