PerformanceTest by PassMark lets you benchmark and compare your system

PerformanceTest by PassMark lets you benchmark and compare your system
Xbox 360 anime-art sticker mod
Madden's NFL Predictions — And A Few Of Our Own [Madden]
CNC bacteria swarm builds tiny pyramid
Clowns Versus Bunnies *Does* Sound Like A Bloody Good Time [Ubisoft]
Norton's best idea ever: Hack is Wack! contest, featuring Snoop Dogg
Shocker! Google's Android logo boosted from Atari Lynx title 'Gauntlet: The Third Encounter'
Flash On Android Is 'Shockingly Bad'
Antec wants to rockus with its new soundscience 2.1 '3D' speakers
What Happened To Wicked Lasers' Spyder III Pro Arctic Laser? [Lasers]

Posted: 02 Sep 2010 04:00 PM PDT

"I need a new computer!" is a cry often heard by parents and system administrators alike. But often, the problem isn't in the hardware - if the user isn't an avid gamer or using a really ancient system, more often than not the problem is a crudded-up Windows installation (yes, I know, "this doesn't happen on Linux").

Proving to your user/kid that the hardware isn't the problem is often easier said than done. What they see is just a slow computer, but PassMark's PerformanceTest may be able to help you prove that the hardware isn't all that wimpy.

First of all, you should know this is a Shareware product. You get it for a 30-day free eval period, after which you should buy it. But for most home users, 30 days should be plenty - you just want to see if you should buy a new computer, and if so, how much would that computer really be better than what you have now.

PerformanceTest runs a fairly comprehensive battery of tests, including CPU, graphics (2D and 3D), memory, hard-drive and CD performance. It then lets you upload the results onto its online database, and you can also pull information from the database to compare your system to right within the program.

For some reason, I was unable to find other systems listed as running Windows 7 x64, and so I had to compare my system with rigs running Vista x64.

Even if you don't want to benchmark your own system, the database provides some very illuminating statistics. If you're on the market for a new system, you should definitely take a stroll through some of the charts.

PerformanceTest by PassMark lets you benchmark and compare your system originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows 7 - Windows Vista - Microsoft Windows - Shareware - Linux

Xbox 360 anime-art sticker mod

Posted: 02 Sep 2010 04:00 PM PDT

This Japanese gamer, Itabeya-san, made these lovely Xbox 360 "Ita" (meaning 2D anime girls) console and controller stickers, using Sora Nobiru sticky/stretchable printer labels. Includes a link to downloadable outline art for the controller.

[Thanks, Francesco!]

Ita Controller

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Madden's NFL Predictions — And A Few Of Our Own [Madden]

Posted: 02 Sep 2010 03:20 PM PDT

Click here to read Madden's NFL Predictions — And A Few Of Our Own

Madden NFL has an impressive record picking Super Bowl winners; it also takes an annual stab at the much less exact science of predicting the season, which a simulation says ends with Baltimore and Green Bay as conference champions. More »

CNC bacteria swarm builds tiny pyramid

Posted: 02 Sep 2010 03:00 PM PDT

Researchers at the NanoRobotics Laboratory of the École Polytechnique de Montréal, under Professor Sylvain Martel, produced this remarkable video showing a swarm of about 5,000 flagellated bacteria--of a type which are subject to manipulation by magnetic fields--being directed to assemble six 100 μM epoxy bricks into the shape of a tiny step pyramid. IEEE Spectrum explains:

The bacteria, of a type known as magnetotactic, contain structures called magnetosomes, which function as a compass. In the presence of a magnetic field, the magnetosomes induce a torque on the bacteria, making them swim according to the direction of the field. Place a magnetic field pointing right and the bacteria will move right. Switch the field to point left and the bacteria will follow suit.

The corresponding paper title is surely one of the best I've ever read: "A Robotic Micro-Assembly Process Inspired By the Construction of the Ancient Pyramids and Relying on Several Thousands of Flagellated Bacteria Acting as Workers." [Thanks, Glen!]

