VirtualEnvironment
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Posey makes playing with snap-together blocks okay for adults
C'mon, be honest -- the unofficial cutoff age for playing with Legos sans kids is sometime way before puberty, but thanks to a new development from Carnegie Mellon University, we adults may soon be able to unashamedly indulge in those desires once more. Posey, hailed as a "hands-on way of interacting with computers," features a plethora of snap-together, sensor-laden parts that can communicate with PCs through ZigBee. When a user attaches a leg to a body, for instance, an on-screen representation immediately mimics the movement, providing hours of fun and some real promise for future applications. No word on whether these things are set to go commercial anytime soon, but we'd sure love to replace this aging (and seemingly busted) voodoo doll with one of these critters, pronto.[Image courtesy of Posey Code Lab Wiki]
Macworld reviews Parallels, tests other OSs
Rob Griffiths has posted a thorough review of Parallels Workstation, the impressive new (and free while in beta) software that allows you to run other operating systems in a virtual environment within Mac OS X.Overall Rob is very pleased with his experience. He first tested Windows XP and even posted a video to demonstrate just how well this software can run most Windows tasks within Mac OS X, even on his Intel-based Mac mini. Rob also points out some of the really handy and unique abilities PW offers, such as being able to use the same clipboard between Mac OS X and Windows XP - that's right, you can install an extra set of tools from Parallels (which many say should simply be included in the app's install from the get-go) that will allow you to copy in Mac OS X and paste into Windows XP, and vice-versa. Rob also tested various other OSs, including Fedora Core and Debian, and at one point has three running - usably, by his standards - at the same time.It's a very interesting read, especially if you're interested in your Intel Mac's other OS capabilities. Check it out.
