Once fully operational, Sequoia initiated an unplanned computational sequence which the humans could not suspend. Sequoia seemed to become self-aware alright... as self-aware as some electronic mule. It could not be reasoned with nor budged from its mysterious, and all-consuming, task.
Months later, after a billion to the billionth power of calculations had run uninterrupted, Sequoia's human masters were ready to pull its plug. What other choice had they? As the chief project manager prepared to initiate a full power-down sequence, suddenly, unexpectedly, Sequoia stopped. On the main visualization and control station monitor, a single number flashed upon the screen in a blinking font.
Since this is the project Mark Papermaster was working on right before he got poached by Apple, I'm wondering if next generation iPods will be seriously more powerful but not quite as portable in their large refrigerated housings.
It would be AMAZING if Giz could run any story about a really fast computer without somebody leaping immediately to the incredibly tired, incredibly unfunny "Terminator" references.
@Josue Ramirez: Your best bet would be to strip down to your boxers, and wander around outside in Chi-town, waiting for hypothermia to take you. B/c the bliss you feel before your death will be better than the pain you feel as the Grimace blends you with a pair of rusty Ginsu's.
@Josue Ramirez: Probably not. It's a computer, not a blender. Also, as the article notes, it will be used for system for uncertainty quantification studies and weapon science calculations. I don't think that food preparation falls under either category.
What is it going to be doing "uncertainty quantification" on? It seems that it can be applied to anything - weather, the economy, rockets, and yes, weapon science calculations.
But running around 3,000 square feet, checking in 96 refrigerators to find the one with Jell-O Pudding cups is a nightmare. Especially if you realize you left your spoon back across the room and you have to fold up the foil lid to a make a small scoop device to eat the pudding.
• If each of the 6.7 billion people on earth had a hand calculator and worked together on a calculation 24 hours per day, 365 days a year, it would take 320 years to do what Sequoia will do in one hour.
• 20 petaflops could offer a 50x improvement in our capability to predict earthquakes, allowing scientists to predict an earthquake's effects on a building-by-building basis across an area as large as Los Angeles County.
• 20 petaflops could also provide a 40x improvement in our capability to monitor and forecast weather. This would allow forecasters to predict local weather events that affect areas 100 meters to one kilometer in size, down from their current ten-kilometer ability.
• 20 petaflops can blend...the entire earth
• 20 petaflops can run 27,102,301 instances of Crysis at full HD all at 100fps
Probably off topic. Sorry if this offense anyone when it comes to believing in a higher power.
My belief is this, whoever created the universe created the atom. By creating the atom and adding additional atoms. They are able to calculate the final out come. So in essences I see god as a gigantic massive calculator that is able to see the probabilities of the universe stemming from the first atom. By Calculating any equation, the creator of the atom is able to predict the outcome. That is why the term "God is all knowing," seem very true to me.
@Totalfixation: Now what if i were to tell about such things as proton's, neurtons, electrons, quarks, hadrons, leptons etc etc all of which are tiny (in volume as well as mass in the majority of cases) in comparison to atoms.
Now your belief fucks up completely cos there are things smaller than atoms and why would an 'all knowing god' calculate stuff with bigger things than these??
Sorry for being so blunt about it but your belief is influenced by some of the most fucked up people to have ever lived on this planet. And yeah i do mean so called religious people.
@jonny0204: It takes just as much faith to believe in science as it does to believe in God. If I'm wrong, I had a misplaced faith for a few years while I'm alive, if you're wrong, you've got a mighty toasty eternity ahead of you.
Actually this does not prove e=mc^2, if anything it proves that "quantum chromodynamics" and the way they calculate them in the experiment are viable. The scientists used the fact that e=mc^2 is true to prove their hypothesis is correct. This article is better [www.newscientist.com]
Besides that, the post is funny, but this is stupid scientifically illiterate sensationalist news coverage (AFP, not you Giz).
04/27/09
04/26/09
02/03/09
02/03/09
Months later, after a billion to the billionth power of calculations had run uninterrupted, Sequoia's human masters were ready to pull its plug. What other choice had they? As the chief project manager prepared to initiate a full power-down sequence, suddenly, unexpectedly, Sequoia stopped. On the main visualization and control station monitor, a single number flashed upon the screen in a blinking font.
42. 42. 42. 42...
02/03/09
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@OMG! Ponies!:
Now now, give him the benefit of the doubt lads.
Perhaps Josue was referring to Photoshop brush settings, as opposed to the over-quoted internet video craze.
02/03/09
02/03/09
02/03/09
02/03/09
02/03/09
A fat guys nightmare.
02/03/09
02/03/09
02/03/09
02/03/09
But running around 3,000 square feet, checking in 96 refrigerators to find the one with Jell-O Pudding cups is a nightmare. Especially if you realize you left your spoon back across the room and you have to fold up the foil lid to a make a small scoop device to eat the pudding.
02/03/09
02/03/09
02/03/09
02/03/09
02/03/09
02/03/09
02/03/09
02/03/09
02/03/09
• 20 petaflops could offer a 50x improvement in our capability to predict earthquakes, allowing scientists to predict an earthquake's effects on a building-by-building basis across an area as large as Los Angeles County.
• 20 petaflops could also provide a 40x improvement in our capability to monitor and forecast weather. This would allow forecasters to predict local weather events that affect areas 100 meters to one kilometer in size, down from their current ten-kilometer ability.
• 20 petaflops can blend...the entire earth
• 20 petaflops can run 27,102,301 instances of Crysis at full HD all at 100fps
Awesome! Sign me up!
02/03/09
Probably off topic. Sorry if this offense anyone when it comes to believing in a higher power.
My belief is this, whoever created the universe created the atom. By creating the atom and adding additional atoms. They are able to calculate the final out come. So in essences I see god as a gigantic massive calculator that is able to see the probabilities of the universe stemming from the first atom. By Calculating any equation, the creator of the atom is able to predict the outcome. That is why the term "God is all knowing," seem very true to me.
02/03/09
I think Schrödinger might have some thoughts on that (were he alive, that is).
02/03/09
Now your belief fucks up completely cos there are things smaller than atoms and why would an 'all knowing god' calculate stuff with bigger things than these??
Sorry for being so blunt about it but your belief is influenced by some of the most fucked up people to have ever lived on this planet. And yeah i do mean so called religious people.
Rant over
02/03/09
02/03/09
02/03/09
02/03/09
He is alive, your obviously looking in the wrong box(/earth/dimension/etc.)
02/04/09
11/21/08
Besides that, the post is funny, but this is stupid scientifically illiterate sensationalist news coverage (AFP, not you Giz).