Words and pictures from Silicon Valley by Chris Gulker
If you have any Polar Bear friends, better give them a hug, quick. Despite what many would say is overwhelming evidence that global warming poses a threat to the animal’s habitat, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service says it needs more time to study the issue before granting endangered species status, according to Nature. What makes me think that politics is yet again trumping science? (photo courtesy Greenpeace/Beltrá, Daniel)
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Apple announced a new, faster 8-core-standard Mac Pro today, ahead of Macworld. We’d been waiting for an upgrade or ’speed bump’ for the Pro line, and here ’tis, earlier than expected by a week or so, which makes one wonder what’s coming at Macworld. More iTunes Store distribution deals (yawn)…?
The new $2799 (base) machine is impressive: 8 cores (2 4-core 2.8 GHz ‘Harpertown’ processors), dual 1600 MHz front-side buses and 800 MHz DDR RAM contribute to memory throughput that’s up to 1.6x faster than previous models, according to Apple. Presumably, the ‘beach ball’ spins much faster on this new machine… photo courtesy Apple Computer
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Intended for India’s market, the Tata ‘people’s car’ will likely be the first car for many in India’s emerging middle class. The car’s 600cc engine will sip fuel relative to Western SUVs and other cars, but vast numbers of these vehicles will create demand for oil that will push prices and political wrangling over oil supplies into new territory. The engine is said to cost $700: pity there isn’t an electric drive train that would cost a similar amount while being practical…
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