Posted on 07/25/2022 8:28:51 PM PDT by bitt
What is a zettabyte, what is exascale supercomputing, and what could be achieved with that massive amount of computing and storage resources--by entities that the public doesn't even know about?
In this post, I’m going to introduce you to some fresh ideas about massive-scale data centers and supercomputing—like the ones used by certain three-letter agencies—and speculate about a possible use case for that enormous scale of storage and computing.
Do I know for certain what they use these massive computing resources for? No, I don’t.
What I’m going to discuss is (hopefully) just a thought exercise—one that I’ll use to teach you some important concepts—and then I’ll get to you to think about this question: are we all OK with governments around the world amassing an enormous scale of computing and storage capability without us even knowing the slightest thing about what they are using it for? Whatever that ends up being?
Why should we passively accept this?
Along the way, I’ll teach you a little bit about gigabytes and even bigger numbers; teach you a little bit about how modern data backup works; and then tie these threads together into the main topic.
Grab some coffee to wake up your brain, you’ll need it by the end.
I always start these posts with a little bit of background to set the scene and add some context. So here we go.
I wrote about modern supercomputing in a recent substack post. In the early 1990’s, I worked with a team on satellite imaging systems for a defense contractor (TRW Space and Defense) and then later at a supercomputing startup in Pasadena.
While I was at TRW, my team worked on developing the world’s first nearly real-time “Internet-based” delivery of earth-facing high resolution full color satellite photographs for NASA (the precursor to what you now see on Google Earth.)
As part of that project, we had to build a 1 gigabyte memory subsystem to store the satellite images temporarily.
At that time, a 1 gigabyte memory didn’t exist; the module we designed and built was the size of a suitcase, and it took a team of about a dozen Caltech whiz kids the better part of a year to design, test and build.
...MORE..
P
Porn.
Hack encrypted data.
Years ago on a Transformers forum the Marvel Transformers comic story where Optimus and Megatron duel it out in virtual reality, Megatron wins and Optimus got blown up.
But then Megatron goes wacko thinking Optimus somehow survived.
Thing is, Optimus DID survive because one of his human allies saved him to an 8” floppy disk without his permission.
In the thread I pointed out than an 8” floppy disk would barely even hold porn ... which inspired another forumite to come up with an avatar of an 8” floppy where the word “porn” is scratched out and “Optimus” is written on it.
With that much computing power, Windows might run at an acceptable speed. Maybe.
Okay, somebody post the Cliff Notes version if they read the article. Now you know I want to comment on the article (without reading it) but the content seems a little dense to just wing this one. Not that I wouldn’t try but I’m patient.
On a 180 degree vision monitor (Mini IMAX). Or the MetaVerse 3D headset.
In short, it will them to store everybody in a computer network that lives today and they can manipulate that information to control you.
You are plugged into the Matrix.
That sounds like the soggy-wet dream of every Communist/Fascist/Angry-Incel/Sociopath/All-Purpose-Control Freak
Bttt, windows would still take 5 minutes to boot up since the viri and cryptominers would use 99% of the compute power.
I remember when 1 gig hard drives were introduced to PC’s and lap tops. ... Everyone wondered, “Who the hell needs 1 gig? What would anyone ever do that much space?”
“With that much computing power ...”
Wasn’t the article about vast amounts of storage, not computing power?
So you’re a youngster?
*I* remember upgrading the business’s PC from dual floppy to a 10M hard drive. We would *never* run out of space!
Six months later: Disc Full Error
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