• Gizmodo
  • bestmodo
  • lifehacker
  • kotaku
  • Profile logout login

#supercomputers

Gizmodo

Share Cancel
   
Upload an image | Add an image URL
×

logging in
  • FAQ. Include # before tag:
  • #tips,
  • #dealzmodo,
  • #rumors,
  • #broken,
  • #iphoneapps,
  • #apple,
  • etc.

New York, 9:24 AM
Mon Nov 23
14 posts in the last 24 hours

FR | IT | DE | SP | JP | AU | BR

Gizmodo Team

Tip your editors:
tips@gizmodo.com

Editorial Director:
Brian Lam | Email | Twitter

Editor:
Jason Chen
Email | AIM | Twitter

Features Editor:
Wilson Rothman
Email | Twitter

Senior Contributing Editors:
Jesus Diaz
Email | AIM | Twitter
Mark Wilson, Reviews
Email | AIM | Twitter

Contributing Editors:
Matt Buchanan
Email | AIM | Twitter
Adam Frucci
Email | Twitter
Sean Fallon
Email | Twitter
Jack Loftus
Email | Twitter
John Herrman
Email | Twitter
Dan Nosowitz
Email
Chris Mascari
Email
Danny Allen
Email | Twitter
Rosa Golijan
Email | Twitter
Chris Jacob
Email

Columnist:
Brendan I. Koerner

Interns:
Don Nguyen
Email
Kyle VanHemert
Email

Comment Intern:
Nick Ellenoff | Email

Heroes and Friends

Comment Account Questions:
Comments@gizmodo.com

SUBSCRIBE TO Gizmodo RSS

New: Breaking news and daily top stories via email
9515 Subscribers
Gizmodo
  • posts about #supercomputers more →

    It Takes 147,456 PowerPC Processors To Out-Think a Single Stupid Cat Brain

    World's Fastest Supercomputer Is World's Largest, Tackiest Case Mod Too

    IBM Prepping 'Watson' Computer to Compete on Jeopardy!

    IBM Sequoia: Faster Than the Fastest 500 Supercomputers, Combined

    Supercomputers Corroborate Einstein's e=mc2 After 103 Years

    IBM Roadrunner Tops Cray as the Official World's Fastest Supercomputer

    Cray XT Jaguar: The New World's Fastest Supercomputer

    Worldwide LHC Computing Grid Online, Just in Time for LHC to Go Down

    Hands On Cray CX1 Windows Supercomputer: One Day, It'll Make Crysis Cry

    Cray's First Windows-Based Supercomputer Puts a 64-Core Datacenter On Your Desk
  • Your version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to view comments.
    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of Purple Dave Purple Dave
    11/19/09

    In reply to It Takes 147,456 PowerPC Processors To Out-Think a Single Stupid Cat Brain
    We think dogs are smart because we can teach them to perform tricks to satisfy our whims. Cats think the same thing about people.

    Also, true story: I recently witnessed a dog, who freaks out at everything that walks past her house, being let out the front door for a quick run around the neighborhood. She immediately turned left and ran a couple houses away to relieve herself. Not thirty feet away in the other direction there was a thoroughly terrified rabbit that was obviously very glad that the dog went the other way. Now, that's not why I'm writing about this event. No, it's because when the dog came _back_, she _still_ failed to notice the rabbit, and ran straight back to the front door. Dogs are dumb.
     Reply
    Purple Dave was starred Purple Dave was unstarred
    Image of Bokusatsu_Tenshi Bokusatsu_Tenshi
    11/18/09

    In reply to It Takes 147,456 PowerPC Processors To Out-Think a Single Stupid Cat Brain

    I can has portable vershun?
     Reply
    Bokusatsu_Tenshi was starred Bokusatsu_Tenshi was unstarred
    Image of Nathan Obbards Nathan Obbards
    11/18/09

    In reply to It Takes 147,456 PowerPC Processors To Out-Think a Single Stupid Cat Brain
    This brings a whole new way of looking at Schrödinger's cat paradox. If we replicate the cat's brain and way of thinking, is it a cat or not? What dictates life and what dictates death?
     Reply
    Nathan Obbards was starred Nathan Obbards was unstarred
    Image of zlionsfan zlionsfan
    11/18/09

