Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
FlashMob I Supercomputer Takes On Linpack Update
Update (04-Apr-2004): A "flash mob" is a group of people who are called together for some particular purpose at a particular place. University of San Francisco students attempted to create the first flash mob supercomputer by getting 1,000 people to bring their laptops to the Koret Health and Recreation Center on Saturday, April 3rd.
(FlashMob I Supercomputer Team)
Utilizing the best efforts of over 600 volunteers, the students were able to create a supercomputer with 180 gigaflops (billion floating-point operations per second). Unfortunately, that was not quite enough to break into the ranks of the world's top 500 supercomputers; a capacity of about 500 gigaflops would have been needed.
Unlike traditional supercomputers, which are enormously expensive and usually require special buildings to house them, the FlashMob I is a distributed memory machine that costs only time and energy on the part of the participants. Each participant will be given a CD with specially written FlashMob I software and cables to connect their machines. The goal is to perform the challenging Linpack benchmark computation standard at a rate exceeding 403 billion flops (floating point operations) per second, thus securing their place in the 500 fastest computers ever made.
FlashMob I is a modified Linux kernel containing original software that allows individual PCs to join a network and operate as a single supercomputer. Standard supercomputer libraries such as MPI have been specially tuned for the unusual nature of a FlashMob and original code has been written to facilitate bootstrapping PCs, real-time reporting, on the fly network and node diagnostics, and ad-hoc performance optimization.
The software has been made available online; this enables other groups to gather to solve computationally challenging problems.
"We are attempting to popularise supercomputing," says John Witchel, the USF graduate student running the project. "Ordinary individuals, people with good ideas, will now be empowered to put a flash mob together to solve a specific problem."
Science fiction fans may recall the effort needed to build the Chirpsithra supercomputer from Larry Niven's very entertaining short story The Schumann Computer, taken from his 1984 collection Niven's Laws.
Thanks to Flash mob to attempt supercomputing feat. To find out more - and even sign up - visit the FlashMobComputing.org website or check the FlashMob Supercomputing FAQ.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 4/5/2004)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 0 )
Related News Stories - (" Computer ")
Automatic Bot Traffic Is 38 Percent Of HTTP Requests
'there were so many worms and counterworms loose in the data-net...' - John Brunner, 1975
Neuroplatform Human Brain Organoid Bioprocessor Uses Less Electricity
'Cultured brains on a slab.'- Peter Watts, 1999
AI Worms That Spread
'...there were so many worms and counterworms loose in the data-net now' - John Brunner, 1975.
Great. Now AIs Have Access To Hacking Tools
'... when you and the Flatline punch through that ice and scramble the cores.' - William Gibson, 1984.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
Mechazilla Arms Catch A Falling Starship, But Check Out SF Landing-ARMS
'...the rocket’s landing-arms automatically unfolded.'
A System To Defeat AI Face Recognition
'...points and patches of light... sliding all over their faces in a programmed manner that had been designed to foil facial recognition systems.'
Robot Hand Separate From Robot
'The crawling, exploring object was V-Stephen's surgeon-hand...'
Hybrid Wind Solar Devices
'...the combined Wind-Suncatcher, like a spray of tulips mounted fanwise.'
Is Optimus Autonomous Or Teleoperated?
'I went to the control room where the three other men were manipulating their mechanical men.'
Robot Masseuse Rubs People The Right Way
'The automatic massager began to fumble gently...'
Solar-Powered Space Trains On The Moon
'The low-slung monorail car, straddling its single track, bored through the shadows on a slowly rising course.'
Drone Deliveries Instead Of Waiters In Restaurants?
'It was a smooth ovoid floating a few inches from the floor...'
Optimus Robot Can Charge Itself
'... he thrust in his charging arm to replenish his store of energy.'
Skip Movewear Arc'teryx AI Pants
'...the terrible Jovian gravity that made each movement an effort.'
'Robovan' Name Already Taken - Elon, Try These
There are alternative names that are probably in the public domain by now.
How Old Are Tesla Designs?
You be the judge.
Is Your Autonomous Tractor Safe?
'The field-minder finished turning the top-soil of a two-thousand-acre field.'
Smart TVs Are Listening!
'You had to live -- did live, from habit that became instinct -- in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard...'
Police Drones In China Would Like To Have A Word With You
''OVERRIDE,' the City Fathers said suddenly, without being asked anything at all.'
Oh Great (Part 2), Fence-Climbing Robots
Please, no stingers.
