Gridlock is flash-based implementation of the a classic block puzzle style game. Both fun and frustrating in equal measure.

     

If you believe all pocket calculators require batteries or at the very least transistors, then prepare to be amazed.  The Curta calculator is a mechanically elegant, physically compact, numerical computing marvel.  However given their relative rarity and price while you may not be able to get you hands on one physically, you can experiment to your hearts content virtually with the Curta Simulator.

     

With the LHC moving ever closer towards finally colliding particles, if like us you'd like to see what's going on at CERN try LHC Webcams.  We think you'll be surprised!

     

More retro home computing from our collective childhood. Manic Miner was without doubt one of the classic games for the ZX Spectrum. The joys of modern web browsers and Java allow you to relive your youth, for your lunch break at least.

     

Green computing is often be unhelpfully dismissed as the higher the cost, the greener the device. Now whilst that may sometimes be true, it fails to consider the wider implications of excess energy consumption and the likely short to medium term increasing cost of energy. Essentially the condensed version for your CEO is “saving energy = saving money!

Simple first steps

First and foremost, switch off devices that aren’t being used. Encourage users to switch off their local equipment when they leave the building.

Recycle isn’t always the answer

Recycling is a much vaunted tenet of the green movement; however for technology replacement may actually be greener than reuse. Always assuming, of course, that disposal is handled in an environmentally sensitive way.

Resist the urge to recycle that 3 year old workstation as a "cheap" server. Firstly the workstation will doubtless include a number of power consuming items that simply aren’t necessary for server usage. Secondly the video card will surely be very much over-spec for a server and a recent card could well be consuming over 100watts of power, whereas energy efficient Intel Xeon processors could be consuming as little as 50watts.

Consolidate Functionality

You’ve probably got a number of servers running with very low overall utilization. Run Performance Monitor to get a baseline for overall usage. If you’re seeing single digit percentage CPU usage, then the server is probably a prime candidate for virtualization. Putting several underused servers onto a single box with the magic of virtualization provides considerably more for each watt of power used. However do keep in mind that you’ve created a single point of hardware failure which should be carefully considered before proceeding.

Configure devices for efficiency

Ensure that you take advantage of any built-in power saving functionality. Most modern printers will enter a low power mode after a certain period of inactivity. Persuading users to only print where necessary will save even more power. Monitors can be configured to sleep when unused. While individually the savings from making these changes are quite small, they will quickly accumulate.

     

It might be back to school for the youngsters, but you're never to old to learn.  Give your users an educational shot in the arm with LunchBytes an ongoing series of tips and tricks to help them get the best out of the applications they use everyday.