Hologram technology is difficult to develop and manufacture. We list the reasons below, but in the mean time, COOLIFY has a hologram PC fan people can take advantage in very short order (available soon). The Holo Fan by COOLIFY is the world’s first holographic PC case fan. By placing a small LED bar across the diameter of their cooling fan COOLIFY has created a customizable 3D visual display on their fans – a brilliant idea we should have thought of years ago!

Users can upload images and videos via the COOLIFY app to personalize their PC setups, creating personalized holograms on their PC rig. The fan offers two speed options: 2600 RPM for maximum cooling efficiency and 1500 RPM for quieter operation with sharper visuals. Its transparent blades and base ensure crystal-clear resolution, while the 4.1-inch display, equipped with 96 high-quality LEDs, delivers vibrant, dynamic holographic effects. Applications include video displays, custom slideshows, logos, GIFs, 3D visuals, and background effects, allowing for a unique and personalized gaming experience.

Hologram technology is difficult to develop and implement because it requires extremely precise control over light to create realistic 3D images. At the core of holography is the use of interference patterns between laser light waves, which must be recorded and reconstructed with great accuracy. Even the slightest vibration or environmental disturbance can disrupt this process. However, a less expensive and less sensitive solution is placing mini LED lights on a spinning object to create the affect of something floating.

Another challenge is the resolution requirement. To create a sharp and convincing hologram, displays need to have pixel densities far beyond what standard LCD or OLED screens can offer, which current technology struggles to support in a practical, affordable way. True holograms also require dynamic changes in perspective based on viewer movement, known as parallax, which is extremely difficult to achieve accurately.

Hardware limitations further complicate the process. Traditional display technologies aren’t suitable for real holography, so specialized optics, lasers, or spinning LED arrays are often required. These components tend to be expensive, bulky, and fragile. On top of that, integrating hologram tech into real-world consumer devices—like phones, monitors, or even PC fans—raises additional concerns around size, power consumption, heat, and cost. All of these factors make hologram technology complex and challenging to bring into everyday use.

The halo fan will be available for about $50 and should be shipping by end of Q2 2025. Reference: COOLIFY product page.

ChatGPT had an image create tool update earlier today. The service called DALL-E is a playful blend of two influences which was the root for how the name came about.

Salvador Dalí is the famous surrealist artist known for his imaginative and dream like imagery and WALL·E is the robot from the Pixar movie and represents the artificial intelligence and the futuristic capabilities of non human AI sources.

With that said DALL·E doesn’t technically stand for anything, but more like an acronym. Like the ChatGPT which creates surreal, imaginative images, just like Dalí would; yet powered by technology like the little WALL·E robot. The idea behind the name is to capture the spirit of art and artificial intelligence which is what the ChatGPT service does, turns words into images.

So what was improved?

Inpainting (Image Editing / Generative Fill)

You can now click on parts of an image and edit or regenerate specific sections—like replacing an object or modifying just the background—without recreating the whole image. This gives you much more control.

More Accurate Prompt Interpretation

The tool is now better at understanding complex and detailed prompts, including spatial relationships, styles, and lighting. If you say “a USB drive plugged into the left side of a silver laptop,” it’s more likely to reflect that exactly.

Higher-Quality Images

There’s a noticeable boost in the sharpness, realism, and overall visual fidelity of the images generated. Textures, reflections, and lighting effects are now more natural-looking.

Faster Generation Time

Image creation is now quicker, allowing near real-time rendering of visuals—even for detailed prompts or specific camera angles.

Improved Consistency in Object Rendering

The model is better at producing recognizable and consistent objects, like realistic human anatomy, symmetrical faces, or technical devices such as laptops and USB drives.

Better Handling of Text in Images

While still not perfect, the system is better at rendering legible and relevant text within images—like signs, labels, or product branding.

Enhanced Style Control

You can more reliably request specific artistic styles (e.g., pencil sketch, watercolor, photorealism), and the system will stick to that aesthetic more closely.