    @Nathan Obbards: I think it probably just means you couldn't use cybercat in the experiment; either that or instead of using acid or gunpowder, the system would have to cut power to cybercat or otherwise disable it to generate multiple states.
     Reply
    zlionsfan was starred zlionsfan was unstarred
    Image of johnnylineup johnnylineup
    11/18/09

    @zlionsfan: I think that acid is definitely needed to fully understand the cat paradox
     Reply
    Nathan Obbards promoted this comment johnnylineup was starred johnnylineup was unstarred
    Image of zlionsfan zlionsfan
    11/18/09

    @johnnylineup: lol ... I think on acid you could probably see a mixture of both states.
     Reply
    Nathan Obbards promoted this comment zlionsfan was starred zlionsfan was unstarred
    Image of anonymousryan anonymousryan
    11/18/09

    @Nathan Obbards: I don't think you understands Schrödinger's cat paradox. It has to do with quantum mechanics. If I recall correctly, it has to do with some physicists believing that energy/matter exists in two states simultaneously, as a wave and a particle, until it is observed at which point it becomes one or the other. The paradox for Schrödinger is that if you apply this system to a cat in a box with 50% chance of being alive and 50% chance of being dead then the cat is both alive and dead until you look in the box at which point it is one or the other. The cat is just a means, it could as easily be a light bulb or anything with multiple states like water.
     Reply
    Nathan Obbards promoted this comment anonymousryan was starred anonymousryan was unstarred
    Image of Nathan Obbards Nathan Obbards
    11/18/09

    @anonymousryan: Twas a mere joke. I guess it whooshed.
     Reply
    Nathan Obbards was starred Nathan Obbards was unstarred
    Image of anonymousryan anonymousryan
    11/18/09

    @Nathan Obbards: Sorry, I'm a philosophy nerd and take my thought experiments too seriously.
     Reply
    anonymousryan was starred anonymousryan was unstarred
    Image of bustedchain bustedchain
    11/18/09

    @Nathan Obbards: I think it would simplify the paradox if the cat-in-a-box were Virtual in nature... If you wanted to ensure the state of the cat-in-a-box you'd simply unplug the cord and wait a couple seconds. It would be dead every time.
     Reply
    Nathan Obbards promoted this comment bustedchain was starred bustedchain was unstarred
    Image of Nathan Obbards Nathan Obbards
    11/18/09

    @bustedchain: But does the cat really die? If you plug it back in, the cat may be alive still/again.
     Reply
    Nathan Obbards was starred Nathan Obbards was unstarred
    Image of bustedchain bustedchain
    11/18/09

    @Nathan Obbards: Edit: You bring up a very good question, but I still think the virtual cat would not be the same one that lost power.

    Chances are a cat would come back alive if the system could handle a hard powerdown like that, but it would not be the same virtual cat that was there before because this new cat would have, at the very least, experienced a unique bootup that it had not experienced before, so arguably it is a different virtual cat that exists. Beyond that, chances are the cat lost everything it had in ram at the time of the power loss unless it was using that new-fangled ram that retains its last state. Of course if the developers include that technology they may have foiled my theory here.
     Reply
    Edited by bustedchain at 11/18/09 4:02 PM bustedchain was starred bustedchain was unstarred
    Image of Hiphopopotamus Hiphopopotamus
    11/18/09

    In reply to It Takes 147,456 PowerPC Processors To Out-Think a Single Stupid Cat Brain
    I dunno about this... Tamagotchi seems to have nailed it with only 1/147456th of that.
     Reply
    Hiphopopotamus was starred Hiphopopotamus was unstarred
    Image of ripfire ripfire
    11/18/09

    In reply to It Takes 147,456 PowerPC Processors To Out-Think a Single Stupid Cat Brain
    So how do you program it? lolcode?
     Reply
    ripfire was starred ripfire was unstarred
    Image of J_Frank_Parnell J_Frank_Parnell
    11/18/09

    @ripfire: I can has bitz?
     Reply
    ripfire promoted this comment J_Frank_Parnell was starred J_Frank_Parnell was unstarred
    Image of ripfire ripfire
    11/18/09

    @J_Frank_Parnell:

    HAI
    CAN HAS STDIO?
    VISIBLE "HAI WORLD!"
    KTHXBYE
     Reply
    ripfire was starred ripfire was unstarred
    Image of Kaiser-Machead Kaiser-Machead
    11/18/09

    In reply to It Takes 147,456 PowerPC Processors To Out-Think a Single Stupid Cat Brain
    If being unfriendly were any kind of mimickry of intelligence, Chihuahuas should look like friggin' geniuses, but they're dumber than a sack of chalupas.

