One computer to rule them all

ZaggyZaggy NullPointerExceptionThe Netherlands Join Date: 2003-12-10 Member: 24214Forum Moderators, NS2 Playtester, Reinforced - Onos, Subnautica Playtester
edited February 2008 in Off-Topic
<div class="IPBDescription">Multivac? Skynet?</div><a href="http://slashdot.org/articles/08/02/07/0339245.shtml" target="_blank">One computer to rule them all - Slashdot article</a>

Reminds me of this <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20040815203832/www.ecf.utoronto.ca/~ngn/misc/last.html" target="_blank">story</a> from Isaac Asimov.

When is oil going to run out again? 60-70 years?
We better hurry building that super smart computer eh.
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Comments

  • GwahirGwahir Join Date: 2002-04-24 Member: 513Members, Constellation
    you want more power?

    Here's something that seems to show some promise:

    IEC fusion, Bussard's basic design, one was activated recently, early January. From what I can see, it seems a very solid design with minimal radiation, intrinsic safety (failure mode just stops fusion, nothing else), and a predicted increase in energy output as a power of 7 to the size of the reactor

    <a href="http://powerandcontrol.blogspot.com/2006/11/easy-low-cost-no-radiation-fusion.html" target="_blank">http://powerandcontrol.blogspot.com/2006/1...ion-fusion.html</a>

    <a href="http://powerandcontrol.blogspot.com/2007/03/polywell-adding-details.html" target="_blank">http://powerandcontrol.blogspot.com/2007/0...ng-details.html</a>

    <a href="http://powerandcontrol.blogspot.com/2007/05/polywell-making-well.html" target="_blank">http://powerandcontrol.blogspot.com/2007/0...aking-well.html</a>

    <a href="http://isdc2.xisp.net/~kmiller/isdc_archive/fileDownload.php/?link=fileSelect&file_id=422" target="_blank">Power Point Presentation</a>

    <a href="http://nextbigfuture.com/2008/01/bussards-inertial-electrostatic.html" target="_blank">Most recent article I came across</a>

    <a href="http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/01/09/566532.aspx" target="_blank">msnbc article including IEC</a>
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  • lolfighterlolfighter Snark, Dire Join Date: 2003-04-20 Member: 15693Members
    Once oil runs so low that people actually stop using it rather than shove their money down the throats of oil companies, a replacement will miraculously become suddenly viable even though it has probably existed for decades - but it wasn't viable back then and we have very plausible reasons why but you're too stupid to understand so we won't tell you.
    Also, curiously, Exxon-Mobil will stand to gain lots of money from the use of said replacement.

    Sorry, what were we talking about again? Computers or energy? I forgot.
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  • locallyunscenelocallyunscene Feeder of Trolls Join Date: 2002-12-25 Member: 11528Members, Constellation
    <!--quoteo(post=1669838:date=Feb 7 2008, 10:34 AM:name=lolfighter)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lolfighter @ Feb 7 2008, 10:34 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1669838"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Once oil runs so low that people actually stop using it rather than shove their money down the throats of oil companies, a replacement will miraculously become suddenly viable even though it has probably existed for decades - but it wasn't viable back then and we have very plausible reasons why but you're too stupid to understand so we won't tell you.
    Also, curiously, Exxon-Mobil will stand to gain lots of money from the use of said replacement.

    Sorry, what were we talking about again? Computers or energy? I forgot.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Computergy.
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  • FaskaliaFaskalia Wechsellichtzeichenanlage Join Date: 2004-09-12 Member: 31651Members, Constellation
    <!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->"a global-scale shared computer capable of hosting the entire Internet as an application."<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    No way, a single computer can host that much pornography...
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  • HazeHaze O RLY? Join Date: 2003-07-07 Member: 18018Members, Constellation
    I could host the internet as an application if I had a sixty zillion terrabyte harddrive and a lot of free time.

    Was that supposed to make people impressed?
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  • LikuLiku I, am the Somberlain. Join Date: 2003-01-10 Member: 12128Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1669845:date=Feb 7 2008, 10:22 AM:name=Faskalia)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Faskalia @ Feb 7 2008, 10:22 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1669845"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->No way, a single computer can host that much pornography...<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    We live in hope.

    I sure do.
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  • Kouji_SanKouji_San Sr. Hινε Uρкεερεг - EUPT Deputy The Netherlands Join Date: 2003-05-13 Member: 16271Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue
    edited February 2008
    <!--quoteo(post=1669854:date=Feb 7 2008, 06:08 PM:name=Haze)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Haze @ Feb 7 2008, 06:08 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1669854"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I could host the internet as an application if I had a sixty zillion terrabyte harddrive and a lot of free time.

