Yeah, right. There's a special spu-gcc compiler and linker to link spu code to PPC programs, and a threading model for loading and unloading code/data segments onto an SPU. Here's a short explanation, along with Linux install instructions:
So, that's how Sony expects you to manipulate an SPU... you don't really get direct access to the hardware, you have to follow their threading model. But, since it's C, you can embed inline assembly if you want to go hard core.
The threading model looks pretty broken to me. You've got all these cycles lost in thread context switching, when the best approach is just to let something small run in chip without intervention. This is why I think monte carlos are perfect for Cell. Your real concern then becomes: Can I break my entire calculation down to six or so roughly equal steps, and cram enough of my dataset for each operation down to... say 32KB or 64KB blocks?
Where I work a lot of folks use GEANT as their main sim engine. It just seems like a no-brainer to try a port to the Cell.
Though a PS3 running a supercomputer DSP app prototype could be cool enough to be worth the whole trouble, anyway.
It's my understanding that the distro is just booting up PPC Linux and running off the main PPU in Cell. So, how much control does one have over those SPU DSPs? That's the real question. Presumably there must be a kernel interface and a library which allows one to DMA load stuff from main memory to an SPUs LS. I think most people are chaining data from one SPU to the next, which means that your algorithm will probably have to be broken into a series of compute steps - each run on a separate SPU. That means, *you* have to manage all the problems of cramming each program and data segment into 256K, verify concurrency across the chain in each step, move data segments to the next processor in the chain, and extract results. What a PITA.
Also note that double precision and integer work on those SPUs is pretty slow. Your big gain will come with single precision SIMD calcs in a matrix. Now, if your problem fits within all those limitations... then Cell will kick ass. It is a cheaper and faster FP engine than anything on the market today. I've been telling people where I work that we should buy a 20gb PS3 and try to port our monte carlo sim to Cell... just to see if it would be a good bang for the buck. So far though, skepticism of a toy performing reliable scientific compute runs high....
I hate to admit this but Alien vs. Predator was a freak'n amazing game. I've got that, along with a pile of old snes carts. And the snes, which still works great - it took one hell of a beating and never broke!
Have you compared the NOVA that is broadcast today with what was originally done in the late seventies through the eighties? It has been a pretty dramatic dumbing down over the last few decades. Nature and Frontline, though, are just as good as ever. So... yeah: You summed it up pretty nicely.
All of these programs utilize the newsmagazine format, with three or four 15 - 20 minute minidocumentaries per program. Unfortunately, this is not enough time to delve into a subject indepth. Hell, an hour isn't enough time either. Nova is falling into the same trap, with their ScienceNOW programming. Is Nature and Frontline the last bastion of serious documentary programming on PBS?
I have to admit, I haven't played Necromancer in a loooong time... but I do have fond memories. I have a couple of 800s sitting in my basement, as well as a 5200. But the floppy drives (and God help the disks) are in bad shape. The 5200 does have a Star Raiders cart that I enjoy from time to time. Though the controller on that thing is hideous. One thing that's annoying about these old gaming systems is that they don't play well with modern HDTVs - especially the old Atari stuff, because many programmers would manipulate the scanline directly and assume a phosphor delay on the CRT that often doesn't exist any longer. *shrug*
I care about the 8-bit releases. I'll probably spring for a Wii once the old NES standard Bionic Commando becomes available. If only for my own nostalgia. There are lots of great 8 bit games out there. Hey Nintendo, want to make me happy? How about an Atari 800 emulator too? I'd love to play Necromancer again...
Now, I haven't played Legacy on my 360. I was hoping to download a demo last weekend, but it wasn't available. Still, it's getting bad reviews all over the place. So... *shrug*. But there is a free alternative.... I know, nobody cares about netrek any longer. But I remember first seeing this game on a Sun 3/60 back in 1987 or so and was *very* impressed. It's still a fun game... probably a whole lot more fun than this 360 Trek game. Especially if you're into military strategy gaming.
IMO, that's what a lot of these recent trek games is missing. They focus on the characters, interior imagery of the ship, and blah blah blah. I would love a game that focused on presenting a realistic 3D galaxy with various groups fighting over borders and resources. A kind of MOO Axis and Allies in space, if you will.