    No doubt God is not going to be happy with mankind coming closer and closer to mimicing animal brains.

    Oh dear. I guess I'll be sending this slices of bread, just like I did the LHC. Gabriel, make it so.

    Mmmmm verry good sir
     Reply
    Edited by Kaiser-Machead at 11/18/09 12:26 PM Kaiser-Machead was starred Kaiser-Machead was unstarred
    Image of MarcusMaximus MarcusMaximus
    11/18/09

    @Kaiser-Machead: When did Gabriel become an old British butler?
     Reply
    Nathan Obbards promoted this comment MarcusMaximus was starred MarcusMaximus was unstarred
    Image of Nathan Obbards Nathan Obbards
    11/18/09

    @MarcusMaximus: The same time Jean Luc Picard became God.
     Reply
    Nathan Obbards was starred Nathan Obbards was unstarred
    Image of OMG! Ponies! OMG! Ponies!
    11/18/09

    In reply to It Takes 147,456 PowerPC Processors To Out-Think a Single Stupid Cat Brain

    We're in ur mainframe, crunchin ur numberz
     Reply
    OMG! Ponies! was starred OMG! Ponies! was unstarred
    Image of Ishbar Ishbar
    11/18/09

    @OMG! Ponies!: First lolcat to make me laugh, ever.
     Reply
    OMG! Ponies! promoted this comment Ishbar was starred Ishbar was unstarred
    Image of RayKinStL RayKinStL
    11/18/09

    @OMG! Ponies!: I lol'ed
     Reply
    OMG! Ponies! promoted this comment RayKinStL was starred RayKinStL was unstarred
    Image of OMG! Ponies! OMG! Ponies!
    11/18/09


    @Ishbar: I can has flowding maff coprosesser? KTHXBAI
     Reply
    OMG! Ponies! was starred OMG! Ponies! was unstarred
    Image of OMG! Ponies! OMG! Ponies!
    11/18/09


    @RayKinStL: I'm bettur then a Mac Quadra an i'm not evun tryin
     Reply
    OMG! Ponies! was starred OMG! Ponies! was unstarred
    Image of Bokusatsu_Tenshi Bokusatsu_Tenshi
    11/18/09

    @OMG! Ponies!: I can has simulated braiz?
     Reply
    Bokusatsu_Tenshi was starred Bokusatsu_Tenshi was unstarred
    Image of Lassus Lassus
    11/18/09

    In reply to It Takes 147,456 PowerPC Processors To Out-Think a Single Stupid Cat Brain
    That sign would make me concerned that those computers were listening.
     Reply
    Lassus was starred Lassus was unstarred
    Image of FigNinja FigNinja
    11/18/09

    @Lassus: Except cats don't listen. At least mine never do.
     Reply
    FigNinja was starred FigNinja was unstarred
    Image of BergenCountyJC can't beat MW2 BergenCountyJC can't beat MW2
    11/18/09

    In reply to It Takes 147,456 PowerPC Processors To Out-Think a Single Stupid Cat Brain

    They could probably fit all the processors necessary to out-think me in this building.
     Reply
    BergenCountyJC can't beat MW2 was starred BergenCountyJC can't beat MW2 was unstarred
    Image of negated: has star powah negated: has star powah
    11/16/09

    In reply to World's Fastest Supercomputer Is World's Largest, Tackiest Case Mod Too
    It could've been worse:
    They could've tastelessly slapped a metric ton of EL accents, LEDs, and useless slabs of lucite on that bitch, cutting multiple windows in the case just so you can watch the blinkenlights symbolically represent the computing going on. #jaguar
     Reply
    negated: has star powah was starred negated: has star powah was unstarred
    Image of Lite: hates Illinois Nazis Lite: hates Illinois Nazis
    11/16/09

    In reply to World's Fastest Supercomputer Is World's Largest, Tackiest Case Mod Too
    So, stickers really do make your car go faster? #jaguar
     Reply
    Lite: hates Illinois Nazis was starred Lite: hates Illinois Nazis was unstarred
    Image of KeyserSoze KeyserSoze
    11/16/09

