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June 24, 2003 A Blur of Bits and Bytes
Apple Computer yesterday unveiled what it claims is the world's fastest personal computer, the Power Mac G5.
Featuring a 64-bit processor, the machine blew by the fastest Pentium 4
and dual Xeon-based PC systems in a test, according to Apple. But if
you're looking for real data-crunching power, check out the new list
of the top 500 supercomputers in the world , compiled by the University
of Manheim, Germany, the University of Tennessee and Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory. Holding first place is the Earth Simulator
supercomputer built by NEC–used for climate modeling–and installed last
year at the Earth Simulator Center
in Yokohama, Japan, with a performance of 35.86 teraflops (trillions of
calculations per second). But America still packs plenty of computing
punch. Of the top 10 systems, seven are in the United States, while 51
percent of all 500 top performers–and 55 percent of the combined
computing power–are installed in the United States. Also, 92 percent of
the top 500 are actually produced in the United States. The list will
be formally presented at the International Supercomputing Conference in
Heidelberg. Germany, starting today.
Even that superfast Japanese monster, however,
pales in comparison with the capabilities of the world's largest
virtual computer, the SETI@home project.
By using more than 4 million Internet-connected PCs around the
world–most in offices and family rooms of average computer
owners–SETI@home is able to run at a nearly 75 terraflops pace as it
analyzes radio telescope data for signs of extraterrestrial
intelligence. The program is free and a quick visit to the site will
enable you to quickly download the program that can run 24/7 either in
the background of your PC or just whenever your screensaver kicks in.
posted by James M. Pethokoukis
 Return to Next NewsA World of Jennifers and Jasons
Many parents spend hours poring over baby name
books and Web sites looking for monikers that sound cool but won't
become drearily and annoyingly common in the future. They might be
discouraged by a new study that suggests the forces that determine
whether names become popular are determined more by chance than by
choice. According to research by Alexander Bentley of University
College London and his colleague Matthew Hahn of Duke University that
appears in the journal Nature,
baby naming trends tend to be pretty haphazard, following the sort of
"random drift" seen in genetics where mutations can be inherited and
then spread willy-nilly. The duo also found that girls are more likely
to be given funky, original names than boys. Of course, any Johnny Cash fan knows the risk of having a boy named Sue.
posted by James M. Pethokoukis
Return to Next NewsReturning to the Dark Tower
With all the buzz over Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, it's easy to forget that the long-awaited fifth installment of Stephen King's popular Dark Tower series, Wolves of the Calla, is scheduled to be out in November. It is supposed to be followed by the final two installments, Song of Susannah and The Dark Tower, in 2004. It's a series more than two decades in the making; the last book, Wizard and Glass, came out in 1997. But unlike the supersecretive J.K. Rowling. King gives fans a taste of his new work at his official Web site where they can read a lengthy prologue to the book. And at his Dark Tower offshoot site, visitors can download an audio excerpt of the book dramatically if amateurishly read by King himself.
posted by James M. Pethokoukis
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