A computer 55,000 times faster than your PC.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - How fast is the new supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory? If everyone in the world performed one mathematical calculation per second, it would take 650 years to do what this machine can do in one day.
That makes the $100 million computer, nicknamed "Jaguar" by scientists, the fastest in the world for unclassified scientific research. At more than 1 quadrillion mathematical calculations per second, it is about 55,000 times faster than your typical PC.
Only one other supercomputer is faster, and it's devoted to classified research on nuclear weapons at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.

Global climate change, space matter that can't be seen, and alternative energy — everything from improved gasoline combustion to fusion — are some of the subjects Jaguar will be used to research.
In June, Jaguar, a Cray Inc. system, was rated fifth-fastest in the world by researchers who track the 500 top supercomputers. The Oak Ridge lab, a Department of Energy facility, announced Monday that it had upgraded Jaguar since then, and achieved its four-year goal of 1 quadrillion calculations per second — or 1 "petaflop" — six months ahead of schedule.
Jaguar recently achieved sustained performance of more than 1.3 petaflops while churning out calculations on superconductivity and has hit a peak speed of 1.64 petaflops, the lab said.
It is still undergoing final trials but should be ready for research by January. Thomas Zacharia, Oak Ridge's associate director for computing, anticipates a waiting list of proposals and near full-time operation when the computer begins work. All users must share their results with the broader scientific community.

interesting photos

side cars

G1 Google phone

The T-Mobile G1.0. The first-ever Google Andriod smartphone is a solid initial effort that, given an open development platform, will grow with time. It's missing a bunch of key features right now—like a decent media player and support for corporate e-mail, for instance. But the G1, manufactured by HTC, is a quality phone with few bugs, and given the open nature of Android, I'm confident that more features are on the way. This makes the G1 a good choice for anyone who wants an expandable phone and is interested in the future of mobile communication.

The 5.6-ounce G1 looks like a grown-up Sidekick. It's a rectangular black phone (4.6 by 2.1 by 0.6 inches—HWD) with rounded corners and a big 3.2-inch, 320-by-480-pixel capacitive touch screen that's bright and responsive. Below the display, there's a trackball; Menu, Home, and Back buttons, and buttons to pick up and end calls. Volume and camera controls are on the sides of the handset, and the 3-megapixel camera is on the back.

To select items on the screen, you can use either your fingers or the trackball. I found the trackball especially useful in the Web browser, where some links were too small to click with my finger.

Overall, the G1 appears to be a highly capable smartphone that doesn't blow away the competition in terms of hardware or features. But the Android platform is all about the software, and only time will tell if Google and developers can make this OS better and more compelling than the incumbents.

1. NO NEED FOR ZOOM: 2. FACE:
3. UH OH

4. POOT!
5. RIGHT BETWEEN THE EYES
6. JAWBREAKER
7. FINISH HIM

Smart cars

funny

Xbox 360

The Xbox is a sixth generation video game console produced by Microsoft Corporation. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console market, and competed directly with Sony's Play Station 2 and the Nintendo game Cube. With a full year in the market under its belt, and with gamers still reeling from a stunning display of software at X06 this autumn, Microsoft's pitch for market leadership is looking stronger than ever - and however the console wars may turn out this time (I don't know, and I don't care - and neither do you, nor should you), the Xbox 360 looks like leaving a lasting legacy of amazing games.
Superior selection of games, including several console-exclusive titles; all games in high-definition; easy-to-use Dashboard interface; excellent online gaming and communications via Xbox Live; plays hundreds of (but not all) original Xbox titles; doubles as a superior digital media hub and Windows Media Center extender; online Marketplace allows for easy purchases of downloadable full-scale games, mini-games, movies, and TV shows; latest version offers HDMI output with 1080p support.
With its extensive digital media features, a superior online service, and an excellent game library, the Xbox 360 remains the game console to beat. Following Xbox games are to be released in the next month.

1."ShellShock2: Bolld Trails" its Genre is First Person Shooter and will release in Sep. 2008.
2."Shred Nebula" its Genre is Xbox Live Arcade and will release in Sep. 2008.
3."Duke Nukem 3D" its Genre is Xbox Live Arcade and will release in Sep. 2008

Wii Sports

Wii Sports is a sports game developed and produced by Nintendo as a launch title for the Wii video game console. It was first released in North America along with the Wii on November 19, 2006, and was released in Japan, Australia, and Europe the following month. Wii Sports consists of five separate sports games: tennis, baseball, bowling, golf, and boxing—accessed from the main menu. The games use the motion sensor capabilities of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk attachment to control the actions of the on-screen character. Wii Sports is a sports game developed and produced by Nintendo as a launch title for the Wii video game console. It was first released in North America along with the Wii on November 19, 2006, and was released in Japan, Australia, and Europe the following month. Wii Sports consists of five separate sports games: tennis, baseball, bowling, golf. and boxing, accessed from the main menu. The games use the motion sensor capabilities of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk attachment to control the actions of the on-screen character.
What immediately makes Wii Sports attractive is its ease of use. Each of the games shaves its respective sport down to a few essential elements and then has you pantomiming these basic activities with the Wii Remote--and in the case of boxing, the Nunchuk as well. For tennis, all you'll be doing is swinging the Remote as though it were a tennis racket. At the start of the match you'll flick the remote up to toss the ball in the air, and then with a quick swing you'll serve the ball. Depending on your handedness, swinging to the right or to the left will produce a forehand or backhand swing, while the game itself will move your player about the court. It generally does a good job of putting you in front of the ball, allowing you to focus entirely on your return, something that's determined by the shape and speed of your swing. You won't have pro-level, laserlike accuracy, and your timing governs most of your directional control. It's ideally either a two- or four-player game, though the artificial intelligence can facilitate a decent doubles game if you're on your own. You can choose from a one-off game, best of three, or best of five, and that's about it for tennis. Other games are also interesting and easy to play.
There's no escaping the fact that Wii Sports is not just a friendly gesture from Nintendo, but a "demo-of-sorts" for the fantastic Wii-mote controller and the accompanying Nunchuk. For those who have played older consoles, such as the PlayStation 2, you will almost all be familiar with the 'two hand' style controller and so the change to the Wii-mote / Nunchuk combination is a little different.