Freeware for Running a Server from a USB Stick

There are several free software options which allow people to set up a portable server on a USB stick. Probably the biggest sector looking for freeware to run a server on a USB stick would be students looking to learn more about server functionality or developers who need a quick and easy way to setup a sandbox for testing of web applications, websites, or for security testing.

We have four categories listed on this post:

1. Web Servers
2. FTP & File Servers
3. Windows-Based Local Server
4. Linux-Based Live Server on USB

Web Servers

XAMPP Portable is a lightweight, portable version of the XAMPP stack (Apache, MySQL, PHP, Perl) that runs directly from a USB drive. You can download it from Apache Friends.

XAMPP Portable is a lightweight and portable version of XAMPP, a widely used open-source software stack that provides an easy way to set up a local web server. The name XAMPP is derived from the core components it includes:

• X – Cross-platform (works on Windows, Linux, and macOS)
• A – Apache (the web server)
• M – MySQL/MariaDB (the database)
• P – PHP (server-side scripting language)
• P – Perl (another server-side scripting language)

Origins and Development

XAMPP was initially developed by Kai ‘Oswald’ Seidler and Kay Vogelgesang as an easy-to-install web development environment. The project was launched by Apache Friends, a non-profit organization, to provide developers with a simple way to test websites locally without configuring complex server settings manually.

The first versions of XAMPP appeared in the early 2000s, around 2002, and quickly gained popularity due to its ease of use. The stack bundled all essential components needed to run dynamic websites and applications, making it a popular choice for developers, students, and educators.

Introduction of XAMPP Portable

As XAMPP’s popularity grew, many users wanted a portable version that could run from a USB flash drive without requiring installation on a host computer. This led to the creation of XAMPP Portable, which offers the same functionality as the regular XAMPP package but is designed for mobility.

The portable version allows developers to carry a pre-configured web server environment on a USB stick and use it on different computers without modifying the system settings.

USBWebserver is a minimal and lightweight server that includes Apache, PHP, MySQL, and phpMyAdmin. It is available at USBWebserver.

USBWebserver was first developed in the early 2000s by Dutch developers to provide a portable web development solution. The primary goal was to create a small, efficient web server that could run without requiring installation on a local system. Unlike XAMPP Portable, which is a larger stack, USBWebserver was designed to be minimalist and lightweight.

The software includes:.

• Apache – The core web server component
• MySQL – The database management system
• PHP – A popular server-side scripting language
• phpMyAdmin – A web-based GUI for managing databases

Because of its portability and simplicity, USBWebserver quickly gained popularity among students, developers, and IT professionals who needed a quick way to test PHP applications and MySQL databases without setting up a full server environment.

Server2Go is a self-configuring, portable web server with Apache, PHP, MySQL, and Perl. Although it has been discontinued, it can still be found on archive sites. Visit Server2Go for more details.

While Server2Go is no longer updated, its concept of a truly portable, self-contained web server has influenced other software solutions. Today, developers looking for alternatives often turn to:

• XAMPP Portable – A more actively maintained portable web server.
• Uniform Server – Another lightweight WAMP solution.
• Laragon – A modern, portable development environment for Windows.

Server2Go remains a notable part of portable web server history, especially for its offline web application distribution capabilities.

Here are some other solutions for server type applications which can be installed and ran from a USB flash drive.

FTP & File Servers

HFS (Http File Server) is a portable HTTP file server that allows easy file sharing over a network. Get it at HFS.

BabyFTP Server is a simple, lightweight, and portable FTP server. Download it from BabyFTP.

Windows-Based Local Server

Uniform Server is a small and lightweight WAMP (Windows, Apache, MySQL, PHP) server that fits on a USB drive. You can download it at Uniform Server.

Linux-Based Live Server on USB

TurnKey Linux is a collection of lightweight, ready-to-run servers (LAMP, WordPress, etc.) that can be installed on a USB. Check it out at TurnKey Linux.

Puppy Linux with a Web Server is a lightweight Linux distro that can run a web server directly from a USB stick. Download it from Puppy Linux.