What is slip disk

Smallest Mac, big power Apple’s latest desktop is the cheapest ever. Starting at $500, the Mac mini is so inexpensive that it can easily power your day-to-day needs. Go a little higher-end and this itty-bitty Mac makes for the perfect home computer, whether you plan on keeping it there or not. Oh, and it’s absolutely brilliant for remote use, too. Image: James Pikover, Mashable Machined perfection Clean and sleek, the Mac mini is machined to a fine point while still remaining tiny. Even with the small frame it’s still more powerful than the standard MacBook Air, for half the price. Image: James Pikover, Mashable Plenty of ports The Mac mini comes with a slew of ports, including four USB 3.0, two Thunderbolt, HDMI, Ethernet, audio jacks, and an SD card slot. Notably missing: a DVI connector. Image: James Pikover, Mashable Upgradeable no more The Mac mini may be square, but it sits on a round disk to help expel heat and to keep the computer … [Read more...] about The latest Mac mini is low-priced, but doesn’t skimp on power

It's not just the iPad mini and 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro, Apple also updated its iMac configuration. The iMac's form factor was last updated in 2009 with its unibody 21.5-inch and 27-inch displays. Today, Apple is updating the iMac again, not only with the latest hardware, it's also incredibly thin. Like the MacBook Air and the Retina MacBook Pro, the iMac eschews the optical drive. Still, don't think the new iMac is low on specs. The devices can be configured with quad-core i5 or i7 Ivy Bridge processors, can take up to 32GB of RAM. The Ivy Bridge means users have access to USB 3. Users will be able to choose between a traditional hard drive, an SSD or Apple's new Fusion Drive. Fusion Drive is Apple technology that allows users to have a hybrid SSD/traditional HD experience. This means that you're most used and disk-intensive apps load from the SSD but your media, movies and music can still exist on a traditional hard drive. The 21.5" iMac will start at $1299. It'll … [Read more...] about Apple Unveils New, Ultra-Thin iMac

Who knew all you needed to build cutting-edge VR was a really, really big phone? A recent teardown of the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset revealed a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 inside being used as the screen. It’s only natural then that Samsung’s own VR headset, the Samsung Gear VR uses the brand new Samsung Galaxy Note 4 as its display and was built in concert with Oculus VR. See also: The Virtual Reality Renaissance Is Here, But Are We Ready? It’s also no surprise that the experience of using Samsung’s new virtual reality headset is almost as good as it is on an Oculus. The South Korean consumer electronics giant revealed the new cutting-edge virtual reality headset on Wednesday at IFA in Berlin and at a special unveiling event in New York City. Let’s play Looking a lot like Oculus’ hipper cousin, the white and black Gear VR resembles a large set of goggles with straps, plastic and Velcro to hold it securely on your head. It’s designed to work with the 5.7-inch Note … [Read more...] about Samsung Gear VR: What a Trip

If you’ve heard of fusion energy, you’ve probably heard of tokamaks. These doughnut-shaped devices are meant to cage ionized gases called plasmas in magnetic fields while heating them to the outlandish temperatures needed for hydrogen nuclei to fuse. Tokamaks are the workhorses of fusion—solid, symmetrical, and relatively straightforward to engineer—but progress with them has been plodding. Now, tokamaks’ rebellious cousin is stepping out of the shadows. In a gleaming research lab in Germany’s northeastern corner, researchers are preparing to switch on a fusion device called a stellarator, the largest ever built. The €1 billion machine, known as Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X), appears now as a 16-meter-wide ring of gleaming metal bristling with devices of all shapes and sizes, innumerable cables trailing off to unknown destinations, and technicians tinkering with it here and there. It looks a bit like Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon, towed in for repairs after a run-in with the Imperial fleet. … [Read more...] about The bizarre reactor that might save nuclear fusion

The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 may latch more easily onto the airway cells of people with type A blood compared with those with type B or O blood, a new study suggests. The findings hint at a possible explanation for why, throughout the pandemic, studies have found those with type A blood are likelier to catch COVID-19 and develop severe symptoms than other blood types. Laboratory experiments revealed that part of the coronavirus called the "receptor binding domain" (RBD), which directly binds to cells to jumpstart infection, also grabs onto unique molecules associated with type A blood. These molecules, known as antigens, show up on cells that line the respiratory tract, including the lungs , according to the study, published March 3 in the journal Blood Advances . In theory, binding to these structures may help the coronavirus enter and infect the airway cells more easily — however, we don't know that for sure yet, the study authors told Live Science. Related: … [Read more...] about Why type A blood may increase COVID-19 risk