Noise Cooling

Enthusiasts bored with air, water, and even phase change cooling may soon be able to add a new method to their heat dissipating repertoire. New Scientist reports that sound waves can boost the efficiency of liquid cooling techniques by almost 150 percent, which could bode well for the future of computing. The technology focuses on dislodging bubbles with sound waves before than can coalesce into a film that forms over hot surfaces, thus creating an insulator. Ari Glezer and his colleagues at the Georgia Institute of Technology found that projecting frequencies near 1 kilohertz across fluid was enough to combat the bubbles.

IBM Buying AMD?

Whether true or not, Wall Street was abuzz amid speculation that IBM may decide to buy the chip maker. Neither IBM nor AMD would comment on the rumor, and analysts remain skeptical that a takeover is looming. Nonetheless, Wednesday trading saw AMD shares jump 55 cents to $7.39, representing an 8 percent hike. This isn't the first time IBM's been mentioned in takeover rumors with AMD, but with shares being so low, some analysts see it as a good time to seriously consider the venture.

Windows 7 in 2009?

While on the subject of rumors, one of the hotter ones floating around is that Vista's successor - known as Windows 7 - may see a release next year instead of in 2010. Early builds have purportedly begun popping up around the net, with at least one site claiming to have seen a roadmap. But assuming Microsoft really is on target for an early release, should they unleash their next OS so soon? Read Arstechnica's opinion here.

New Blu-ray Module

Blu-ray appears to have HD-DVD trumped at every angle, save for pricing, which has helped keep the underdog alive in the high definition format war. That could be about to change. With the help of Nichia of Japan, Sony has developed the world's smallest Blu-ray reader/writer module. The new laser unit measures just 3mm thick and is expected to lead the way towards miniaturized hardware in Blu-ray drives. But the real upside here is the potential cost savings associated with a simpler manufacturing process, which could ultimately hand HD-DVD its final blow.

A Chair that Walks!

Still rolling around your home office in your computer chair outfitted with tiny wheels? How antique! If you have a spare $22,000 lying around (and who doesn't?), consider modernizing your environment with a chair that walks! The Walking Chair from Vienna-based design studio Walking Things comes with eight steel and chrome plated legs, but apparently isn't suitable for sitting on. Perhaps in version 2...

Charter Flushes Customer Emails

Whoops! Officials at Charter Communications think a software error during routine maintenance may have inadvertently caused the ISP to delete the contents of 14,000 customer email accounts. Worse yet, a Charter spokeswoman said the messages, photos, and other attachments that were flushed are not retrievable. To help affected customers cope with the missing Viagra solicitations and authentic Rolex offers, Charter issued a $50 credit to everyone involved.

Data Center Bling

Chris Adcock often posts a bit of bling at the end of his Mod blogs, and today we're sharing the love with the Daily News Brief faithful. Our news bling shows what a data center looks like after careful, and perhaps artsy, cable management is applied. Pretty wicked.