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Comment Re:What the hell is AVX-512? (Score 1) 132

With C code like:

int a[4] = { 1, 2, 3, 4 };
int b[4] = { 5, 6, 7, 8 };

for (n = 0; n 4; n++)
{
    a[n] = a[n] + b[n];
}

Without vector instructions that would produce a handful of instructions. With vector instructions (MMX, SSE, AVX, AVX-512) it could be done with something like:

movups xmm0, [a]
movups xmm1, [b]
paddd xmm0, xmm1 ; parallel add double words (uint32_t)
movups [a], xmm0

movups loads the 128 bit SSE registers from memory, paddd takes the xmm0 and xmm1 registers, splits them into 4 ints, adds them together, and puts the result back into xmm0. Assuming there are enough execution units, all 4 adds can be done at the same time.

In the end a will be { 6, 8, 10, 12 }. It's also possible to split them into four 32 bit floats, eight 16 bit ints, sixteen 8 bit ints, etc.

AVX adds 256 bit registers and AVX-512 adds 512 bit registers along with masking (something the Playstation 2 could do).

In English, this means with AVX-512, it's possible to compute Mandelbrots 16 pixels at a time in a single thread.

Hardware

On-Chip Liquid Cooling Permits Smaller Devices With No Heatsinks Or Fans 45

An anonymous reader writes: DARPA-funded research into on-chip liquid cooling has resulted in a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) liquid-cooled device that can operate at 24 degrees Celsius, versus 60 degrees Celsius for an equivalent air-cooled device. The cooling fluid resides only nanometers from the heat it must address, and operates so efficiently as to offer potential to stack CPUs and GPUs using copper columns, as well as dispensing with heat-sinks and fan systems. With those components removed, the system can facilitate far more compact designs than are currently feasible.

Comment Linksys Quadcopter (Score 1) 210

I was working on a Linksys Quadcopter with the help of friends at work:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRzf-Yvx3uk

This actually used the router and WiFi (I think one of the first quadcopters to do so) with a home-made web server to take commands from a PC. The web server relayed commands over the router's UART to an Atmel ATtiny2313 chip. The program used to send commands to the router used a standard PC flight simulator stick.

Documented a lot of what was done (more pics / videos) on my web page... was afraid to link directly for fear of being slash dotted :).

Comment Erm... Requirements? (Score 2, Insightful) 268

So AirControl "doesn't play well with other network monitoring software" (which one, and why?), and MikroTik "isn't built for what [you] need" (what's that?) - other than that, you don't give us any idea what you really expect. What are your requirements? Suggestions out of the blue: OpenWRT with quagga/zebra, hostapd, radius, olsrd, b.a.t.m.a.n. etc. etc, or you might want to have a look at Vyatta (no affiliation).

Submission + - Airport Access IDs Hacked in Germany (spiegel.de)

teqo writes: Hackers belonging to the Chaos Computer Club have allegedly cloned digital security ID cards for some German airport successfully which then allowed them access to all airport areas. According to the Spiegel Online article (transgoogleation here), they used a 200 Euro RFID reader to scan a valid security ID card, and since the scanner was able to pretend to be that card, used it to forge that valid ID. Even the airport authorities say that the involved system from 1992 might be outdated, but I guess it might be deployed elswewhere anyways.
PlayStation (Games)

US Air Force Buying Another 2,200 PS3s 144

bleedingpegasus sends word that the US Air Force will be grabbing up 2,200 new PlayStation 3 consoles for research into supercomputing. They already have a cluster made from 336 of the old-style (non-Slim) consoles, which they've used for a variety of purposes, including "processing multiple radar images into higher resolution composite images (known as synthetic aperture radar image formation), high-def video processing, and 'neuromorphic computing.'" According to the Justification Review Document (DOC), "Once the hardware configuration is implemented, software code will be developed in-house for cluster implementation utilizing a Linux-based operating software."
Businesses

EA Shuts Down Pandemic Studios, Cuts 200 Jobs 161

lbalbalba writes "Electronic Arts is shutting down its Westwood-based game developer Pandemic Studios just two years after acquiring it, putting nearly 200 people out of work. 'The struggling video game publisher informed employees Tuesday morning that it was closing the studio as part of a recently announced plan to eliminate 1,500 jobs, or 16% of its global workforce. Pandemic has about 220 employees, but an EA spokesman said that a core team, estimated by two people close to the studio to be about 25, will be integrated into the publisher's other Los Angeles studio, in Playa Vista.' An ex-developer for Pandemic attributed the studio's struggles to poor decisions from the management."

Comment Re:Title misleading, er, totally wrong (Score 1) 273

Per application volume control? Is that done in software or hardware?

If it's done in software, then this features is as equal as adding a pole in the back of my car that drags sparks on the street as I drive. Sure it might look cool having sparks fly while I drive, but it wastes resources and slows down the car for something I don't really need or want.

Comment Re:It's all in the waist to hip ratio. (Score 1) 347

Scientists have done surveys of people all over the world

You mean like independent neutral Swiss scientists?

When it comes to differences/preferences between/among the sexes you'll see the most ludicrous results and theories, and more often than not are they plain wrong if you look at their data.

They are however extremely popular amongst the tabloids since it allows (mostly) men to see how much better they are, and they can even back up their claims with "scientific studies", which we all know can't be questioned.

Comment Re:Uh, what about newspapers? (Score 1) 238

Yeah, and you know the name of the journalist.

While true you journalists are allowed to not give out their sources in most cases, the difference here is that with a blog you can write yourself and don't have to go through a news paper who may, or may not, put their spin on it.

Of course this is great news for classical media.

Comment Re:Childish (Score 1) 550

Obama has made several statements that lead many of us to believe that he's not quite sure WTF he's doing. Nobody is perfect, but this 180 degree shift doesn't make sense unless he is just pushing the program underground or plying for political favor somewhere. Neither of those options speak well of him, and neither explanation bodes well for the security and safety of the citizens of the USA.

Unless you believe that the fact that USA wants to have weapon everywhere and power over all is one of the reason it's so hated. Maybe, just maybe if we stopped being asshats and pick sides (the side that will in one way or another profit us) in every conflict we wouldn't need all those weapons? We could start being a nation among many, and like the rest of the world use UN.

I guess this is a strange view for someone like you but there are many countries in the world who safeguard "freedom" and yet not see the need to arm space and have enough nukes to blow the world up.

I think a nice start would be to start checking if our previous leadership shouldn't be tried in Haag or similar, the attack on Iraq (and partially Afghanistan) where clearly unprovoked attacks on independent nations which breeches international law.

I don't see that happening but as an alternative, not trying to piss off more people by building more weapons (of mass destruction) would be nice.

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