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After the November release of Linux Mint 14 - Nadia, here's a significant update from the developers team with Linux Mint 15 'Olivia' featuring Cinnamon 1.8 and MATE 1.6. So, what is new with the features on this new version of Mint? Firstly, there are the two new cool tools added for the first time - 'Software Sources' and 'Driver Manager'. And then if the new UI's intuitiveness doesn't appeal your tastes, there's provision for HTML5, CSS, Javascript, WebGL themed login screen - The MDM has a GTK greeter, a themeable variant of the same and a brand new HTML greeter for new-gen animated and interactive themes. The new Software Sources tool called 'MintSources' built from scratch replaces software-properties-gtk and lets you easily enable or disable optional components and gain access to backports, unstable packages and source code. Featuring a PPA, 3rd party repositories and authentication keys management, MintSources has solutions for the APT problems. Then there's 'MintDrivers' as your Drive Manager, the new software-properties-gtk with a slightly better UI, that can be launched from the menu.
The most attention-driving feature of this update is the Cinnamon 1.8. With improved File Manager that lets user easily hide the sidebar and switch back and forth between places and treeview, the Cinnamon's latest release has Desklets, much-like KDE's Plasmoids or Android's Widgets - that can be added to your desktop. That's not all - you can have your own screensaver and have to do away with the Gnome Control Center, because you're making way for 'Cinnamon Settings'. And if you care for adding new themes or extensions aka 'spices', that can be done straight away from your desktop.
Lastly, coming to MATE 1.6 - the project in a significantly smaller in size than before has a lot of new features to show off. There's the MATE File Manager called 'Caja' with improved places section within the sidebar. Other than that the workspace switcher features a new option to wrap around between workspaces with the mouse wheel. There are bug fixes and improvements done to the Software Manager and the Update Manager, mostly related to UI.
While the latest release is garnering mixed reactions from the keen and curious, a lot of work seems to have gone for building up this upgrade for users. For developers, there's update with settings API for Applets/Desklets, Nemo Actions and the Standalone Looking Glass. What do you feel about this update? If we have some early bird users here, please share your views with us in the comments.
Icon Editor to Make Icons for Windows
Create High-Quality Icons for Windows
IconLover is a powerful, yet easy to use icon editor for making your own icons for any operating system, including Windows, Mac OS, UNIX/Linux and iPhone. It creates native Windows icons (ICO format) of all sizes, up to 256x256 used in Windows 8 and Windows 7, and native MacOS icons (ICNS format) up to 512x512 pixels (this size is used in the latest Mac OS "Leopard" and "Snow Leopard" versions). UNIX/Linux and iPhone use icons in PNG format which is fully supported by IconLover - you can create icons in this format from scratch or convert the existing Windows and Mac OS icons to PNG.
Numerous advanced features including support for variable transparency, built-in drop shadow, smoothing, roll, mirror and other effects, support for multi-layer images, ability to import and export a variety of image formats and batch processing of icons make IconLover the tool of choice for many professional icon designers.
Create and Edit Animated GIFs
IconLover features native support for GIF animation. You can use this icon software to create animated images, banners and buttons in almost no time.
Create and Edit Bitmap Images for Web and Other Uses
IconLover can also be used for creating and editing bitmap images in a variety of formats: BMP, JPEG, GIF, PNG, TGA, TIFF etc. It supports transparency and a full range of other format-specific features.
Support for Windows 8 and Windows 7 compressed PNG Icons
IconLover fully supports the compressed PNG format recommended for 256x256 icons in Windows 8 and Windows 7. It helps reduce the overall size of the file without sacrificing image quality and preserves alpha channel transparency.
Automatically Make Icons from Images
Some designers prefer working with familiar software and then import the resulting image to IconLover and convert it to icons. With support for a variety of image formats, including Adobe Photoshop (PSD), IconLover enables icon designers easily convert images to icons.
Export Icon to Bitmap Images
You can also use IconLover to open Windows and Mac OS icon files (ICO, ICNS) and export them to common bitmap formats for use on a website, blog, application splash-screen etc.
Convert Icons between Windows
Full support for Windows (ICO) icon formats enables designers to use IconLover for easy conversion of icons between these operating systems. You can open a Mac OS icon in this icon software and save it for use on a Windows PC, and vice versa.
With IconLover 5.34, you can:
Manage icons, static and animated cursors, icon and cursor libraries and image lists
Create and edit smooth semi-transparent icons, static and animated cursors for Windows
Create and edit icons in standard and custom sizes, with color depth up to 32-bit True Color
Create and edit animated GIF images
Make stylish icons from your images
Paint images with gradients and fills
Create multi-layer images
Modify images with drop shadow, opacity, smoothing, negative, grayscale, colorization, rotation, roll and mirror, round corners effects
Import and export ICO, BMP, JPEG, ANI, CUR, GIF, PNG, TGA, TIFF, WMF, WBMP, XPM, XBM and Adobe Photoshop PSD image formats
Import Mac OS icons from ICNS and RSRC files
Make icons in ICNS format for Mac OS
Manage icon libraries for better and more efficient image storage
Extract icons from Windows executables, libraries and animated cursor files, ZIP and RAR archives
Export icon captions to text files
Download icons from the Internet
Modify icons inside executables
Search in folders for icons and cursors
Convert or apply effects to multiple icons at once
Customize desktop and folder icons
No internet activation required
System requirements: Windows PC.
