Earth Simulator Sees Green Light

burbs writes "Big Blue's dominator is getting closer to being turned on. The Earth Simulator in Japan is, supposedly, the world's fastest parallel-processing supercomputer. Designed for the Earth's weather, the computer should be able to predict climate for the entire planet for thousands of years in a short amount of time."

weather outlook: long cold, dark spells.

[zardor]

Its easy to predict the weather from this: since it has so much processing power, once they turn it on, it will become self aware, declare war on all mankind, and launch the all missiles, thereby plunging the world into a nuclear winter that will last a 1000 years.

Do they model supercomputer effects on the Earth?

[Shivetya]

Seems that if each one of these wonders requires a "city-scale" power generation plant that they would have to model themselves into the equation too.

Result: Global Warming is indeed occuring, but apparently it is mainly IBM's fault.

Re:Simulate wheather for thousands of years?

[Zocalo]

You beat me to it on the butterfly effect, but what the article is unclear on is what they expect to predict for 1,000 years hence. I doubt they are expecting miracles like "It's going to rain in Spain on 20th Sept. 3001", but rather stuff like "average rainfall globallaly will be up by 3001".

Maybe. If that damn butterfly doesn't fart or something.

IBM's dominator

[orangesquid]

"Big Blue's dominator is getting closer to being turned on."

Ooh, can I do it? I like to turn on dominators!

Sticks and stones may break my bones
But whips and chains excite me.

Re:Great news!

[Lerc]

It's because they are using new superconducting processing elements that contain electrons with an equal probability of being in any particular position of the superconducter. As other elements pull these electrons off the probability wave collapses and the absence of the electron can be detected on the other side of the superconductor sooner than it would have taken light to travel this far. With this resulting Faster than light communication goes the associated backward time effects. This means the signals are processed for the proceeding operations first. As a result the first visible operation performed is the output.

There have been notable technical difficulties in getting the system up and running, not least of which involves convincing the engineers that they have to connect more than just the monitor up to make it work even though the results are already being displayed. They just don't get this destiny thing.

Re:Climate, not weather

[Rogerborg]

• Climate prediction, however -- working out how large an effect increased CO2 emmisions will have on global warming -- is easy by comparison... at least in theory

Theory indeed.

• IMB: We've predicted the climate for the next 1000 years!
• Press: Assuming that major vulcanism or meteor impacts don't screw it up, right?
• IBM: Oh, well, sure, assuming that doesn't happen.
• Press: And the chances of that are...?
• IBM: Uhh... about.. ummm... look! Flashing lights! Just like on Star Trek!
• Press: Oooh! Pretty!

The Matrix

[BubbaFett]

Hey. Wasn't The Matrix an earth simulator? Should we be worried?

Re:1000 years weather?

[JediTrainer]

The puff a butterfly makes during flight will alter local weather a little, and this change will continue to influence in weather mechanics, until some months later this butterfly can originate an tornade on another continent.

If that's what a butterfly can do, I shudder at what might happen in Europe the next time I have a burrito for lunch!

I fart in your general direction! -Monty Python and the Holy Grail