Andy and Sean take a look at the updated version of Parallels Desktop, which allows you to run Windows 7 on your Mac. That means you can actually

run Windows applications on a Mac

. The guys talk about the

differences between Parallels and Boot Camp

, and show off some of the display modes in Parallels.

Exploring information and gathering data can become monotonous tasks, especially for creative minds and visual learners. Interactive visualizations make the experience more enjoyable by making data more interesting. Stacy Reed shows us some hands-on sites that are serving up information in artistic and entertaining new ways.

Andy has finally gone off the deep end and ordered himself a Macbook Pro! Sean gives him some tips on what to expect when making the switch, and gives some rough equivalents between Windows and Mac.

Sometimes you create a virtual machine from scratch using a disc or a disc image. Other times, however, it's nice to be able to import a physical computer or another virtual machine. Here's how.

Once you've created a brand new

virtual machine

with VirtualBox it's not cast in stone. You can utilize the

settings of VirtualBox

to tweak your virtual machines. Add RAM, add disk space, share more folders, and lots more.

If you'd like to give

virtualization

a try you can do it with VirtualBox for free. It's easy to

create virtual machines

and get a feel for how they work. Virtual box is available for Mac, Windows, Linux, and more.

This week on

The Sweet Stuff: Software

, Michael "Doctor File Finder" Callahan takes a look at a few of the options you have available for

running Windows or Linux on your Mac

. If you'd prefer not to install

Windows on your Mac

with

Boot Camp

, this segment of The Sweet Stuff is for you. Doc takes a look at VirtualBox, VMware Fusion, and Parallels Desktop for Mac.

If you'd like to try Ubuntu, but are afraid you might not like it, there's an easy way to find out. How? Create a

virtual machine

with VMware Workstation. The virtual machine will run right on your physical computer and you can give Ubuntu a try without having to uninstall your favorite OS.

If you'd like to try Ubuntu, but are afraid you might not like it, there's an easy way to find out. How?

Create an Ubuntu virtual machine

with VMware Workstation. The virtual machine will run right on your physical computer and you can

try Ubuntu without altering your computer

.