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Simulating the Universe with a zBox

An anonymous reader writes "Scientists at the University of Zurich predict that our galaxy is filled with a quadrillion clouds of dark matter with the mass of the Earth and size of the solar system. The results in this weeks journal Nature, also covered in Astronomy magazine, were made using a six month calculation on hundreds of processors of a self-built supercomputer, the zBox. This novel machine is a high density cube of processors cooled by a central airflow system. I like the initial back of an envelope design. Apparently, one of these ghostly dark matter haloes passes through the solar system every few thousand years leaving a trail of high energy gamma ray photons."

18 of 192 comments (clear)

  1. Hmm by SilentChris · · Score: 3, Funny

    Looks like MS will need to come up with a new name for the Xbox 3.

  2. Let me guess by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    At the center of the box is a small piece of fairy cake

  3. zBox taking a nap by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    zBox has been slashdotted, vat do ve do now? Ve relax and eat some cheese and chocolate, jawohl!

  4. Just great... by chiph · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...you just slashdotted Switzerland. Who's next, tough guy? Andorra?

    Chip H.

  5. Opportunity by Bolshoy+Pimpovich · · Score: 1, Funny
    Hrmm... The next time one of these "ghostly dark matter haloes" comes around, can we launch every copy of "Gigli" into it?

    Or maybe they could use that supercomputer to calculate how much fuel it would take to launch these dreaded things into the sun.

    Well... it's just a thought.

    --
    Ehta nyeh IBM, ehta Macintosh!
  6. For some reason .... by Doverite · · Score: 5, Funny

    All it keeps saying is 42...42...42...42...

    --
    You can legislate morally you can't legislate morality
  7. Re:Karma whore time - here is the "scoop" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    You can't "karma whore" as an AC...

  8. I was wondering what the power supply would be... by deft · · Score: 2, Funny

    but then I read in the article:
    "and had sufficient forced air through the heat exchangers to transport the heat from a small car out of this small room."

    Suprising.

    --

    There's nothing Intelligent about Intelligent Design.
  9. Eggheads, What do they know? by user317 · · Score: 1, Funny

    Astronomers from Tacoma to Vladivostok have just reported an ionic disturbance in the vicinity of the Van Allen Belt. Scientists are recommending that necessary precautions be taken.

    --
    me fail english? thats unpossible
  10. AMD does it again... by krang321 · · Score: 3, Funny

    "All 288 CPUs shipped by AMD worked perfectly and none needed to be replaced" My 500Mhz AMD works perfectly... as long as I use reliable software (Linux) not that other product - what's it called again... XPee?

  11. Someone had to say it... by William_Lee · · Score: 1, Funny

    Imagine a beowulf cluster of these things!

  12. Re:Dark matter passing through the solar system by 0racle · · Score: 2, Funny

    Maybe it was really dense dark matter.

    --
    "I use a Mac because I'm just better than you are."
  13. Re:ObYes,but by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    SkyOS, no...SkyNet, yes.

  14. Re:Read the entire paper: astro-ph 0501589 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    We'll see.

    Only if we can shed some light on the matter.

  15. Wow... by ccharles · · Score: 4, Funny

    a self-built supercomputer

    I thought we where years away from having to defend ourselves against the machines...

  16. WOW by CiXeL · · Score: 2, Funny

    Thats alot of porn!

  17. Re:6 Months? by wizard_of_wor · · Score: 2, Funny

    It's Zeno's Paradox meets Moore's Theorem.

    --
    If you mod me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.
  18. Re:Dark matter passing through the solar system by Bay+Boy · · Score: 3, Funny

    Yes, I agree but do you think it would be a handy excuse for speeding? After all when Mr Plod pulls you over and asks the fatefull question that you can ONLY get wrong: "Is there any reason for you to be speeding today?" He's hardly likely to expect you to say that it was a direct result of the "trail of high energy gamma ray photons." flying past... ...suddenly boosting your car's already powerfull turbo and causing you to speed uncontrollably.