More:

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Clowns Versus Bunnies *Does* Sound Like A Bloody Good Time [Ubisoft]

Posted: 02 Sep 2010 03:00 PM PDT

Click here to read Clowns Versus Bunnies *Does* Sound Like A Bloody Good Time

Rare is the first-person shooter that lets us pit murderous clown versus flamethrower-wielding Vegas showgirl, beach bunny against surfer bro. Ubisoft's new Bloody Good Time does, a multiplayer kill-fest from the developers of The Ship. More »

Norton's best idea ever: Hack is Wack! contest, featuring Snoop Dogg

Posted: 02 Sep 2010 03:00 PM PDT

You know, if there's one genre of music I think of when I'm pondering issues related to cyber-security, it's rap. And if there's one rapper I think of when I'm in the mood for lyrics which don't mention any kind of illegal activities, it's Snoop Dogg.

Yes, those are two of the most ridiculous sentences I've ever written at Download Squad, but whatcha gonna do? This isn't a situation I ever expected to encounter. Behold, the Hack is Wack! contest to raise cyber-crime awareness!

The contest, of course, is based on the old geek hit "Don't Copy That Floppy," the early 90's hit sponsored by the fine folks at the Software Publisher's Association. Hack is Wack! is different, of course. Hey, it's 2010 now, and contests like this are crowdsourced -- so take off your shirt, pull your pants down below your waistline, and get ready to drop some plates.

First prize is a Toshiba laptop and tickets to a Snoop show -- where you get to meet (wait for it) his management team and agent. Yeah. Fo'shizzle. Now on to their choice for spokesperson...

I love you, Snoop, but as much as I enjoy listening to you refer to yourself as the d-o-double-g, you seem like an odd fit for this project. Your rap sheet, after all, makes it appear like this could be some kind of nutty judge's idea of community service.

At any rate, someone please inform Paul Barman of this contest and make sure he enters immediately.

Norton's best idea ever: Hack is Wack! contest, featuring Snoop Dogg originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Snoop Dogg - Rapping - Download Squad - Arts - Toshiba

Shocker! Google's Android logo boosted from Atari Lynx title 'Gauntlet: The Third Encounter'

Posted: 02 Sep 2010 03:00 PM PDT

Back in the early 90's whilst playing our Atari Lynx -- friendless and alone, of course -- we couldn't have imagined that a second-rate spinoff of the popular Gauntlet franchise would unlock the secrets behind the birth of Google's Android OS. But, lo and behold, what has one of our faithful tipsters found down here, amongst the ruins of Gauntlet: The Third Encounter? That's right, nearly irrefutable proof that the Android team (or at least its graphic designers) have plumbed the depths of Epyx's not-quite-masterpiece for the iconic droid logo we've come to know and love. Sure, the top-down scroller provided all kinds of new character classes like the "Nerd," "Punkrocker," and "Pirate," but only one of these fresh faces would provide the blueprint for Android's public face. It's hard to argue that there isn't some level of appropriation here, given the multiple similarities between the two pieces of art, right down to the antennae, dotted eyes, general size and shape, and even the strip which cuts across the midsection of the bot. Oh yeah, and the character is named Android. We personally would like to hear what Google has to say for themselves in regards to this blatant theft of intellectual property, and as for the Epyx artists who slaved over a hot Amiga to bring this image to life -- the taste of sweet justice is yours.

Gallery: Android / Android transformation

[Thanks, Davey]

Continue reading Shocker! Google's Android logo boosted from Atari Lynx title 'Gauntlet: The Third Encounter'

Shocker! Google's Android logo boosted from Atari Lynx title 'Gauntlet: The Third Encounter' originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Flash On Android Is 'Shockingly Bad'

Posted: 02 Sep 2010 02:59 PM PDT

Hugh Pickens writes "Ryan Lawler writes on GigaOm that although many have touted the availability of Flash on Android devices as a competitive advantage over Apple's mobile devices, while trying to watch videos from ABC.com, Fox.com and Metacafe using Flash 10.1 on a Nexus One over a local Wi-Fi network connected to a 25-Mbps Verizon FiOS broadband connection, mobile expert Kevin Tofel found that videos were slow to load, if they loaded at all, leading to an overall very inconsistent experience while using his Android device for video. "While in theory Flash video might be a competitive advantage for Android users, in practice it's difficult to imagine anyone actually trying to watch non-optimized web video on an Android handset," writes Lawler. "All of which makes one believe that maybe Steve Jobs was right to eschew Flash in lieu of HTML5 on the iPhone and iPad.""