    @Lite: hates Illinois Nazis: Yes, that and bright yellow brake calipers/drums. #jaguar
     Reply
    Lite: hates Illinois Nazis promoted this comment KeyserSoze was starred KeyserSoze was unstarred
    Image of Twanzio Twanzio
    11/16/09

    @KeyserSoze: Don't forget really dark tint and a bass speaker the size of Delaware. #jaguar
     Reply
    Lite: hates Illinois Nazis promoted this comment Twanzio was starred Twanzio was unstarred
    Image of KeyserSoze KeyserSoze
    11/16/09

    @Twanzio: and stick on fake hood scoops and fart can exhausts on 4 cylinder car's. Also, neon under the car makes it way faster too. #jaguar
     Reply
    KeyserSoze was starred KeyserSoze was unstarred
    Image of AndPreciousLittleofThat AndPreciousLittleofThat
    11/16/09

    In reply to World's Fastest Supercomputer Is World's Largest, Tackiest Case Mod Too
    Accordingly, the next in the Cray line will now be called "Cool-Ass Airbrushed Wizard Slaying Dragon, Bro" and will play Blue Oyster Cult songs at startup. #jaguar
     Reply
    AndPreciousLittleofThat was starred AndPreciousLittleofThat was unstarred
    Image of Hello Mister Walrus Hello Mister Walrus
    11/16/09

    In reply to World's Fastest Supercomputer Is World's Largest, Tackiest Case Mod Too
    So the new center of the electronic world is... Tennessee? Who knew?? #jaguar
     Reply
    Hello Mister Walrus was starred Hello Mister Walrus was unstarred
    Image of Michai Michai
    11/16/09

    In reply to World's Fastest Supercomputer Is World's Largest, Tackiest Case Mod Too
    " 1.74 quadrillion floating points operation" <----- My response, "Holy shit!"

    Following Moore's law, can you imagine in 50 years when personal computers will have that computing power. At such computing power will all PC's be identical having capped the markets need for computing? What would an individual need with such computing power? #jaguar
     Reply
    Michai was starred Michai was unstarred
    Image of jiggpig jiggpig
    11/16/09

    @Michai: until we have robots that can make me a sandwich, there will always be a need for more computing power. #jaguar
     Reply
    Michai promoted this comment jiggpig was starred jiggpig was unstarred
    Image of NorwoodIsMyHero NorwoodIsMyHero
    11/16/09

    @Michai: I always find this helpful to remember regarding Moore's, or any exponential growth situation really:

    [en.wikipedia.org]

    On 13 April 2005, Gordon Moore stated in an interview that the law cannot be sustained indefinitely: "It can't continue forever. The nature of exponentials is that you push them out and eventually disaster happens." #jaguar
     Reply
    Michai promoted this comment NorwoodIsMyHero was starred NorwoodIsMyHero was unstarred
    Image of Michai Michai
    11/16/09

    @NorwoodIsMyHero: "...eventually disaster happens."... where a new exponential curve begins. #jaguar
     Reply
    Michai was starred Michai was unstarred
    Image of kosai kosai
    11/16/09

    @Michai: I have a feeling it will mean something more like this

    [www.vimeo.com] #jaguar
     Reply
    kosai was starred kosai was unstarred
    Image of NorwoodIsMyHero NorwoodIsMyHero
    11/16/09

    @Michai: Haha, so true, I find it hard to imagine what disaster would befall us if transistors kept getting exponentially smaller.

    He did also point out that their are ultimate limits at the atomic level to how small things can get. #jaguar
     Reply
    NorwoodIsMyHero was starred NorwoodIsMyHero was unstarred
    Image of Lite: hates Illinois Nazis Lite: hates Illinois Nazis
    11/16/09

    @NorwoodIsMyHero: One word... Skynet. #jaguar
     Reply
    Lite: hates Illinois Nazis was starred Lite: hates Illinois Nazis was unstarred
    Image of SkipErnst SkipErnst
    11/16/09

    @Michai: I'd argue closer to 25 years rather than 50.

    According to this article ([www.macobserver.com]) the fastest Mac Pro in 2008 was 1/12,142 as fast as RoadRunner.

    Given that ratio, it will only take 14 doublings (which is 16,384 times more) to reach this speed for a consumer computer.

    Moore's law says we should expect a doubling of transistors on a chip every two years which comes to only 28 years.

    Ray Kurzweil argues (convincingly) that the doubles are occurring faster than every two years and in fact are themselves speeding up. So 28 years is probably a very conservative estimate.

