A Cray SuperComputer Comes to the University of To Essays

A Cray SuperComputer Comes to the University of Toronto By Andrew Reeves-Hall The Cray X-MP/22 manufactured by Cray Research Incorporated (CRI) of Minneapolis, Minnesota was delivered and installed at the U of Toronto this September. The Cray is a well respected computer - mainly for its extremely fast rate of mathematical floating-pointcalculation. As the university states in its July/August computer magazine "ComputerNews", the Cray's "level of performance should enable researchers with large computational requirements at the university of Toronto and other Ontario universities to compete effectively against the best in the world in their respective fields." The Cray X-MP/22 has two Central Processing Units (CPUs) - the first '2' in the '22'. The Cray operates at a clock rate of 105 MHz (the regular, run-of-the-mill IBMPC has a clock rate of 4.77 MHz). By quick calculations, you would be led to believe the Cray is only about 20 times faster that the PC. Obviously, this is not the case. The Cray handles data considerably differently than the PC. The Cray's circuits permit an array of data (known as a 'vector') to be processes as a SINGLE entity. So, where the IBMPC may require several clock cycles to multiply two numbers, the Cray performs everything in one clock cycle. This power is measured in Millions of Floating Point Operations Per Second (MFLOPS) - which is to say the rate at which floating-point operations can be performed. The Cray MFLOPS vary as it does many activities, but a rate of up to 210 MFLOPS (per CPU) can be achieved. The second '2' in the X-MP/22 title refers to the two million 64-bit words (16Mb) of shared central memory. This can be expanded to four million words in the future if the need arises. But it doesn't stop there! The Cray can pipe information back and forth between the CPU memory and the Input/Output Subsystem (IOS). The IOS then takes it upon itself the store the information in any of the four storage devices: i) one of the four 1200 Mb disk drives (at a rate of 5.9Mb every second), ii) one of two standard 200ips 6250bpi tape drives, iii) a Solid State Storage Device (SSD) (which is much like a 128Mb RAM Disk!), or iv) through to a front-end computer (the U of T uses both the IBM4381 and a DEC VAX). These computers would be programmed (usually in FORTRAN) and the information passed onto the Cray. The results would then be transfered back to the front end computers. The 4 year old Cray was bought used from the California NASA research centre where it was used in aerodynamic calculations. This means less cost to buy it and the assurance that it has been 'burned in'. In case you wanted one for yourself, the U of T was able to purchase the Cray for the low-low price of $12 million. Over the next five years, the University predicts the total cost will probably be $25 million when maintenance, staff and other costs are taken into consideration. To help out, the Ontario Government put in $10 million. By doing this, all other Ontario University researchers are assured of access at a reduced cost. By the way, to buy time on the system, it'll cost you $2000 per hour. But Ontario researchers only have to pay 7% of that - $140 per hour. Their first commercial customer is OMNIBUS Graphics of Toronto who plan to use the Cray in the graphic videos. If you saw the movie 'The Last Starfighter', you will have already experienced the graphic capabilites of the Cray (remember the some of the space scenes!). The Cray did all of the calculations required for those scenes and let another graphics computer to do the menial task of drawing the lines and filling with the calculated colour. There is so much to talk about when the word 'Cray' pops to mind! If you are seriously interested in this amazing computer and/or you are interested in purchasing time on the system, please contact the people below: The Centre for Large Scale Computation at the U of T Llyod Parker, Director 978-8255 Facilities Manager Dr. Edmund West 978-4085 Supercomputer User's Group (for University Researchers, etc)

Communication eassy 6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Communication eassy 6 - Essay Example Capitalistic marketing was quick to pick up on the influence that images could have to connect people to their products and reach the emerging mass market. Napoleon is credited with saying that, "A good sketch is better than a long speech" (Bonaparte). If this has been translated to mean that a picture is worth a thousand words, then a photograph is worth a million. A photograph accurately portrays an entire scene and gives the viewer the background, the context, and the emotion of the subject. Pictures can explain a scene or a situation in a way that defies description. The citizenry could not have understood the magnitude of the Civil War without the photography of Matthew Brady and Alexander Gardner. Their photos brought the war to the mind of the people and connected them to the event in a way that words could not describe. When Brady displayed his photographs of the dead at Antietam the New York Times noted that mere words were like a funeral next door. However, they solemnly noted that, "Mr. Brady has dome something to bring home to us the terrible reality and earnestness of war. If he has not brought bodies and laid them in our dooryards and along the streets, he has done something very like it" (Bradys Photographs 5). Photographs brought the war home and into the consciousness of the American psyche. In addition to being able to bring reality to a story or an event, photography has the ability to do it instantly. It also requires very little effort on the part of the audience. It takes patience, time, and concentration to adequately digest a thousand words, but one photograph of a Great Depression era soup line tells volumes about the desperation that pervaded the cities. We could understand the suffering of the poverty and feel the hunger of Appalachia. The Dust Bowl was made more real and palatable. We could experience all

