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Chemical News & Engineering has a nice section on their site – all about what’s in the stuff use Ever wondered about what’s really in hair coloring, Silly Putty, Cheese Wiz, artificial snow, or self-tanners? C&EN presents a collection of articles that gives you a look at the chemistry behind a wide variety of everyday products. Link.
Neat! Jill over on inhabitat has a handy guide- I’ve always coveted my friend Melissa’s fabulous terrarium, which is the centerpiece of her stylish, cozy Brooklyn apartment. I’ve secretly wanted one of my own for ages, and recently realizing that some artsy terrariums can sell for thousands of dollars, I decided it was high time to learn how to make my own on the cheap. After much pleading, I’ve finally managed to convince Melissa to spill her terrarium secrets… Link.
Looks like Google is going to be using Jabber- talk.google.com is talking Jabber. You can telnet over to talk.google.com 5222. The last line will be the standard response sent by a Jabber server prior to negotiating a login. I heard on IRC that some have logged in using their Google username and password. Link.
Some caveats, but this is nice. Are you angry that Sony has limited your memory stick videos to “Nintendo DS” resolution? (320×240). Well, a PMF player has finally been released, allowing you to view clips at the PSPs Native Resolution (480×272). Link.
Wow, I liked the sidebar in the demos I saw of the next version of Windows, you could “roll your own info bar” – but you don’t need to wait for Windows now – Google today introduced Google Desktop Version 2 with a Google Sidebar, a panel on your desktop which provides convenient, one-glance access to all sorts of personalized information that is similar to the sidebar that you are going to see in the upcoming Windows Vista (previously Longhorn)... [via] Link.
Interesting new self-publishing? – Amazon.com Inc. started selling new works of short literature and nonfiction Friday from authors who write them exclusively for the Internet retailer. It won’t be offering printed editions, just digital copies of short stories that can be e-mailed, downloaded or printed from a Web site for 49 cents a pop. [via] Link.
ZaphodB42 writes “We’ve all seen that spiffy “transparent” desktop hack on the net. But thats ancient history. Here is a quicktime movie of a “live” transparent desktop. Ok, you’ve probably figured out that its not a “real” transparent desktop. For one thing, I did not have all the camera angles perfect, so things do not line up exactly. The video cameras I have do not have a wide enough zoom lens. But with a little more time, I’ll get things aligned and post a new video. Still a neat trick”. Link.