Install Notes:
1] Install The App
2] Enter Serial
3] Enjoy This Release!!
Internet Download Manager has a smart download logic accelerator that features intelligent dynamic file segmentation and safe multipart downloading technology to accelerate your downloads. Unlike other download accelerators and managers that segment files before downloading starts, Internet Download Manager segments downloaded files dynamically during download process.
Internet Download Manager reuses available connections without additional connect and login stages to achieve better acceleration performance. Internet Download Manager supports proxy servers, ftp and http protocols, firewalls, redirects, cookies, authorization, MP3 audio and MPEG video content processing. IDM integrates seamlessly into Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape, MSN Explorer, AOL, Opera, Mozilla, Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Firebird, Avant Browser, MyIE2, and all other popular browsers to automatically handle your downloads. You can also drag and drop files, or use Internet Download Manager from command line. Internet Download Manager can dial your modem at the set time, download the files you want, then hang up or even shut down your computer when it's done.
Main Features:
• All popular browsers and applications are supported! Internet Download Manager has been tested with the following browsers: Internet Explorer, MSN Explorer, AOL, Netscape Communicator, Netscape 6, Netscape 7, Mozilla, Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Firebird, Opera, NetCaptor, UltraBrowser, Slim Browser, Avant Browser, MyIE2, Optimal Desktop, Ace Explorer, Advanced Browser, 27 Tools-in-1 Wichio Browser, WindowSurfer, 550 Access Browser, FineBrowser Freeware, Kopassa Browser, Fast Browser Pro, Enigma Browser, GoSuRF, K-Meleon, Smart Explorer, The Off By One Web Browser, Smartalec Voyager, CrystalPort AppCapture, The Family Browser, XANA Web Browser, Bluto, AutoSurf, 32bit Web Browser, BrowseMan, WrestlingBrowser, Eminem Browser, UltraBrowser, Cygsoft LDAP Browser, and Net M@nager. Internet Download Manager supports all versions of popular browsers, and can be integrated into any 3rd party Internet applications.
• Easy downloading with one click. When you click on a download link in a browser, IDM will take over the download and accelerate it. IDM supports HTTP, FTP, HTTPS and MMS protocols.
• Download Speed Acceleration. Internet Download Manager can accelerate downloads by up to 5 times due to its intelligent dynamic file segmentation technology. Unlike other download managers and accelerators Internet Download Manager segments downloaded files dynamically during download process and reuses available connections without additional connect and login stages to achieve best acceleration performance.
• Download Resume. Internet Download Manager will resume unfinished download from the place where they left off.
• YouTube grabber. Internet Download Manager can grab FLV videos from popular sites like YouTube, MySpaceTV, and Google Video.
• Simple installation wizard. Quick and easy installation program will make necessary settings for you, and check your connection at the end to ensure trouble free installation of Internet Download Manager
• Drag and Drop. You may simply drag and drop links to IDM, and drag and drop downloaded files out of Internet Download Manager.
• Automatic Antivirus checking. Antivirus checking makes your downloads free from viruses and trojans.
• Advanced Browser Integration. When enabled, the feature can be used to catch any download from any application. None of download managers have this feature.
• Built-in Scheduler. Internet Download Manager can connect to the Internet at a set time, download the files you want, disconnect, or shut down your computer when it's done.
• IDM includes web site spider and grabber. IDM downloads all required files that are specified with filters from web sites, for example all pictures from a web site, or subsets of web sites, or complete web sites for offline browsing. It's possible to schedule multiple grabber projects to run them once at a specified time, stop them at a specified time, or run periodically to synchronize changes.
• IDM supports many types of proxy servers. For example, IDM works with Microsoft ISA, and FTP proxy servers.
• IDM supports main authentication protocols: Basic, Negotiate, NTLM, and Keberos. Thus IDM can access many Internet and proxy servers using login name and password.
• Download All feature. IDM can add all downloads linked to the current page. It's easy to download multiple files with this feature.
• Customizable Interface. You may choose the order, and what buttons and columns appear on the main IDM window.
• Download Categories. Internet Download Manager can be used to organize downloads automatically using defined download categories.
• Quick Update Feature. Quick update may check for new versions of IDM and update IDM once per week.
• Download limits. Progressive downloading with quotas feature. The feature is useful for connections that use some kind of fair access policy (or FAP) like Direcway, Direct PC, Hughes, etc.
What's new in version 6.15 Build 14? (Released: May 27, 2013)
-Fixed problems with downloading of youtube videos
-Fixed bugs
IDM is multilingual. IDM is translated to
Albanian, Arabic, Azerbaijan, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Farsi, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Thai, Turkish, and Uzbek languages.
