Parallel computing and serial stupidity
Just back from the Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre (EPCC), where I had a most interesting conversation with some of the people behind the Maxwell experimental high performance computer. That's based on FPGAs - Field Programmable Gate Arrays, chips designed to have their hardware configured through software - and is a fascinating approach to the general problem of how to use all that new clever hardware we're making to run software we know how to write.
More on that later (and yes, I know I said there'd be more on Intel. Soon come.)
Meanwhile, the trip back from Edinburgh to London via GNER was longer and more fraught than usual. Some ned (a technical term, m'lud, used by the Scots to refer to a ne'er do well) threw a rock at the train, crazing a window - and to prevent it blowing out in transit, we had to saunter down the line at well below the speed of the Mallard that once graced the route. Hence the arrival back at Chez Goodwins at 1am.
During that extended opportunity to experience the delights of long-distance train journeys, I was in earshot of a record-breaking three hour mobile phone call by the bloke opposite me. He was providing WIndows technical support for someone who, I gathered, was his wife or girlfriend or similar -- at least at the start of the call. By the end, I believe the relationship may have materially changed. His phone certainly had - he threw it down with some force on the table, having expressed some pungent opinions about the intellectual capabilities of his interlocutor.
A sample:
"Has the icon gone red?" (pause) "No, the icon. The one you just clicked on. Has it gone red" (pause) "RED. HAS IT GONE RED?" (pause) "OK, ok, so, what's the box saying now?" (pause) "IT CAN'T BE SAYING NOTHING! WHAT WORDS ARE IN IT?" (pause) "YES! TELL ME WHAT THE WORDS ARE!" And so on, and so forth. I didn't listen too closely - such conversations are all too familiar to keep their interest for long - but I think the main issue was some awful interaction between McAfee, Windows and unprompted user reconfiguration (or what we experts call 'arseing about').
But even with all this, I'm glad I didn't fly. I haven't seen this in the news anywhere, but as from today - 1st May - there's still more stupidity to endure during airport security. Not content with making us pack our personal liquids in tiny bottles and putting them in clear plastic bags, the powers that be have decided that these liquids need testing.
"The Department for transport (DFT) has directed all UK airports to introduce testing of liquids contained within the clear plastic bag carried within hand baggage. This will come into effect from Tuesday 1st May 2007.
Please be advised this testing will also apply to aircrew and airport staff. The testing will take place as the individual passes through the security search point to go airside.
It is anticipated that this introduction will cause inconvenience to customers, airport staff and crew travelling through UK airports and will potentially impact the speed of security processing.
Customers travelling from the UK Airports from 1st May onwards are being contacted by the airline to provide them with advance notice of this new requirement." (from the ever-excellent PPRuNe aviation forum).
Further investigation shows that this is just the start, and there'll be even heavier testing introduced from 1st September.
I would go on at length about the asinine, pointless, self-defeating, irrational, blind stupidity of this further example of security theatre, but I used up all those words last time.