    But will it run Crysis? #jaguar
     Reply
    Michai promoted this comment SkipErnst was starred SkipErnst was unstarred
    Image of brianmi40 brianmi40
    11/16/09

    @Michai: Since we've made similar statements for decades now while Moore's Law has been working and had all those needs filled and more, I'm believing that you'll need this power for your latest 3 dimensional Hollo-Deck display in the game room of your house by then where a MMG finally exceeds 100 million simultaneous players and even the cockroaches walking under your feet are being modeled and you have infinite zoom to be able to check molecules in objects. Bottom line, whatever computing power is created will cause applications to be written that will enable it's use, and more... #jaguar
     Reply
    Michai promoted this comment brianmi40 was starred brianmi40 was unstarred
    Image of Michai Michai
    11/16/09

    @kosai: Thanks for the vid, very cool. I'd like to add that it does not account for the intelligence of software aiding in the conductibility of trillions of computers. #jaguar
     Reply
    Michai was starred Michai was unstarred
    Image of Michai Michai
    11/16/09

    @NorwoodIsMyHero: Here is a cool fact that everyone may find interesting. All of todays digital information, if translated into a physical weight, would weight about the same as large grain of salt*. Given that knowledge a atomic matrix the size of a 6 sided die has the potential to hold more than enough information for generations to come.

    *(I read this story in either one of my Scientific American or Discover magazines, I spent a few minutes looking for the article but could find which month or magazine it was. Props to the person who locates the original article for me. It was within the last 9 months.) #jaguar
     Reply
    Michai was starred Michai was unstarred
    Image of Michai Michai
    11/16/09

    @SkipErnst: Yes true, but Kurzweil doesn't account for - like anything the closer you get to reaching the exponential's vertical the longer it takes. Also a change in transistor tech from silicon to 'whatever' will cause an initial slowing of the curve. #jaguar
     Reply
    Michai was starred Michai was unstarred
    Image of Michai Michai
    11/16/09

    @brianmi40: Your probably right. Can you imagine programming for 240bit software platforms!? #jaguar
     Reply
    Michai was starred Michai was unstarred
    Image of Michai Michai
    11/16/09

    @Lite: hates Illinois Nazis: lol #jaguar
     Reply
    Michai was starred Michai was unstarred
    Image of Monty Monty
    11/16/09

    In reply to World's Fastest Supercomputer Is World's Largest, Tackiest Case Mod Too
    Dude, Apple dumped the Jaguar release years ago since it had significant user interface and speed issues - they need to get Snow Leopard on this thing ASAP.I assume they are leasing time on this system for those silly scientists and engineers to use to figure out the answer to life, the universe, and everything. Multiply six and seven, geeks - your search will be over and we can stop building these crazy fast systems. #jaguar
     Reply
    Edited by Monty at 11/16/09 2:08 PM Monty was starred Monty was unstarred
    Image of Dustin Dong Dustin Dong
    11/16/09

    @Monty: not sure what you are referring to about jaguar? #jaguar
     Reply
    Monty promoted this comment Dustin Dong was starred Dustin Dong was unstarred
    Image of Monty Monty
    11/16/09

    @Dustin Dong: Sorry, I confuse myself, too:

    [en.wikipedia.org] #jaguar
     Reply
    Monty was starred Monty was unstarred
    Earlier discussions Other discussions Show all discussions Show featured discussions only Start a new discussion

Login

Enter your username and password.

Please enter a username.
Please enter your password.
logging in
Login via Facebook | Sign Up | Forgot Password?

Reset Password

Please enter your email address to have your password reset.

Please enter your email address.
Please enter a valid email address.
requesting password reset

Register

Registering will give you a user profile and the ability to add other users as friends. To become a commenter, however, you need to audition.

Want to know more? Consult the Comment FAQ and legal terms.

Please enter a username.
Please enter a password.
Please confirm your password.
Passwords are not identical.
Please enter a valid email address.
registration sent, waiting for reply

Submit Your Comment

You don't need to login to comment. Just enter your email address below.

See how your address will be displayed in the Comment FAQ.

Please enter a valid email address.
Please enter a valid email address.
logging in

Login with your Facebook or Gizmodo account.

Sign up here.



  • Archives
  • About
  • Advertising
  • Legal
  • Help
  • Report a Bug
  • FAQ
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.