Just - please - no FPS type stuff set in Trek-Land. Feh.
I don't see the difference. Though I do recognize that this service might be delivered to the home by cable and dsl providers, I still don't see how this will impact the 360 dramatically. Nor do I believe that it is a wise use of bandwidth... television is a one to many service; the internet works best as a bidirectional feed one to one.
But I did mistake iptv for Microsoft's xbox live offerings. No cookie for me.
OK. So I have a 360, and I've used xbox live to try some of the iptv content available. Content is split between 480p EDTV and 720p HDTV. An HD movie is about 6GB large and cannot be streamed real time. Further, there are access restrictions for viewing, plus a one time fee paid in Microsoft Points (thanks for creating your own private currency, Microsoft... that helps).
Anyway, the difference in available content between OTA, Cable, or Satellite vs. Xbox live is so large as to be laughable. Right now, iptv on the 360 is a toy. And I doubt that will change over the course of this console's lifespan, due to licensing and distribution agreements the media conglomerates have made with television networks.
Here's an example of a netizen who was 'interviewed' by the secret service after having posted a comment. Follow the link in his story to read the comment which attracted their attention. Then realize: Your comments are public.
I think we all understand the desire for QoS application tagging, to support high bandwidth low latency streams. I think net neutrality folks would be willing to accept a compromise which allowed for a public QoS standard. The real issue is transparency and censorship.
I don't want a private company to have the power and the right to censor material I might want to download, simply because directing my browser somewhere else might generate them more advertising revenue. Further, I want QoS tagging and bandwidth limits public. The Professor really avoided the private censorship and public accountability issues.
Bad professor! No cookie for you.
Re:The French news is the most interesting
on
UFOs In the News
·
· Score: 1
The Condon Report is a pretty amazing document. You have probably read only Condon's conclusions, presented at the beginning of the document. The actual case studies are another matter. I would encourage you to read deeper, throughout the entire work. I would argue that Condon did not appear to have first read that upon which he signed.
Thank you. I'm sorry to say that I don't have an answer. My head is filled with floating question marks also. But thanks for taking the time to give me a solid account of your experience. I believe it. That is, I believe you are honestly providing your account - as have I. But what it means? *shrug* Feel free to drop me a note from an anonymous email addy. I can't help, but I can commiserate.
Re:The French news is the most interesting
on
UFOs In the News
·
· Score: 1
Hey, I believe you. That is, I believe you saw it and are stating what you saw as accurately and honestly as you can. As have I. But I have no freak'n clue what the fuck it all means. Which is why I still think the phenomena is worthy of formal investigation. Blue Book has been over forty years now - why not a followup?
Re:The French news is the most interesting
on
UFOs In the News
·
· Score: 1
I don't buy that position. You're primary problem is that you've accepted the ETH (Extra Terrestrial Hypothesis) as the only valid result from my observation. I'm not even willing to go there. I like Jacque Vallee's position, which boils down to: there is nowhere near enough evidence to begin intelligent speculation. He argues that this phenomena is so far out of the scope of human experience that whatever conclusions we come to, with the evidence available, are sure to be irrelevant. Further, he argues that there may be a myriad of differing phenomena which have all been lumped under the heading of UFOs - none of which may be directly related. That argument was specifically intended to attack the ETH.
So would you be fine with the same being done for R-rated (or, *gasp* UNRATED director's cut) DVDs?
Yeah. Sure. I mean, why shouldn't a state have that right? If it can regulate underage access to drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes, why not video games (or movies)?
Yeah. I don't approve of censoring the material. But for a state to enact a law requiring that resellers put M rated games behind a counter and demand ID, like is as done with cigarettes and alcohol is fine by me.
I think that's state by state. I think Indiana either attempted or succeeded at preventing sales of M rated games to minors. As for such limits affecting sales... wah. I don't have a problem with restricting alcohol, cigarettes, R rated movies - or even certain video games - from purchase by minors. But then, I'm a 38 year old adult - why should I?
The University of Chicago has recently installed a 9.4 Tesla superconducting magnet for fMRI brain research. They claim this MRI can resolve down to individual neurons, and can even watch them fire. A press report is available here.
Isn't the game rated M anyway? So what's the problem with restricting access to minors?
