MIND HAT - SCIENCE

Japan's "K computer" -- the World's Fastest Supercomputer

K Computer Launch by Fujitsu-RIKEN
K Computer -- Fujitsu/RIKEN Photo

20-June-2011: RIKEN and Fujitsu earned first place on the 37th TOP500 list at the 26th International Supercomputing Conference (ISC'11) held in Hamburg, Germany. The K Computer is capable of 8.162 petaflops (1 petaflop=1 quadrillion calculations per second). The K Computer project is part of the High-Performance Computing Infrastructure (HPCI) initiative led by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). The cost of the K Computer project is --112 billion ($1.4 billion). Japan and China hold 4 of the top 5 positions on the TOP500 list. The United States has more than half of the 500 fastest supercomputers.

Supercomputer "K computer" Takes First Place in World: Achieves world's best performance of 8.162 petaflops to lead TOP500 list, Fujitsu Ltd. and RIKEN, 20-Jun-11.
Ryoma Komiyama and Masanobu Higashiyama, Japan back on top in supercomputer race, Asahi, 22-June-11.
Bruce Goodwin and Thomas Zacharia, The Supercomputing Race, Washington Post, Opinions, 23-Jul-11.

Scientific Integrity Is Threatened

Union of Concerned Scientists
- Restoring Scientific Integrity in Policymaking
  Quote from the Union of Concerned Scientists: "When scientific knowledge has been found to be in conflict with [the] political goals [of the administration of George W. Bush], the administration has often manipulated the process through which science enters into its decisions. This has been done by placing people who are professionally unqualified or who have clear conflicts of interest in official posts and on scientific advisory committees; by disbanding existing advisory committees; by censoring and suppressing reports by the government--s own scientists; and by simply not seeking independent scientific advice. . . [I]n advocating policies that are not scientifically sound, the administration has sometimes misrepresented scientific knowledge and misled the public about the implications of its policies." [MIND HAT's emphasis.]
  Restoring Scientific Integrity in Policymaking. Union of Concerned Scientists, 23-Jun-08.

Japan Launches Successfully the Lunar Orbit Explorer "KAGUYA"

H-IIA Launch Vehicle -- MHI/JAXA Photo

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched successfully the Selenological and Engineering Explorer (Selene) probe aboard the "KAGUYA" H-IIA rocket on September 14, 2007 from the Tanegashima Space Center; the probe will orbit the moon.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Tokyo, Japan
Launch Result of the KAGUYA (SELENE) by the H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 13 (H-IIA F13). JAXA, 14-Sep-07.
SELenological and ENgineering Explorer "KAGUYA" (SELENE). JAXA, 14-Sep-07.
H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 13 for "KAGUYA" -- SPECIAL SITE --. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., 14-Sep-07.
Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) - Links for Researchers.

The Game of Checker Is Solved

The game of checkers, which has about 5 x 10²⁰ positions, is solved by a research team at the University of Alberta: "perfect play by both sides leads to a draw." Jonathan Schaeffer, et al. (University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada). Checkers Is Solved. Science, 19-Jul-07. Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1144079.
Chinook - World Man-Machine Checkers Champion. Department of Computing Science, Games Group, University of Alberta.
- Play Chinook.

"Wireless Electricity" or "WiTricity"

MIT News
- Goodbye wires--
  "MIT team experimentally demonstrates wireless power transfer, potentially useful for powering laptops, cell phones without cords."
  Franklin Hadley, Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies, 7-Jan-07.

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Supercomputer "K computer" Takes First Place in World: Achieves world's best performance of 8.162 petaflops to lead TOP500 list, Fujitsu Ltd. and RIKEN, 20-Jun-11.