    Was that supposed to make people impressed?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    I guess it would only increase the size you the owner's e-pinis <!--coloro:#696969--><span style="color:#696969"><!--/coloro-->*notice the clever avoidance of the swearfilter*<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->

    Meh, so this would be able to run stalker at full everything using the shared resource thingy? J/K
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  • lolfighterlolfighter Snark, Dire Join Date: 2003-04-20 Member: 15693Members
    More like Univac really.

    I wonder how data storage would work. Hard drives don't have even a fraction of the speed or throughput that such a computer might require.
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  • ScytheScythe Join Date: 2002-01-25 Member: 46NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators, Constellation, Reinforced - Silver
    <!--quoteo(post=1669899:date=Feb 8 2008, 04:16 PM:name=lolfighter)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lolfighter @ Feb 8 2008, 04:16 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1669899"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->More like Univac really.

    I wonder how data storage would work. Hard drives don't have even a fraction of the speed or throughput that such a computer might require.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    A spinning magnetic disk, how quaint. Our kids will look back on these days with incredulity, as they download the latest copy of the internet onto their qubit electron spin arrays, that have data density of one bit per electron in a ten gramme cube of crystal.

    Today's technology will appear as archaic as chisels and stone in fifty years time. Never forget this.

    Azimov had it right when he predicted that earth will one day be controlled by a set of computers. It's the ideal solution.

    --Scythe--
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  • ShockehShockeh If a packet drops on the web and nobody&#39;s near to see it... Join Date: 2002-11-19 Member: 9336NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators, Constellation
    To be fair Scythe, we look at magnetic disks NOW as archaic pieces of history. There's vastly better alternatives already, the problem is the HDD failure rate & production cost are 'acceptable' to the consumer. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />

    - Shockwave
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  • lolfighterlolfighter Snark, Dire Join Date: 2003-04-20 Member: 15693Members
    Asimov made many predictions. My favourite is probably "The Last Question."

    But yes, like I said, hard drives don't have even a fraction of the speed or throughput that such a computer might require. Therefore, I wonder how data storage would work.
    Storing the entirety of the internet would even be a trivial task compared to designing a storage system that could also retrive and serve that information to any number of users within an acceptable timeframe. I can't even begin to speculate on how to achieve that.
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  • GwahirGwahir Join Date: 2002-04-24 Member: 513Members, Constellation
    edited February 2008
    massive raid.

    with unused drive tracking.
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  • locallyunscenelocallyunscene Feeder of Trolls Join Date: 2002-12-25 Member: 11528Members, Constellation
    So does this mean google will <i>be</i> the internet? AFAIK they use a large distributed(and somewhat secret) system like this for all their computing and storage.
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  • lolfighterlolfighter Snark, Dire Join Date: 2003-04-20 Member: 15693Members
    Damn, I hope not. The last thing we need is anyone monopolizing the internet.
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  • SkyrageSkyrage Join Date: 2003-08-27 Member: 20249Members
    <a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/video/breaking_news_all_online_data" target="_blank">Maybe this will become reality</a>
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  • GwahirGwahir Join Date: 2002-04-24 Member: 513Members, Constellation
    error....


    *whimper*


    Poor Nigeria.
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  • Nil_IQNil_IQ Join Date: 2003-04-15 Member: 15520Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1669922:date=Feb 8 2008, 08:42 AM:name=lolfighter)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lolfighter @ Feb 8 2008, 08:42 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1669922"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Storing the entirety of the internet would even be a trivial task compared to designing a storage system that could also retrive and serve that information to any number of users within an acceptable timeframe. I can't even begin to speculate on how to achieve that.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    It'd be like Citrix on a massive scale :o

    And hell yeah, I want my qubit electron spin array.
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  • GwahirGwahir Join Date: 2002-04-24 Member: 513Members, Constellation
    I know a professor who's working on set on fet, basically it's quantum memory that sits on top of a couple mosfets as an interface. looks promising.
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  • Nil_IQNil_IQ Join Date: 2003-04-15 Member: 15520Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1670160:date=Feb 11 2008, 10:45 AM:name=Gwahir)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Gwahir @ Feb 11 2008, 10:45 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1670160"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I know a professor who's working on set on fet, basically it's quantum memory that sits on top of a couple mosfets as an interface. looks promising.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Your funny words amuse me.
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