Facebook Heads to the Arctic and Heinz Shakes Up the World of Ketchup

Facebook is about to get a little cooler. The social media giant announced plans to build a server farm, or a cluster of

servers, just 60 miles south of the Arctic Circle in Lulea, Sweden. The small city of 45,000 people, which has an average temperature of 27 degrees Fahrenheit, will be home to Facebook's first server farm outside the U.S. So why the frigid location? The new facility's high-powered computers, which are used for storing billions of status updates and photos, need to be kept cool. The new data center, which is about the size of 11 football fields, will use cooling systems powered by evaporated water (which is a renewable energy source). Since more of Facebook's 800 million users live outside the U.S., the chilly server site will also provide faster service to the site's European users. But Facebook isn't the first to use northern Europe's natural elements. In 2009, Google opened a data center in Finland which uses Baltic Sea water for its cooling systems. Facebook's new facility will be ready in 2014.

Heinz ketchup is getting a fancy makeover. Next month, Heinz will debut a new ketchup variety that will be blended with balsamic vinegar. But don't run to your local grocery store just yet. Starting November 14, the balsamic vinegar ketchup will be available exclusively through Heinz's Facebook page. The company will only be using social media to promote the product. But starting in December, Heinz will roll out the ketchup to select retailers like Walmart and Safeway. So how is the ketchup? Well, some media outlets tried it already and say it's "genuinely sophisticated" and "richer, with a definite hint of tamarind." If you want to try it, you're going to have to move fast. The limited-edition ketchup will be available only through March.