Friday, January 07, 2005

Swansea University plans super computer

The BBC says that a scheme is underway to build one of the world's fastest computers at Swansea University. When I was there studying Chemical Engineering from 1979 to 1982, I remember that we were introduced to core memory in our computer course. It was, as I remember, main memory composed of doughnut-shaped magnets. I seem to recall that there was a picture of Dr. Gunn, our tutor, gazing wistfully at some of the stuff in Volume 3 of "Coulson and Richardson".

Suddenly I feel very old. I wonder how much of this scrap metal you would have to lug around to get the 20GB I keep in my pocket with my Creative Zen Touch.


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