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NEW PRODUCTS
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Syuzi Pakhchyan’s Fashioning
Technology (O’Reilly)
Geeks, start your...sewing machines! Such is the wish of Syuzi Pakhchyan,
author of the new O’Reilly book Fashioning Technology that explores the inte-
gration of traditional sewing and assembly techniques with electronics and other
new materials. The book is a guide to inventing creative clothing, housewares
and toys that are fun, interactive, quirky and useful. Author Pakhchyan—an
artist, roboticist and teacher—explains how to use smart materials such as
thermo- and photochromatic inks that change color by touch or sunlight,
magnetic and conductive paints, polymorph plastic, fiber optics and more. Each
project, says O’Reilly, encourages readers to personalize and customize their own
designs, materials and craft skills.
www.oreilly.com
ParAccel’s Scalable Analytic Appliance
The job of ParAccel’s new Scalable Analytic Appliance is to provide manageability for large- and medium-size enter-
prises struggling with the challenge of analyzing operational data in near real time or executing complex queries on
multi-terabyte data warehouses. The new enterprise-class appliance is based on ParAccel’s columnar, compressed,
massively parallel relational database engine, combined with a managed storage infrastructure and industry-standard
servers. The appliance utilizes a blended and dynamically balanced scan approach to take maximum advantage of
both server- and SAN-based storage. It also leverages a new SAN-based approach for high availability and integrates
tightly into managed storage control systems to manage backups, disaster recovery mechanisms, reporting and
monitoring. A pilot program for the product is currently underway.
www.paraccel.com
Numerical Algorithms Group
NAG Toolbox for MATLAB
If you use the MATLAB environment, you now can extend it heftily using
Numerical Algorithms Group’s NAG Toolbox. The Toolbox gives users access
to more than 1,300 additional math and statistical algorithms for MATLAB.
This additional mathematical and statistical functionality previously was
unavailable, or it was accessible to MATLAB users only by purchasing multi-
ple toolboxes. The company claims that “the NAG Library is used by many
of the world’s most prominent ISVs, scientists and academies, among
others, because of its reputation for quality, flexibility and robustness”. The
NAG Toolbox is available for both 32- and 64-bit Linux and Windows and is
compatible with MATLAB versions 2007a, 2007b and 2008a.
www.nag.com
Canonical’s Ubuntu Netbook Remix
At the time of this writing, details remain sketchy, but by the time you read this, Canonical will have officially
announced Ubuntu Netbook Remix, an ultraportable version of its popular Linux distribution. In interviews with the
Guardian newspaper, Ubuntu founder and patron Mark Shuttleworth, revealed close collaboration with Intel, which
produces chips for this sector. Shuttleworth sees Netbook Remix as one way that Linux will become more prevalent,
as people access their files and information from a wider variety of devices connected to the Internet.
www.ubuntu.com