4 ms·

This is going to sound somewhat shallow, but I hope this new installation gets some decent visual design. Look at some of the classic supercomputers, such as th

This is going to sound somewhat shallow, but I hope this new installation gets some decent visual design. Look at some of the classic supercomputers, such as the fantastic Thinking Machines CM-1: http://www.mission-base.com/tamiko/cm/CM-1_500w.gif http://www.mission-base.com/tamiko/cm/CM-1_500w.gif Now look at the current reigning champ in 2010: http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2010/10/mod-656188tianjin1.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2010/10/mod-65... Sure, the visual design of a supercomputing installation doesn't have any bearing on its actual utility. But having a certain presence commands respect—even if the researchers using it know it's just stagecraft, there's an undeniable attraction to working on something that isn't just a great engineering achievement, but also looks the part.

brc 16y ago
I'll put my vote in for it looking something like the computer in Oceans Thirteen. That looked quite cool as a hollywood representation of computing power.
blhack 16y ago
Huh, maybe it's because I already know what it does, but I actually think that racks of machines are really cool looking. Stuff like this: http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Marenostrum&gbv=2&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=jbPkTIXqMYnEsAPu69jVCA&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CDcQsAQwAg&biw=1066&bih=566 http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Marenostrum&gbv... is just really cool.
- mortenjorck 16y ago
  Well, yes, but that's the MareNostrum! It may be a bunch of 1U blade servers, but the architecture plays a huge part in building its presence: The location, the contrast between classical ecclesiastical design and stark modernism, the glass, the color choices, the dramatic lighting... Compare that with a gray room with a drop ceiling and fluorescent lights. The hardware may be the same, but the effect is not in the same ballpark!
wmf 16y ago
I don't think IBM does blinkenlights or Cray/SGI-style colors. It's all about the black monoliths. The inside of the PERCS nodes look pretty cool though, with all the copper pipes and fibers.

brc 16y ago

I'll put my vote in for it looking something like the computer in Oceans Thirteen. That looked quite cool as a hollywood representation of computing power.

blhack 16y ago

Huh, maybe it's because I already know what it does, but I actually think that racks of machines are really cool looking. Stuff like this: http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Marenostrum&gbv=2&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=jbPkTIXqMYnEsAPu69jVCA&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CDcQsAQwAg&biw=1066&bih=566 http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Marenostrum&gbv... is just really cool.

mortenjorck 16y ago
Well, yes, but that's the MareNostrum! It may be a bunch of 1U blade servers, but the architecture plays a huge part in building its presence: The location, the contrast between classical ecclesiastical design and stark modernism, the glass, the color choices, the dramatic lighting... Compare that with a gray room with a drop ceiling and fluorescent lights. The hardware may be the same, but the effect is not in the same ballpark!

wmf 16y ago

I don't think IBM does blinkenlights or Cray/SGI-style colors. It's all about the black monoliths. The inside of the PERCS nodes look pretty cool though, with all the copper pipes and fibers.