Win a Cray!

[Luke122]

http://www.microsoft.com/hpc/en/us/default.aspx

That's right, you can win a Cray computer. Check out details at the link above, sponsored by Microsoft HPC Server 2008.

:)

[Drum Thumper]

http://www.microsoft.com/hpc/en/us/default.aspx

That's right, you can win a Cray computer. Check out details at the link above, sponsored by Microsoft HPC Server 2008.

:)

And now for the fine print:


*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open only to authorized representatives of US companies who do not manufacture, sell, or resell server hardware for use at high performance computing workloads. Game ends January 31, 2009. Winners will be announced on February 12, 2009.


It was all good until I got to this part. :(

[Luke122]

Drumthumper, dont you represent Drumthumper Inc? ;)

As far as I know, you dont sell HPC related items. :D

[Spawn-Inc]

hey, i should enter, to bad its yet another us only...

[Drum Thumper]

Drumthumper, dont you represent Drumthumper Inc? ;)

As far as I know, you dont sell HPC related items. :D

Actually, it will be Drumthumper Computer Services, and I cannot make any promises about high end server hardware. Furthermore, I do not have any paperwork showing LLC or Inc...yet.

[Crazy Buddhist]

Why don't we club together and buy a shell company so we can enter. Then we can auction it on ebay if we win and split the cash :)

[nevermind1534]

Why don't we club together and buy a shell company so we can enter. Then we can auction it on ebay if we win and split the cash :)

Good idea +rep

[Crazy Buddhist]

Good idea +rep

I'm serious. The mission statement of the company could be "to win a Cray Computer" and shell companies can prolly be had for |$250 up if you know someone.

[Luke122]

"You are eligible to enter this Sweepstakes if you meet the following requirements at time of entry:


* You are an authorized representative of a company legally domiciled in the US (including the District of Columbia) that does NOT manufacture, sell, or resell server hardware for use at High Performance Computing workloads; and
Aside from residing in the US, my company does NOT manufacture, sell, or resell server hardware for use at High Performance Computing workloads, which means I should qualify. Hell, if you own ANY business, you should qualify.
* You are NOT an employee of Microsoft Corporation or an employee of a Microsoft subsidiary; and
Nope.
* You are NOT involved in any part of the administration and execution of this Sweepstakes; and
Nope.
* You are NOT an immediate family (parent, sibling, spouse, child) or household member of a Microsoft employee, an employee of a Microsoft subsidiary, or a person involved in any part of the administration and execution of this Sweepstakes.
Nope.
This Sweepstakes is void outside the geographic area identified above and wherever else prohibited by law."
Doh

[nevermind1534]

I think we should go with the shell idea.

[progbuddy]

I would much rather have a cluster of Pico-ITX computers. ^^ They're adorable, and in large numbers, they chew through computations.

[DaveW]

To be frank I'd rather have a working analytical engine.

The geek factor alone... :D

Has anyone here ever looked at the damn blueprints for that thing? It's turing-complete, before Alan Turing had even come up with the concept. If you consider that he was pretty much starting from nothing, with no real previous work appart from his own, the guy was a bona-fide genius. I've been curious, and abused my University's research group to look up some of the documents related to it. I don't know how many can be found on the open web...nope, couldn't find any of them.

Bud I did find this (http://www.meccano.us/difference_engines/rde_1/)...be sure to watch the video. That is a thing of beauty. Yes, I know that's the difference engine and not the analytical engine, but that deserves a mention.

Cray? I'll stick with my Charles. Babbage, that is. ;)

-Dave

PS: I'm so sorry you had to read that pathetic attempt at humor.

[Crazy Buddhist]

To be frank I'd rather have a working analytical engine.

.....

Cray? I'll stick with my Charles. Babbage, that is. ;)


I can appreciate both:)

... but no working analytical engine has been built, his difference engine 2 was built by the science museum in London. Nice vid:

iumTZXP24ew&NR

B8tmfcOg8l8&

Dave - how about we win the Cray, sell it and build the analytical engine. We'll be swapping something with the power of a modern supercomputer for something less computationally powerful than a 1975 texas instruments scientific calculator but oh what fun. And we could have analytical engine tea-parties.

CB

Links for Dave's amusement:
Fourmilab "software analytical engine model" ! : http://www.fourmilab.ch/babbage/contents.html
Meccano Differential and Analytical Engine man: http://www.meccano.us/
Lego Differential Engine man: http://acarol.woz.org/

Meccano man's differential engine in action:

KL_wy-CxBP8

Meccano man's partial construction of one part of the analytical engine (click on pic for a QT movie in action):

http://www.meccano.us/analytical_engine/barrel_1_small.jpg
(http://www.meccano.us/analytical_engine/P1010006.MOV)

Lego man's differential engine:

http://acarol.woz.org/FullEngineFrontLarge.jpg

[Crazy Buddhist]

Right ... these rules are great ... for any US domiciled company 15 applications can be accepted (each must have a different email address). One shell company = 15 applications. The winner can not exchange the prize for cash or any other stuff and can not be a company that sells HPC equipment. The company wins not the individual and the CFO of the company decides who gets the machine.

So ... if you have a US domiciled company and are entering be sure to designate all your relatives as officers/agents of the company able to make applications - and get your full quota of 15 shots in the ballot.

CB

[DaveW]

I would love to build an anlalytical engine. However, Babbage never finished the complete design. Upon his death he was working towards a `proof of concept' model, which some people have built models of. The full analytical engine would require gathering all the documents, identifying what he finished and what he was still working on, then solving the problems that he couldn't.

I'd love to try...but the resources required for such an endeavour make it equal to trying to rebuild the Antikythera Mechanism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism). If not even more difficult.

-Dave