Re:The French news is the most interesting
on
UFOs In the News
·
· Score: 1
Doubt it. I haven't seen anything like it since, and I don't buy into the whole alien abduction myth. The Sleep Paralysis Hypothesis strikes me as the most likely explanation right now.
Re:The French news is the most interesting
on
UFOs In the News
·
· Score: 4, Interesting
I witnessed a UFO back in 1994. Here is a description of that event I posted on slashdot:
Basically, I saw a flying disc perform outrageous maneuvers in broad daylight. I can tell you what that thing was not: it was not a helicopter, not a balloon, and not an airplane. But I can't tell you what it was. I honestly don't know.
It still bothers me. I still have dreams about the experience. But the rational side of me must separate what I witnessed (a visual image of what appeared to be an object) vs. jumping to the conclusion that it was a some kind of alien craft. It's tenuous at best to claim that I witnessed something strange - to further claim I know what it was, and that it was alien.... well, that's more than even I can take. I have no idea.
But it still bothers me. And it bothers me even more that even saying this in todays climate is to impugn one's own credibility. Even Michio Kako has publicaly stated that he thinks the issue is worth investigating.
Why should United (or even the government) be able to give an explanation? The whole point behind UFOs is that they are unexplained aerial phenomena. I'm not surprised the witnesses have no idea what happened. Some years ago I came out on slashdot and posted about a UFO experience I had back in 1994. Here is a link to that:
I have no idea what I witnessed. Why should anyone else? By its definition, a UFO is something one sees but cannot touch - and happens unpredictably. There's no science here, because there's no reproducibility. But that doesn't mean it isn't a physical phenomena. Take note of Ball Lightning: For years skeptics claimed Ball lighting wasn't real, but was caused by misinterpretation of optical illusions by the witnesses.
Ball Lighting has now been reproduced in the lab. Which doesn't mean UFOs represent alien visitation. Only that skepticism - like belief - has limitations in describing the universe.
BAD link - full copies of the COMETA Report
on
UFOs In the News
·
· Score: 3, Informative
The link I gave is a summary of the report, which I didn't realize because I googled it looking for the best copy. Well, I was wrong. Here is the full report (and apologies), both pdfs:
Slashdot Mirror
Yeah, right. There's a special spu-gcc compiler and linker to link spu code to PPC programs, and a threading model for loading and unloading code/data segments onto an SPU. Here's a short explanation, along with Linux install instructions:
r y/pa-linuxps3-1/?ca=dgr-btw01Linux-and-PlayStation 3
... say 32KB or 64KB blocks?
http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/power/libra
So, that's how Sony expects you to manipulate an SPU... you don't really get direct access to the hardware, you have to follow their threading model. But, since it's C, you can embed inline assembly if you want to go hard core.
The threading model looks pretty broken to me. You've got all these cycles lost in thread context switching, when the best approach is just to let something small run in chip without intervention. This is why I think monte carlos are perfect for Cell. Your real concern then becomes: Can I break my entire calculation down to six or so roughly equal steps, and cram enough of my dataset for each operation down to
Where I work a lot of folks use GEANT as their main sim engine. It just seems like a no-brainer to try a port to the Cell.
Though a PS3 running a supercomputer DSP app prototype could be cool enough to be worth the whole trouble, anyway.
It's my understanding that the distro is just booting up PPC Linux and running off the main PPU in Cell. So, how much control does one have over those SPU DSPs? That's the real question. Presumably there must be a kernel interface and a library which allows one to DMA load stuff from main memory to an SPUs LS. I think most people are chaining data from one SPU to the next, which means that your algorithm will probably have to be broken into a series of compute steps - each run on a separate SPU. That means, *you* have to manage all the problems of cramming each program and data segment into 256K, verify concurrency across the chain in each step, move data segments to the next processor in the chain, and extract results. What a PITA.
Also note that double precision and integer work on those SPUs is pretty slow. Your big gain will come with single precision SIMD calcs in a matrix. Now, if your problem fits within all those limitations... then Cell will kick ass. It is a cheaper and faster FP engine than anything on the market today. I've been telling people where I work that we should buy a 20gb PS3 and try to port our monte carlo sim to Cell... just to see if it would be a good bang for the buck. So far though, skepticism of a toy performing reliable scientific compute runs high....
