News – Macintosh: The New Choice in Supercomputin

Well, perhaps not, but you have to admit, the ‘Big Mac’ supercomputing cluster is pretty sweet.

Have a look.

General

Virginia Tech’s “Big Mac” supercomputer is the third fastest machine on the planet according to unofficial numbers. The machine, entirely made of Macs, operates at 9.55 trillion operations a second, or 9.55 teraflops. It was made up in six months at the cost of 5.2 million where most super computers take years to construct at numbers upwarsds of $40 million. The cluster of 1,100 dual-processor Power Mac G5s is arguably the cheapest super computer and most certainly the most powerful home built system. Pretty neat.

With e-voting software leaked online, one has to wonder if our flawed methods will ever get a reliable means of reliable electronic touch screen voting deployed.

The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe gives us some new data on the size and state of the universe. Bigger than we thought?

Today’s Papers has Bush ordering more Iraqi police into training. It isn’t happening fast enough apparently. Iraqis think that Israel is behind the recent bombings. Interesting theory, but I doubt it. More wounded in Iraq, trouble in Afghanistan and more in the one page news.

Is the recent upturn in the economy heralding an economic boom? Or is it wishful thinking on data that doesn’t hold up just yet?

GM released a statement praising daytime running lights with saving lives. Explainer shows how they came to this conclusion.

Suicide: A good business Decision.

Iraq

The International Committee Red Cross is planning to hold talks with Swiss based collogues on how to balance the need to protect their staff with the humanitarian needs in Iraq. Most likely a few of their less essential personnel will be pulled out or perhaps given the option to leave the country, but they won’t leave entirely.

The Pentagon is considering pulling intelligence officers from the hunt for WMD and focusing them on the current unrest. I would agree with that. The destabilizing aftermath thus far is a more emanate threat than possible weapons no one can find.

Israel/Palestine

Israeli police are questioning Ariel Sharon and his two sons over two political funding scandals. One can hope that some dirt is found to force him to resign.

Afghanistan

The UN worries that the drug cartels will seize control of Afghanistan. Wouldn’t that be a kick in the pants?

US

We Americans are making nasty new viruses. Some that are even vaccine-proof. Supposedly in the name of research against bio-terrorism, but it’s dangerous ground even if that is the sole focus of things.

The southern California wildfires cut through the Lake Arrowhead mountain resort, destroying an estimated 250 homes. But natural help is coming. A rise in humidity that’s creeping in should help efforts to suppress the fire.

Terri Schiavo’s husband is moving to have a law struck down. That being the one that gave Governor Jeb Bush the unprecedented authority to order the woman’s feeding tube reinserted. Regardless of what you think on the case of this woman, there should be general discomfort at the nature of that hastily passed bit of legislation. Letting the government get too deep into decisions like this is rarely a good thing.

IT comes out that the local police knew about the gunplay and bomb making activities of the youths who shot up Columbine HS two years before the event. They just didn’t take any action, which seems somewhat baffling.

Fourty names have been taken off the list of 9/11 dead. Two or three are still being investigated. It seems the forty were reported missing by people overseas. The authorities have been doing in-depth world checks to make sure the number is right.

Amusements

The Zombie Takeover – contains zombies and a brief bit of nudity.

Ray Part One – A violent little choose your own adventure.

Angry White Boy Polka – A Weird Al polka set to Flash

Jacob 2: Rise of.. Jacob – Just odd. Claymation