Career News 24/7: Geekosystem Newsletter - Chemist Uses Version of Google PageRank to Emulate Chemical Reactions

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Geekosystem Newsletter - Chemist Uses Version of Google PageRank to Emulate Chemical Reactions

	Chemist Uses Version of Google PageRank to Emulate Chemical Reactions You might not think that Google's PageRank algorithm, or the Internet at large for that matter, would have much to do with chemistry besides maybe helping you to find some chemistry content. In actuality, the two are far more similar than you might imagine. Google's PageRank indexes webpages by the way they cohere to each other through hyperlinks and chemistry is concerned with the way molecules cohere through chemical bonds. Not that different, right? That's what Aurora Clark, associate professor of Chemistry at Washington State University thinks, which is why she's using PageRank as a jumping off point for moleculaRnetworks, a sort of chemistry emulator. Read More »
	Apple Already Announces OS X Mountain Lion, Is More Like iOS Though OS X Lion only released last July, less than one year ago, Apple has announced the next upgrade to their operating system, OS X Mountain Lion, obviously taking a cue from Leopard's jump to Snow Leopard. This iteration of Apple's desktop operating system will be more like its mobile operating system, iOS, than ever, with the inclusion of some new features, as well as iCloud being bandied about the operating system like never before. Read More »
	FBI to Take Down a Chunk of Internet on March 8 If you can't access the Internet come March 8th, the FBI may be to blame. On that date, a number of domain name servers are due to be taken offline, rendering all computers that use them net-less. Before you go get upset about this, or even worried, there's a pretty legitimate justification here; the action is being taken in order to deal with a scourge called the DNSChanger Trojan, which modifies an infected computer's DNS settings to direct traffic to some rather unsavory sites. The FBI is looking ti put the sucker out of commission for good. Read More »
	There Is Now Multiplayer QWOP Amusingly, the game the Internet dubbed the most difficult video game of all time, QWOP, now has a multiplayer mode. Appropriately titled 2QWOP, the game pits two QWOPers against one another in a race to see which person can stay upright the longest while attempting to run. The game is just as difficult as the original, and possibly even more so, as the description suggests non-gaming keyboards could have a bit of trouble identifying so much input at once from two people. Way to make QWOP even more difficult! The game is playable for free, so if you want to challenge a friend to see who pulls their hair out the least, head on over and give 2QWOP a try. Read More »
	Notch Talks Psychonauts 2 Hype, If It'll Actually Happen Back when Minecraft creator Notch tweeted that he'd fund a sequel to Psychonauts, the gaming Internet freaked out, seeing as how Psychonauts is one of the best video games ever made, but unfortunately didn't make enough money to convince publishers to fund a sequel. After Notch and Tim Schafer tweeted a bit about the situation, they went quiet for the most part, and the news got overshadowed by Tim Schafer' development studio, Double Fine, raising almost two million dollars on Kickstarter for the development of an adventure game. Notch spoke up on his blog about the Psychonauts sequel, giving everyone a status update, and some insight into what caused him to make that initial tweet offering to fund the game. Read More »
	Hissing Cockroach Giving Birth Upside-Down is Pretty Disgusting [Video] This video of a cockroach giving birth to a swarm of baby cockroaches continues our recent tradition of informing you how disgusting nature is. The roach gives birth upside-down, and looks like it splits in half to release a swarm of tiny, white baby cockroaches that live up to the moniker and swarm all over. Sweet dreams tonight, you guys. Read More »
	Full Steam Ahead, What Valve is Doing Right With Steam [Infographic] When you're a content creator or a content provider, the battle against piracy really comes down to one thing: Competing against free. Naturally, this is a difficult thing to do, but it's not impossible. It might actually be easier than cramming more DRM and IP law down everyone's throats. Need a proof-of-concept? Just look at Steam, whose intiuitive and user-friendly platform has made buying games an absolute joy. This infographic by Video Game Design School does a blow-by-blow breakdown of exactly how well Steam is doing and how they're pulling it off. Take notes. Read More »
	Scalado's Remove App Can Remove Photobombers From Your Pictures One of the hardest parts of taking photos in public -- aside from the eternal shame of looking like a filthy tourist -- is all the people who tend to be out in public, going about their own business: The business of getting in your way. Best case scenario is that they take pains to avoid you, the filthy smartphone-camera-wielding tourist, and then you feel self-conscious about it. Well, no more. Remove, a Scalado app, can actually remove bothersome interlopers from your photos. It won't assuage your social awkwardness, but it'll leave you with souvenir pictures that reflect a perfect photo-op that never actually existed. Read More »
	Geekolinks: 2/15 Don't buy accessories from your local wireless provider (Business Insider) Major Bitcoin exchange shuts down (Ars Technica) Darkover is totally not Earth 2 (nerdbastards) Are Twitter users sexier than Facebook users? (GeekSugar) Next Assassin's Creed will feature a new protagonist and setting (TDW: Geeks) 6 terrifying user agreements you've probably accepted (Cracked) 11 amazing benefits of Listerine (Mental Floss) (title pic via Justin of the Internet) Read More »
	Bluetooth Toothbrush Has Its Own Smartphone App, Is Blue It's 2012, and although we may not all own flying cars and hoverboards, or be universally treated by horrifying robot doctors, we will soon have a bluetooth toothbrush with its own smartphone app, a bluetooth toothbrush that is also blue; it's a blue bluetooth toothbrush, a bluetoothbrush or "bluthbrush" if you will. Ain't that a mouthful? Read More »
	Ghost Rider Co-Director Brian Taylor to Write and Direct Live-Action Twisted Metal Movie Sony Pictures and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance co-director Brian Taylor have reached a preemptive, seven figure deal for Taylor to write a direct a live-action adaptation of Sony's venerable vehicle combat series, Twisted Metal. The most interesting part of this news, aside from fans of the long-running series getting some live-action film treatment, is exactly how in the world Taylor will adapt all of Twisted Metal's very, very dark themes and disturbing imagery into a film people can go see at a movie theater. Read More »
	Myspace Picks Up 1 Million Users in 30 Days, Somehow You thought Myspace was dead, right? No such luck. In fact, Myspace recently announced that in the past thirty days, it's put on a bit of weight, so to speak; Myspace has gotten an extra 1 million users. What? How? Why? Well, it's not Myspace that brought in all those users, exactly. The increase is largely attributed to new functionality that makes it easier for Myspace to interface with Twitter and Facebook. Basically, two of the social networks that had a hand in "killing" Myspace, are now dragging it back from the grave. Read More »
	All 22 James Bond Intros Side By Side By Side By Side [Video] In the interest of science! YouTuber MJCJMJCJM created a composite video which shows the first minute of every James Bond film simultaneously in a handy little matrix. As you might expect, things don't line up perfectly, but it's still cool to see all those iconic shots go off. Now I just want to see someone redo this, but with all the shots synchronized. Surely someone out there has to be working on that. Read More »