Has neoliberalism impacted men and women differently Essay

Has neoliberalism impacted men and women differently - Essay Example The emergence of neoliberalism and the globalization however, also brought forward the different social and political inequalities. The changing social order which took place as a result of the neoliberalism is believed to have taken the women out of the family equation and has placed her in the midst of crisis. What is so important with the neoliberalism is that it pushes the regulation of a society out of the hands of government and places it in the hands of market with the belief that the social equality and justice will be restored. Due to the market driven social, political and economic policies, the overall labor force has became more mobile and women are now being considered as the vital part of the overall labor force of any country. The question of whether this shift towards the neoliberalism has affected men and women equally or in different manner therefore is a valid question which this paper will attempt to explore. A quicker look at the definition of neoliberalism shall be a starting point to discuss the issue of how the neoliberalism has actually affected men and women. ... Though the notion of poor gets poorer and rich gets richer has been highlighted what is also significant to note that the above definition has highlighted the issue of economic policies which are relatively free from the influence of State. Neoliberalism in this regard therefore is a completely new philosophy outlining the lesser role of State and therefore greater power to be given to the market forces. Thus the ultimate goal of neoliberalism is to expand and intensify the markets to such level that every transaction takes place based on the market forces. The ultimate objective of neoliberalism therefore is to envisage a world where every aspect of life is governed by the markets. One of the aims of the neoliberalism therefore are to convert most of the social acts and relations according to the market transactions thus allowing competition to take place between each being. Economic rationality therefore is considered as the driving philosophy behind the regulation of a perfect soc iety. This also means that the overall social relations, gender specific roles as well as the position of man and woman radically altered as a result of this shift towards the more market oriented society based on the notion of economic rationality. Since economic competition served as the guiding principle therefore the maximization of the neoliberalism’s ideology. It is in this wake the sex or gender specific roles have reversed also due to the increasing emphasis on the competition and market driven social relations. The basic ideology of liberalism is based on the liberty and freedom and thus this very fact outline the disappearance of the social relations which might result into any kind of handicap between the social relations and compromise the liberty

Workplace policies and practices. DreamWorks Animation Essay

Workplace policies and practices. DreamWorks Animation - Essay Example This paper considers six policies and practices which contribute to the high level of employee engagement that exists in the company: commitment to the highest quality, diversity in recruitment, coaching and mentorship, a relaxed and â€Å"fun environment to stimulate creativity, and flexible teamwork. DreamWorks Animation is company that many creative people aspire to work for, and perhaps the most attractive feature about this organization is that it is simply the best in the industry. This high quality image brings a sense of pride to all of its employees but it also brings with it extremely high expectations in times of quality of work and adherence to tight deadlines. The company attracts the brightest and best employees because of its profile as a leading and innovative animated movie producer and so long as it maintains this position it will make them want to stay and achieve even more success. The company webpages show also a real commitment to diversity in the workforce, si nce the faces of leading employees are male and female, and different in terms of age and ethnic origins also. It is a young company with an international flavour. This diversity is useful to the company because it matches the global audiences for the company products, but there is also evidence this mix encourages innovative thinking and exchange of ideas. The different social and cultural backgrounds of the staff make for a stimulating and rich working environment. The company’s philosophy makes a big statement about this point, and it is clearly one of the company’s overarching and strategic aims to have unity in diversity: â€Å"In this friendly, open and collaborative environment, people of globally diverse talent and backgrounds push creative boundaries and enjoy an easy camaraderie. We attract a globally diverse group of artists, technologists, production and support staff who come together†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (DreamWorks Website). This commitment to be inclusive mea ns that the prevailing atmosphere is open and all staff are able to participate freely in company activities without fear of prejudice or inequality. Mutual respect marks the ethical tone of the company and this in turn leads to a more committed and contented workforce. Employee engagement begins at the point where people are recruited into the company. Vacancies are advertised on the company webpage, and of course the company requires very specific and certified skills in most of its employee roles. Experience is also needed in this industry, along with new ideas that are current in the youth cultures of the present time. Locating the right mix of talent and experience is difficult in animation, and DreamWorks takes a long term view of this task. It is commendable to note that there are outreach efforts in colleges and universities to draw in talent from all parts of society, including state as well as private educational institutions. In 2005, for example, the company started off an Outreach program to attract graduates who had no experience in the industry, but could demonstrate talent in their university work: â€Å"the goal of this program was to seed the next generation of creative and technical leadership at the Studio, and also to offset the rapidly rising salary rates for experienced talent.† (Newspeak.com case study, 2011) Some such ventures are little more than public relations stunts, but the company reports that 165 entry level graduates were hired, and 93% were retained, and 8 individuals were considered â€Å"