I hate to admit this but Alien vs. Predator was a freak'n amazing game. I've got that, along with a pile of old snes carts. And the snes, which still works great - it took one hell of a beating and never broke!
Have you compared the NOVA that is broadcast today with what was originally done in the late seventies through the eighties? It has been a pretty dramatic dumbing down over the last few decades. Nature and Frontline, though, are just as good as ever. So... yeah: You summed it up pretty nicely.
All of these programs utilize the newsmagazine format, with three or four 15 - 20 minute minidocumentaries per program. Unfortunately, this is not enough time to delve into a subject indepth. Hell, an hour isn't enough time either. Nova is falling into the same trap, with their ScienceNOW programming. Is Nature and Frontline the last bastion of serious documentary programming on PBS?
I have to admit, I haven't played Necromancer in a loooong time... but I do have fond memories. I have a couple of 800s sitting in my basement, as well as a 5200. But the floppy drives (and God help the disks) are in bad shape. The 5200 does have a Star Raiders cart that I enjoy from time to time. Though the controller on that thing is hideous. One thing that's annoying about these old gaming systems is that they don't play well with modern HDTVs - especially the old Atari stuff, because many programmers would manipulate the scanline directly and assume a phosphor delay on the CRT that often doesn't exist any longer. *shrug*
I care about the 8-bit releases. I'll probably spring for a Wii once the old NES standard Bionic Commando becomes available. If only for my own nostalgia. There are lots of great 8 bit games out there. Hey Nintendo, want to make me happy? How about an Atari 800 emulator too? I'd love to play Necromancer again...
Now, I haven't played Legacy on my 360. I was hoping to download a demo last weekend, but it wasn't available. Still, it's getting bad reviews all over the place. So... *shrug*. But there is a free alternative.... I know, nobody cares about netrek any longer. But I remember first seeing this game on a Sun 3/60 back in 1987 or so and was *very* impressed. It's still a fun game... probably a whole lot more fun than this 360 Trek game. Especially if you're into military strategy gaming.
IMO, that's what a lot of these recent trek games is missing. They focus on the characters, interior imagery of the ship, and blah blah blah. I would love a game that focused on presenting a realistic 3D galaxy with various groups fighting over borders and resources. A kind of MOO Axis and Allies in space, if you will.
Just - please - no FPS type stuff set in Trek-Land. Feh.
I don't see the difference. Though I do recognize that this service might be delivered to the home by cable and dsl providers, I still don't see how this will impact the 360 dramatically. Nor do I believe that it is a wise use of bandwidth... television is a one to many service; the internet works best as a bidirectional feed one to one.
But I did mistake iptv for Microsoft's xbox live offerings. No cookie for me.
OK. So I have a 360, and I've used xbox live to try some of the iptv content available. Content is split between 480p EDTV and 720p HDTV. An HD movie is about 6GB large and cannot be streamed real time. Further, there are access restrictions for viewing, plus a one time fee paid in Microsoft Points (thanks for creating your own private currency, Microsoft... that helps).
Anyway, the difference in available content between OTA, Cable, or Satellite vs. Xbox live is so large as to be laughable. Right now, iptv on the 360 is a toy. And I doubt that will change over the course of this console's lifespan, due to licensing and distribution agreements the media conglomerates have made with television networks.
Here's an example of a netizen who was 'interviewed' by the secret service after having posted a comment. Follow the link in his story to read the comment which attracted their attention. Then realize: Your comments are public.
I think we all understand the desire for QoS application tagging, to support high bandwidth low latency streams. I think net neutrality folks would be willing to accept a compromise which allowed for a public QoS standard. The real issue is transparency and censorship.
I don't want a private company to have the power and the right to censor material I might want to download, simply because directing my browser somewhere else might generate them more advertising revenue. Further, I want QoS tagging and bandwidth limits public. The Professor really avoided the private censorship and public accountability issues.
Bad professor! No cookie for you.
The Condon Report is a pretty amazing document. You have probably read only Condon's conclusions, presented at the beginning of the document. The actual case studies are another matter. I would encourage you to read deeper, throughout the entire work. I would argue that Condon did not appear to have first read that upon which he signed.
