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Researchers Test Space Beer

starSlashdot – real science at work
September 29, 2010 4:05 PM
by samzenpus

Researchers Test Space Beer

With space tourism becoming a real possibility in the near future, brewers are trying to figure out how to provide a good beer in space. To this end, a non-profit space research corporation Astronauts4Hire will begin testing an Australian brew created to be enjoyed in microgravity. From the article: “In the past, NASA has also sponsored studies on space beer, and whether or not the popular beverage can be brewed in space. Under current policies, however, alcohol remains forbidden on the International Space Station.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

space

Sent from my iPhone 4 by Michael

Posted via email from mclasen’s posterous

FileMaker Go for iPad Take Your Data With You [Review]

FileMaker Go for iPad Take Your Data With You [Review]: “

FileMaker recently released FileMaker Go for the iPad and iPhone. I’ll be taking a look at the iPad version only today, because based on my experience with technology in the Enterprise the larger format screen that the iPad provides is the way to go. I think that version will be better received by business users since the iPhone screen is much to small to use on a regular basis or at least it is for me. It’s good in a pinch, but for real work I prefer the iPad as primary and the iPhone as backup.

FileMaker Go will not work by itself since you need to have FileMaker Pro, which is now at version 11, to create databases that you will use with the iOS app. FileMaker Go will allow you access and edit the information in the database you created with FileMaker Pro on your Mac or PC.

What is it?

FileMaker Go is akin to a portable version of FileMaker Pro that allows you to access your FileMaker databases remotely. It just doesn’t have all the features of its larger sibling.

I’ve used other portable iOS databases like Bento and it’s companion with the same name on the Mac for simple databases containing reference materials and lists. Bento is great for novices and intermediate users, but once your database skills grow up FileMaker Pro on the Mac is the way to go.

I previously used FileMaker Pro during a Configuration Management project at NASA. So I dusted off my old FileMaker Pro database skills and went to work on a small project to give FileMaker Go a good test.

FileMaker Go was able to access the database I created to track information about iOS with FileMaker Pro over my local LAN or the internet using either 3G or Wi-Fi. The time it took me to set up this connectivity was minimal thanks to good instructions from FileMaker. I favored the wireless means of connecting to my FileMaker Pro databases in order to share with multiple users in the field or office, but I could have also used iTunes file sharing, e-mail, popular file sharing sites, or the internet. However, these latter options are geared more towards single-user databases.

What’s good about it?

Gaining access to your databases is important so pick the method that suits you best. Once you have access configured to your database it will open in FileMaker Go and look exactly like it would when you open it in FileMaker Pro. Just make your edits or view records. The changes you make will show up in your hosted database later when you get back to your desk, server, etc. All of this makes FileMaker Go a joy to use.

FileMaker Go for iPad was recently updated and now supports the ability to add photos to a database, convert records to PDF, and the ability to save a copy of a database. You can also share the results these new features generate as attachments in an e-mail. I found the PDF feature to be especially handy.

What’s bad about it?

FileMaker doesn’t offer a universal version for the iPhone and iPad. You have to buy each app separately and that means an extra $19.99 for the iPhone version. The iPad version costs $39.99.  So total iOS device coverage will set you back $60.00. While this doesn’t effect the operation of the iPad app it does have some impact on your wallet.

If cost is an issue there are alternatives like Bento for the iPhone or iPad from FileMaker which only costs $4.99 for each version. Additionally, you could consider Handbase for iPhone or iPad from DDH Software that sells for $9.99 for each version. Unfortunately, there are no universal versions of Bento or Handbase either.

It’s disappointing that vendors are not taking better advantage of the universal app format especially when apps compliment each other as closely as these obviously do. It would make app management and deployments a lot more simple if you had only one app to pick for all your platforms.

Conclusion

If you use FileMaker Pro databases and you want to remotely access these databases or have them with you on the go then FileMaker Go is an app that you need. It works well enough to make it worth your time and investment. The iPad version of this app reminds me again how useful my iPad can be for personal and business use.

Cult of M ac rated

★★★★★

Company: FileMaker, Inc.
Compatibility: iPad; iOS 3.2 or later
List Price: $39.99
Buy Now: FileMaker Pro Go for iPad is available from the iTunes App Store.

“

 

(Via Cult of Mac.)

Automator Services for Facebook – Mac OS X Hints

Automator_Icon.png

Automator Services for Facebook – Mac OS X Hints: “Sep 23, ’10 07:30:00AM • Contributed by: crarko
Facebook Services (beta) is a collection of Automator Services that allow your Mac to interact with your Facebook account. The suite’s Installer package can be downloaded from here. You’ll see when you run them they make use of the usual Facebook API calls to do their work.

The following functions are provided:
Image • Upload to Facebook — This service will upload the selected (in the Finder) image files to a Facebook account. If no album name is provided in the input dialog, the default album is used. If the provided album does not exist, it will be created. In addition, caption data for a posted image can be either: the image file name; the embedded IPTC title value; the embedded IPTC caption value; or text input by the user.

Capture Selection to Facebook — This service will prompt for you to select an area of the screen to capture to file and then upload the image to a Facebook account.

Capture Window to Facebook — This service will prompt for you to select a window to capture to file and then upload the image to a Facebook account.

Capture Screen to Facebook — This service will capture the screen, after a 5-second delay, to file and then upload the image to a Facebook account.

Facebook • Share Selected URL — This service will post the selected URL to a Facebook account.

Facebook • Share Link on Clipboard — This service will post a URL copied on the clipboard, to a Facebook account.
Except for the first one, all are usable in any application, and can be accessed from the Services menu. The first one is used from the popup Services menu in the Finder on one or more selected image files.

[crarko adds: Unlike Rob I actually have a Facebook account. 🙂 I used these tools as part of a demonstration of Automator Services at my local User Group. This is another great example of Mac automation facilities training provided through MacOSXAutomation.com.]”

(Via .)