Thursday, June 30, 2011

Repost: The Right Brain vs Left Brain test …

The Right Brain vs Left Brain test … do you see the dancer turning clockwise or anti-clockwise? 
If clockwise, then you use more of the right side of the brain and vice versa.Most  of us would see the dancer turning anti-clockwise though you can try to  focus and change the direction; see if you can do it.
The Right Brain vs Left Brain test … do you see the dancer turning clockwise or anti-clockwise?
If clockwise, then you use more of the right side of the brain and vice versa.

Most of us would see the dancer turning anti-clockwise though you can try to focus and change the direction; see if you can do it.



Post from GENETICIST

1080p Screen Tester / Amusing Animation

This video will allow you to check just how defined your HD screen is.
Steps:



  1. Switch to fullscreen mode (you may have to go to the youtube website to get it to work)
  2. Switch to 1080p from the detail button located on the right side of the youtube toolbar. (the button is a bunch of numbers followed by a 'p', the default is 360p)
  3. Hit Play and enjoy :)
Video is (c) copyright Blender Foundation | www.bigbuckbunny.org

Playlist: Hermit the Frog - Marina & the Family Jewels




Replacement for Lost HD (Hard Drive) Cable

It can be pretty annoying when you want to access files from your hard drive online to discover that you can't find the cable that connects it to the computer. One cable that I've found works as a replacement is the cable that comes with your PS3 to charge the controller. So you just one end into the hard drive instead of the controller and the other into your computer instead of your playstation.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Essential Mac Apps - Alfred

Name: Alfred
Price: FREE

Mac OS X comes with Finder and spotlight to do all the file management and searching. Unfortunately, They can get pretty slow, and not all that functional.

That's where Alfred comes in.


As a replacement for spotlight, Alfred can of course search your computer, you just type the shortcut you set to activate it (you can change that later) and start typing.


When you find what you are looking for you just press enter and Alfred will launch the application/document/file you selected.

It can also do maths (both simple and advanced*)

* Advanced functions require you put an '=' sign before the query


Search the web just by typing


There are keywords that do special things, for example spell and define.


The Power Pack 

All that is great, and gets better. If you purchase (for £12) and install the Power Pack you get some awesome features:
Power Pack
The best one, in my opinion, is the mini iTunes controller. 
You can search for songs, playlists, artists, albums and pause and play them. For simplicity's sake, the mini player gets its own shortcut. 


Access to contacts:


Execute AppleScript and Terminal commands with, again, keywords. For example, a command to shorten URLs and copy them to the clipboard for easier sharing



These are just a few of the features that make Alfred an awesome app and one that I can't live without. 

Playlist: Strangeness And Charm - Florence + The Machine


Vocabulary:

Catalyst: Substance that makes reactions go faster without bonding to the reactants or products.
Strange(ness)/Charm: Two of the second generation of quarks, which are subatomic particles.


Leonardo Da Vinci

Ok, this has to be my favorite scientist/artist ever.  Leonardo Da Vinci was italian, and what makes him so cool is that he basically studied everything. He cut up bodies to explore their anatomy, he designed siege machines and flight machines. Which is amazing considering the time he lived in (a few hundred years ago). He is most famous for the Mona Lisa, a painting, and the Vitruvian Man sketch, which shows some kind of anatomical proportions.

What I like best are his sketches,  the documentation of all his studies. 

He also used to write backwards, which I think is a cool way of hiding stuff (Note: Do not hand in your chemistry report written in this method,  your teacher will not appreciate it. I know this from experience)


Self - Portrait
Anatomical Sketch
Early Designs of a helicopter