The role of information systems management Essay

The role of information systems management - Essay Example The information collected from several resources gathers, and processes the same under the auspices of top executives in order to convert the collected information into a meaningful output. In olden days these complicated processes required manual labor; whereas with the evolution of information technology, human efforts have been replaced by technologically developed information systems. According to Ward (1995), the evolution of improved technologies changed and eliminated some aspects of traditional information processing which forced management to develop new processes in order to match with the recent technology (p.1). Hence, there arises a need of giving specific attention to the management of information systems. Even though newly introduced information systems increased the authenticity of business performance, the top executives who were dealing with them had no accurate knowledge about its operations. Issues like organizational resistance to change, vendor selection, maintenance costs etc are to be dealt with due care in order to attain the anticipated outcome of ISM (McFarlan, 2003). If the information are gathered and processed in a wrong way, the management will not be able to interpret the actual facts and thereby it would lead to business failure. Hence, the information systems management (ISM) aims to coordinate various information processes efficient ly and flawlessly in order to attain the long-term objectives of a business. For instance, we take the case of a car manufacturing firm (say Hyundai) in order to substantiate the mission and goals of an information systems management. The Hyundai has a well developed information system for the formulation of suitable business strategies. The company requires right time information on market trends in car models, satisfactory price level for customers, and ultra modern facilities. Similarly, a market forecast on the basis of the acquired data

Critically analyse the claim of labour process theory Essay

Critically analyse the claim of labour process theory - Essay Example The project makes an analysis of the theory in depth and the views of researchers and practitioners regarding the fundamental and inherent conflicts of interests between employers and employees at the workplace. In this context, the key elements of local management systems and controls are analyzed and the way they impact on different sections of the working class which hold skills and expertise which are not reproducible through machines or unskilled labor (O’Doherty & Willmott, 2002, p.2). Labor Process Theory The Labor Process Theory considers how individuals work, which people control their work activities, skills which they use for working and the way they are paid for their services. According to the views of Braverman, who was an industrial worker for a long part of his life in America, management steals the skills of workers in capitalist societies. In this was they act in the way of reducing the pleasurable character of work and the power that workers possess. They al so reduce the wages of skilled workers to the level of wages of unskilled workers and at the same time increase the exertion on them too. The radical writers have been critical of the pluralist preoccupation with regards to the regulation of conflicts. They have focused more on how conflicts were contained and controlled, while the pluralists tried to divert attention towards the more fundamental issues of why conflicts generated at the workplace. In this regard, Hyman (1979) have believed that the existing structure of control and ownership in the industry were inevitable sources of conflict were dismissed as being external to the context of industrial relations. The radicals believed that undue emphasis was provided to the employers, trade unions and other institutions for coping with such conflicts and for identifying process which could be incorporated for maintaining industrial stability. Greater attention towards power is the main notion of radical writers as compared to the p luralist thoughts. This is not surprising as the pluralists have emphasized more on the resolution of conflicts and procedural reforms. On the other hand radicals see the power imbalance within society and also at the workplace being central to the characteristic of employment relations. At the workplace people who have ownership of the means of production enjoys power superiority over those who sell their labor in return of wages. This is highly demonstrated through the substantial inequality in the distribution of rewards at the workplace. Also the limitations of labor in the market is reinforced through the creation of social norms, beliefs and values which sustain the prevailing power distribution within the industry and inhibit the growth of political consciousness of the working class. Critical Analysis of the Labor Process Theory The Labor Process Theory is opened to broad sociological debates associated with the action structure dualism. While the orthodox school of thought tends to reassert the economic and structuralist features of Marxism, the deconstructionist or anti-realist position abandons the analysis which has been conventionally been oriented towards polarities of agencies and structures. Researchers have thrown insight into offering of instructive ways of understanding how subjectivity is implicated in the reproduction and accomplishment of the capitalist employment relati

Becoming a Successful Student in Prince Sultan University Research Paper

Becoming a Successful Student in Prince Sultan University - Research Paper Example Becoming successful at PSU depends on one's personality, personnel management, emphatic communication, discipline, class attendance and having a vision in life. Excellence in life depends on one's personality and the external environment, and success is dependent on the one's trait. In academia, students need to focus on themselves and beware of the company they keep as this is one of the elements that determine one's prosperity. Friends can build or destroy one's character (Congos 2). This, in turn, influences the academic performance and personal growth goal in the university. Therefore, avoidance of bad company is essential as it ruins good moral. Personal management is one of the determinants of becoming a successful student. This element shapes the lives of students by managing things like time, personal growth activities that enhance the social life on campus (Covey 73). One should be able to become active by balancing academics and personal growth activities, which include attending social events, participating in sports among other activities. One should complete classwork before engaging in those activities. Empathic communication is another habit that may guarantee success in college life. This enables one to communicate clearly to convey the intended information without causing any misunderstanding to his/her lecturers, school staff and fellow students (Covey 119). Communication is one of the most important factors that shape one's life as it determines how one can interact with other people in the university. University assignments tend to test how a student can express his/her ideas in a manner that will be understood. Therefore, being clear in communication enhances success in a campus. Mission and vision are fundamental elements of becoming a successful student in PSU. The moment a student joins the campus, he/she should develop personal vision and mission that will guide him/her to achieve the set goals and expectation in his studies.Understanding the end will help the student to understand how his/her present actions will constitute to the end results.