Thank you. I'm sorry to say that I don't have an answer. My head is filled with floating question marks also. But thanks for taking the time to give me a solid account of your experience. I believe it. That is, I believe you are honestly providing your account - as have I. But what it means? *shrug* Feel free to drop me a note from an anonymous email addy. I can't help, but I can commiserate.
Hey, I believe you. That is, I believe you saw it and are stating what you saw as accurately and honestly as you can. As have I. But I have no freak'n clue what the fuck it all means. Which is why I still think the phenomena is worthy of formal investigation. Blue Book has been over forty years now - why not a followup?
I don't buy that position. You're primary problem is that you've accepted the ETH (Extra Terrestrial Hypothesis) as the only valid result from my observation. I'm not even willing to go there. I like Jacque Vallee's position, which boils down to: there is nowhere near enough evidence to begin intelligent speculation. He argues that this phenomena is so far out of the scope of human experience that whatever conclusions we come to, with the evidence available, are sure to be irrelevant. Further, he argues that there may be a myriad of differing phenomena which have all been lumped under the heading of UFOs - none of which may be directly related. That argument was specifically intended to attack the ETH.
Yeah. Sure. I mean, why shouldn't a state have that right? If it can regulate underage access to drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes, why not video games (or movies)?
Yeah. I don't approve of censoring the material. But for a state to enact a law requiring that resellers put M rated games behind a counter and demand ID, like is as done with cigarettes and alcohol is fine by me.
I think that's state by state. I think Indiana either attempted or succeeded at preventing sales of M rated games to minors. As for such limits affecting sales... wah. I don't have a problem with restricting alcohol, cigarettes, R rated movies - or even certain video games - from purchase by minors. But then, I'm a 38 year old adult - why should I?
The University of Chicago has recently installed a 9.4 Tesla superconducting magnet for fMRI brain research. They claim this MRI can resolve down to individual neurons, and can even watch them fire. A press report is available here.
Isn't the game rated M anyway? So what's the problem with restricting access to minors?
Doubt it. I haven't seen anything like it since, and I don't buy into the whole alien abduction myth. The Sleep Paralysis Hypothesis strikes me as the most likely explanation right now.
I witnessed a UFO back in 1994. Here is a description of that event I posted on slashdot:
i d=4930168
http://books.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=48139&c
Basically, I saw a flying disc perform outrageous maneuvers in broad daylight. I can tell you what that thing was not: it was not a helicopter, not a balloon, and not an airplane. But I can't tell you what it was. I honestly don't know.
It still bothers me. I still have dreams about the experience. But the rational side of me must separate what I witnessed (a visual image of what appeared to be an object) vs. jumping to the conclusion that it was a some kind of alien craft. It's tenuous at best to claim that I witnessed something strange - to further claim I know what it was, and that it was alien.... well, that's more than even I can take. I have no idea.
But it still bothers me. And it bothers me even more that even saying this in todays climate is to impugn one's own credibility. Even Michio Kako has publicaly stated that he thinks the issue is worth investigating.
Why should United (or even the government) be able to give an explanation? The whole point behind UFOs is that they are unexplained aerial phenomena. I'm not surprised the witnesses have no idea what happened. Some years ago I came out on slashdot and posted about a UFO experience I had back in 1994. Here is a link to that:
i d=4930168
http://books.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=48139&c
I have no idea what I witnessed. Why should anyone else? By its definition, a UFO is something one sees but cannot touch - and happens unpredictably. There's no science here, because there's no reproducibility. But that doesn't mean it isn't a physical phenomena. Take note of Ball Lightning: For years skeptics claimed Ball lighting wasn't real, but was caused by misinterpretation of optical illusions by the witnesses.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_lightning
Ball Lighting has now been reproduced in the lab. Which doesn't mean UFOs represent alien visitation. Only that skepticism - like belief - has limitations in describing the universe.
The link I gave is a summary of the report, which I didn't realize because I googled it looking for the best copy. Well, I was wrong. Here is the full report (and apologies), both pdfs:
a rt1.pdfa rt2.pdf
COMETA Part 1: http://www.ufoevidence.org/newsite/files/COMETA_p
COMETA Part 2: http://www.ufoevidence.org/newsite/files/COMETA_p
(Please note that I am not connected with ufoevidence.org and know nothing about the site).