With the help of ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array), scientists have observed the "Subaru/XMM-Newton Deep Survey Field" in the direction of the constellation Cetus, and succeeded in identifying 15 extremely dark galaxies which had been previously unknown.
In addition, they also successfully measured the number density of galaxies with 10 times less luminosity than ones previously observed with the conventional millimeter instruments.
Based on the observations with ALMA telescope, the research team led by Bunyo Hatsukade, a postdoc researcher, and Kouji Ohta, a professor, both from the Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, have revealed that approximately 80 percent of the unidentifiable millimeter wave signals from the universe are actually emitted from galaxies.
ALMA telescope finds 15 extremely dark galaxies unidentified until now
Their densities well match the prediction by theories of galaxy formation. Therefore, the researchers consider that they managed to capture more like "normal" galaxies, which had been impossible to detect up to now, than extremely bright "submillimeter-luminous galaxies".
Using ALMA and the Subaru Telescope , the research team is now seeking to uncover the overall picture of galaxy formation and evolution while conducting observations of much darker galaxies.
Conventional research on distant galaxies has been carried out mainly with visible light and near infrared light. However, it is possible that many galaxies in the universe have been overlooked as much of that radiation is largely absorbed by cosmic dust. That is why millimeter and submillimeter wave observations are important.
ALMA telescope finds 15 extremely dark galaxies unidentified until now
Stellar light absorbed by dust is reradiated from the dust as millimeter/submillimeter waves. Therefore galaxies, even those that it has not been possible to observe with optical telescopes, can be detected using these wavebands. Furthermore, millimeter/submillimeter waves are suitable for observation of distant galaxies. This is because the more distant the galaxy is, the more luminous part of light we can see due to the shift of wavelength of light by the expansion of the universe.
This effect is called "negative K correction" and it compensates the source dimming in the distant universe.
In past observations, gigantic galaxies deeply covered in dust, where several hundreds to thousands of stars are actively forming per year, have been detected with millimeter/submillimeter waves. To capture the overall picture of galaxies in the universe, it is important to observe "general galaxies" which have moderate star-formation activities. However, it has not been possible to detect faint galaxies due to the low sensitivity of existing observation instruments.
The research team observed a field named "Subaru/XMM-Newtown Deep Survey Field," located in the direction of the constellation Cetus, with the ALMA telescope. As a result, they succeeded in finding 15 extremely dark galaxies that were unidentified until now.
"It is thanks to the high performance of ALMA, which is proudly said to be the best in the world, that observations like this have been made possible," said Hatsukade.
With the ALMA observations the team successfully measured the number density of galaxies approximately 10 times darker than the millimeter wave research results up to now.
The new results agree well with the prediction by the theories of galaxy formation. That means, the galaxies detected in this research are the faint but dust-rich galaxies and they are most likely to be similar in type to normal galaxies not detected before.
In regards to this, Professor Ohta commented, "This is a big step towards getting the big picture of galaxy evolution as the objects connecting especially bright galaxies in millimeter/submillimeter waves and normal galaxies were detected with ALMA."
Furthermore, the team concluded that approximately 80 percent of the sources of the cosmic background radiation within the millimeter/submillimeter wavebands are more "normal galaxies" like those detected by ALMA this time.
Superhydrophobic Paper
Taking inspiration from the water repelling qualities of lotus leaves researchers Lester Li, Victor Breedveld and Dennis Hess of Georgia Institute of Technology have come up with a superhydrophobic paper that has been proven to repel most liquids and oils. The paper is made from standard softwood and hardwood fibers. The fibers then undergo the standard manufacturing process where the cellulose in them in broken down into smaller parts by mechanical grinding. In the conventional way the paper is pressed in presence of water, but while making this paper the water is removed and butanol is added instead. Butanol inhibits the hydrogen bonding that normally takes place between cellulose allowing better control of their spacing.
In the next step, the researchers used an oxygen plasma etching process to remove the layer of ‘fluffy’ cellulose layer to expose the ‘rougher’ layer of crystalline cellulose nanofibrils on which a thin coating of a fluoropolymer is applied to give it the liquid repelling capability. During the testing process the paper was able to repel water, motor oil, ethylene glycol and n-hexadecane solvent. Researchers have also managed to print patterns on the paper using a hydrophobic ink and a desktop printer. The liquid droplets adhered to the ink pattern and were repelled by the rest of the paper. The team hopes to see that their invention could lead to the development of inexpensive biomedical diagnostic tests where a droplet of liquid containing antigens can be rolled on to printed surface where it would be in contact with diagnostic chemicals and depending upon the reagents they would help identify the disease.
You might have already read about the Superomniphobic Layer developed by the University of Michigan but the difference between both is flexibility. The paper version is very flexible and to some extent cheaper than its predecessor.
For more details of the project, head over to Georgia Tech.
10:27
ram
