Important health news

Tech Review reports that

Two weeks ago, Harvard researchers reported that high doses of resveratrol, a compound found in red wine, extend the life span of obese mice on a high-fat diet and keep them as healthy as mice on a normal diet … Their study suggested that resveratrol activates the molecular mechanisms thought to control aging–a good sign for pharmaceutical companies hoping to influence these pathways in order to treat the diseases of aging, from diabetes to cancer…

Pardon me, I’m just popping out to the health store for some resveratrol supplements.

Linux hardware

One of the most irritating things about the PC market is how difficult it is to buy laptops which do not have Windows pre-installed. When Ndiyo needed a machine to act as a mobile server for demos, we had to buy a Windows-crippled Vaio and then install Ubuntu on it. So despite wanting a machine that would run only open source software, we still had to pay the Windows tax.

It’s always seemed to me, therefore, that there was a market opportunity for a slick operation offering Linux-powered hardware. And lo and behold! — here’s one: :: system76. Looks pretty slick. Pity it only operates in the US.