Features:
·Play Tennis, Baseball, Golf, Bowling and Boxing in the comfort of one's living room. No ball boys scurrying about, no oil from the alleys to get players dirty and no rain to keep anyone from a day at the court, park or course. Use the Wii Remote controller to mimic the actions of swinging a racket, bat or club, roll a ball down an alley or bring the left jab.
·Players can use their own Mii caricatures in the game and play them against their friends' Miis for a more personalized experience. As players improve, their Miis' skill levels will increase, so that they can see exactly how much better they've become.
·People of all skill levels can pick up and play any of the games in the unprecedented Wii Sports package, making this truly a title for everyone!


Playability & Enjoyment: A good game - playable and enjoyable
Originality: Good
Graphics: Good
Sound: Good - relevant music & effects
Difficulty & Complexity: Average - suitable for most

Advantages: Free, 7 modes in total, 5

different sport modes to play, lots of additional training modes
Disadvantages: Graphics could be a little bit better. baseball feels a little TOO tough

Beijing Olympics Closing Ceremony

After the mind-blowing 2008 Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony there is no doubt about the excellent closing ceremony of Beijing Olympics .At Beijing Olympics, dreams were achieved and records were broken. Some people will be going home with their dreams achieved while others suffered defeat. One Cuban fighter may even be banned from the Olympics for life for kicking a referee in the face after learning he was disqualified from the Taekwondo match for taking too much injury time. Drama! It’s all coming to an end and China is set to put on another show to close things out.
As China bring full entertainment at opening ceremony of Olympics, it brings the curtain down on the 2008 Olympics with a spectacular closing ceremony in the Bird's Nest Stadium.The gala began amid a display of fireworks that form a huge circle in the sky which symbolizes the complete success of the Beijing Games.
In traditional Chinese culture, circle is a symbol of perfection, harmony and renewal.
The countdown to the closing ceremony started from the number 29, indicating the 29th Olympic Games.
All the audience joined the countdown from 10, while the numbers were displayed by firework explosions in the sky.
The theme of the sending-off party after a 16-day gathering and competition of the top athletes on earth in Beijing is celebration.
The world has much to celebrate because the elite of them during those days staged great sportsmanship by breaking 38 world records, and renewing more than 80 Olympic records, a feat unprecedented in history.
The National Aquatic Center, or “Water Cube”, saw 23-year-old American Michael Phelps build his swimming kingdom by winning eight gold medals and breaking seven records in a single Game. And, another iconic landmark, the national stadium, or “Bird’s Nest”, saw Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt win three golds and breaking three world records in the 100-metre, 200-metre and 4x100metre relay. Russian superstar Elena Isinbayeva conquered 5.05-metre pole vault in the stadium, too.
China has much to celebrate because for the first time it netted 100 medals, and led the gold medal tally with 51. Also, the host country made steadfast efforts to make the 29th Summer Games a success, with a spectacular opening ceremony and smooth running of all the games.
The success tastes sweeter for the Chinese people after they lost 70,000 of their brothers and sisters as the 8.0-magnitude earthquake struck Sichuan Province on May 12. The achievements at the Games and the ubiquitous volunteerism aroused by the quake and the Games will inspire 1.3 billion people to help each other and work hard for greater prosperity.

olympics pics

Olympics Flag

Five colored interlocking rings on a white background was created by Pierre de Coubertin. Almost a century after the flag's creation, the six colors, those of the rings (blue, yellow, black, green, red) and that of the background (white), still maintain their symbolism today.

The Olympic symbol, the five interlocking rings, represents the union of the five continents and the meeting of the athletes of the world at the Olympic Games. The Olympic flag was first flown during the 1920 Olympic Game.

History of Olympics

The Olympic Games took their name from the Greek city of Olympia and though there were important athletic competitions held in other Greek cities in ancient times, the Olympic Games were regarded as the most prestigious. The games were held every four years during August and September and the word "Olympiad", which referred to the four year intervals between competitions, was commonly used to measure time. The first documented Olympic champion was a man named Coroebus, a cook from Elis who won the sprint race in 776 BC. Historians believe that the games had already existed for at least 500 years prior to that date. The Olympic Games originally featured only one event: a race called the "stade", equal to a distance of about 210 yards. By 728 BC two additional races had been added, comparable to the 400 meter and 1,500 meter races of the modern games. The Olympics came to include wrestling, boxing and the pentathlon, as well as specialized events for soldiers and heralds. It was only in 472 BC that the events were spread out over a period of four to five days, previously they had all taken place on a single day.

Participation in the Olympic Games was firstly limited to free born Greeks, but as Greek civilization was spread by the conquests of Alexander the Great, the Games drew entrants from as far away as Antioch, Sidon and Alexandria.

The very first modern Olympic Games opened in the first week of April 1896. Since the Greek government had been unable to fund construction of a stadium, a wealthy Greek architect, Georgios Averoff, donated one million drachmas (over $100,000) to restore the Panathenaic Stadium, originally built in 330 BCE, with white marble for the Olympic Games.
Since the Games were not well publicized internationally, contestants were not nationally chosen but rather came individually and at their own expense. Some contestants were tourists who happened to be in the area during the Games. Athletes wore their athletic club uniform rather than a national team one.