World’s Most Stunning Data Centers

Who says there can’t be any art in technology? Here I present, some visuals of the most expensive data centers in the world.
Pictured above and below, its the Microsoft’s top-secret data center – it surely is a piece of Art. Physically real, yet still beautiful !

Sweden’s Largest ISP:
This underground data center has greenhouses, waterfalls, German submarine engines, simulated daylight and can withstand a hit from a hydrogen bomb. It looks like the secret HQ of a James Bond villain.

And it is real. It is a high-security data center run by one of Sweden’s largest ISPs, located in an old nuclear bunker deep below the bedrock of Stockholm city, sealed off from the world by entrance doors 40 cm thick (almost 16 inches).

And here is what it used to look like:

Quite a difference, isn’t it?

Pics via 1 , 2

Preview Files using STDU Explorer

Scientific and Technical Document Utility Explorer, if you can get past the complex name, this surely will be a helpful utility for all of us. Lets call this utility as STDU Explorer.

STDU Explorer is a neat little file manager that beats Windows Explorer by providing superior preview and thumbnail options. The program is designed especially for previewing and managing  image-file formats such as .psd, .bmp, .png, .gif, .jpg, and .wmf. You can also use STDU Explorer to view Acrobat PDF files and DjVu books (What is DjVu?).

The file manager lets you skim quickly through folders with chock-full of image and PDF files. Finding the one you need is facilitated by STDU Explorer’s thumbnail previews, which you can enlarge, shrink, or otherwise customize on the fly.

The program’s preview pane is great for flipping through multipage files, and its familiar folder tree and Office-like toolbar simplify navigation and basic file-management tasks.

The only useful feature missing from this utility is an address bar for entering folder paths, but otherwise, STDU Explorer is a winner that works with all Windows versions.

Google Chrome now available for Mac and Linux

Great news for Mac & Linux users. Google Chrome can now be downloaded to be used on Mac & Linux systems.

This is basically a Developer version and Google recommends NOT TO DOWNLOAD, unless, you are a developer, as the browser can crash.

Google Chrome for Windows has been in use for a while now.
If you are looking to install Chrome on a USB stick, check out Portable Google Chrome.

Download Link for Mac
System Requirements: Requires Intel CPU and Mac OS X 10.5.6 or later

Download Links for 32-bit and 64-bit Linux
System Requirements: Requires 32 or 64 bit Ubuntu 8.04 or later, or 32 bit Debian 5

Screenshot of Google Chrome for Mac OSX

Screenshot of Google Chrome for Linux

A Beta version of Google Chrome for Mac & Linux users is coming shortly ..

Expanding…

Chat with Yahoo, MSN Buddies Using Gtalk

Instant messaging is the most popular means of communications over the internet today. A few years ago, there were only a handful of messaging services to choose from, but now there are so many that it has become increasingly difficult to keep track of and chat with all your buddies who use different messaging services.

Google has its own messenger known as Google Talk, but it also allows users to chat right inside the internet browser. The chats get saved and became searchable in the mail, which is one reason why many people moved to Google Talk. A couple of years ago, Google Talk opened up their chat protocol to Jabber networks, which has paved the way for Google Talk users to chat with their buddies on AIM, MSN, Yahoo or even ICQ. Read on to find out how it can be done.

You require Psi, which is a free Jabber client, and Google Talk to achieve this. Psi can be downloaded from http://psi-im.org, and Google Talk, which can be downloaded from http://talk.google.com. Install these two IM clients and proceed with configuration.

Read full story @ TechTree.com

Shock 3D for Windows

If you thought Microsoft’s Windows 7 desktop was cool, wait till you see Shock 3D, an OpenGL application that is under 3MB. The application turns all your icons/desktop into 3D, such that you can move them around like objects. 3D desktop action is not limited to only Linux or Windows 7 users anymore, see Shock 3D and you’ll know what I talking about.

A drawback of this app is that you cannot use your desktop normally as Shock 3D sits as a layer on top of your desktop. It is not a fully baked application to replace your desktop, but hey… give the developer a break !

Download Shock 3D

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