

IBM builds exascale supercomputer for largest telescope - DiabloD3
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/124561-ibm-to-build-exascale-supercomputer-for-the-worlds-largest-million-antennae-telescope?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ibm-to-build-exascale-supercomputer-for-the-worlds-largest-million-antennae-telescope

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kylemaxwell
Reading about projects like this always helps me when I ask myself the
question whether I'm working on "stuff that matters". Not that I think
everything could (or should) be on the same scale as huge science projects
that lay the groundwork for our species' future, but it provides a reference
point for comparison.

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sukuriant
Honestly, this was my same response. I may enjoy what I'm doing, but to be a
part of something like this. Wow. I can't even imagine what it would be to be
a part of something this amazing and huge.

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pjscott
As usual, the news article is maddeningly short on details, but I assume
they're going to be using this for interferometry between all those radio
telescopes -- combining the signals with some really heavy DSP to get a
relatively high-resolution raster image of a portion of the sky.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronomical_interferometer>

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_Kilometre_Array>

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sirlancer
I agree with the assumption of this projects application though I find it
maddening that they're choosing to look 'up' instead of _down_. I believe more
practical value can be obtained if that enormous computing resource were used
to investigate the smallest components of the cosmos. Take Test4Theory[1] for
example whose stated goal is to help in refining the accuracy of the Standard
Model of Particle Physics; this would create the ability for us to derive a
more accurate understanding of Nature and would exponentiate our development
of technologies that are key to our species survival.

[1] <http://lhcathome2.cern.ch/high-energy-physics-simulations>

